More than Coincidence: Remembering Jesus Christ in Your Story

Transformed Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ with David

• Lily • Season 1 • Episode 32

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What does it take to transform a life marred by poor decisions and a lack of direction into one filled with purpose, faith, and family? Join us as we welcome David, who takes us on his compelling journey from Mexico City to California and finally Utah. From a life caught up in partying and reckless behavior to one centered on Jesus Christ and His gospel, David's story is a testament to the how even the “vilest of sinners” can be spiritually reborn through Christ’s Atonement. Through David's experiences, we see the importance of having a supportive partner in faith, the blessings that come from adhering to spiritual principles, and the daily choices that shape a righteous life.

Please reach out to me if you are interested in sharing your story! I would LOVE to hear from you. :)

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Speaker 1:

Hello everyone and welcome to. More Than Coincidence, remembering Jesus Christ in your Story as the author and finisher of our faith, our Savior writes personal experiences into each of our lives which can later strengthen, empower and bring us peace upon reflection. This podcast is dedicated to sharing these anchoring memories from everyone's unique stories in order to collectively remember and testify of the reality of Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives. I'm your host, lily, and I'm very excited to share these experiences together. All right, so good evening everybody. Tonight on the podcast we have David, how you doing?

Speaker 2:

Good, how about you?

Speaker 1:

Fantastic. We just caught up a little bit, got to know each other and now I'm really excited to share your story. Would you mind introducing yourself to everybody?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so my name is David. I was born in Mexico City, but then I moved to California when I was 10 years old, and then I moved to Utah when I was 21 or 20, actually, so I've been here since 2003. So I guess I'm more Utah than. California now so married, been married for 16 years, going on 17.

Speaker 1:

Congratulations.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. We have a daughter who is turning 12 next week actually, so almost teenager.

Speaker 1:

How you feeling about?

Speaker 2:

that it's a little nerve-wracking because she's starting to. You know, like she, she wants all that, but she's always been very independent. To begin with, yeah, um, but now even more so. Like she wants to hang out with friends and she wants to go ride her bike all over the place and she wants to go by herself everywhere right so, yeah, that's, that's, it's an interesting switch, um, and yeah, it's, it's just great. Uh, we live. We live here in utah and I work for, for a great company named Visa.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, I love shoes. That's kind of my oh really. Yeah, I'm addicted to buying sneakers, like I. Just I have so many tennis shoes.

Speaker 1:

Do you wear them all or do you just?

Speaker 2:

display them no.

Speaker 1:

How does it go with sneakers?

Speaker 2:

Oh no, I wear them. I don't spend money not to wear them. I don't. I don't spend money to not to wear them. Um, I may not wear them all the time, but I so.

Speaker 1:

What's your favorite pair that you have or your favorite brand? Do you have one?

Speaker 2:

Uh, so I'm, I'm a sucker for Jordans, so like the old school Jordans, jordans they're called retros and uh, just Yeezys. You know, like kind of like the hard to find shoe, like that's the kind of shoe that I lean towards um I it's weird. I my shoes are very ostentatious, they're very bright right yeah, and so sometimes I wear shoes that are super colorful and people are like what are you wearing?

Speaker 1:

so is that what usually? Is that what usually attracts you? You're like a moth to flame. You're like, oh, those colors it depends.

Speaker 2:

It depends on the, on the style of the shoe, like if it's a shoe that I like, like the silhouette is what they call it. Um, yeah, I like to go for the crazy colors, um, but but yeah, uh, shoes are my, that, that's my vice, and I love music. Yeah, I'm 41 years old, which is crazy because I still feel like a 20-year-old.

Speaker 1:

Right, you're young mentally, which is great.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, so yeah, life is just crazy because you know, one minute you're literally you're young and the next minute you're 41 years old and you're throwing your back out mowing your lawn, which actually happened.

Speaker 1:

so your age is caught up to you.

Speaker 2:

Yes, no, it's no joke. Like once you turn 40. Well, I say that, once you turn, like once you get into your 30s, things start to hurt.

Speaker 1:

That's my husband. He's like 32 and he's like oh, why do I? Ache so much.

Speaker 2:

And then, once you turn 40, that's when things start really going downhill.

Speaker 1:

You're actually over the hill.

Speaker 2:

They say it's 50, but it's actually 40. And I work out almost daily. I take one day off a week and still, like you know, my body is constantly sore. So yeah, it's the age man age is a thing, man.

Speaker 1:

Thank heavens for the resurrection. We'll be like right boom you don't have to worry about that anymore perfect body, six bags, you know that's awesome. Well, I'm so grateful for you coming tonight and sharing your story, so I'll ask you the question um, what memories do you reflect on that prick your heart in remembrance of our savior jesus christ and anchor you to him?

Speaker 2:

okay, so it's kind of a long story, um, and we like long stories, it's okay thanks.

Speaker 2:

um, I think'm so. I don't want to say like it's just, it's just one thing. I think to me, like the, the, the topic or the theme of my life so far has been the atonement. Just because of how I've seen it affect my life and how the gospel has affected my life, I went from one extreme end in life and to another. So so I mean, I think that's the center, that's at the center of my story, is the atonement I like obviously I'm not going to compare myself to Alma the Younger, but that is one story. Alma the Younger and Ammon are you know the two characters that I relate to the moster, but that is one story. Alma the Younger and Ammon are you know the two characters that I relate to the most because you know, in the Book of Mormon it says that they were the vilest of sinners. You know, and you know I feel like I was one of those people.

Speaker 2:

But you know, through the atonement of Christ and the gospel and a lot of key figures in my life, great individuals I was able to turn my life around and so much so that if you were, you know, if maybe 19 year old me could see 40 year old me or 41 year old me, he'd probably laugh and point and say there's no way that you're this person.

Speaker 1:

That we're the same yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, I mean drastically different person, individual. So I guess let's start at the beginning. You know, I, like I said, I was born in Mexico City and we lived in Mexico until I was 10 years old, so 1993. To give you a little better background, my mom, she, was a convert, but when she was little, Like when her dad became a member of the church and they were converted, obviously. And so when my mom was young she married a man and she had three kids. She had my two brothers and my sister. My dad knew my mom when they were young because her brother was my dad's best friend growing up.

Speaker 1:

Well, there you go.

Speaker 2:

They knew each other when they were young. Yeah, well, there you go. They knew each other when they were young, yeah, yeah, and there was, you know, there was, sparks were there, but they never got together. He ended up marrying someone else as well and he had my other sister and my other brother and so they went different ways. Right, my dad was a staunch Catholic, like you know, like straight. Yeah, you know ways. Right, my dad was a staunch catholic, like you know, like straight, yeah, you know.

Speaker 2:

And uh, so at that time my mom, she had a really rough, uh, marriage. You know, her husband back then used to beat her and my brothers and very abusive. My dad, on the other hand, he also had a rough marriage. His wife was a little cuckoo and, to get really dark here, she committed suicide, yeah, and she tried to actually kill my brother and my sister with her. So that, really, obviously, she didn't succeed with that. She did end up dying, but she didn't. My brother and sister didn't. That put my dad in a really deep depression. Um, so he started going to to a doctor and he took to the bottle like he started drinking. Um, he, him and my mom eventually kind of connected again because my mom ended up leaving the, her ex, her other husband, right and uh. So they connected and they eventually got married and so they kind of became like the Brady bunch.

Speaker 1:

All of these children and all of these children.

Speaker 2:

So he had two and my mom had three and they got together and, uh, her and my dad had my sister and then me, I was. I was the last child.

Speaker 1:

Um, and the baby of the family, the baby of the family.

Speaker 2:

And I was not planned is what they say. But I never met my dad this way, like they tell me that he used to drink a lot, like he used to be an alcoholic.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

My mom would have to drive him to work and it was kind of a hectic life for them and he didn't want her to be to go to church because she wanted to get back into the church because she she was really not active at all. Yeah, so for the longest time she didn't go to church. I was born. My dad at that time was told that if he drank again he would end up dying. Like it was so bad, like his drinking was affecting his body, so bad. Right. So, to cope with all the stress and all the the issues he had left from his ex-wife command and suicide, he took like he. He took to running, like that was his, that was his outlet, right. So when I was born and you know, like my recollection, my dad never drank. I never met that man. He was just always active, very healthy person.

Speaker 2:

Eventually my mom started getting back into the church. Her parents, very straight and narrow people. They served the mission in the Mexico City Temple. All this was happening in the early 90s, late 80s, early 90s. My dad eventually got baptized, but I don't think he did it for the right reasons. I do remember a little bit of time in my life when I was younger where he would go to church with us. I remember him paying tithing. I recall him paying some tithing, which was cool, but I never really had that in my life. Like none of my siblings were active, I never had a priesthood holder in my home.

Speaker 2:

Like I never had a blessing. I never, you know. We never said prayers. We never, you know, we never did that. And so when my mom tried to like take us to church, I remember being little, probably like around five or six, and me not wanting to go to church. I just, I just never, you know, some kids grow up and they automatically cling to the gospel, or you know God and they're you know all that I never did, I remember.

Speaker 1:

Well, and it's exposure too. So if you're not like as exposed to it, you're just like, why would I go and hang out? With random strangers and sing these songs that I have no idea what's happening Exactly? Snowman popcorn. I don't understand what's happening.

Speaker 2:

And so, and when you have a parent who doesn't you know, doesn't believe that or doesn't like to be part of that right, and you have another one who's like trying to fight it, but you know, it's kind of like it's a it's a losing battle, you know yeah, and it's a contentious topic.

Speaker 1:

So you're kind of like is this a good thing or is this a bad thing? Like as a small child, you don't understand exactly so to keep the peace at home.

Speaker 2:

my mom just kind of, she just left it alone, um, so, you know, like I said, wasn't really active. Um, eventually, my brother, my one of my older brothers, moved to california, um, and then, in all my, some of my siblings followed, um, and then, in 92, we, we wanted to visit california, like we went, we went there for the summer, my, my, my sister, who's five years older than me, my mom and my other sister who's, I want to say, like 10 years older than me, and, uh, we went to California and my brother was trying to convince my mom to stay. He was, like, you know, there's no future in Mexico for you and the kids, like you guys, will be better off here, right? Uh, my dad and I'm not, not, I'm not saying that my dad was a horrible individual, he was not, he was a great dad uh, he loved us.

Speaker 2:

He made a lot of mistakes in life and at the time my dad had, you know, an affair and you know, like, my mom and him weren't really together, um, so there really wasn't anything for my mom to have here and or to have in mexico, to leave in mexico. So we ended up, um, we ended up going back to mexico to to get all of our stuff together and and then in 93 I remember it was october of 93 we moved to california right like I said, I was 10 years old.

Speaker 2:

You know they totally just uprooted me, uh, from everything I knew and you know they took us to to California. It was Southern California, a town called Lancaster and it was. It was just such a culture shock, you know, like here you have this little 10 year old kid and and Yep, did you speak any English?

Speaker 2:

No, no, we didn't, and but it was cool though, because it was, it was. It was a cool. It was a great change for me because, living in Mexico, I had you know, I had no friends, it was. We lived in a really like busy area, um, so I I really wasn't allowed to go out because of how much traffic there is in Mexico City. Traffic is insane is it?

Speaker 2:

oh yeah, oh yeah. And so I went from not going out as much and being glued to a tv into video games right to coming to California and and really just like the perfect weather, yeah, disney, yes, beach really close and so, um, yeah, you know, it was crazy for me to like, oh, I have friends like oh, I can go to the park, I can ride my bike.

Speaker 2:

You know it was crazy for me to like oh, I have friends like oh, I can go to the park, I can ride my bike. You know like.

Speaker 1:

I didn't know how to throw a ball.

Speaker 2:

You know, like I never did any of those things. So when we moved to California, like you know, I met friends and you know I started doing the things that normal kids do.

Speaker 1:

That's a big deal.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was huge and my mom loved it. You know, she saw the big change in me and my brother, my brother, he, he's my older brother. He's kind of he's been my father figure for most of my life Because my dad stayed in Mexico. He loved us but he just he just couldn't leave his life in Mexico and so when we moved to California again, we still weren't really active. Um, my mom tried here there a little bit, but you know, nothing really stuck Um, and you know, life just kind of went on. Um, I got older, I learned English in three months I actually got a diploma for it. Oh my gosh, that's incredible.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, when you're little, you know things just. You know you're, you just absorb it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you observe it. Oh my gosh, that's incredible. Yeah, well, when you're little, you know things, just you know, you just absorb it. Yeah, you observe it, you listen to, you know, you watch TV, you listen to music in English, and the only time I spoke Spanish was at home.

Speaker 2:

So and then I had really good teachers that you know wanted to teach me English. So so, yeah, um time time went on and you know I, I got into into high school and I just was not hanging out with the right people. Um, I was just making really dumb decisions. Um, I got into drinking, I got into smoking, um, you know, uh, like I said, not having the gospel being a center of your life, not having the gospel being a center of your life, uh, I see it as a father now, and you know, um just having a priesthood holder at home. You know somebody that can say, hey, you know this, this is what you should be doing, and I did have that with my brother yeah but it wasn't gospel centered, it was more of, like you know, life, life experiences you know, yes and and uh, you know life, life experiences.

Speaker 2:

You know, yes, and and, uh. You know I, my brother, is like my dad to me. Uh, because of that, he taught me a lot, but again, with him not having the gospel in his life either, like it was.

Speaker 1:

Those things were not it was more like don't make the mistakes. I have then Like these are the principles.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know, street smarts, you know, you know like uh those type of things like hey, I want you to be better like I, you know you have a better way, you have a better uh shot at having a good life if you don't do this or if you don't do that or if you don't hang out with these people.

Speaker 1:

But right, or even like the eternal perspective of like. Why would you want to do this? Right like what things for the future could this bring you? The short term gratification. Right, exactly which is hard to think of, you know, as a teenager.

Speaker 2:

Well, yeah, and again, you know like I you know I never had those conversations Like I see people now that have kids. You know I have. I don't have a boy of my own, but you know my best friend has kids.

Speaker 2:

you know boys and you know I see my friends with their teenagers and you know, being able to have a conversation and say, hey, you know what, like you shouldn't have sex until you get married. Or you know you shouldn't watch pornography, you shouldn't drink, you shouldn't smoke, you know, aside from you know, like the things that the world teaches you. Obviously we know that drinking and smoking is not good for you. But, right, um, having a gospel centered perspective at home and somebody to tell you these things, um, it's just different, especially as a, as a young man. Yeah, it's, I don't know it's. I hate to sound dated, but it's different to hear from from my mom.

Speaker 1:

Um, you know, you just feel like, oh, you're just nagging me like stop right well, but I feel like men have a special connection yes because I see that with my husband and his and our son too, like they just connect on different ways that I can't connect with him, and I've seen that with you know, my dad and my brothers right men just connect differently, women connect differently. It's just what it is.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you know it's like. It's just like me trying to teach my daughter how to be a woman Obviously I'll have good perspective and to tell her things. But you know, my wife, you know that's, you know that's her real mother.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, yeah, so yeah, just not having that really affected me. So you know, I, like I said I I got I don't want to say I got I didn't get heavy into drugs. Thankfully I don't have an addictive personality, but I did. You know, like, um, I, I smoked weed and I, you know I smoked and I I drank at parties, got drunk and, yeah, hung out with really not the best people, um, good friends, but you know again, people who didn't have kind of a, you know, like a, like a structure at home either, right, so we got into a lot of trouble, we got into situations yeah and you know, there's so many times where, where I could have been arrested, I could have been killed.

Speaker 2:

I could have been, you know just really put myself in stupid situations, but for one reason or another. Obviously at the time you don't really realize it until you're older. Nothing happened, nothing came of it. I remember one time we a couple of friends and I we jumped a fence and there was like a tree of peaches and right behind the fence there was like this street where you know, just cars would come by, and I remember a motorcycle was driving by and we're throwing peaches at people and that motorcycle happened to have a little kid in the back and so we threw a peach at them and the guy got hit in the helmet and he almost fell with the kid and you know like he started chasing us.

Speaker 2:

And one of my friends ended up going to jail for that and but you know they never didn't catch everybody, they only caught one person. So that guy didn't rat us out or anything like that. But those are the kind of situations I mean you're like wow, I was kind of.

Speaker 1:

That's not a coincidence I. You're like wow, that's not a coincidence I should have gone to jail.

Speaker 2:

And it didn't click in my head as to why those things happened until I was older and I'll get to that. So I mean, it's just the way that life kind of comes full circle at times. It's, it is, it's a little crazy and you know, again, living in a household where you know, hey, you know you're you're good to to watch pornography, you're good to do that, you're good to have sex, you're good to do these things.

Speaker 2:

Just be safe, be, you know, like right just just know that if you mess up, like you know you're gonna be, you know, kind of held accountable for your actions. You know it was that kind of mentality, um, and and that's just that was just the norm in my household. Like I, you know, when I, when I met my wife, I like I had a mouth on me, like I cussed like a sailor and right, you know, all these old habits that I just never, never thought were were bad, like I, just I just that was just the norm. You know, like that was just all my friends were like that, all my, you know, my siblings were like that. So, um, you know, fast forward, uh, 2000 to 2001,.

Speaker 2:

I graduated high school, um, around that time my dad started getting sick, um, and he, he got cancer. Uh, yeah, in 2002 he passed away and you know I was really rough. I couldn't go see him because he was in mexico, right, and at the time I wasn't even legally here, I was actually um. So I came from from mexico with a with a um, from Mexico, with a, with a like a traveling visa, like a tourist visa, and then, once, once that visa and passport expired, we stayed here and so I, I couldn't go to Mexico to see my dad, so I never got to see him. I got to talk.

Speaker 2:

The last time I got to talk to him, he was pretty delirious yeah, unfortunately, you know, like I said, he, he was, but I don't think that he ever really, you know, fully accepted the gospel at the time, right, and you know, a lot of things were happening in my life where I felt like I needed to change. But I to Utah and they came to visit us and one of them said, he, he was a return missionary and it's always the rms.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's always the rms he's.

Speaker 2:

He was like hey, man, you should, you should really think about moving to utah. Man, like there's so many, so many more opportunities. It's a lot easier for you to go out there. It's a lot cheaper cost of living. That's not the case anymore. But yeah, I was gonna say and uh, you know I was like, yeah, I'll think about it. You know I wasn't doing anything with my life.

Speaker 2:

I was like I said high school graduate, I was working at, like, wendy's and McDonald's and Subway, you know, not that there's anything wrong with doing that, but, like you know, there I had no path in my life. I wanted to be a rapper. I mean so that tells you anything.

Speaker 2:

That's who I hung out with, and the funny thing is is that one of the friends that I used to hang out with he later on I found out when I, when I lived here in Utah. Later on he ended up going to prison because he was involved in the murder of his mother in law for money.

Speaker 1:

So and they were investigated and there were pictures of us, like I was in some of the pictures. Yes, thankfully you didn't have a connection.

Speaker 2:

That's what I'm saying like so many things that happened in my life where I could have really been in really bad in a bad situation just I I was able to to kind of get away from those things right, so I just had this.

Speaker 1:

I don't mind if you don't mind me asking oh yeah, I just yeah, I just had this thought so what inside you was really like something doesn't feel right, but I don't know what it is. But I want to change, but I don't know how to like. Can you yeah, can you dive into that a little bit?

Speaker 2:

so I I I mean at the time, I don't, I don't, I didn't credit the spirit because I didn't believe in it, you know like I believed in God, but I didn't really have the idea or the notion of like, oh yeah, the Holy Ghost is with me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, right.

Speaker 2:

So it was a combination of things it was. It was me being frustrated with life and just working dead end jobs, not really getting anywhere and constantly getting fired from from jobs because I didn't have papers, I couldn't work legally in the United States, so it was just. It was all of that mixed with my desire to be something and someone in life, and I think a lot of that has to do with me being an immigrant.

Speaker 2:

You know the the the immigrant mindset is is you know you leave your country of origin to come to this country to make it?

Speaker 1:

Right, and especially if you're in America, it's like the American dream, exactly this is where you make it.

Speaker 2:

And you know, my family, my mom, my brothers, having sacrificed so much to kind of put us in a situation where we can be better, be more. Yeah, it was that drive, that kind of like, helped me a little bit, but again it was still the, the. I don't want to leave my friends ever. You know people that I've known for 10 years. And uh, again my brother came, comes into the picture he's, he's always kind of been the one steering me away from from the bad situations and putting me in a, in a, in a good path. And he told me, he said, hey, you know, you really should think about going to Utah, like I think it'd be a good change for you. And at the time, you know, I was so young and naive and and and just so, guided by him, and I was just like, oh, you think so, okay, let's do it. You know he would tell me, like jumping, I would say how high you know, so yeah when he said it it was kind of like the okay for me to do it cool.

Speaker 2:

So uh in, in 2000, uh 2003 I, I left California and I moved here to Utah when.

Speaker 2:

I moved in with my aunt, um, and, and her, her sons, and you know, I'll be honest, things didn't change. I was still party mode, I was still, you know, like this hooligan who thought he was going to make a big and rap, and I was still going to clubs. I was still getting high and getting drunk and girls and all that stuff and um work, you know same thing, dead end jobs. I kept getting laid off, you know, fired, because my, my papers didn't match, et cetera. It's just a typical situation.

Speaker 2:

Yep, I was just far away from my family and everyone I knew, and I didn't have the beach near me and the weather sucked and the snow was pretty awful, isn't it? Well, it's cool when you, when you move from California, you know your winters are, like you know, 60 degrees perfect and yeah, and you get like rain, you know, and then you move to Utah and it's like snowing it like the first time.

Speaker 2:

It's like, oh my gosh, it's, it's magic yeah then, but then it doesn't stop yeah, and it's cold and it's depressing. Yes, yeah, the snow is not my favorite no, it scared you to drive in, and anyway, so I was. I was to the point where I told my aunt. I said you know what? I'm gonna move back because you know everything that I came for is really not. Nothing new is happening and I'm away from my family.

Speaker 2:

I don't have any of my friends. So my aunt looked at me and said OK, tell you what, just give it three more months, and if three and in three months things don't change, I'll drive you down there. I'll drive you myself. So I said, ok, so three more months, let's stick it out myself. So I said, okay, so three more months, let's stick it out. In those three months I got a job at a call center, which is dialogue marketing, and I met a guy at this job. I just turned 21. We just came back from Vegas because you know 21,.

Speaker 1:

You have to go to the. You have to, you can legally drink and all these things.

Speaker 2:

So I come back from Vegas because you know, 21, you have to go to, you have to right, you have to uh, you can legally drink and all these things. So, um, I come back from Vegas and I'm thinking like this job's not gonna last, they're gonna fire me because of my papers and all that. Um, seven years later, I'm still there anyway. So, uh, yeah, I, I right at the beginning. I want to say, maybe like three or four months into me turning 21, I'm sitting around at the call center and there's a guy sitting down, another RM, and there's a discussion going on with the people around him and they're talking about the church.

Speaker 2:

Now, I had this preconceived notion of the church. Now I had this preconceived notion of the church. Growing up, I didn't have the best view of members of the church. I felt like people were hypocrites. I just didn't have a good vision of the members of the church. So I didn't want anything to do with the church and I don't remember exactly what was being talked about, what the topic was.

Speaker 2:

But I remember seeing my, uh, this guy his name is jordan and he was just sitting there listening to what everybody was saying and they were, they were doing a lot of church bashing, um, and he was just quiet. And then somebody said something specifically to where he he chimed in. He said, okay, like I'm I'm not against people talking bad about the church, like everybody has their own opinion, but if you're gonna do it, you gotta do it right, like. And so he started talking about whatever. Again, I don't remember exactly what the topic was, yeah, but I I didn't say anything, like I was just sitting there listening and I remember him saying these things and and obviously now I know that it was the spirit Something just in me, just kind of like my mind just kind of like cleared up and I was just like, wait a minute, like that's not true, like, yeah, like I've known about the church my whole life, right, but I've never heard someone explain aspects of the church in such a way that it just kind of clicked in my head.

Speaker 1:

So he was defending the church.

Speaker 2:

He was defending the church. And again, 21 years, I've always had this notion of the church. You know, it's just another religion that wants to control people and tighten that Right. And then here's this, you know, return missionary, 20 years old, and he's, you know, talking, and just he's just speaking truth. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, hey, everything that you just said, like is that true? Like are you like making things up to make things better? And he was just like he's.

Speaker 2:

Like I mean, it's all in the book of Mormon and I was like I, I've been a member my whole life, Um, I was baptized by my dad who, again, I don't believe he had an actual testimony of the church when I was like 11 or 12. And I'm like I've never heard the gospel explained that way and it's never really resonated until just now. And so I mean, obviously, having been a return missionary, he was just like, oh you know, golden member, right here, let me talk to you a little bit about this. And he starts talking to me about it and he's just like look, I don't want to overwhelm you, right? He said tell you what, let me invite you to church. He was, he was going to BYU. He was teaching Sunday school that Sunday or the following Sunday, I don't remember teaching Sunday school that Sunday or the following Sunday, I don't remember, um. But he said come, listen to what I have to say and you know, if anything, you can just, you know, walk away knowing that you gave it a try.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Right, I'm like all right, sounds good. I mean, I honestly, in the back of my mind, I was like this sounds cool, but nothing's going to come from it. I don't really want religion in my life, right? Um, at the time my cousin wanted, told me to move here. He was just like, hey, you know, like you should, you should try the church and give the church a try. And again I was like I don't want to, I don't want to. But then, with this happening, and then just work, not really working out for me the way I wanted life, not working out for me the way I wanted it to right.

Speaker 2:

He was like why don't you just give the gospel a try? You never know.

Speaker 1:

Like what do you have to lose? You have everything to gain.

Speaker 2:

if this is true, and so in my mind I said, okay, let's give the church a try to see if my financial situation changes. So I did it for very selfish reasons. I want to give that caveat.

Speaker 1:

I don't, you know what, and honestly, I don't think Jesus cares, I think he's just like we got him yeah.

Speaker 2:

So so my, so my, uh, my intentions were not altruistic at all. Um, so I was like, okay, let's give it a try. So I started going to church with him. It's not really resonating with me.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And then I hear my buddy talk and I asked my cousin. I said hey, this guy invited me to church. Can you come with me? So him and his girlfriend at the time, who's now his wife, we went to BYU and I remember walking in and I'm thinking like I mean, I don't know that he's going to say anything that hasn't already been said to me. It's not going to change my view, right?

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

I remember sitting down and he's. He's at the bottom.

Speaker 2:

You know he's about to start his class, his lesson, and he looks up and he finds me in the audience and he big old smile and he proceeds to give his lesson. And I felt the spirit. I can't tell you what the lesson was about, but I remember feeling the spirit and we, he finished his lesson, you know, classes over. He came up to me give me this big old hug and he said, he looked at me, he said I cannot believe he came. That's so awesome. And he said I have something to tell you. Well, I told him, you know, like that was awesome, like thank you so much. That was super cool. And he said I have something to tell you. I I prepared two lessons. I prepared one lesson in case you didn't come and I prepared a lesson in case you came.

Speaker 2:

Wow, touched and so moved by by someone who would be willing to to do something like that, yeah, um, and he gives me a book of mormon and I still have that book of mormon and he, like you know, he wrote a little inscription in it and, uh, so he's like here, I want you to have this, you know, use it, read it, so that kind of starts. You know, the seeds start getting planted. Um, I start reading a little bit, uh, and just things in my mind start changing like, okay, well, I don't want to give up this, I don't want to stop doing this, but I'll, you know, I'll try a little harder, right? So I started going to church I'm still drinking, I'm still smoking, I'm still partying, I'm still, you know, with girls and all that.

Speaker 2:

But then, little by little, like those things, just like I'm like, okay, well, I'm still, you know, with girls and all that. But then, little by little, like those things, just like I'm like, okay, well, I'll stop drinking, I'll stop smoking. And then the next thing, you know, I'll stop partying. And I remember vividly one time, um, if I don't know how, maybe you can, if you feel like you need to cut this out, you can, but I this is really crucial to to my conversion story um, one day we went my, my other cousin and I went to a party and we met these girls and one of them was really drunk and we went back to their place and you know, we, we had a one-night stand, basically yeah, and I've done that before and it wasn't.

Speaker 2:

You know, we, we had a one-night stand, basically. Yeah, and I've done that before and it wasn't. You know, for me it was. It was just kind of like oh yeah, I had fun, that was it right. I remember leaving and I was outside of her apartment. I didn't know this girl. I've never met her and to this day I can't tell you name, I can't tell you what she looks like. She was really drunk and this feeling just came over me and I started to weep, like I just started crying. It just I'd never felt that before. Um, I just felt so awful, like I can't believe I just did that to this girl, like I, you know I don't know her and you know I don't know like it was. It was just that the spirit was just so strong and from that moment I just said, okay, no more. So I credit that bad situation something that I'm really kind of ashamed of.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

That helped me kind of get back in the track and track, you know, like that. That put me on the right path. And after that I, I, I said, uh, you know, I'm done, I'm done with this life. I, I, I stopped smoking, I stopped drinking, I stopped having sex, I stopped that party life and I started going to church. And it was almost like the. The change was, was so instant, like the, the.

Speaker 2:

I don't know if you've ever been in that situation where, where your life is a little dark and then once you make the right decision, or once you have the lord in your life, it's kind of like everything just kind of clears up, it brightens, it brightens yeah and and like just this, this overwhelming feeling of like desire to read the scriptures, came over me and I started reading the scriptures and, um, I wanted to serve a mission.

Speaker 2:

And I was just like, wow, like this is going way too fast, but I, you know, I need to embrace it right. And so I remember um talking to my mom, and my mom, you know, she started crying because she was so happy that I was going to church and that I was active again, or that I was, you know, reactivating myself, and and um, and I told her I want to serve a mission and she was just like, oh my gosh, you know she was so excited. And I told my brother I wanted to serve a mission and keep in mind that at the time a lot of my family didn't understand the gospel, didn't really care about it, and so he, instead of him being supportive about it, he was just very like, why, like you don't need to serve a mission? You're old, you know you're too old now.

Speaker 2:

And because you know, at the time you think like you should do it right out of high school. You're 21. You're going into 22.

Speaker 2:

Right, I didn't have my papers, you know, to leave the States you know, he was like what if they tell you you have to go to Mexico and then you can't come back? So he started throwing all these things, yeah, and that really played with me. That stuck with me and so I chose not to go on a mission because at the time they were sending missionaries out of their country of origin. So like, if I live in the United States, I have to go back to Mexico to serve my mission, and I didn't have that guarantee to come back, right. So because of that and you know my, I guess, lack of faith, as you could say I didn't serve a mission, which is something that I regret. But you know, my wife always tells me like you don't have to serve a mission to serve a mission, right.

Speaker 1:

So I try to live. I agree with her. I think she's right too, because what you're doing right now, it's wonderful, thank you.

Speaker 2:

So you know, I try to just continue to live my life as best I could. Cool story Again got back into the church and I was trying to get my records straight with the church and they could not find my baptismal records. Oh, I'm 21 years old and they cannot find my records in. Yeah and, and I was like my dad baptized me when I was 12. They couldn't find those records.

Speaker 2:

My brother remembers being there, uh right we have a picture here's the picture like the funny thing is my mom doesn't remember, my sisters don't remember my dad baptizing me, so they couldn't find my record.

Speaker 1:

So I ended up getting baptized again at 21 wow, uh, by my cousin that was probably really cool.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it was. It was super cool because again, I, again, we go back to the whole. You know alma and alma the younger.

Speaker 2:

It's just like you go through that repentance process of like oh you see the wrongs and the Lord gives you an opportunity, like, hey, you know, like you were baptized at 12. You didn't understand what was going on. Your dad probably wasn't even worthy to baptize you. But here's another opportunity. So, at 21, I was baptized again and and I, I, you know, like that to me that was the real time that I got baptized and, yeah, I, I got a calling. As you know, I was a second counselor to the young men in the war that I was attending.

Speaker 1:

You're probably the fun young men's leader too. I was, I was.

Speaker 2:

Because, again, I'm still not polished, like I was still pretty rough around the edges. Obviously I stopped doing all the bad things, but I still like I still cussed likeuss like a sailor, you know, and the cool thing is is that it was a young like our presidency was pretty young, so like the, the, the young man's president. He was in his in his late 20s. I was in my early 20s, the other guy was in his early 20s, so yeah, it was like a big.

Speaker 1:

It was like all the bros getting together, man exactly.

Speaker 2:

And so you know, like I listened to music and I had a jeep and I had, like, my speakers in the back and like we take the boys everywhere and like I'm over here bumping tupac and eminem and they're all jamming out, and yeah, you know it was. It was such a fun experience, but I also felt like, um, I, I need to be an example, like I right, you know like the experiences that I've had, I can teach these kids a little bit.

Speaker 2:

So that was, that was a cool experience. Fast forward a little bit and I, I'm, you know, obviously I'm, I'm, I'm celibate, I'm not having sex anymore. You know like that, that mindset of like I need to start looking for my wife, I need to start, you know, kind of settling down, and so I, you know, I begin to hunt and I meet this girl and she was pretty young at the time. She was also a member of the church, but she really wasn't, you know, like active at all.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Her dad unfortunately unfortunately forced her to go to church a lot, and so she had a very negative outlook on the church. Right and it was. It was always a constant struggle because I wanted to get sealed in the temple and she didn't want that yeah she would tell me like, what if I can't do it? What if I can't, you know, go to church? Or what if I don't want to go to church? You know how's that going to affect us? And yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I was just always like, oh, you know, we got to have faith and we got to do things right and um, it was easier for me to say and to think these things, obviously not knowing the deep, how deep her scars were, you know. And she was pretty young, like I said, I was in my mid-20s, I was probably like 23 and she was 18 at the time, almost 19.

Speaker 2:

And I ended up proposing we got engaged. I was still hoping that she would eventually come around. We ended up messing up once and I remember going to my bishop at the time and he was just like okay, man, like either you get married or you guys break up, because you can't, you can't continue this, because the next time something worse is going to happen, right? Um, so here I am thinking I'm a failure because I let God down and I'm not, you know, like all the things that he's done for me at the time and and here I am like the moment, a moment of weakness, and and mess it all up totally normal, yeah.

Speaker 2:

I've had that moment too right, so where?

Speaker 1:

you feel like you've walked so far, and then you're like, oh, I just now I'm back at ground zero.

Speaker 2:

I just did all this work and the one mistake, and now I'm back to zero yep, and, and I I was just admonishing myself and I'm like I'm a horrible human being and I remember my mom telling me you know what honey? Like I know that you really want to get married, but I just don't feel like this is right for you. And she gave me an analogy that has stuck with me and my wife and I use it all the time now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

She said right now you are looking at a shiny ring that you really like and you're trying to put that ring on, but that ring does not fit and you're trying to force it down your finger and all you're going to do is you're going to hurt yourself in the process.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

She said you need to find the right ring, you need to fight the right fit. And once you find the right fit, you'll know it. This isn't that ring, so Wow, that's pretty deep.

Speaker 1:

It's like really interesting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and so that clicked with me, that resonated pretty deeply with me, and so I had a conversation with my at my at the time my fiance, and and you know it was determined she just that this was not the path that she wanted, this was not the life she wanted. So we ended up breaking up, called thing, called and quits. Um, I had other girlfriends, nobody really. The ring wasn't right and, uh, I I'm still working in dialogue marketing and I remember at the time it was 2007, I went to go get some breakfast at a place called Jason's Deli at the Orem Mall and I walked in and I saw this girl and she just caught my eye. Um, and I caught her eye she said.

Speaker 2:

She said that that I was like he was really good looking, but he was also ghetto.

Speaker 1:

I don't know how to feel about that.

Speaker 2:

No, it was good like it was. Oh, it's good yeah, I have. I mean, if you talk to Andrei she'll tell you. But that's hilarious. Yeah, I have a little bit of a ghetto swagger to me, but anyway. So she starts being really flirty or like, just very talkative and like I know you from somewhere, I know you from and I just felt like either this girl really thinks I'm cute or Right, she's crazy, she's just really friendly yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so I got my food and I left and so that I went back to work and I had time, I had a friend at work with me and I said hey, I need you to come with me to get some lunch to jason zelly, because there's this girl there. I don't know if she's just really friendly or if she's into me, so I need you to tell me. Yeah, so we go back and same thing. She's just super funny and just very talkative towards me and then she keeps saying, like you guys, you just look so familiar, have I met you? And anyway, we walked away. My friend said yeah, I think that she's either very happy or she might like you. I don't know.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So this was a Friday, obviously. I was off saturday and sunday, and then um monday I go back to jason's in the morning. I don't even think they were open yet, but I was just so eager to see her to see her.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah and uh, and I walk in and there's a girl with her back towards me and she's got her phone up, like she's talking on the phone and taking an order, but her hair was up and it was curly. The girl that I had met on Friday. Her hair was down and it was straight, so I didn't, and she had a different shirt on. I didn't think it was her. So I was like, oh well, you know, I'll get something to eat. She turns around and it's her and like big old smile, you know. And uh, and I'm like all excited, I'm like all right, cool.

Speaker 2:

So, um, she hangs up and and I'm like, hey, I want to get some breakfast. And she's like, oh, how you doing. And yeah, and so I'm like, okay, this is the moment, like I need to throw on that charm. So I I tell her, um, I just want you to know something. I actually had a blueberry muffin, because I used to have, like I used to get the blueberry muffins from Costco and that would take one for breakfast. I said I brought a blueberry muffin with me for breakfast but I gave it away. But I can come here to see you.

Speaker 1:

Smooth.

Speaker 2:

As soon as I tell her that, like she turns bright red, a big old smile and she's like oh my gosh, I'm going to get some breakfast and she, like, runs in the back and like that's adorable and uh, and so I write my number down for her because she's at work and I didn't want her to get in trouble.

Speaker 2:

So when she comes back, I hand her my number and I said here's my number, call me. I don't usually do it this way, you know I would. I would ask you for your number, but I don't want you to get in trouble because you're at work, right? I said, call me. I don't usually do it this way, you know I would. I would ask you for your number, but I don't want you to get in trouble because you're a word, right? I said, call me, and when you call me, I'll ask you for your number officially. So, um, so, yeah, I gave her my number.

Speaker 2:

You know, long story short, we, we date, we start dating and we fall in love. And the funny thing is is that, um, before our first date, she asked me if I was a member of the church and I said yes, but to her recollection, she remembers me saying that I wasn't active, like that, I was a member but I wasn't active. She had her own issues and her own story, growing up and dating somebody who wasn't a member of the church and just all that. You know all that stuff that she went through and, uh, she was having second thoughts about it. Eventually we did go on a date and it was. It was just magical, like we clicked, you know she's from san bernardino, california.

Speaker 2:

I'm from lancaster. We both grew up same area. You graduated at the same time. Um, parents are similar stories. Um, both of us kind of kind of fell away from the church but, you know, came back. She served a mission. I didn't serve a mission, right, um, and she helped me a lot, she, she helped me because, again, still rough around the edges, still trying to figure things out, I was still doing things that I shouldn't be.

Speaker 2:

I still, you know, because I didn't know these things, I didn't have that structure that you know, a priesthood holder in my household to teach me these things, so I'm just kind of like learning as I go.

Speaker 1:

As you go right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and so she helped me kind of become a better individual. She, she never told me like don't do that. She would just say like well, maybe you should pray about it, and pray about it, and sure enough, like, oh okay, Like yeah, I shouldn't be drinking a chai latte, Cause you know I used to love coffee.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, and that's cool, cause it looks like you guys were just more aligned in general right.

Speaker 1:

Like even I, I think it's really important that it doesn't matter, obviously, if you're perfect or not. It's two individuals are really, truly trying to want to incorporate the gospel and head in the same direction, and I think that you were able to find that, and it's awesome when you can say, you know, oh, you can strengthen each other and you can help each other with their weaknesses, know, and I think that that's great. You found your ring, like that's so cool.

Speaker 2:

I found her, I found my ring and she fit me perfectly, and did she?

Speaker 1:

ever? Did you guys ever figure out where she knew you from? No, no, she or it was just like this one thing that she was, just like you're familiar, and no, I don't know, because this day she truly believes that we probably met in the pre-existence.

Speaker 2:

I don't know.

Speaker 1:

That's adorable. Yeah, I totally believe in that. I totally believe in that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, she was totally smitten and I was smitten and it was just great and yeah, I mean we've definitely grown together. Like I said, we started dating in 2007,. Got married by 2008. And you know, it's just been such a wonderful time in my life and growth and you know, just spiritual growth and just personal growth and just having someone with you that can push you to be better in the gospel.

Speaker 2:

It's just, you know, it's unreal to have such a strong partner in the gospel and it makes such a difference, you know, like when you, when you're not having to fight someone because your beliefs are different, um, and and to be honest with you, like all the things that I did and this is kind of where I was going back with back in the day, when I was doing all these stupid things and we can't have kids the normal way, so our daughter is adopted, and also I, you know I wasn't here legally, so she knew that and I was able to fix my papers with her. And I remember the day, the day we went to get my, my residency or for my interview, the person who interviewed me said, you know, she looked at my records and she asked like, have you ever been convicted of anything. You know you're not divorced, you don't have any other kids or anything like that, and she just asked me all these questions. I was like no, no, no record, I've never been to jail.

Speaker 2:

None of that stuff, and she looked at me and she looked at us and she said I wish everybody's cases were as clean as yours. And that was one thing. And then being able to adopt our daughter is another reason why I know that Heavenly Father was with me in all those times where I could have really been in trouble.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, with your home study.

Speaker 2:

Yes, if I had any kind of record, if I had any kind of marks in my past.

Speaker 2:

I don't know that we could have adopted my daughter because we went through LDS church I mean, we went through LDS services to adopt my daughter and I don't know that I could have become a resident or a citizen. You know, I don't know that I could have become a resident or a citizen. Um, so again, it's just, it just kind of goes to show you that, like god has a plan for for everyone and you know you may not see it at the time um, and my wife gives a great analogy. As you know, you have the prophet and he's like standing up in a in a tower and he sees everything right we're not able to see everything, so we just kind of have to go by faith yeah

Speaker 2:

and you know it's just, it's incredible to me that somebody like me, somebody who's done the things that I've done and has said the things that I've said and felt the way that I felt, could, you know, come back and be sealed in the temple and have an eternal family and, you know, be a righteous priesthood holder, somebody who I'm the only active male in my family and you know it's tough at times like it's difficult, but you know I wouldn't have it any other way. I love, I love being there for my daughter and my wife and for anybody that needs a blessing or anything like that, things that I never had growing up, you know.

Speaker 1:

and again, just going from one of the viola sinners to I'm not saying that I'm like this, you know like glowing, pretty positive alma the younger wasn't perfect, even after his conversion right my husband and I were actually having that conversation of you know I I'm sure there are people who really can just flip on a dime like that and be totally squeaky clean, but I really I just kind of felt like you know, I bet after his conversion in there and his friend's conversion, they probably really struggled still yeah, and they probably.

Speaker 1:

It was really a daily thing where they had to say like I'm choosing this. I'm choosing this because, even even when we have our own personal experiences, we still doubt them sometimes or we still get tempted sometimes you know, and it's, it's a constant struggle.

Speaker 2:

Man like yeah you know, like I miss coffee, like I I love the smell of coffee.

Speaker 1:

I can't even drink it because I know I'd be addicted, because I love the smell. I love the smell so much.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I used to drink coffee all the time. I have tattoos and I'm like I'm always like, oh my gosh, I wish I could have more and but you know, I feel like, you know, I stopped watching certain movies and and not that those things are going to keep me from, you know, going to heaven, but it's always the little things that God asks of us. You know, I don't know why we're not allowed to drink coffee, or we are advised not to drink coffee, I should say, but you know there's a reason. You know there are higher laws that I don't understand, but it's the little things that God asks of us. And if we're not able to listen to those little things or follow those little things, how are we supposed to get, you know, into the bigger picture and how are we supposed to follow the bigger commandments?

Speaker 1:

Right we literally have no idea how the celestial anything is set up. So I think it's good that we have what we have now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so it's just I. I mean, life is great with the gospel. I've, I've lived both ways and and I I would never go back. Yeah, it's, it's. It's just nice to wake up and not have to worry about, you know, just normal things like oh, I hope I don't get shot today, or oh, I hope I don't get in, you know, into some sort of trouble, or I hope I don't get pulled over and have weed in my car, or I'm drunk, or Right, so many things yeah.

Speaker 1:

Sweet. Well, I really appreciate your time. This has been so much fun chatting and do you? Mind, just leaving us with a brief testimony. Yeah, of course.

Speaker 2:

I appreciate it. Again, I don't share my testimony that often I actually don't like testimony Sundays because of it, but you know, it's a great opportunity to say that I just I love the gospel and just knowing that anybody can come back to Christ, no matter how far they've gone or how much we feel that we've messed up, no matter how atrocious we think that our sins are or have been or our actions or our, yeah, just anybody can come back to Christ and he, you know he bled for us, he died for us and and I know that that his sacrifice, um, has made it so that even people like me can come back and to the fold. You know he, he leaves the 99 to go find that one, uh, and so I feel like I'm that one person that he came back to find and so it's just just saying it out loud is just kind of like okay, yeah, like this is my testimony. Just the atonement is real and, again, satan's a big, fat liar. My wife always says that.

Speaker 1:

I agree.

Speaker 2:

He will tell you all the horrible things that you've done and you'll never be good and you'll you know god will never forgive you. But that's not true, because god, god forgives. You just have to forgive yourself. So right, yeah, that's. That's my testimony, that that god loves and he forgives and he wants you back. And, uh, beautiful, his son and his son will, will look for you, no matter how long it takes.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. Well, thank you so much, David, for your time tonight. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

I appreciate this too, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thanks again for tuning into More Than Coincidence, remembering Jesus Christ in your story. Please follow us on social media or share us with a friend. If you have an experience you'd like to share Jesus Christ in your story, Please follow us on social media or share us with a friend. If you have an experience you'd like to share, feel free to reach out to morethancoincidencerememberhim at gmailcom. I can't wait to hear all of the amazing memories you all have of our Savior. See you next time.