How did you become converted?

The Book of Mormon presents a number of models, examples, or types regarding the paths persons follow to become fully converted to the truths of the gospel. In a recent blog (THE BOOK OF MORMON, A MEMBER MANUAL, September 24, 2010.), I listed several persons who were Church members that returned to a life of faith after having experienced a period of what today in the Church we would call being “less-active”:
“The process of returning to living faithfully (reactivation) on the part of members of the Church after engaging in such things as apostasy (Alma I), rebellion (Alma II), worldliness and materialism (Amulek), indifference and apathy (Enos), immorality and other serious sins (Corianton).”

These are all models of members who only become converted in their adulthood after wandering in wrong paths for a period of time. And in becoming converted, they all became powerful leaders and advocates for the Lord and his gospel. Some years ago, I wrote in more detail about these persons and their conversions or reconversions (THEY CAME BACK: BOOK OF MORMON STORIES OF REACTIVATION, http://www.lewisfam.com/nearertogod/html/they_came_back.html).

I want to add some more conversion types:

1) Member, faithful from childhood (Nephi). Although there are many other examples, Nephi seems to epitomize the member who never strayed, but from childhood, followed his righteous parents’ examples, internalized their teachings, and came early in his life to experience for himself the spiritual gifts associated with the gospel.

2) Member, good person but with shallow or social conversion (people of King Benjamin). These people appear to have been members who were keeping the commandments (Mosiah 1:11), but still King Benjamin seems to imply that they were self-satisfied with their level of obedience and had not really internalized the covenants of the gospel or experienced the redemptive power of the Spirit (Mosiah 2:13, 24, 28, 37; see also Rust, pp. 103-104).

3) Non-member convert, rich and powerful (Lamanite King, Lamoni’s father–Alma 22).

4) Non-member convert, doubting, argumentative and intellectual (Zeezrom–Alma 12 to15).

5) Non-member convert, impoverished and persecuted (Zoramites–Alma 32-35).

I see at least one more type, for which I have not found a model in Book of Mormon persons, but rather in the life of Abraham:

6) Seeker for gospel blessings, that recent ancestors had left (Abraham). He states that his “fathers, [had] turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping the gods of the heathens...” (Abraham 1:5). Therefore he left the residence of his fathers in the land of the Chaldeans to seek for himself “mine appointment unto the Priesthood” (v. 4) which was his right based on his lineage, but not available from his fathers because of their apostasy. His motive was to find “greater happiness and peace and rest..., [to] be ordained to the [blessings of the fathers], to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace...” (v. 2). I have pondered what informed Abraham’s faith in the face of his fathers’ apostasy, and had the thought that his mother may have stayed faithful and been the instrument to teach him the gospel. Abraham’s travels eventually took him to Canaan where he received the priesthood from Melchizedek (D&C 84:14), whom he also recognized as his superior in authority by paying him tithes (Alma 13:15).

How did you become converted to the gospel? Who is your model and exemplar? Are you a Nephi, an Enos, or like the people of King Benjamin?

In a small way, I feel some spiritual kinship to Abraham. While not apostates (and Abraham’s father even sought his life at one point--Abraham 1:30), my immediate Davenport ancestors took their families away from the safety and blessings of the Mormon Utah-Idaho-Arizona corridor before the Church stopped advocating gathering (which occurred about 1899).

Immediately after I was baptized in June 1954, the week after my high school graduation, I felt a new and strong prompting to attend BYU in order to affiliate with the Church in its strength and receive its blessings. I canceled my plans to attend Washington State and started working and saving money to go to BYU the following year. (Going in a year would also put me back with my age group, which I thought would be desirable socially.)

Oddly, at this time I had very little concept of such things as priesthood and temple. President Burles kept talking about giving me some priesthood. My first thought was “I am now baptized–what more do I need?” Of course, I later came to learn that there was much more.