It was six months since I had been baptized, and I did not have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon. One day when I had no desire to read the scriptures, I recalled my Gospel Principles teacher saying, "When you do not feel the desire to read, it is because Satan does not want you to read the scriptures." Because of that warning, I opened the Book of Mormon. I read, "Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?" (Alma 26:17). Those words filled my soul with joy because I remembered my state before becoming a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Lord testified in my heart of the truth of the Book of Mormon.
I had not wanted to be a full-time missionary, but after that day everything changed. I felt very strongly that the world needed to know the truth, and I began to prepare myself. I went to my leaders and told them of my desire to serve. I explained to my parents, who lived in another city and were not members of the Church. Then I sold everything I had and bought clothes for my mission. The end result was that I served a mission from 2003 to 2005.
Today, my family—including my wife and our daughter—is sealed eternally. This blessing is also due to my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know the Book of Mormon is true, for it bears testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I draw close to God when I read this sacred record.
Adilson Lucero dos Santos, Paraná, Brazil