A Vision Led Me to the Truth
Had I just imagined the statue?
A few years ago, I was meeting with missionaries, and my health was struggling. I was miserable, and all I wanted was to feel some sort of guidance in my life.
I didn’t feel confident or excited about anything, especially this church the missionaries kept talking about. Regardless, I begrudgingly decided to attend sacrament meeting for the first time.
My mother came with me, and when we reached the church building, my heart skipped a beat when I saw a glittering golden statue on the roof. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen! This building looked so peaceful and inviting that my whole attitude shifted, and I eagerly went inside.
During the sacrament, I closed my eyes, and an image of Jesus appeared in my mind. Growing up, I had always known about Jesus, but I hadn’t been interested in Him until recently. I hadn’t ever read the Bible. And I honestly didn’t know anything about why Jesus Christ died on a cross or why He had twelve Apostles or why so many prophets taught about Him.
But at that moment, I felt connected to Him. He finally seemed real to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of love and a desire to learn more. I believed He was the source of the truth and love I was seeking.
A few days later, I asked my mother about the statue I had noticed. She seemed a little confused and said she hadn’t noticed a statue, but she wanted to drive past the building again to see it after I described how beautiful it was.
But when we reached the church building, the statue I had seen just a few days before was gone. I couldn’t believe it! Had someone removed it?
At church the next week, I asked someone about the statue. She was puzzled and said the building had never had a statue on it. But when I described what the statue had looked like, she said, “Oh! You mean the statue of Moroni? They aren’t on church buildings, but his statue is on most temples.” She told me that Moroni was a prophet in the Book of Mormon and also played a part in the Restoration.
I decided that I must have imagined the statue. But I searched the Book of Mormon for mentions of Moroni. I learned that he lost his family and friends, that he was pained by the sins of the world, and that despite all of that, he still followed God’s command to protect the truth. I also learned he had appeared to Joseph Smith many times to give him messages from Heavenly Father. Learning about Moroni and his teachings and how he went to great lengths to follow Christ and preserve the truth helped me truly convert my whole heart to the gospel.
When I finally had the opportunity to visit the Sapporo Japan Temple, I saw the actual statue of Moroni for the first time. It was the same statue I had seen on top of my church building. But the one I had seen that day shone with brilliance beyond this world. I believe that “glittering statue” was a vision from Heavenly Father, inviting me to find His love and the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. To learn of ancient prophets like Moroni who testified of Christ and living prophets who do the same. To find the direction I had desperately been searching for.
I know that the Lord restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that we have living prophets today who are guided by Him to bring us truth and help us return to Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ is the source of peace and joy in this life as well as the next.
The light of His restored gospel and all the blessings it bestows have completely changed my life, and just like on that first day of church, I know Heavenly Father will guide my life as I keep following Him and His messengers.