How My Father’s Last Words Inspired My Conversion
The author lives in Namibia.
The words of the prophets, the missionaries, and my father helped me develop my faith in Jesus Christ.
I moved to a big city in Namibia for my freshman year of university. There, I lived with my older brother, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One Sunday, he invited me to church with him, and I agreed to tag along. I noticed that everyone I met in the building seemed so happy.
My brother introduced me to the missionaries, and we set up an appointment. Honestly, I didn’t really pay a lot of attention during their lessons, and while the elders would always encourage me to pray about what they taught so I could know if it was true, I didn’t care to do so.
Eventually I got tired of the lessons. I wasn’t reading the scriptures or trying to change things in my life, so I started avoiding the elders.
But I still went to church with my brother sometimes. And if the elders ever caught up with me, I would make excuses for why I wasn’t meeting with them anymore.
A Parting Message
A few years later, my father suddenly became ill, with no signs of improving. Not long before passing away, he shared a message with my siblings and me. Quoting Matthew 6:33, he counseled us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God” and told us that if we were righteous and followed Jesus Christ, everything in our lives would fall into place.
Unfortunately, I didn’t let his parting message sink in until long after his death.
Before my dad died, I had been trying to believe in Jesus Christ and His gospel, but after losing him, my growing faith was derailed.
Losing my dad was so painful. I felt like all the light had drained from my life. I turned to alcohol to ease my grief and pain. I stopped doing anything faithful at all, and I just felt myself slipping further and further away.
But one day, when I was in the lowest place I’d ever been, my father’s last words popped into my head:
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
“What am I doing with my life?” I thought. My dad had been on his deathbed and had still testified of his faith in Jesus Christ. “Why can’t I do the same?”
Thinking about my dad also made me remember the peace and happiness I saw in members’ eyes every time I went to church with my brother. I wanted that same peace and happiness.
I knew it was finally time to get serious about gaining a testimony.
An Unexpected Answer
I started meeting with the missionaries again. They answered a lot of my questions, and I started reading the scriptures they invited me to read. I started praying more and striving to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. When they invited me to pray about what I was learning, I accepted the invitation.
When I was alone, I knelt and said the sincerest prayer I had ever given, asking if the Church was true. As I pondered my prayer, I suddenly felt the Spirit so strongly. A still, small—yet piercing—voice whispered to my mind, “Eben, come, follow me. I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
I was shocked.
When I told the missionaries about it later, I explained that I thought the voice I’d heard might be my own mind trying to comfort me. They assured me that it wasn’t—it was the Holy Ghost, leading me to the truth.
It was incredible to learn that Heavenly Father was aware of me and that I could receive an answer like that. But I still felt like I needed more confirmation about the gospel’s truth.
A Leap of Faith
As general conference approached, the missionaries invited me to write down any questions I had and to listen closely for answers.
President Russell M. Nelson’s talk calmed all my doubts. When he invited us “to get on the covenant path and stay there,”1 I felt like Heavenly Father was telling me to get baptized.
So, after conference, I told the elders that I was ready. I had doubted myself, my worthiness, and my ability to change and become like Jesus Christ, but as I talked to my bishop, I realized what I needed to do. Remembering the words of the prophet, the Spirit, and my father, I took a leap of faith and was baptized by my older brother. I finally, joyfully, began to live the gospel fully.
The gospel gives me the answers and comfort I need in life. Understanding the plan of salvation gives me hope that I’ll see my dad again one day. Every sacrament meeting feels like that very first Sunday with my brother—I still feel that same peace and joy.
As I prepare to serve a mission, I look forward to sharing the gospel and my testimony with the world. I’m ready to spread the light of the gospel—the same light it gave to me when I needed it most.