Stan Winchester's Personal Testimony

Stan Winchester 02/18/1998
Ward/Branch: Fanno Creek Ward
Stake/Mission: Tualatin Oregon Stake
State/Country: Oregon, US

In the 1960's while growing up I Southern California I attended with my sisters a wonderful Southern Baptist church down the street from our house. It was there that I first found out about our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I loved to hear the stories of Jesus and the stories in the Old Testament. I loved attending Sunday School, and the adult meetings on Sundays. I also attended the youth group during the week. I loved the association with the good people of this church, but most it was the feelings I felt as I learned about Jesus and His life.

I can remember a few things I was taught that caused great confusion in my mind. One of the teaching that that caused me confusion was the doctrine of the Trinity which was explain to us as the three parts of God (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) was like an egg: the shell, the white and the yoke. They were three separate parts of the same thing. It was very confusing to me.

I remember the weekly altar calls where members from the congregation would go up at the request of the pastor and say a prayer to invite Jesus into their heart. I cannot remember how many times I went up during the weekly youth meetings. I wanted to be saved, but never felt like I was. I just wanted to feel like I was saved from the awful hell the pastor talked about. It was ironic that the thing that was supposed to bring the most comfort was the thing that most confusing and discomforting to my soul.

We left Southern California in 1969 and moved to Aloha, Oregon. In the fall of 1973 our family went on a trip to visit my Uncle Leo in Shelton Washington. Leo was the oldest son in my mother's family. While at Leo's he invited me to go out for a drive with him. We visited the home of an elderly man who was getting a new roof put on. There were maybe eight to ten men there working on it and I found out that they were all members of Leo's church. I was deeply touched that these men would volunteer to help another in need. The next day was Sunday and Leo invited me to go to Priesthood Meeting with him. I told him that I couldn't because I was not dressed properly wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He told me to come anyway, that it would be ok. As soon as I walked into the building and met the members I knew I was at home, though I knew nothing of this Church or its doctrines. There was this incredible, wonderful feeling there. When we got back to Leo's home I invited my sisters and parents to go to Sunday School, only my sisters ended up going back. The girls seemed to really enjoy Sunday School so after we got back to Leo's, my sisters and I with Leo went back for Sacrament Meeting. I was so excited!

My sister Sandy and I begged my parents to have the missionaries over and by January 26, 1974 we were all baptized! I will never forgot the feelings that I had as I came up out of the water. After my baptism, and while receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, I felt as light as a feather, as clean as the new snow, and my heart was so full of love that I thought that it could burst. The feeling of Salvation that had escaped my heart now filled my soul.

Over the years since my baptism many things have happened in my life. I have continued to experience the grace of our Heavenly Father through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. I am still a sinner and continually fall short of perfection, though I know that my sins are washed away because of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. For I continue to choose to follow Him and seek His forgiveness.

The greatest thing I have learned since joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is regarding the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have learned both from prayer and from reading of the great love that our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ have for us. I have especially benefited from reading the Book of Mormon, as it teaches of Christ in ways that have been lost from other sources. Nowhere (at least that I have read) in the Holy Bible does it explain, "why did the Atonement of Jesus Christ have to be in such an awful, cruel and inhumane manner?" Or, "why did our Heavenly Father required His Only Begotten to bleed from ever pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, be spat upon, humiliated in the illegal trial, tortured, mocked, ridiculed and finally die in such a cruel manner?" Or "why could the atonement of our Lord not have happened in some other way?"

I have learned that our Heavenly Father can answer all of these questions, plus many more to ALL those who are seeking to know the truth, for "the truth shall set you free"! we read in James 1:5-6, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering . . . " (James 1:6).

I testify that the truth can be found, and in its fullness is in the Book of Mormon. There is a great promise in that sacred book, where one can find out for themselves if the book is true.

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down unto the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5).