Petition to the First Presidency

Thursday, August 31, 2006

 
To The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

I humbly come before you as a servant of Heavenly Father with this petition that I may serve a mission for the greater work of the Kingdom.  I ask not to serve a mission to glorify myself or to magnify myself in front of my fellow brethren but to be an instrument, as were the sons of Mosiah, in the hands of God to bring as the Lord wills the knowledge and truth to those still blinded by the teachings of their forefathers.  The reason I write to you with this petition because I am a convert of almost 2 years and also divorced.  I was married before I joined the church and divorced before I was a member a year.  The divorce was mutual and just did not work out I was 19 and she was 26 when we got married.  I ask to serve a mission because as a convert and a former licensed and ordained minister, I have experienced first hand the teachings of those ill-educated in the fullness of the truth of the gospel.  Many of my brethren in Christ live in the darkness of the principal of salvation by grace and what grace truly means.  That grace is only the covenant between Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father that prepares the way that we may return to glory.   

As Alma stated in Alma 29.9 “I know what the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it.  I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.”

My whole life has been about me and doing what I want.  I have taken and taken out of life without contributing anything back.  Serving a mission will allow me to unselfishly serve the Heavenly Father doing His work, it would allow me to give back to the kingdom for the greater glory.  All I have ever wanted to do and all I continue to do in my life is serve Heavenly Father.  It breaks my heart to see so many people who desire to know the truth but they don’t have anyone to share it with them.  I am the Lord’s servant and I am at His will regardless if I am allowed to serve a mission or not.  I know that I am a missionary whether I serve a full time mission or not and regardless what your decision is I will continue to serve Heavenly Father and the church.  

I know without a doubt The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church.  I know that Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet called by God and not by man to open the final dispensation and restore the Church and gospel.  I testify that Gordon B. Hinckley is the true Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of this church.  I know The Book of Mormon is a true testament of our Father’s love for us.  I humbly bear my testimony knowing that all things will be done according to the will of Heavenly Father.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Sincerely in Christ,                          

Elder Andrew Swallow                      

This was on my myspace page at the time

Do you believe in faith and awesome power of prayer?  Well I do first hand.  My life since the age of 10 has been built on the foundation of faith.  Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He that comeths to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder to all them that diligently seek Him.  I learned that very foundation, the keystone to who I am at a very early age and I have been on fire ever since.  As I said I started going to church by my own desire at the age of 10.  I remeber the zeal I had for serving Heavenly Father.  I remember I hated going to junior church and occasionally had to be forced to go, for I loved to sit in the main church and listen to Pastor Miller preach from the pulpit.  I loved just sitting there in the auditorium and feasting on every word he had to say.  I was there Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and any other time the doors were opened.  I loved being at church and know one ever had to make me go.  My thirst for the Word grew over the years and I grew more and more involved in church. Anything that had to do with God I was all for it over playing outside, nintendo or anything.  I rememeber when i was 13 I went to  a promise keepers crusade and it was awesome thousands of people at Qualacom Stadium(was still Jack Murphy then) praising God.  At the age of 14 I started studying the Bible on my own for I longed for the truth to totally understand the Bible. (Did you know the wiseman were not in the original Christmas story-they appeared 2-3 years after Jesus was born. I realized this at the age of 14)  As I started studying out the Bible  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ two separate beings came to me literally, and no I wasn't dreaming, and said "We have a plan for you however we aren't going to reveal it yet.  Stay steadfast in the faith continue to study the scriptures and it will be revealed soon."  Over the next 6 years I started studying even more.  My Aunt Lorrie and My Grandma Vroegindewey have been two major key players in my life that have continually have shown me the importance and blessings of faith.  My Aunt was diagnosed with cancer and a large tumor in head, the doctors told her they needed to try chemotherapy and other hopeful treatments.  She told them just give me some pain medication and I will handle this with prayer and my Bible. 3 months later it was completely gone.  These two ladies have been through so much pain and yet they continue to praise Heavenly Father and ailments disappear.  These Ladies are modern day Jobs.  (Lorrie may you rest in peace and I will make sure the work is done for you)

The age of 18 I went to Bible college and became financially withdrawn.  Also around this time my uncle was trying to get me to join the mormon church.  He was the only one in my family who belonged to this cult and I wanted nothing to do with it (except for the free movies I liked to order of TV.) the age of 20 I went back to School both law and Bible college.  I dropped out of law school to concentrate solely on my AA and BA in Christian studies and theology.  I became a licensed and ordained baptist minister.  However something was missing in my life.  There was a void in my life and I could not understand it.  I was thirsting for and hungering for something that I could not find that i thought did not exist. I started study other religions and nothing calmed the tempest that was raging in my soul. April 2004 I drove to Utah to visit my Uncle and it turned out to be the Mormon General Conference weekend.  There, my cousin on the way out to snow canyon, she was 14 years old at the time, made me promise her to read the Book of Mormon. I have had many copies of this book through out my life, however i think they were usually thrown in the trashed or I used them for Lego tents and platforms. So I promised her I would read it. To me it was just another book and I was just going to read it and get it over with just to say I read it.  However as I read it, i started to recieve a calming feeling over me.  Everything in this Book was everything I already believed in.  I finished ready the Book of Mormon May of 2004 and I took the Moroni challenge.  Moroni 10:3-5

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.  And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

As soon as I prayed asking if these things I just read and that the feeling I had was true, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both came to me again as two personages telling me this is what they have planned for me, I was to resign as a minister and join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I study out the Book of Mormon until September and I was ready to join the Church. I started to look for the missionaries.  They are always around when you don't want them around, but when you do want them they are no where to be found.  Finally I found them, and we had our lessons, I would have been baptized that first day if it was allowed.  October 15 2004 I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.