In 1982, missionaries taught the lessons in a whole different ballgame than they do today. No apps, no videos, not even a cell phone in sight. The elders who taught me lugged around a binder stuffed with pictures in plastic sleeves, filmstrips that beeped at you, and even a 16mm film projector. Looking back, I’m just grateful the Lord still managed to teach by the Spirit, even with all that old-school gear.
Different Missionary Era (1982)
Missionaries back then followed a super-structured program called “A Uniform System for Teaching Investigators.” They memorized six lessons and delivered them almost word for word. Not a lot of wiggle room for someone like me who had a million questions. After we’d cycled through the discussions a couple of times, I think they had to ditch the script and lean on what the Lord really wants: teaching and preaching by the Spirit (see Doctrine and Covenants 50:14). That’s when things started to change. They taught by the Spirit, and I started to feel something deeper than just information.
During that time, I started showing up at church on Sundays and doing my best to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was honestly amazed by these two young elders who always seemed to have an answer for everything. After a couple of months, somewhere in the back of my mind, I started to wonder if maybe—just maybe—I’d finally found the truth I’d been looking for.
Elder Tibbets had this vocal habit I’ll never forget. Whenever I gave an answer he liked, he’d burst out with, “AWESOME.” I started keeping score, just to see how many times I could get him to say it in each lesson. He was pretty awesome himself—and I bet he still is.
Questions, Doubts, and the Need for a Witness
One Sunday at church, Elder Tibbits gave me the once-over—clean haircut, sharp three-piece suit—and said, “You know, you sure look like a Mormon. You do know you’re pretty much a member of the Church; you just haven’t admitted it to yourself.” That threw me for a loop, because I wasn’t quite there yet.
But I was still hung up on the big question: Was Joseph Smith’s story actually true? Did he really see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees in upstate New York? And did God, by His gift and power, help Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon from an ancient record? (See Joseph Smith—History 1:14–17.) Deep down, I think I already believed it, but I had some family stuff going on that made it easier to dodge what I was really feeling.
So it was easy to just say, “I don’t have an answer yet.” Honestly, part of me wanted the same kind of dramatic experience Joseph had. If an angel could show up for a 14-year-old boy, I figured I wouldn’t mind that kind of treatment either.
That’s when Elder Tibbits looked me right in the eye and told me something I really needed to hear: I probably wasn’t going to get my answer the way Joseph did. No angel, no visions. Most likely, I’d have to rely on the Holy Ghost. That’s when I started to take seriously the Lord’s promise that revelation usually comes quietly—to the mind and to the heart (see Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3)—and Moroni’s invitation to ponder, pray, and get a witness from the Holy Ghost (see Moroni 10:3–5). Little by little, I was learning that the Lord can teach by the Spirit, even when you’re hoping for fireworks.
I kept moving forward. Meanwhile, my wedding day to Celeste was coming up fast. A couple of days before the big day, I was staying in the back bedroom at my future in-laws’ house. Pretty soon, I’d be moving to a local hotel until the wedding.
A Bright Yellow Light, a Loud Bang, and a Quiet Answer
One night, after finishing my usual Book of Mormon reading and saying my nightly prayers—including a pretty passionate plea for an answer to my big question—I climbed into bed. Just a couple minutes after my head hit the pillow, my room suddenly lit up with a bright yellow light, followed by a loud bang. I shot straight up in bed, ready for whatever was about to happen. It all happened in a split second.
It didn’t take long to figure out the bright yellow light was just… a yellow light. And the bang? That was my soon-to-be father-in-law taking out the trash.
But here’s what really mattered: in that split second, I honestly believed heavenly beings were about to show up. And in that moment, I realized what was already happening inside me. The Holy Ghost spoke to me in a way I could understand—not with fireworks, but with quiet certainty and peace (see Doctrine and Covenants 6:22–23). God had found a way to teach by the Spirit, and I knew, through the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith’s testimony of the Restoration was true.
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