From Polygamy to Mormonism to the Arms of Jesus.

I'll take my story from my Blog. The condensed version and copy it here. I'll place the links to the entire Blog at the bottom.

My name is Andrea. I am the second oldest child of 5 and was born into Polygamy into the AUB (Apostolic United Brethren) group. My birth mother was my father's 9th wife. Before my family fell apart, my Father had 12 wives total. Not long after my father left and our polygamist family fell apart, my Mother then remarried a polygamist man when I was 3 years old. She was his 3rd wife.

After moving into his house with 2 of his other wives and children, abuse started. We were abused in every way. Some more in one area and others in other areas. My mother had been trying to find a way out of the situation for years but wasn't sure how she would be able to support her, then, 5 children. She wasn't aware of all the abuses her children were enduring till she was able to leave 13 years later. It took a few months knowing we were finally safe before we could start to voice what happened to us. Violent abuse by my Step fathers own hands as well as his own sons to my brothers. Sexual abuse to the girls by his sons. Spiritual abuse. emotional abuse and of course, verbal by the other mothers and him. My own Mother suffered verbal and physical abuse by him. One vivid memory. I heard this big crash and then my mother screamed! I jumped up and ran to her bedroom and tried to open the door but it was blocked. Mom was laying on the floor screaming in pain and Step Father was standing over here. I started screaming to let me in! Mom was unable to move and I saw she was hurt and Step Father did it!! I started to step backward with my fists up and yelling at him to get away from my mother! BASTARD! GET AWAY FROM HER! My two youngest siblings came running and stood behind me. I just remember shaking and screaming at him to leave her alone! He started walking towards me saying it was a mistake and I just screamed at him to not come near me! He took off and we didn't see him for a few weeks.
The sexual abuse I endured, from the age of 3 till 10, left it's own marks. When I finally got up the courage to say something to someone about it, I was told it would be taken care of and not to tell anyone. My Step father would handle things. He never did. I spent the next few years believing my own mother knew what happened to me yet didn't love me enough to say anything. I was lead to believe his mother knew what happened to me but never bothered to talk to me about it. I was lead to believe everyone in the family knew, but I wasn't worth the effort to talk to about it. It made me feel like I wasn't worth much. I ended up getting into a relationship with a young man at the age of 12, who took advantage of me in ways I should never have allowed. Having already endured the same treatments at a young age, I'm not sure I knew how to say no.

  The rest of my life I dealt with anger, hatred, fear, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Went to therapy for some time, years later, to try and resolve some of it but it didn't help.

 I met my husband at the tender age of 14. We got to know one another for around 4 years and he then asked me to marry him on my 18th birthday. Our long courtship was really good for me. Over that time I was able to tell him of my past and give him the option to continue the relationship. I needed to know where I stood if he knew everything.

We never entered into the practice of Polygamy. I left the AUB with my husband and 2 children at the age of 22 and joined the mainstream LDS Church. After studying into the AUB's roots and realizing Polygamy wasn't supposed to be lived, I ended up searching for a heart felt answer and I gained a strong emotional testimony that had a burning of the bosom and a name planted into my mind when I prayed about, without an agenda, who held the "Keys of the Priesthood." We were taught to pray and wait for a "feeling" about the prayer. We are told that if it "feels" good, it's right, and if it "feels" bad or has no feeling at all, it's wrong or you're not ready for the answer yet. I had no idea who the person was who's name was planted into my mind so I called my Sister in Law and asked if she knew who "Hinckley" was? She told me that the name, Gordon Hinckley, was the President of the LDS church. All because of that "feeling" I joined the Mainstream LDS church and put total commitment and time toward it for 14 more years. I now know that is NOT how God works. The Bible warns of things like this. We are to gain knowledge and test that knowledge with Gods word, the Bible.

 I still had questions about some things after joining the LDS church. I asking these questions to a Bishop, multiple times, who sent me to our Stake President, because he couldn't answer them. When my Stake President couldn't answer them (to my satisfaction) I asked more, he then threatened me saying "If you purse this course, you will be filled with the spirit of the Devil and fall away from the Restoration." Was told to "Leave it alone", and "Don't go there." It put enough fear in me, thinking that we wouldn't be able to be a "Forever family" if I left the LDS church, that I stuck everything on the "shelf" and didn't bring it up anymore. For 10 more years they sat, collecting dust, on my "shelf".

I loved being a Mormon. Loved the structures. Loved the programs and loved knowing I was part of something most everyone in my community was part of. I didn't have that growing up as a Polygamist child. I loved the feeling of acceptance. The callings we were asked to do to help us grow...and yet...I still had unanswered questions.

Just to name a few:

Why did Joseph Smith marry a 14-year-old girl as well as many other young under age girls?

Why did Joseph Smith marry women who's husbands Joseph, himself, sent on missions, while they were on missions?

Why were many of Joseph Smiths' prophesies never fulfilled?

Why do Egyptologists and Mormons view the translations of the Book of Abraham Papyri differently?

Why, after Joseph passed the "Word of Wisdom", did he still drink and smoke?

Why were things removed and changed from the original Mormon Temple ceremony?

Why did Brigham young preach that Adam is the god of this world and the only god with whom we have anything to do?

What parts exactly in the bible have been changed? We have the Dead Sea Scrolls to compare them to now so why isn't someone trying to rewrite the bible so it's no longer "corrupt"?


After 14 years in the LDS church, Jeremiah 17:9 entered our lives and caused us to reexamine our beliefs "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Helped us to Test everything according to the bible. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Before that though, I had to take the 8th Article of Faith glasses off. "We Believe the bible to be true as far as it is translated correctly." I needed to find out if the bible had been corrupt and how.

After studying up on the origins of the Bible and realizing it is, in fact, true and whole, as God promised he would keep it, I was finally able to test everything. Through those tests, we realized Mormonism was not Biblical and we could not be part of something that wasn't truth. I picked up each and every item that had fallen off with the shelf and examined each one individually, with the Bible, and then each and every one of my questions above got an answer.

The year 2012 we had our dream home up for sale because we could no longer afford to keep it. It finally sold in June. One week before we moved, we were asked to talk in Sacrament meeting. That week we read over the materials they gave us for the topics we were asked to give and the next Sunday we gave our talks. That Sunday morning we were fully Mormon. We held to our Mormon Testimonies that all had a strong emotional burning of the bosom. We faithfully paid our tithing even when we couldn't afford it. (God blessed us tremendously in the AUB and LDS church because we gave with a glad heart. He always saw to it that we were always able to meet the bills even when the numbers didn't add up.) We held current temple recommends, fulfilled our callings to the best of our abilities, had Family Home Evening, went to church and other meetings and were as Mormon as a Mormon can be.

That Sunday night, August 19th 2012, Jeremiah 17:9 caused us both to stop and examine the scripture. What exactly was it saying? Can it be taken at face value? Was it "Translated Correctly"? We were packing to move the very next Wednesday. So much was going on.. Every time I had a moment to sit down I was on the computer researching things about the bible.. every hour things started falling into place and before I new it, my "Shelf" and everything I have ever put on it came tumbling down off the wall. The beautiful Mormon building I had spent so many years building, crumbled to the ground into a heap of rubble, like a house of cards.

We moved into our Rental home before telling our children. We had sweet Mormon neighbors help unload the truck and interact with our children. Telling them when Young Women's was, when Scouts was and all the things that were going to be going on. It ripped my heart out knowing what I knew and the deception of it all. Brian and I talked about letting the kids find their own way but we couldn't allow them to get sucked back into the Local ward without showing them what we found. God Had his own plan. There is a reason he sold our home when he did, because we would have never considered the church to be false had we still been living in that neighborhood. We were to ingrained into it's society. We KNEW we had to tell our children before they started attending the local Ward.

2 days later, we got one room unpacked and comfortable enough to enjoy a video, then sat the 3 oldest down to watch "Jesus Christ Verses Joseph Smith". When the video started, our oldest was about to bolt, not wanting to watch any of it. Another older child started sobbing thinking of all of her friends in the neighborhood and the third oldest was like a deer in the headlights, banging his head into a pillow now and then. We then explained what had happened. We told them that we would support them in whatever they chose to do but we would also show them the truth we found if they asked. They all started looking into things themselves, asking us questions in the process. Searching the answers out as a family. To our surprise, our 3 oldest saw the discrepancies and knew Mormonism wasn't right.

The very next Sunday, August 26th, 2012, we all attended Calvary Mountain View Chapel in American Fork, Utah with my Sister in Law and her husband and Brian's Sister. Going from Hymns in the LDS church and the reverent, quiet, subdued almost depressed form of their "worship" of Singing to Jesus... and ONLY Jesus with all your heart was quite a culture shock. Listening and reading the words with each song lifted my heart with so much joy. Another thing I noticed, The pastors message was ONLY about the Bible. Not someone else opinion on the passage from the Bible or some other non-Biblical topic and opinion of theirs. It was so refreshing.

That evening we attended "Harvest America". A nation wide live broadcast at the Calvary Chapel. After the broadcast, they had an "Alter Call" where those who have not accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer come up, in front of everyone in attendance and proclaim, publicly, that they are sinners, they want to change, they acknowledge what the Savior did for them and they want the Biblical Jesus in their lives. After listening to the Message from the Pastor, I couldn't sit still. I got up and went to the front to proclaim it all! I NEEDED Jesus and it's all I wanted!

For years, I would plead with Jesus of my childhood, my brother, and Satan's brother, to remove the anger, hate, fear, anxiety, daily panic attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts only to have it flung right back at me... sometimes doubled in intensity and mixed with some unknown guilt. Surely I hadn't done enough. I hadn't attended the Temple enough, I should have gone to church and endured through the panic attacks and renewed my covenants by partaking of the Sacrament. I should have filled out that sheet about taking a family in need a meal, even though I had my family of 9 to take care of and my husband out of town. I could make more and be blessed by blessing them. There was always this looming "You've not done enough yet. Keep working and as soon as you've done enough, I'll then do my part." When was it ever going to be enough? Brian would say "Give it to Jesus. He's the Grand Physician. He will heal you." I would get so mad at him and say "I'M TRYING! Does it look like I'm not trying?" Little did I know, the Mormon Jesus is a false, Non-Biblical Jesus Christ. He couldn't do anything for me.

That evening that I accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at Calvary mountain View Chapel, I didn't notice a change right away. I wasn't looking. I was just thankful to know I loved Jesus more then I ever had! One entire week went buy and I knew something was different, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I realized I hadn't reached for the essential oils or herbal supplements I would use to ward off or diminish the panic attacks and anxiety. The Fear, Hate, Anger, Anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts were GONE! All praise and Glory be to Jesus!! I am FREE! The chains that held me bound, You removed! Thank you Lord!! It's now been 6 months, as of today, that Jesus Christ freed me from the burdens that held me bound for so long.. and they have not returned! Praise God!
 
All 3 of our oldest children have now accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ and become "New Creatures in Christ". They have all changed so much. The chains that each one was bound to, Jesus removed. Our oldest even went one step further then any of us and was Baptized to publicly proclaim and symbolize his love for Jesus.

My heart is full of gratitude for all that Jesus Christ has done for me and my family. I only wish to share with my Friends and Family what he's done for me. You can also have this same gift. I want to share it with you. Will you let me tell you how you to can be Free in Christ, Become a "New Creation" and experience the Grace he has to offer you? It's not about anything you do. It's fully and completely about Jesus and what HE has done for YOU! Are you ready to have the scales removed from your eyes to see clearly? Your ears unplugged to be able to hear and comprehend fully the things of God? What have you got to loose?

 Mathew 11:28
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

John 3:16
 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

 Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

John 6:28-29 "28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."..... Spoken by Jesus to his disciples when they asked about the "Works" God requires. Not baptism, Not temple work, Not work for the dead, Not tithing, Not church attendance, Not church callings, Not prayer, Not fasting, Not fast offerings, Not your eagle scout, Not your young women's medallion, Not the sacrament. etc... Simply Believe and confess Him before Men.


Mathew 10:32-39
"32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."