Introduction

Likening the title page and the introduction of the Book of Mormon

Title Page of the Book of Mormon

THE BOOK OF MORMON
AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY
THE HAND OF MORMON
UPON PLATES TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI

This book contains a very personal testimony. I wrote it with my own hands, like Mormon did.

Moroni states in the first paragraph of his title page that the Book of Mormon was “written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation.” Similarly, I felt impressed by the Spirit to begin writing this book. I started it while I was serving as a missionary in Post Falls, Idaho and continued in the years following.

This account is a true. Of course, I don’t have the boldness to claim that it is doctrinal for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even though it may shed some light on our beliefs. While studying the scriptures and at other times in my life, I have received a number of impressions and personal revelations from God. I am not a prophet for the Church, but I am a witness of God. I desire to express my faith openly and loudly. I hope the reader will benefit from this gift of the Spirit as another modern and personal testimony of the great doings of the Almighty.

Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever… (second paragraph)

My goal with this book is to show my children (who can also be considered a remnant of the House of Israel) what great things the Lord has done for their fathers. As children of Israel, whether by adoption or by blood, it is a great comfort for us to know that we are not cast off forever. The Lord has blessed our father Jacob and given him a place with Isaac and Abraham in the kingdom of heaven. The God of Abraham will forever bless his servants. Because of the assurance of the promises He made to our fathers, due to their great faith and fidelity to the gospel of the Lamb, we can trust in the covenants of the Lord to our fathers.

We have been given the precious gospel of Christ contained in the Book of Mormon and many other books such as the Bible in our day. We can trust with all our heart, mind, and soul that the Living God never gives up and that his promises are sure. The Book of Mormon is a testimony of that. I have also been promised great things by the mouth of his servants. I have been promised that my children will be raised in knowledge and truth, in wisdom and spirit, and the Spirit once told me that they will always be protected by the hand of the Lord. These promises to me are as precious as my own life.

My Catholic mother also received a similar promise when reading the Bible. She told me that the Spirit of God told her one day that all of her children would eventually be adopted by the Lord. Through his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Almighty God has given me so much to hold onto, has raised me in knowledge and truth, and has given me a hand of principles and directives to guide my life to security and peace. We are not cast off forever. The Good Shepherd is calling us, children of Israel and all the nations of the earth, to gather in the pastures of eternal life.

And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations… (second paragraph)

This is the very testimony I received from the Holy Spirit the first time I read the words of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. This prophet, more than any other, helped me understand more clearly who Jesus Christ is and truly convinced me of his divinity. I discovered that Jesus is the Almighty, the Great I Am, the Only Begotten in the flesh, and that he was sacrificed for the benefit of all of us. He deserves to be considered our Lord and Savior. Because of him, I have been healed in my mind and heart through the power of his atonement. I found the strength and inspiration to live righteously and have come closer to the Father. I look forward to being with him in the celestial realm. This Book of My Testimony adds another witness to the many words already written. It may nourish the believer in the search for inspirational thoughts, as it did for me.

And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God… (second paragraph)

There are many mistakes in this record that I have made. Please don’t condemn me for them. I try hard to clarify my thoughts and the doctrine I am referring to, but there are many things that I can’t express and even more that I don’t understand fully. All I really want is to make my personal testimony known to my children and motivate them and others to read the scriptures and believe in God, likening the scriptures to their own lives.

Introduction of the Book of Mormon

Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (sixth paragraph)

I took that statement to heart and began searching for God, and I wrote down my inspirations on my journey. This adventure of likening the Book of Mormon to myself have brought me closer to the Spirit than anything else I had experienced before. I have written thoughts only regarding the two books of Nephi. This is what you will find in the Book of My Testimony. Those books contain the fullness of the gospel. I wish I could tell you the same thing about my own book, and that it is the “most correct of any book on earth”, but of course I can’t, because there are so many good and better books. However, I can tell you that I have been true and faithful in writing all of the words it contains.

“Believe in God; believe that he is” (Mosiah 4:9), said another Book of Mormon prophet. This is what I would like to tell the whole world. I want to show that He is, that He has always been there for me, and that He will forever be our Redeemer and Great Provider.

Testimony of Three Witnesses

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi… And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true… And it is marvelous to our eyes… (first paragraph)

I first read this testimony while I was on a trip to Vancouver Island in the summer of 1993, but I wasn’t able to pay enough attention to it at the time because my mind was troubled. I just couldn’t concentrate. But in February 1994, after the missionaries came to my apartment, as I was reading the introduction of this book again, the testimony of these men sank deep in my heart and soul.

At first, I was skeptical about this story of men seeing angels, but when I read this honest testimony and learned that God himself talked to them, it gave me confidence. Even if I couldn’t believe at the time that God could really talk to a man in the same way that a human voice can be heard with our ears, at least I trusted the honesty of those men. Somehow I knew they were telling the truth and were not lying. Even if I couldn’t literally believe everything they were saying, their testimony and the impression it left on my mind gave me enough assurance to begin reading the book and find out for myself if it could be true. I found the record of the Book of Mormon to be good for my soul, and later, the Holy Ghost gave me a sure knowledge of its truth.

As you read the pages of this book, you will find that it contains many experiences and also very personal thoughts. The Lord has talked to me and his Holy Spirit has given me many insights on various matters. I understand these things are very sacred, but I write them so that they may never be forgotten, either by myself or my children or others.

I am aware that many, including my close ones, may be very skeptical about the things I write, just as I was about the testimony of those three witnesses. However, I can assure you that I have been very careful to give a scrupulous account of my spiritual experiences as they came to me, doing my best to not distort anything and to be as clear and precise as words can be.

Testimony of Eight Witnesses

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold… And we lie not, God bearing witness of it… (first paragraph)

“And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.” This is what I also tell people. I am not a liar. What you will find in this book is absolutely true. These are my thoughts, impressions, and beliefs. I will not lie about them. I feel that my salvation depends on the truthfulness of my testimony. I feel a solemn duty to also live my life in accordance with what I have been ordained to teach. Like those men who gave their names, I want to give my name and my life as a witness to this new doctrine that God has restored through the prophet Joseph Smith Jr.

I trust in the witness of those men and in the testimony of Joseph Smith, but more fully I trust in my God. A man may lie if he pleases, but he cannot make God, the Man of Holiness, lie. It takes great confidence in what may have been experienced to declare in soberness that God himself will witness to its truth. The test is then put on the reader’s responsibility to humble himself and seek divine inspiration to find out if it is a true witness, trusting that God will witness to the truth.

I am satisfied with the witness from God that I received about the Book of Mormon, and I am confident that the Holy Spirit will also guide you as you read these words. He will confirm to your heart and soul the truth of my words, as well as help you discern my weaknesses. Trust in God.

Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air…

He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do…

He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;

Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted Seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.  (3rd, 6th to 8th paragraphs)

An angel of light came down from heaven to give directives and knowledge to a young man, commanding him in the name of God to do a marvelous work for the good of the children of men. Joseph Smith was to translate, by the power of God, an ancient record carved on gold plates hidden in a stone box covered with dirt. This is how the Book of Mormon was brought to us, by the appearance of a man from heaven to a man on earth, the holy one guiding the other. Do we really believe that such things could happen to us? Since I heard that story, my perspective of reality changed.

This Book of My Testimony has been on my mind for many years, written and hidden in a cardboard box, where I had put the first drafts, like the Book of Mormon was hidden in a stone box by Moroni, except that it wasn’t kept for as many years. No messenger from heaven came to command me to write this book, but the Spirit of God encouraged me to write my experiences and convinced me that it could be of any worth to some.