Matthew L.

My faith journey! I grew up Baptist but was disfellowshipped from the church I grew up in in 2014 due to being in an interracial relationship. We went to different denominations until the missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on the door. I had been studying anti-Mormon and anti-JW literature and apologetics so I was ready to debate. I did fairly well, missionaries left discouraged but left me with a Book of Mormon. I decided to read it and underline mistakes or doctrinal errors. I was heavily convinced by the time I reached 2 Nephi 25:26 that this was true and I needed to reach out to the missionaries, so I decided to get baptized and my fiancé did too. We were married a couple of weeks later in the chapel. We received a blessing that next year and ended up with twins but we went inactive before we could be sealed. In 2020, my wife and I separated due to my ego and selfishness. I wanted to experience the world. I wanted the fast life; the women, parties, and recognition. It was empty happiness. The happiness always faded and I went to bed alone with no kids or wife. The alcohol always wore off. We ended up getting back together in the fall of 2020 before we finalized the divorce. She was a believer, I considered myself agnostic. She couldn’t attend church because we lived 40 minutes away from the chapel and it was a huge burden to carry 3 kids to church by herself (our 3rd child was born in 2018). On February 1, 2024 one of my best friends took his life. I was devastated. I had nothing to lean on. This guy was very strong and we worked out together all the time. He showed no signs of depression or self-harm. If someone that strong could get so low that they’d take their own life, what hope was there for me? I gave my life to Christ that day. I didn’t go back to church until a month later after his funeral. We went to Little Rock on the Saturday of his funeral. We stayed the night and went to a park with the kids to play. A stranger walked up and started talking to us. He asked if I was a member for some reason. I told him I used to be, but struggled to reconcile science and religion. He was a scientist! He studied non-Hodgkin lymphoma at UAMS. He really helped to increase my faith and I started reading scripture again. We went back to church that next week and was baptized about a month and a half later, rejoining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m preparing to receive the Melchizedek priesthood now, and ultimately to receive my endowment and be sealed to my family. No matter how far you’ve strayed, or how far way you get from God, he is always waiting with his outstretched arms ready to welcome you home. Check out my new TikTok: mglunsford #LDSx #Christian

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