Apryl Flake Troyer Youth Missionary Story

Apryl,I did not know about your father's passing. Jim told me about your father's illness when we saw each other at Lois Wheeler's funeral, but I had no idea his time to cross the veil would come so soon. I sent your parents a Christmas card last December and your mother wrote back at that time. Please give her my love and best wishes next time you see her. I really thought a lot of your folks, and your father probably taught me as much or more of the gospel as anybody did, including the General Authorities who wrote books that I read.Tell Art I'm jealous that he gets to teach seminary full-time, but it's a good jealous and I'm glad for him.I plan to catch up more later, but for now I'll let you know our address:Ken & Martha Hurst1256 Norman DrLeeds, AL 35094(205) 699-3731We don't travel much, but if we're ever within half a day's drive of you, we'll certainly try to see you guys.Love and thanks,Ken H.---------- Original Message ----------From: Apryl Troyer <ateam8@yahoo.com>To: "kenwhurst@juno.com" <kenwhurst@juno.com>Subject: Re: New Era submissionDate: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:20:01 -0700 (PDT)Ken. . .that is really a neat story, I never knew your side of it. It was so good to hear from you and to learn life has treated you well. Good ole Northwest High wasn't one of my favorite memories but there were some cool things about it. Sounds like you have a neat family and an awesome testimony. I forgot where you said you were living now. We're in St. George Utah, Art teaches Seminary and loves it, I got a Real Estate license at a very bad time to start selling houses. All our crazy kids are grown and married, one of our sons is my Broker so that's kind of fun. My dad passed away in January this year and we have mom out here living next to the Temple where she serves. If you're ever in Utah come visit; winter is the best time, as it sure gets hot here in the summer. Thanks again for sharing your story. Take CareApryl________________________________From: "kenwhurst@juno.com" kenwhurst@juno.comTo: ateam8@yahoo.comSent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 5:59:35 PMSubject: New Era submissionDear Art & Apryl,Here is the text of what I sent to the New Era. (What they print is another matter, of course. I sent a page and a half to the Ensign once, and they accepted 2 hugely edited paragraphs of it.)I plan to send you guys a second e-mail in the near future to catch up on what's gone on since we last saw each other -- when was that? Was that the time we went to SLC together to see President Carter get an award from President Kimball? Gosh, that was 30 years ago!Ken HurstHere's the article text:An Example, An Invitation, and the Book of Mormon “So what do Mormons believe?” Dale asked Apryl. “Do you believe in the Bible?” “Yes,” Apryl answered, “we believe in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon.” What in the world, I wondered, was the Book of Mormon? This was during study hall my junior year of high school. Those of us who took driver's education together during the first semester stayed together at study hall the during same period the second semester. Apryl's family moved into our Tennessee community shortly after second semester began, and Apryl was assigned to our study hall. We driver's education alumni decided to sit at the same table she was sitting at, and quickly absorbed her into our group. There was something different about Apryl, and it was a good difference. We eventually discovered she was Mormon. When Dale asked about believing the Bible and Apryl answered about believing the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I was too shy to ask what the Book of Mormon was. I expected someone else in the group to ask for me, but no one did. A few days later Apryl brought a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon to school with her so that she could mark selected passages for the missionaries. “Wonderful!” I thought. “Now I'll get a chance to learn about this thing.” However, that was the moment a teacher approached me with an errand to to for him. By the time I returned, study hall had ended and lunch had begun. I got my lunch tray and sat down at a vacant table -- vacant except for Apryl's books in a small stack. On top of the stack was the missionary Book of Mormon. I reached over and picked it up. “I'm looking at your book,” I told Apryl when she arrived a few minutes later with her lunch tray. “Okay,” she said, looking a little surprised. School lunch periods are not very long, and I did not get to see much of what was inside the book. I did manage to read the section titled “Origin of the Book of Mormon,” which told of the visitation of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, and the translation of the gold Book of Mormon plates. I was fascinated. I believed in God, but I also I considered myself a science-oriented type of person, and I normally would not give much credence to modern angel tales. What I read, however, had a ring of truth to it. It really could have happened. And if it did, then – what? It stirred my soul to think about it. Lunch period ended all too soon. I returned Apryl's book to her and went to my next class. I was excited about the possibilities presented by the Book of Mormon's existence, but I was still too shy to talk to her about it. A few weeks later I was working on homework during study hall. Apryl suddenly appeared beside me, an unusually serious look on her face. “Are you really interested in learning about my religion?” she asked me. I was, and I told her so. “There's going to be a special meeting this Friday that's for people who want to learn about our church,” she said. “I'm taking some of my friends. My father's driving. I wondered if you might want to go.” The special meeting was a presentation by the president of the Kentucky-Tennessee Mission describing the basic teachings of the church. Some issues he raised, such as what happens to infants who die unbaptized, were things I had wondered about before. Others, such as eternal marriage, were completely new to me. All of what he said made seemed to make good sense. I began taking the missionary lessons. On the one hand, what I learned was easy to believe. The apostasy, the need for a restoration of the gospel, and the way the restoration was carried out were all logical. The doctrines felt true, and were consistent with my understanding of the Bible. On the other hand, I was not instantly converted. I was reluctant to make any commitments. It took weeks and months of pondering and study before I was ready to consider leaving my protestant heritage and officially joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It wasn't until after fasting and prayer that I received my testimony and was baptized into the church. Since that time I have served a mission, married in the temple, and served in a variety of callings. For years I have told people that I was brought into the church by a member who was both a good example and who also had the courage to open her mouth and invite me to church. But I see now that there was a third factor: the Book of Mormon. Would I have accepted Apryl's invitation had I not peeked inside her Book of Mormon? I don't know. What I do know is that the story of its divine origin made me want to know if it was really true. When the Lord confirmed the truthfulness of it to me, I knew that I could trust what was written in the Book of Mormon to be the words of the Lord every bit as much as the words in the Bible were, and that they would show me all things that I should do (see 2 Nephi 32:3.) My life is very different from what it would have been had I not embraced the restored gospel, and it's a good difference.