Magazine
“Where Are the Prophets?”
Title
“Where Are the Prophets?”
Magazine
Ensign
Publication Type
Magazine Article
Year of Publication
1989
Authors
Christensen, Ann Nicodemus (Primary)
Number of Pages
69
Date Published
September 1989
Volume
19
Issue Number
9
Abstract
A conversion story of a young woman who studies the Book of Mormon and determines that there exist living prophets of God .
“Where Are the Prophets?”
By Ann Nicodemus Christensen
In October of 1986, I turned on the television and idly switched from channel to channel. General conference from the Church in Salt Lake City was on one station. I heard the speaker say, “And the gospel will be taken to the Gentiles of the earth.” That really struck me—I was of Jewish origin, and I had never been called a Gentile before. I listened intently as the speaker continued to say things that I not only felt I had heard before but that I had always believed.
When the speaker referred to a living prophet, my eyes filled with tears. All my life I had wondered, “Where are the prophets?” After listening intently to the conference broadcast for twenty-five or thirty minutes, I ran next door to share my excitement with my mother-in-law. She was shocked when I told her I had been watching the Mormon conference. I was shocked when she said, “You don’t want to listen to that.” Back at home, I turned on the television and watched the rest of the broadcast.
Afterwards, I was so excited that I wrote to my mother in Oklahoma to tell her that the Mormons had a prophet. Then I visited my friends, Will and Petrea Powell, who were members of the Church. My first question was, “How could that speaker call me a Gentile?” Luckily for me, Will and Petrea were both returned missionaries; they answered all of my questions. They also gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon. By the time I finished reading First and Second Nephi, I knew the Book of Mormon was true. I read it from cover to cover in two weeks.
A few days later, I began the missionary discussions in Will and Petrea’s home with the full-time missionaries. During this time, I felt the Spirit of the Lord bear testimony to me of the truthfulness of the words the missionaries spoke, just as recorded in 2 Nephi 33:1: “For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” [2 Ne. 33:1] The doctrines I learned seemed familiar. I had believed in the principles of genealogy, family tradition, and unity all my life. However, what impressed me the most was that there was a living prophet on the earth today.
When the missionaries asked me if I was ready for baptism, I said, “Yes!” I was baptized on 8 February 1987 by my friend Will Powell. For me, a person with Jewish heritage, the news of a living prophet has made all the difference.
Ann Nicodemus Christensen is a member of the Parowan First Ward, Parowan Utah Stake.
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