Kerry Lawrence - Duarte Ward

 

Hi Sisters, my name is Kerry Lawrence from the Duarte Ward.  I am a convert to the Church, baptized at the age of 42 in 1994 in the pool in my backyard. I grew up in the city of Duarte, attended Duarte schools and have lived in our home for 44 years where my husband and I raised two daughters.  I am the only active member of the Church in my entire family, both immediate and extended, but I have a strong testimony of the gospel.  We travel to Colorado to visit with one of our daughters and two grandsons as often as possible and live just around the corner from our other daughter and three grandkids.  I like to garden and spend time with my family. During this pandemic, I have been blessed to be able to assist in on-line learning with my grand-children. 5th grade was a long time ago for me and I am loving re-learning American History and graphing ordered pairs with my grand-daughter.  I have to admit that I don’t always understand common core math, though. I am grateful for the time this pandemic has allowed me to study the scriptures and learn more of the gospel.  I am pretty much a home-body and have not found it very difficult to follow the stay at home orders.  I’m not very technological but I am getting much better at zoom meetings and google classroom. 

I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon.  It bears many truths, standards, and warnings, that were written upon golden plates by ancient prophets, to us, the people of these latter days and that these plates were translated by the prophet, Joseph Smith through the power of God.  I know that the people written about were real and prospered in the lands of the Americas when they kept the commandments of God and that when they rejected His gospel, they struggled with contentions, wars and the influences of the adversary, causing their societies to crumble.  Through this book, I have come to understand that our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, are merciful and just, and that they love each of us and want to bless us.  I know that Joseph Smith was a chosen prophet of God in these latter days and was the hands by which the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored.  I know that we have a living prophet today, Russell M. Nelson, and I have faith that he leads and guides this Church in a manner that is pleasing to our Father in Heaven, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church on this earth.  Of these things, I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.