Darren's Conversion Story

Good morning Brothers and Sisters….








My name is Darren Wilder, my conversion story directly relates to both of these other stories you’ve just heard and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for these two amazing women, and one in particular. Elizabeth and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary next month. You may have noticed there is a slight age difference between Lizzy and I. I am the older one. I use to be kind of uncomfortable about it until I realized that she was still more mature than me. Elizabeth has an amazing spirit, she does so much for our family and I’m so blessed to have her as my wife and partner.

When I hear the word Convert, the first thought that enters my mind is, “oh he wasn’t born into the church”. The 2nd thought is Wow….what a strong person. Now, what do you call a person who was born into the church, falls away for an extended period of time, and then comes back? Do you still call them a convert?



Conversion…..Denotes changing one’s views, a conscious decision to give up one’s former ways and change to be in a conscious acceptance of the will of God (Acts 3;19). I think I fall into this definition. But there’s another aspect that comes into play with someone returning to church. The atonement, we hear of the great atonement often in our Sunday school classes. We hear of it from our church leaders, and in a talk recently by President Henry B Eyring I heard the message clearly. He said, “Exercise faith in Jesus Christ, have a broken heart, repent, and so be cleansed, changed, and strengthened through the Lord’s Atonement. By this gift of atonement we are able to be forgiven, to correct or overcome the consequences of sin.



Now my returning to the church was no easy task. You could even compare it to a tornado. A tornado takes just the right wind speed, air temperature, and baramoic pressure to form. All of these elements come together at just the right time to and condition to create a great force of nature. Like the tornado, it took just the right timing and conditions to open my mind and heart to the gospel that has been right in front of me my whole life.



The first element has to be timing…A few weeks ago the elders asked if I would go with them to visit an inactive family that lives near me. I was excited, my first opportunity at missionary work. The possibility that I could share my story with them and have a influence in there returning to the gospel, was very exhilarating for me. We knocked on the door and a polite lady answered. We weren’t invited in and shortly discovered why. A giant of a man came down the stairs and immediately asked, “who sent you”? I could tell this wasn’t going to end the way I had planned. After a brief introduction and a “Thank you, but no thank you” we were on our way back down the walkway. One of the elders turned to the other and said, “well, it just isn’t there time”. “no it isn’t”, the other said, “but the gospel will be there for them when it is there time.” I pondered on that comment that evening. How true, My Heavely Father has been waiting for me to come back. What a wonderful blessing, to know that the gospel is always there for us.



My conversion or activation, took place over an extended period of time and now, I know, that these happenings were not just an accident or by chance. They were what need to take place to create the right condition. My family and my Cousin’s family were looking to make a move, to get out of the city. By the suggestion of a friend we found Rancho Murieta. Shortly after that my sister’s husband Wayne gets a job in Folsom and transfers from Utah to Rancho Murieta. Coincidence….I don’t think so. We meet great friends in Ranch Murieta and guess what….there Mormon too. Our conversion team doesn’t stop there. The bishop hears of a new inactive member and comes over with the missionaries. Now with all this support around us you would think it would be easy to get back to church. But satin doesn’t give up so easily. It wasn’t until an incident that rocked my family that I would realize a change was needed. My son who is 5 was exposed to the dark side of the internet. Elizabeth and I were devastated. I remember getting down on my knees and with much humility and threw many tears I prayed for my son. I think almost everyone in the church has an experience in their life when “It” just happens. The light bulb in your head just goes on. Well my light bulb was about to shine. The next day my brother-in-law came over to give Gavin a blessing. Right there in our living room Wayne laid his hands on Gavin’s head and gave him a blessing that would not only change Gavin’s life but mine, my families, and who knows who else’s down the road. A feeling of peace came over me like I had never felt. Warmth filled my soul and I was reassured that Gavin would be okay. It was the first time that I had ever experienced the spirit. That Day Elizabeth and I decided we would be in church that next Sunday.



We were welcomed with smiling faces and a sense of fellowship that made me feel that this is where we belonged. That Sunday in priesthood what started out as a lesson on families turned into a discussion on how to keep our children safe from the internet. I couldn’t believe it. That day on our way home Lizzy and I discussed our lessons we had just heard. She had a similar experience in relief society. We both knew it wasn’t just by chance that these lessons directly related to what we were going through. But it didn’t stop there…The following week we had the same feeling. Like these lessons were being sent from heaven to help us cope with the tribulations in our lives. Our rides home each week were filled with discussion, joy, and a growing love for our heavenly Father.

Eventually the missionaries noticed us and asked if we would like to have the discussions. I think I was just as excited about the opportunity to learn from the missionaries as Lizzy was. After our first lesson, Elder Anderson asked lizzy if she wanted to be baptized her immediate response was YES!!! Not wasting any time, Elder Anderson turned to me and asked, “Brother Wilder will you baptize her”? I think my response was something like …..Ummmmmmm….ummmmm…I don’t know? I remember feeling like this was all happening so fast, but in actuality this had taken many years to come to this point. I also remember not feeling worthy of performing a baptism. It wasn’t until I fully understood the power of our saviors sacrifice and atonement that I felt worthy to perform such a great ordinance. The push of a certain bishop also helped. I’m so thankful that I was able to be such an important part of Elizabeth’s special day and I will cherish that memory. I look forward to visiting the temple with Elizabeth, baptizing my children, living the gospel, and teaching my children the gospel.

There are blessings that I’m sure I’ve missed out on by falling away from my heavenly father but, I’m just grateful to be back in his church, living the gospel, and getting to personally know him again.

I’d like to leave you with a scripture… D&C 112 verse 13) and after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.

My father is in the audience today….I’d like to let him know how much I love him. That I’m happy he is here, but more so our heavenly father is happy you are here. Maybe another tornado starting to form?

I know this church is true. I love my family, I am grateful for the many blessings that I have received, including our whole conversion team. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.