Finding the Truth in the Restored Gospel

I still remember the two missionaries who taught me about finding the truth in the restored gospel like it was yesterday. I’m still in contact with one of them on Facebook—Elder Tibbets. I smile calling them “young men,” because they really weren’t that much younger than I was.

By the time they found me, I’d been searching for the truth for a long time—about seven years. I was living out the Savior’s invitation: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7–8).

The day before my first lesson—back when we called people “investigators”—I visited the local Deseret Book store. I told the kind woman working there that I was going to take the missionary lessons and wanted to read a little beforehand. Her suggestions were sincere… and, looking back 45 years later, a little ambitious. I walked out with Faith Precedes the Miracle (Spencer W. Kimball), Mormon Doctrine (Bruce R. McConkie), and Jesus the Christ (James E. Talmage). I remember sitting down, cracking open Jesus the Christ, and being completely lost for a couple of hours. Honestly, even now I still don’t catch everything in that book.

But I do remember this: that day I started getting answers—real ones. God had promised, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5–6). And I was learning that faith sometimes begins as something as small as a willingness—“even if ye can no more than desire to believe” (Alma 32:27–28). That was part of searching for the truth of Jesus Christ in a way that finally felt honest.

Searching for the Truth of Jesus Christ

One of my biggest sticking points before meeting the missionaries was the traditional Nicene Creed definition of the Trinity. We recited it every Sunday in my previous church, but it never made sense to me in a plain, common-sense way. When I asked questions, “Because that’s the way it is” didn’t cut it. What I came away with from my early Talmage reading was an explanation that clicked: Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost —united in purpose, but distinct, with real roles in our lives. Suddenly, scriptures I’d read before felt straightforward. For me, that was coming to know the restored gospel wasn’t just “different,” but consistent and clear.

At Christ’s baptism, you can see all three: Jesus in the water, the Holy Ghost descending, and the Father’s voice from heaven—“This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:16–17). Stephen testified that he “saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55–56). Joseph Smith described seeing “two Personages” (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17). Later, this doctrine became even plainer to me: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones… the Son also; but the Holy Ghost… is a personage of Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). That clarity mattered a lot in finding the truth in the restored gospel.

That night of my first lesson, the missionaries asked me if I had any questions. I pulled out the three books I’d bought and my list of questions, and off we went.

Looking back, I think those two elders probably knew right then I was going to accept the gospel at some point. They probably didn’t know it would take me months to do it. Still, it felt like discovering the restored gospel was true was no longer a distant idea—it was becoming personal.

Finding The Truth in Sacrament Meeting

Not long after that first lesson, I started going to church with Celeste. I vividly remember the first time. The ward—our congregation—was huge. Bigger than anything I had ever experienced before, and maybe since. Celeste lived within the boundaries of the Anaheim 8th Ward, affectionately known as the “Mickey Mouse Ward” because Disneyland was inside the boundaries. That meant the hotels were, too—so members staying there attended church with us. It was nuts.

It was also the first Sunday of the month, so it was fast and testimony meeting—already far from what I was used to. But what really threw me was that it was also Scout Sunday.

Back when the Church was heavily involved in Scouting, the first Sunday in February was Scout Sunday. It felt surreal to me. The bishopric were in Scout uniforms, the young men were in Scout uniforms, and the flags were marched down the aisle and presented. Without a doubt, it was the strangest thing I’d ever seen in a church service up to that point—and maybe since.

And yes—those stories about new members thinking the bishop’s name is “Rick”? That’s not folklore. When I was introduced to the “bishopric,” coming from a church where we called the pastor “Pastor Mike,” it was easy to assume the bishop’s name must be Rick. Seriously. That’s what I thought.

We Don’t Grade Passing of the Sacrament

Then came the passing of the sacrament. When the deacons—12- and 13-year-old boys, not the older men I was used to—started moving through the rows, I noticed an older man sitting behind what looked like a desk on the stand.

He kept scanning the congregation with what I thought was a stern look. His head followed the young men around the room. He’d look up, then write something down on a notepad.

After watching this for a while, I leaned over to Celeste and whispered, “What is he doing? It looks like he’s grading those boys.”

Of course, I later learned he was just counting attendance for the Church’s records—not judging anyone. And I also came to understand that the sacrament isn’t something you grade—it’s something you receive in remembrance of Jesus Christ: “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19–20). Week after week, we promise to “always remember him” so we “may always have his Spirit to be with [us]” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79). Moments like that became part of finding the truth in the restored gospel in everyday, unexpected ways.

“The ordinance of the sacrament makes the sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church.”
—Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament” (Oct. 2008)

“We agree with our critics on at least that point—that such a formulation for divinity is truly incomprehensible.”
—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent” (Oct. 2007)

Far-Fetched? Yes, but True

I know some of this probably sounds far-fetched. Maybe it even sounds made up. But I promise it’s real.

By this point, my journey of searching for the truth of Jesus Christ was about seven years long.

And even though my baptism wasn’t far off, I still had much more truth to learn. It would come line upon line (Isaiah 28:10).

In the next part, you’ll hear about the missionary lessons. You’ll also hear the wisdom those elders shared with me.

And you’ll hear how, believe it or not, I found my testimony in a trash can.

And yes, that story is part of finding the truth in the restored gospel too.

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