True story; I wasn’t the best Seminary student. I lived in coastal Washington, and Seminary was held early in the morning. Our single class, composed of students from two rival high schools, met at 5:30 am at the church 6 miles from home. Mostly I dozed during the carpool and often did algebra during class. I did follow along with discussions, but didn’t really study scripture.

As a result, I suddenly realized halfway through my first pregnancy that I was about to teach a child that the Book of Mormon was truth, and I hadn’t even read it!

Shocked, I commenced immediately to read. I read it like a novel, front to back, without taking time to cross reference or clarify meaning. I kept reading during meals of homemade bread with peanut butter and apple jelly. I still think of those two days of total immersion in the scriptures when I eat apple jelly.

At the end of the book, as I prepared to take Moroni’s challenge in Moroni 10:4, I was flooded with testimony that I had read truth. Even before I asked, the Spirit responded to my real intent with the revelation I needed. I was able to tell each of my children that I knew for myself that the Book of Mormon was God’s word.

Now, my favorite way to read that wonderful book is on my phone, where I can cross reference, check my tags or notebooks, and click on resources like Guide to the Scriptures. I often read at random and rarely in front to back order. I’ve learned that, whether in a marathon session or a random verse, in a worn paperback or on a pricey smart phone, the important thing is to read it!

~Nita Smith