Akron Ohio Stake News

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The Betty Beaver Conversion Story

submitted by Sister Pamela Kremer

When Betty Beaver was a child, she had a neighbor who taught Bible School on Tuesdays. Betty would sneak out of her parent’s home to attend this little class and thought her mom and dad wouldn’t miss her too much since she was the tenth of thirteen children. She learned a lot about Jesus and Heavenly Father, and as she grew up, she wanted to know more about God. She was part of another church and enjoyed attending with her aunt, who was there, but in 1988 she moved to Akron and didn’t feel the same way about the churches in her new area. She felt a bit uncomfortable and not as much at home but continued attending since her children enjoyed going. She felt that something was better than nothing. 

Betty was introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ when she was in the middle of raising her teenage daughter and enjoyed fellowshipping with the Elders as well as the Couple Missionaries who came into her home. She attended some but was unfamiliar with the ‘language’ which was spoken in church, like discussions on Brigham Young and such, and was somewhat confused. She stopped going but had good feelings about those who had introduced her to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Even after her difficult divorce, Betty knew that God still had a plan for her, and she wanted to be worthy of the future she knew He would provide. She stayed true to herself and what she had learned growing up. 

When her daughter grew up and married, she wanted to find her own church, eventually finding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and invited Betty to come along with her to meetings and special events. Her daughter introduced her to sisters from the Relief Society who were so friendly and welcoming, even though they hadn’t met her before. Betty felt loved and included like they had all known each other forever. 

Her sweetheart Eddie came into her life after being a longtime friend, and Betty knew he was an answer to her prayers. She knew God had sent him to her. As she began attending church with her daughter, she felt God acknowledged things she experienced during the week as He worked through others. She found personal messages and answers in the testimonies each week. She found that things felt smoother and that there was less struggle than before she found the Gospel. She knew as she “opened her ears and shut her mouth and stopped denying wanting to be there,” she would hear what she was feeling and recognize it more easily. 

She had been feeding the missionaries often, especially when she found out the couple missionaries who had been teaching her had eaten Easter dinner alone. She chose to make it her mission to ensure missionaries were never forgotten again. All through this time, she loved their company, loved feeding them, and loved the spirit they brought into her home, but she kept saying, “I’m not gonna join your church.”

Betty was baptized one week after she was married to Eddie and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the autumn of 2019. She could tell the adversary tried her patience when she was choosing to be righteous and do what the Lord wanted. Others have told her they could see the light of Christ in her countenance, the “glow” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that makes the difference. The truth of the Gospel helps her rebuke the adversary and keep on the covenant path. She feels like everyone in her New Portage Ward is her family and loves them all so much. She strives to remain teachable and is happy to continue learning. She is excited to attend the temple as soon as she can to take out her endowments and has completed the Temple Preparation class with other friends in the ward.