Duane's Testimony

I was born and raised a Mormon in Snowflake, Arizona. Snowflake is a very small town in northeastern Arizona, whose population is primarily LDS. It is also the location of Arizona's second and newest temple. I was baptized into the Mormon church at the age of 8, ordained a teacher at 14, the first office of the Aaronic priesthood, and I participated in the usual LDS church activities as a youth.

In 1987 I married my Christian wife, who is from Pinetop, Arizona, a neighboring town. Her great grandfather was a Mennonite minister. When the family learned that she was marrying a Mormon, they began praying for us both. We have two beautiful daughters and in 1990 we moved to Mesa, Arizona. After moving, I intermittently attended the LDS church with my daughters in tow, but we were not really active. Then, in 1996, the girls and I started attending on a fairly regular basis. My wife was willing to go to church, but objected to attending the Mormon church. So we started attending a Nazarene church near our home. One Wednesday the pastor led me through the sinner's prayer and I was baptized a short time later on November 2, 1997. But I still believed God was a man with a body of flesh and bones and that Jesus was the brother of Lucifer. Not too long after I had been baptized, I was in a Christian bookstore. I happened to go to the cult section and saw that it was full of "anti-Mormon" books. I was so mad; I found the manager and took her back to the cult section. I asked her, "do you think that Satan would do anything he could to destroy the one true church?" She replied, "Definitely!" I said, "Well doesn't it look like he's at work here?" I turned and walked out. I had been baptized a Christian, attended church services and Bible studies at a Christian church, and was still mentally a Mormon.

However, God began working in my life through people. I have a friend who attends another Christian church who also happens to be an ex-Mormon. He asked me to come over to his house to watch a video. It turned out to be the "God Makers" video. I left his house thinking much of it was surely wrong. However, months later I found the "God Makers" book in a different Christian bookstore. After reading it I was finally ready to mentally leave the Mormon church.

I am currently teaching classes on Mormonism in my Nazarene Church and occasionally elsewhere. I am a volunteer with Concerned Christians and serve on their board. My thanks to Concerned Christians, and all who help financially and prayerfully in the support of this organization.