TESTIMONIAL

By

William H. Smith

During my first years of maturing one of my studies in grade school included God and Christ. I don't believe I ever understood what I was suppose to do about what I learned nor what was expected of me. At the age of twenty-six I had what I call my vision, not until I reached the age of forty-nine years did I really believe, was baptized and received the Holy Spirit. I then began to understand the Vision I had received back in September of 1962.

During the period of my adolescent years, and growing up I met with many hazards. One perilous event stands out foremost in my memory. When I was about 12 years old I was helping Granddad Beasley to prepare a field for planting, it was away from the main farm at a place he called, the Red Barn. Little did I know that this day was going to be one that would remain with me forever. I had finished disking the field, and was following Granddad back to his house, he was driving his blue Ford pickup truck with my brother Jerry riding in the back. While bouncing down the road behind them I was showing off and not paying sufficient attention to the driving of Granddad's Ford tractor.

My middle brother Jerry was in the back of Granddad's pickup laughing and I was grinning, because I was making him laugh, as I was showing off. I looked and to my horror I was driving off the road into a deep dry creek bed with large rocks. I knew the tractor was going off and would turn upside down, and I was going to be killed. My vision and mind went black with red orange spots, I must have been terrified because I knew this was going to be the end of me.

I then found myself still on the road and behind the tractors steering wheel as I was approaching the other side of the bridge. Why I was there was a miracle to me, why I wasn’t smashed beneath my Granddad's tractor wasn’t in the realm of my understanding. God must

have taken command that day and protected me. If there are Guardian Angels protecting us, I certainly put mine to work that day by my not driving off that bridge.

In 1961 I was called back to active duty during the Berlin crisis, and returned safe, after serving a year I was discharged. The third Wednesday night of each month the Masonic Lodge at Odon meets, after the meeting in September another fellow and I discussed the churches in Europe, especially the Orthodox Greek church in Russia, at that time it was the only Church that was allowed to hold services. That night this vision came to me from God, or his messenger, it was very, very touching and masterful. My age at the time was 26 years of years, I had reached it that last February.

"THE VISION"

As I stood in this large room I recognized it to be the high school gymnasium in my hometown of Odon, Indiana. There was glowing light in the room it was very bright and white, and it was soothing and relaxing, I felt completely safe and happy. It was as though the room was crowded with people, but I could see no one and there was no noise.

Then I found myself in the middle of gymnasium floor facing the stage. There appeared on the left side of the stage a blackboard setting on three legs, it looked to be a very old easel. On the left side of the blackboard appeared these letters from the top to bottom L-0-R-D, these letters, were large and white.

As I stood gazing at the letters and wondering what was happening, a voice began to speak, it was a deep loud voice that was pleasant and kept my undivided attention, it was pleasing and had the ring of superiority to my ears. These words appeared after the letters as the voice spoke: After the letter L, “love thy Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy Soul, and thy neighbor as thyself.” After the letter 0, “obey the Commandments.” After the letter R, “repent and be baptized.” After the letter D, “demand the word of God.”

I then found myself on the stage and looking out over the audience, I felt that the room was still filled with people, but I could see no one. Then the voice spoke again, it seemed to be deeper, louder and demanded more attention, and I listened. These words appeared over the unseen audience as the voice spoke, they appeared to be red-orange in color and fractured with black lightening shaped lines;

“GOD IS GOOD - GOOD IS GOD - GOOD GOD - GOD GOOD”

While I stood there gazing out over the invisible audience I recognized two people, they were the town Marshall, and the barber who cuts my hair.

Then I awoke.

"Post Vision"

I discovered many years later that the town Marshall and the barber who came to my center of attention in the vision were both Christians.

The declarations after the letters were unfamiliar to me, and the words “God is Good, Good is God” had no meaning to me until I read the Gospel of Matthew, 19:17 states that, “there is none good but God.”

I talked to several ministers about the vision I had witnessed and none of them could attempt to tell me the reason of the vision or what it might mean. In the years to follow this vision came to mind many times, sometimes when I would see a Church building, or while having conversation on the subjects of the Bible. This vision was etched into my brain and never departed.

In 1984 I met a Mormon who was interested in treasure hunting as I was, one night

while talking over a campfire he asked me if I had ever read the Book of Mormon, I told him

that I hadn’t, and he said, “It was something like a treasure story” so I said, “I would like to read the book”. He loaned me the book to read, along with some other pamphlets.

One of the pamphlets was an account concerning Joseph Smith, according to Joseph he went into the woods and prayed very hard and received a revelation from God. A column of light came down and he talked to an Angel. This Angel later led him to a buried box that contained letters and with these letters he wrote the Book of Mormon.

I read the Book of Mormon, and after finishing it, I also read the Old Testament Bible.

When I had finished these two books the Mormon individual that gave me the book and pamphlets asked me to take Cottage Meetings, “to learn more about the Bible” he said, and I consented to them. While taking the Cottage Meetings I also read and studied the New Testament. I found they were trying to teach me things that I wasn’t agreeing with, but I continued until the meetings were finished.

It came to a point where I needed and wanted answers, so since Joseph Smith was able

to get his answers through Prayer, I also should be able to get answers the same way. I went into the desert and amidst the mesquite trees to pray. This was one of the hardest things I had ever undertaken. Looking around I saw nothing not even a cow but still I felt conspicuous. I finally knelt down on my knees in a small wash with my face to the ground. I prayed with all my heart and all my mind and all my soul, I was very sincere and wanted answers.

When I was through and I opened my eyes I didn’t see a column of light and there

wasn’t an Angel to give me answers. I was disappointed and began to wonder if maybe this God and Jesus stuff was phony.

I did however notice that the sun was shining a little differently, it was shining like it

does during an eclipse of the sun, it had a dim dusky look. However long I was aimlessly wandering I don’t know, but after a time I realized I was asking myself questions and answering myself, I then realized I was getting my answers. If anyone would have witnessed my behavior they would in all probability thought I was delirious.

The foremost answer I got was that I should be baptized. I went to the Mormons that presented me with the Cottage Meetings and asked if they would baptize me on my birthday, this date would be easy to remember and that my life would be starting over again as though I were a newborn child. They laughed at me for wanting to be baptized on my birthday, I would turn forty-nine years old (7x7=49), but they said they couldn’t do it because of other commitments.

I believe that a loving divine hand was upon me that day and kept me from evil. I called a minister of a Christian Church and asked him if he would baptize me on the following Saturday, which was my birthday he said, “sure I'll be glad to”, and I was baptized into the body of Christ on birthday February 9, 1985 on a Saturday, my birthday. The rebirth from the water thrilled me and made my heart glad. Since that day I have hungered to learn more and more about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

I am thankful for the Mormons, Joseph Smith's vision, and his writing of the Book of Mormon. Without his works (which I now believe to be the hand of Satan) I may never have become a Christian.

I thank you with all my heart Lord for hearing my prayers and guiding me......... Amen

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