Sam's talk from the Sesquicentennial celebration

"How I Got My Testimony"

 by Sam Miller

Outline: 1. Intro. My earliest Mormon pioneer ancestors.

               2. Brain tumor diagnosis

               3. How I got faith...JS quote on Faith

               4. Hospital stay

               5. My testimony and statement of faith

After the Mormon pioneers were driven out of Missouri, they went back east to Illinois. First city they hit after crossing the Mississippi river was Commerce, Illinois. There, the Mormons bought land where they built Nauvoo.  Isaac Gallant sold the land to the Mormons for nothing down.

Mary Galland Casto, Isaac's sister, and my great, great, great grandmother, was converted and later went with the saints when they left Nauvoo and went to Utah.

She was one of the first converts after the saints came to Commerce Illinois. After being driven out of Missouri. I'm thankful for the faith of Mary Galland Casto that brought her into the church and took her through the trials and hardships of crossing the plains and brought the restored gospel into the lives of her descendants. 

Sometimes you really don't know if you have faith, or not, until your faith is challenged. I really came to know that I had faith of my own that the gospel was true when I was diagnosed as having a malignant brain tumor and hospitalized at age 10. My parents told me that I might die from it and talked to me about how Heavenly Father was in control of things and that this was all in the plan and would work out for the best.

I was in the hospital and I knew I wasn't afraid of dying, because I knew Heavenly Father was watching out for me and this was an experience that would be important to my total eternal life.

When asked how I got my faith, I think of my dad telling me that Joseph Smith once said, "Faith comes from hearing the word of God through the testimonies of the servants of God, which is always accompanied by the spirit of prophecy and revelation." That spirit of prophecy and revelation is the Holy Ghost. Faith is a gift from God through the Holy Ghost. He gives you that assurance of truth. My parents and family have taught.me the word of God and bore their testimonies to it's truthfulness all of my life. And the Spirit has born witness that it is true.

Because of my faith, I didn't really mind the fat that I was in the hospital. I just had a lot of fun and pretty much forgot about the reason I was in the hospital. I didn't even think of how much money iot was costing my folks.

The nurses would make my stay more pleasant by visiting me and playing games with me, and I would go to the playroom and play with the volunteers there.

I had a real nice doctor and her assistant who would check on me every once in a while.

They treated me with chemo therapy, which did get rid of the tumor for a while. But it came back again, so they treated me again with radiation.

I was prepared to go back to my Heavenly Father if I needed to, but I've been in remission now for four years without any recurrence.

I am really thankful for the faith that carried me through that experience. I know that the gospel is true, that the Lord loves me and has taken good care of me, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.