My Conversion Story

 This is my conversion story as written in 1980.  I wanted to include this early version of it here, but I will also comment on changes or additions to it below.

"In the summer of 1977 we bought a house at 1220 SW 91st Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Eddie had wanted to buy a house, but I didn't want the burden of owning again.  Finally, he persuaded me to at least look.  I decided before I went out with the realtor, just what our limit would be, and really never thought we'd find anything.  But we did.  Even with all the house's faults, I feel like we were meant to buy that house.

"Our neighbor to the left of us was especially kind and friendly, and we learned soon after what a unique family they were.  There were six children, and all of them worked around the house.  Joey soon became acquainted with Lesley and I watched them play together.  I offered Lesley iced tea, but she refused.  She was a sweet girl and I enjoyed having Joey playing with someone like her.  Joey was ten and Lesley was eleven.

Lesley is the taller girl in the middle

"Over the next year I observed how well they all worked together, and how well-mannered all of them were.  The house was always clean.  The furnishings were old and worn, but there was a clean feeling of order and love in their home.

"One day, the following summer, in 1978, the mother, Nancy, was outside washing garden vegetables when I came home from work.  I said hello and stopped to visit.  During the conversation the subject of Donny Osmond's marriage that day came up.  (May 8, 1978.)  Nancy said, "We belong to the same church as the Osmonds."  I had just finished reading a book about Mormons, or so I thought, and told her I would like to know more.  It wasn't until later that I realized the book I'd read had probably been about Quakers.  Nancy asked if I'd be interested in talking to the missionaries, and I said, "Yes."  I told her that Joey and I would both be interested.

"Because Eddie had no interest in any religion, we set the meetings up at Nancy's house.  The date of the first meeting, I had an awful cold, so we had to postpone it.  A few days later, Joey and I met the missionaries, and at the end of the first discussion we were ready to join.  I had been asked to pray aloud, and although I stumbled through it, following the steps they had given me, I knew in my heart that this was the true church.  Joey and I both were excited.  I hadn't gone to church regularly iin years.  I had visited some of them, but had found nothing that felt right to me.

"We kept taking the lessons and planned for baptism, but my heart sank when I found out I needed Ed's permission,  I felt he would never aprove.  All I had gotten from him were negative thoughts.  He hated the fact taht I was even taking the lessons and considering baptism. 

"One day the mission president (ward mission leader) decided we should all fast for Eddie's approval.  From the day I took my first lesson I had been living as a member, abstaining from alcohol, coffee, tea, and was joining in fasting on Fast Sundays.  This fast involved the stake missionaries, the Allen family, Joey and me.

"We picked a day and decided to fast.  A friend invited me out for lunch that day, and I went, but I watched her eat.  I truly fasted for 24 hours.  While there, at that restaurant, I saw the ward mission leader eating lunch.  My heart sank.  Having only met hiim a couple of times at church, it took a lot of nerve, but I approached him and asked why he was eating.  He explained that he had fasted from lunch to lunch, not dinner to dinner.  I was really glad I approached him, because it could have killed my faith and trust in the members and the leaders.

"The following Sunday, four days later, Denise jumped into bed with us and we were talking about church.  Finally, Denise said, "Daddy, why don't you let Mom join the church?"  She was only seven years old.  He angrily said, "Oh, I don't care.  Go ahead and join it.  Just shut up about it and quit bothering me."  Not exactly what you'd call an answer from Heaven, but it was all I needed.  At church, I asked Nancy if she was ready for a baptism.  She was so excited.  I told her what Eddie had said, and when she told her husband, Bob, who was the bishop, he said he needed a more positive approval.

"After church, Eddie was working in the yard, and Bob came over, shook his hand, and said, "I think it's wonderful that you've agreed to let Joyce and Joey join the church."  What could Eddie say?  He didn't put up a fight, and the bishop accepted that as his approval.  We were on our way and what an exciting day that was.

"Joey and I were baptized the following Friday night, August 3, 1978, by Bob Allen and confirmed that night.  All the Allens were there, plus Nancy's parents, some members, and the missionaries, who brought flowers.  It was a beautiful experience.

"Eddie was working that night and I didn't want to lose this wonderful feeling, so I went over to the Allens' to visit with them.  What a unique family.  I will never forget the loving kindness shown to us by them.  Nancy will always be my ideal of the perfect wife, mother, and friend.  Never have I known anyone who worked on so little sleep and who never had an unkind word about anyone.

"We were truly blessed to become their neighbors and enjoy our beginning in the gospel with them."

February 2023 - In reading this account of my conversion, it's pretty close to what I share with people today, except that I usually say that it all started with Nancy Allen introducing herself when we first moved in, and that she would often call and say she was going to the dairy (Braum's) to get milk and wanted to see if I wanted anything.  I appreciated that so much, and at the time, didn't even recognize that she was ministering to me.  It was that kindness of hers that brought us together.  We were never really friends before then, but she had a houseful of kids, and she was offering to do something nice for me.

The day Donny Osmond got married, I recall coming home from work and seeing her outside washing the vegetables with the hose.  I said, "Well, I see Donny Osmond got married today.  Our daughters' hearts are going to be broken."  She responded with, "Donny Osmond goes to the same church we do."  And then I said, "Really?"  I knew the Osmonds were "Mormons," but I knew they didn't live in Oklahoma City, so when I questioned it, she explained that it was the same religion, but not the same building.   I had enough curiosity, though, to keep going until she invited me to talk to the missionaries.

The rest is history.