My Background Story

Hey guys I am Elder Crisp, well technically I'm not yet because I haven't been set apart yet but details who needs em right?! Anyway I wanted to start this blog thing (sorry the MG is showing me how to do all this technology stuff) one month before I left on my mission. As you all should know by now, I have been Called to Serve the Lord and I have been assigned to labor in the Angeles Philippines Mission. So first some background, I wasn’t born into the Church nor raised in it either in fact my upbringing was a little bit rocky. When I was 3 my father walked out on me and my sister and my mother. I was the youngest so it affected me the least. It hurt to know that somebody who was supposed to love you and teach you what it means to be a man just didn’t care enough about you to even stay in your life. We survived though. Though my whole life I struggled with forgiveness. That was until I met three young men my age. Their names were Alex, Shane, and Jason. Without a doubt in my mind I can say that these three saved me from a dangerous and lonely path and put me on the path that lead to eternal happiness. Now these three young men had absolutely no reason to speak to me, let alone show kindness. See I was mean to them, I treated them like dirt, I made fun of them and laughed in their faces. They kept showing me kindness. This made no sense to me, they just kept inviting me to activities and showing that they were there for me no matter what I did. Now after a year or two something changed in me. Something said to me , "Dakota why are you so angry? Why do you take your frustration out on others? Why do you bottle up your pain so that nobody can see it? Let me help you." Now I may not have literally heard those words but I felt them. I felt them in my heart and at that moment I knew that I wanted to be more than what I was becoming. I wanted to be more than what people thought and expected of me. So went up to these three young men and asked them why they were so happy all the time and how they could forgive me after all of the rude things I said to them. They simply replied, "Why not?" Of course I was still skeptical and listed reasons and they said "So?". Apparently I looked much more confused then I thought because one of their parents said, "Because of what we believe." Now they explained that they believed that the main purpose of this life was to become more like Christ. Now I thought well that’s cool and everything but I am not so sure i want to be murdered. They went on to explain that Christ forgave everybody so if He did why couldn’t we? That caught my attention and I felt at peace. Like I finally knew that I had a purpose and direction. That was the very first time I felt the Spirit. Then the next big thing that hit me was that they asked me to pray with them. To this day I have not forgotten that prayer. "Our kind and most gracious Heavenly Father, we are so very grateful for all of thy many blessings. We are so very grateful that you brought Dakota into our home. We are so very grateful that the Spirit was able to manifest the truth of or words unto him. And Father we know of thy love for us and you are always watching over us and protecting us and we say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Now what really got me was the fact that my Heavenly Father LOVED me and PROTECTED me. That was the day I decided to take the lessons. The more I learned about the Church the more I knew it was true. Now I help others who are less fortunate than I am even if I don’t have much to give. I give a friend to somebody who needs one. I forgive everyone no matter what they say or do to me. My biological father died 3 years ago...about 4 months before I started the discussions. He died thinking that I hadn’t forgiven him. I have forgiven him and someday I will be able to tell him that. This Church has taught me so many life lessons and how to endure. I love this Church and I cannot wait until I get to share the same love and pure happiness that was shown to me with the world. Because not only is it my job to share my knowledge with the people of the Philippines, it is my obligation to share it with everyone. I testify that I know truly in my heart that this is the true Church of our Heavenly Father and that He restored the priesthood back onto this earth because he loves us. I know that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that President Monson is a true Prophet called of God and that our Heavenly Father speaks to us today through the prophets he has called on this earth. And I leave these things in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.