Happy Easter!

Today was a very special day for me. Along with Easter, today I celebrated 17 years of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After communism collapsed, my country opened its doors to many churches. My mother, my brother and I inquired and attended many Christian churches, and when in 1993 two very handsome missionaries knocked on our door and asked if they could tell us about their church, we welcomed them with sincere desire. I don't remember much from the discussions, but two special memories have remained with me. We felt the Spirit powerfully in our home and we knew it was from God. We knew that whatever the missionaries were teaching us, it was of God. Secondly, when my brother and I read the Book of Mormon, fasted and then prayed together, we felt an overwhelming spirit being poured upon us. It was beautiful, pure and undeniably from God. Since then, I have undoubtedly had ups and downs with my testimony, however, I have never doubted that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I, like Joseph Smith, believe strongly that "the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book." Guided by the Spirit that we felt throughout our discussions and prayers, my mother, my brother and I entered the waters of baptism on April 4th, 1993. We were baptized in the waters of the Adriatic Sea on a rainy day. A beautiful miracle happened as we were getting ready for the baptism. The missionaries and my family had invited a lot of people to our baptism. As we were singing and praying in the rainy beach, the sun came out to shine only where we were standing and the rain stopped. We could see the rain around us, but not above us. We felt so special and we knew God was with us. The weeks that followed our baptism were filled with lessons taught by the missionaries to the same people who were there that day. They had witnessed a miracle, felt the Spirit and wanted it for themselves. My membership to this church has brought only happiness to my life and soul.
On this Easter day, I want all of you to know that I know my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, lives. How grateful I am for that knowledge! I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, died on the cross, and was gloriously resurrected on the third day. I know God loves me; I've felt His tender mercies every day. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. What a great example he is to us. I know that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It has changed my life and it continues to change me for better as I read it with desire. How blessed we are to have a living prophet and apostles, to be instructed by God through their mouths. As I watched Conference yesterday and today, I would often feel tears of gratitude for living at a time when the fullness of the gospel is on earth. I was thankful to hear the many messages that were given to us these two days, especially when the general theme seemed to be families, mothers and fathers. How happy I am to be a mother, to stay home and teach and nurture my children. What a blessing it is to hear the confirmation that what I'm doing as a mother to help my children reach their potential is in accordance with Heavenly Father's plan. I'm grateful for my testimony of motherhood; I know it's the most powerful responsibility I'll have in this life and in the next. Thank you for letting me share my feelings with you, and I hope and wish a beautiful Easter to you all!