More than Coincidence: Remembering Jesus Christ in Your Story

Training to Be Like God with Dearly

• Lily • Season 1 • Episode 46

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After an unexpected visit from missionaries, Dearly's life took a profound turn that would forever anchor her faith in Jesus Christ. Her testimony of the power of personal conversion through a dedicated study of the Book of Mormon illustrates the importance of humility, seeking knowledge, and building faith on a solid foundation which is Jesus Christ. Dearly then testifies that no matter their background, we all must ask hard questions and seek to develop our own testimony, and discover the unwavering support of the Savior as our personal spiritual anchor.

We conclude with exploring how "Christ-like" attributes, including qualities like discipline and organization, when integrated into our spiritual lives can lead to both temporal and spiritual success. We then discuss the transformative power of grace and the importance of involving the Savior in our journey toward personal growth and development. Even a small desire to change can activate the Savior's Atonement, allowing us to become more than we could on our own. 

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

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**Transcripts available on website!

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. Good evening everybody. Tonight we have Dearly on the podcast. How are you Dearly?

Speaker 2:

Hey, lily, I'm good, great to be here. Yeah, will you introduce yourself for everybody? Yes, of course I am Dearly Carrasco. I am a mom of two boys, david and Thomas, and my husband is Ryan. And yeah, I'm Lily's neighbor and friend in the ward.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I'm a small business owner. Well, I'm really grateful that you said yes to come on tonight. I'm super excited to chat with you and just to hear your cool story. So I'll just ask you the question, dearly, what memories do you have that you reflect on, that prick your heart in remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ, and anchor you to?

Speaker 2:

You know, I thought about that as I, you know, tried to prepare for this podcast, and one thing that keeps popping in my head and in my heart is the story of my conversion, really. So 1987, my mom was pregnant with me, and that was also the year that they met the missionaries, so my brothers who were old enough to be baptized in the church, they got baptized right, and my mom as well, and, I believe, my dad as well, and so my mom got baptized when she was pregnant with me and I was born December of 1987. And when it was time for me to get baptized at eight, that's when my family stopped going to church for some reason, and so I was the one who was not baptized in church. But I had a memory of going to primary, and so years passed on, I was 19. I was 19.

Speaker 2:

And this is still in the Philippines. It's still in the Philippines.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I know about the church, right, I know about the church and we were a part member family and through time we were visited by members which we love. Like I have my visiting a favorite visiting teacher that really ministers to my mom and really, yeah, visits like unwavering, like like through time all those years since I was, since I was born in 1987, right until I was 19 yeah, they keep going and visiting, right, that's so cool and but you know, my mom still wasn't ready to go back to church then and right until this, two brave missionaries it was like after finals that my friends and I were planning to go party he, Because it's like

Speaker 1:

finals is done.

Speaker 2:

And so I was getting ready and these two missionaries just came and I'm like I told them and they look literally like puppies, like just staring.

Speaker 1:

Can we have like?

Speaker 2:

10 minutes to share a message. And I'm just like elders, I'm so busy right now. I'm so excited my friends are going so busy right now. I'm so excited my friends are going to come over to pick me up. Yeah, you know. So I just rejected them, but they didn't leave. What? For some reason?

Speaker 2:

my friends were late and I'm all ready and I'm like OK, come on, I'm just like I just I just thought of OK, come on, like I'm going to, I'm going to listen, right, just thought of okay, come on, like I'm gonna, I'm gonna listen. You know right, I'm trying, I'll try to be nice and just entertain you guys yeah, they started teaching about the restoration right and well to. To make it short, I ended up staying and listened to the first lesson that I received from the missionaries, until my friends got so annoyed of waiting and they left and I told them go ahead and I'll stay.

Speaker 2:

And um, okay, so fast track. I became, I was baptized when I was 19 that was around 2007, 2008 and then, before I left for my mission, I found out that when I was baptized, I was also given a baby blessing. So I had the opportunity to actually receive a priesthood blessing when I was a baby. So baby blessing is very special to me up to this time, and I will tell you why. And so, when I was reading the Book of Mormon, when I was on my mission, when I came to Third Nephi, when the savior visited and called for the children, and the angels gathered and who wept for them right, um, that reminded me of the reason why, all this time, I was still led to the church, even though I did not.

Speaker 2:

You know, I I was not in the church because, for some reason, when the missionaries, at some point, when I was being taught about the Holy Ghost, I'm familiar with the feeling because, ever since I remember I was in kindergarten.

Speaker 2:

I was raised in a Catholic church. Yeah, the, the university we I go to was. You know it's a Catholic church, right? Yeah, and so I would go to mass and I would see the image of the savior and yeah I would feel that intense feeling of I might I call, I call myself really religious, because I can feel that you could feel something.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and I don't know what it is right.

Speaker 2:

I just know that I have that relationship with the savior. Wow, I was a little five or six or seven or eight, right. Whenever there's like a happy thing that's happening, I always remember to thank God. Yes, I would always look at the sky and just credit everything to the Lord, and I did not learn it from anybody, right, you know, aside from the fact that I just know I have to.

Speaker 1:

Right. Everything came from him. It just felt natural. So.

Speaker 2:

I'm just that girl and you know different miracles that happened, that I know I was protected and eventually led me to the church and I had the opportunity to just go on a mission to be married in the temple Right. And so when I read the third Nephi for the first time in the Book of Mormon, I just bawled, because it's the lord confirming that right. Because you had that priesthood blessing, you have that priesthood power yeah given of the through the priesthood power.

Speaker 2:

You were given that blessing when you were a child and I wish I I could turn back time and just listen to what the blessing was given yeah, I bet angels, like there was like some kind of deal that happened or whatever that made me into the, protected me, that led me to who I am now and right back to church right.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's so cool that you can, that you can literally see just like the string of miracles of god being in your life even though he wasn't necessarily like your, even though your family wasn't active, you can still look back and see each little thing that he still did for you to kind of prepare you for this big moment of getting baptized. Oh yeah, for sure, that's so cool.

Speaker 2:

I keep saying that, um, I think you know there were always angels you know ministry angels around me and everything that I did that led me back to church and with I'm so grateful and I with that I credit everything with the blessing I received when I was a baby.

Speaker 1:

that I wish I could have.

Speaker 2:

But you know, even though I haven't heard that and I don't remember because I was a baby, yeah, I know the fruits, that it exactly yeah, so I know it was marvelous, it was amazing, it was so, it was amazing, it was. That's so cool, it was special.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is really special. So then, are there any memories that you think about on your mission, or is there something that happens next, that's exciting, that you'd like to share?

Speaker 2:

Well, yeah, I was also thinking. One thing that really anchors me to the Savior is and just having that strong relationship with him and knowing that I always imagine the Savior to be the captain of my ship. Yeah, Like you know, recently my husband and I we were going through some difficulties in our lives Not marriage, just like financial difficulties.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

And knowing what to do.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

While raising the family right, making sure we're raising good kids, yeah, making sure that we can provide for the family as well. Right, right. And it seems to us that at some point it was very confusing and we figured out. Well, that's because we we were trying to fight the savior as the captain. We're trying to get the yeah, you're trying to get the steering wheel steering wheel to go to our direction and he lets go and he led us and we're like asking, going back and asking for his guy, but he's like I told you.

Speaker 2:

I told you like we, you know like you can't hold it, but you gotta follow my instruction right sometimes we want that or sometimes you really have to let go and let this.

Speaker 1:

You know, like you can hold it, but you got to follow my instruction Right.

Speaker 2:

Sometimes we want that or sometimes you really have to let go and let this Savior steer the ship. And with Heavenly Father you know, I don't know it become I sometimes distinctively like just separate them sometimes, because I love that Father figure, heavenly Father figure as well, yeah. The Heavenly Father, like the one I gave testimony last Sunday, where I always see him as my real father, Right.

Speaker 1:

Like that story. I remember that yeah.

Speaker 2:

Like, my dad taught me how to swim by throwing me in the ocean, and hope for the best Sounds about right you know I keep saying that I pity Moana because her dad is not allowing her to go in the ocean, Especially in the Philippines.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, I go swimming.

Speaker 2:

It's so nice and the water there is so calm, by the way.

Speaker 1:

And warm. Yeah, calm and warm, so you were fine.

Speaker 2:

You were just fine, I was fine, but sometimes because we can't see Heavenly Father, father, we're like, but this is so hard and you're letting you're trying to teach me how to swim. This is so hard yeah, and we're just all complaining. You know, yeah, where we could have just spent that energy trying trying to swim, trying to swim, but we keep.

Speaker 2:

We keep on talking and complaining. But what I love the analogy of that one because that time, when I was struggling, I know that because with my dad, he's just cheering on the side and saying you can't do it until I finally learned Right, right. And because of that, when my fiance then came to the Philippines, we get to enjoy swimming far deeper in the ocean and holding on to the buoy. Is that how you call?

Speaker 1:

it yeah, the buoy, the buoy.

Speaker 2:

And we were able to enjoy that, because I learned how to swim right, right, and it's just like all interconnected Heavenly Father would train us on something and then, as we, you know, not fight him, and try to submit ourselves.

Speaker 2:

With the training, we will learn essential things, right, that, and not just essential things. We're learning to be like him, developing his skills, his qualities, that we can. So isn't that what we are here for? Isn't that why we are in the church Right, where we don't just seek our own salvation, we seek to be like god himself, right?

Speaker 1:

that's the glory, yeah exactly the celestial glory.

Speaker 2:

So that's why we're here in the church. We have this higher standards, right so but we, we gotta understand you gotta swim for it.

Speaker 1:

You gotta swim for that we gotta learn.

Speaker 2:

We gotta submit ourselves, we gotta trust god yeah, gotta get on the steering wheel yes, the process is gonna be hard, right, but then it will be um, very uh. What you call this, the, the reward, or the the fruit of it at the end is is endless, it's eternal. It's beautiful, right it's it's well worth it exactly. It's worth it exactly yeah, that's the phrase yeah, yes wow.

Speaker 1:

So then, yeah, like just matching up. You know, part of that is the receiving the revelations and the being okay to let go, and I just love how I feel like every single time we, I talk or have a really cool gospel conversation, always everything just clicks together right. It's like this is connected to that, which is connected to that, because you really can't how can you become like god if you can't communicate with him? You know and hear his voice and know what he needs you to do, which goes into the revelation. But then there's also the having to let go and trusting in him and knowing that things are going to be okay, you know, and I feel like everything is just. It all fits together so well.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, in this very distracting world, you know a lot of things are trying to get our attention Right or to distract us. It's so beautiful that the Lord made a way, and you know, like through revelation that he can speak to us and guide us Right, despite how crazy and confusing the the world is.

Speaker 2:

You know, and that's the reason why I guess the prophet is really urging us to master how to receive personal revelation, exactly because really, the world can be as twisted as satan wants it to be right. You know, like you know if our kids are safe, you know wherever, even at school, like we don't know, like yeah, but if they're, you know as parents, we're responsible enough to really like teach them about the savior, about heavenly, the nature of god and right. And you know how to strengthen that relationship with him through revelation and right to really receive clear instructions from him, even though it's not like a light switch revelation but really to master.

Speaker 2:

Just even getting revelation is something that we can hold on to in this very confusing and right like awful world yeah, living, and it's an essential skill that they have to know Exactly.

Speaker 1:

But, yeah, I can't even imagine.

Speaker 2:

Because we can't give that to them. Personal revolution. Yeah, you can't, we can. Yeah, they have to learn Exactly. You have to throw them in the water. Yes, we can tell them our experience, but then they will have their own, no matter what Right our experience, but then they will have their own, no matter what right. So I think it's such a blessing that we have the privilege to um have our kids grow in the gospel and to put that effort to right, teach them about the savior and heavenly father, and yeah, was it.

Speaker 1:

Did you find it difficult because you know you weren't necessarily raised in the church to raise your boys? In the gospel yes, because you didn't necessarily have like an example or anything.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I don't. But you know what? I don't see it as an advantage. A strong conversion story, that it's as if the lord taught me everything I needed to learn, even though I didn't really grow up in the church. Yeah, as I relied in the book of mormon I tell you, when I read the book of mormon, it took me eight months, because I also read the manual back to back to back oh wow, that's awesome. The very manual. I wanted to understand every word, even Isaiah chapters.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was so amazing that, again, when you seek for it everything that I've, you know when I put my heart in it, the things that I thought I lack was filled in by the Savior, by Heavenly Father, and the knowledge that I gain.

Speaker 2:

I cannot say that I have less knowledge, or, you know, because I know that it was given to me when I needed it the most. Yeah, and it was filled in as I seek for it more Right In humility, though. Right In humility Because I really want to strengthen my knowledge and my testimony about the church. Right, and I always say that. You know, reading the Book of Mormon really answers a lot of the questions I have. And it still is. Yeah, and it still is, and I really believe that up to this day and it it's always going to be the case. Yeah, until forever. In my case, yeah, Cause I was converted by the book of Mormon itself and I'm so glad I took that step and I didn't do the shortcut and just like here, you know, like get the testimonies of others and just create it as my own yeah, you did the work.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, I did the work.

Speaker 2:

Individual because I really ask if it you know, if Joseph Smith is real, if what's the? Concept about the prophets and right right.

Speaker 1:

What is the restoration? Like all, you ask all the hard questions exactly because I've not been always a member.

Speaker 2:

I've experienced the other other side of life, you know where right. It was also confusing like people are saying they're the prophets and I'm just like you know, I had these questions, just like joseph smith and so I sought after it hard and I know I can say that I trust in my own testimony and my conversion that I basically built everything on a rock. You know Right, and hopefully the Lord will keep strengthening that rock, you know. I'm sure he will. I'm not going to say it's going to be easy.

Speaker 2:

It's unbreakable, because you know opposition always triples or whatever times 100 efforts that the opposition yeah, exactly can attack right a soul.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but I love that you bring that up because I think sometimes you know, we wonder well, I didn't come from this kind of family.

Speaker 1:

I didn't, you know, and I think in a way, sometimes you know you definitely are privileged, coming, being born in a family that has the gospel. But even then I've come to realize that your testimony, that you, everyone, has to be personally converted, yes, you know, and so I love that, your testimony, a testament to that, because it literally is. You said you know, I, I want to know this, I need to know this, and you went and you saw it and you found it right. And I think that that's what everybody, everybody needs to do. Whether or not you had the opportunity to grow up in the church or not, at the end of the day everybody has to sit with those hard questions and ask the hard questions and get in the book of mormon and really try the word of god and come to know the savior, because, yeah, you can be born into a family that was in the church or whatever but if you're not personally converted, you know it's not going to really do much right exactly.

Speaker 1:

So I love that you testify that. You know you sat and you did that bitter work, but you've come out and you're. You're so happy, you did right. Yes I.

Speaker 2:

I am so glad as well that I, because I was just hungry and thirsty. In fact, there's this one story.

Speaker 2:

I went to a priest a Catholic priest, when I was in high school, crying and I told him I wanted to, I wanted to belong to a church. I told him and I don't know where to go. I told him and he asked me do you want to be part of the catholic church? So I'm like, if that's how I'm gonna be, I'm gonna know god more than yeah. So I was crying and so he just kind of blessed me. I'm like, okay, you can yeah you can be, you can take the.

Speaker 2:

What's that? Holy communion and you know, do these things? And it was also beautiful. The process was beautiful because I was really seeking for it, yeah, but then I came to a point where I have those hard questions.

Speaker 2:

Just like Joseph Smith, I'm really looking for the truth and I think, the truth, the truth that I found, and I sought after it and I found it in the church, yeah, and so it was really me seeking for it. I was hungry, I was thirsty for it, and when I found it, I just grabbed it, you know, and I'm still feasting on it and I think I will never stop. I may have hard days where you know my fate is really tested. I'm just human being. I'm still here on earth. Right, you have been translated. Yes, exactly so I'm still here on earth.

Speaker 1:

Right, you have been translated. I'm not translated. Yes, exactly.

Speaker 2:

So I'm still, but still looking back and you say the word anchor yeah, you know, anchoring myself to the Savior. Then I go back always to my conversion story because I've invested a lot to it.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, right.

Speaker 1:

And you can't not see the Lord's hand literally in the entire thing? Yes, which is amazing. Right, and you can't not see the lord's hand literally in the entire thing?

Speaker 1:

yes, which is amazing yes, right so I would be really curious and kind of challenge anybody listening honestly to kind of think back on their what their quote conversion story is whether or not they were a member, like a lifetime member, or you know, the missionaries found them because I think once we look back on our lives and really try and do like you do and see where the Lord's hand is throughout all of it, I think that is where you realize oh my gosh, he's been there. He's been there the whole time, right, exactly. And that can be each little thing, can be like another little chain to the anchor right, holding you to him right.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, I love that chain, little chain to the anchor. Exactly, I love that chain, little chain to the anchor, because, even though I have that really strong conversion story, I still need to get to know my Heavenly Father and my Savior more. It's still a quest that I recognize that I need to do every day. So that little chain that would connect me. And again one revelation I've received. When I started my small business, I started my clothing business. You know I started my clothing business before the food business oh, that's cool and so when I started it I didn't get any help.

Speaker 2:

It was so hard. I was like questioning why do I have to do this? And you know what that's when I get to know my heavenly father more that he really just wants me to become the best version of myself.

Speaker 2:

Right, and not just become the best, best version, but like really learning the qualities that he has and he literally like in my head I can, I, I can still remember, like the savior asking or heavenly father asking what are the qualities that I have? You know? Well you're, you're perfect, you're everything, you're disciplined, organized and, like he was asking, like, okay, the qualities that you can apply to your business that you're trying to build right now.

Speaker 2:

Okay, these are the things and so I just humbled myself and I got to know him more in that aspect, that everything is spiritual. Right, first it has to be all spiritual, but he also wants us to be successful temporarily. Yeah, like all the qualities that he has, it can be applied in our temporal life so that we can be abundant in this temporal life yes you know life and I'm still in that high climb. But right, but at least I'm getting to know. Uh, my more and my savior and the Holy Ghost for sure.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Well, and I love how you kind of started saying he asked what am I? And you said perfect. And he's like, okay, but no, what attributes? Yes, Right, and then you really had to sit and think, oh my gosh, you know all of these. There are different qualities that I, as a person, I could never reach. Perfection, yes, and I think sometimes when we sit and we look at God and we say you're perfect, I can never obtain that.

Speaker 1:

It gets scary and it gets intimidating, it gets daunting and it kind of puts distance, I feel like, between us sometimes. But I love how you say no. He said well, you received the revelation really. Of what specific qualities do I have that you can work on here? Yes, and I love that because it's like tiny and it's bite sized, right, and then it feels more approachable. Right, you're like I can actually, and I love how you, because I feel like sometimes we always look at the preach. My gospel qualities, yes, right, but other things too, like being organized, being you know, wise with your money, being a good steward, like all of these things, are other qualities that God has, but I don't think we really think too much about it. It's just wrapped up in the jumble of perfection.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Right, but I love how you said that that was a specific revelation you received of to pick out those specific, other specific qualities that we might not think about Exactly and work on those that we might not think about and work on those, like that's really, that's really cool. You know, it's amazing, lily, that you mentioned that specifically, because I remember I was listening to HopeWorks.

Speaker 1:

I don't know. Oh yeah, Do you listen? Yeah?

Speaker 2:

There's this one speaker who talked about the formula that we thought Heavenly Father wants us to have. Sometimes we, our formula, is like me plus doing more, more of like. I have to be more patient, I have to be more disciplined or all these qualities to be like the savior. So with the formula we definitely took out the savior as the equals the savior, but she emphasized that our formula should be me plus the Savior equals becoming more, and I love that Right. She reminded me of that formula because sometimes we just always seek.

Speaker 2:

We get intimidated because this is the Savior right. This is the standard of the Lord like perfection, right. And then what we forgot is putting the Savior included in our formula together with him, me plus the Savior equals becoming who he wants us to be, and becoming more. So I guess that's a good reminder that we talked about perfection and seeking to be like him.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's because of his atonement that we are able to change Exactly he is. It's because of his atonement that we are able to change exactly right, so we can't become more.

Speaker 2:

If we could never repent and become a literal different creature, different person I love the word grace yeah, in fact I always keep it on my phone, grace for grace, because I love that when we include the savior in our lives, we can have access to that grace where he can fill in whatever we can just give right yeah, if we can. We can give this much. If the only thing that we can do is to look back, right, he can do the rest if we have that desire.

Speaker 2:

According to you know, elder holland, if you only have that desire, even in the book of mormon and alma yeah, as long as we have desire, the grace could work, its power and Heavenly Father could fill in you know what lack and help us to have eventually that hope and faith and eventually, you know, be able to endure and do the things that he needs us to do. Just a little bit of desire, that's all it takes, because he's part of us and we can access grace. Grace because of that desire right man.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I'm really happy you brought that up, that's so cool well, I actually don't have any other. Any other questions or thoughts or comments are there? Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Speaker 2:

no, I think I'm so happy with just. I love talking about the savior. I love talking about my testimony and so I'm just so grateful to have this opportunity. Lily, like it's cool. I can definitely feel the warmth of the spirit, you know like, because it really just reminds me of the miracle that resulted to who I am now. Yeah, since I was, you literally are part of a miracle.

Speaker 1:

You really are too yeah, we like, all of us are which I think is.

Speaker 1:

I think we don't realize that sometimes because, for whatever reason, I didn't realize that until you said it and I was like oh, maybe I am like it's kind of a big deal that I'm here and I'm at the point that I am yeah, so well, do you mind leaving us with the testimony? And because you're from the philippines, I did ask if you wouldn't mind sharing in tagalog too, or whatever dialect you like to, and then in english. So if you wouldn't mind, I would love to. We'd love to know Him.

Speaker 2:

We will know Him. I know that Mormon's book is true and all the questions we have in life we can find in this book and in other sacred scriptures that God has given us. And I also know that the prophet is true, that alam ko rin na totoo ang propeta Na meron pa tayong buhay na propeta sa araw na ito, dahil kung mahal niya ang kanyang mga anak noon at binigyan niya ito ng mga propeta para gabayan sila sa mundong ito Malamang, mahal din tayo ng Diyos sa panahon na ito para bigyan din tay at this time to give us a prophet. And I know that all of this is true In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Speaker 1:

Amen.

Speaker 2:

They want me to do it in English as well, yes, please, if you don't mind, yeah.

Speaker 2:

I just want to say that the Church is true and all the questions that we have in our lives, we can find it in the Book of Mormon. It's literally the. It literally contains everything that we need to know in this last dispensation so that we can go back to our heavenly father. I also know that, even up to this time, we have a living prophet, because if the lord loves his children, um, who lived in the previous dispensations, because they are his children and he provided prophets to guide them, he will continue to give us a living prophet up to this time to guide us in this last dispensation, where he promised he's going to come back and not experience apostasy anymore. And I know this to be true because I have received the revelation through my desire to seek answers through the book of mormon and other sacred scriptures, and this I leave in the name of jesus christ. Amen amen.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much dearly for coming tonight. Thank you, 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, 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.