​I want to start this off by apologizing for my poor writing skills but I will do my best.

Pictures for proof - https://imgur.com/a/ee2qXIB

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I was asked to tell my story about how I ended up leaving TSCC so here we go

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Backstory: In 1995 I was born into an active TMB family going to church every Sunday and activities on Wednesdays. Growing up, my mother being the good parent and scientist she was, taught my siblings and I to think for ourselves and not accept an anything to be true just because we are told it is. I may have taken this a step further than she intended but I digress.

It was around my 8th grade year in school that I realized that I dont really believe the church to be true because of all the inconsistencies and what go me most at the time was the so called "power of discernment".

When I was about 13, Josh moved into our ward fresh out of medical residency and quickly because my scout master. Josh quickly because the best scout master I've ever had and we became as good friends as you can with that big of an age difference. Unknown to my knowledge, Josh was going through his own religious crisis. He ended up leaving the church while taking many other members with him. He moved away but we stayed in contact throughout the years. Following my fathers wishes, Josh never talked about religion with me until I finally just asked josh about it myself.

Fast-forward to 2014 when I let josh know that I would be going on my mission because I felt so pressured into it. I was called to serve in the California Los Angeles mission, English speaking. I went to the MTC with the mindset that I will give the church one more try and give it my all. I was in the Provo MTC for two weeks and honestly is was one of the best experiences I have to date. At the end of my two weeks, I told my MTC district how I really felt and told them that they were my converting missionaries (they loved that).

I was shipped off to Los Angeles and this is when things took a sharp turn. Have you ever heard the saying "Im atheist because I read the bible"? Well this couldnt be more true in my case. As I was living and breathing the church, i was pushed farther and farther away from it. I learned about things I had not known before, saw things with the leaders I had not seen before, and said things that I had never said before. I realized that I was doing the thing I hate most about my dad....I was being a hypocrite. I was telling everyone I came in contact with to believe in something I knew I didnt even believe to be true.

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Fast-forward two months into my mission while I was living in Lynwood Cali, My companion and I lost out cellphone. We contacted the mission office and the gave us a new one. two weeks later, I found the old phone and told nobody about it. I contacted josh and told him everything that was going on and he offered to buy me a plane ticket and to live with them 1200 miles from home for as long as I needed. I took this offer faster than you might be able to comprehend.

With the ticket purchased and the plans set, I had to figure out how to get myself and my luggage from our new apartment in Inglewood to LAX. I called up one of the church member my age and he was totally happy to give me a ride to the airport.

Josh had his wife and kids pick me up after I finally landed and was skeptical that I was actually following through until they actually saw me in person.

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Sometime later and with the help of QuitMormon.com, I removed my name from church records. I lost all of my social circle and had to start from scratch. Being pretty shy and introverted, this was a hard task. I got tired of being so shy and I kicked myself into action and now I have made many great friends, joined several different groups, and have a beautiful girlfriend!

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This is not an easy thing to do to denounce all you were taught to believe in but its so worth it. You will always have ups and downs but I guarantee that if you do what makes you happy, the ups will always outweigh the downs.

If you are going through this journey now or are planning to, I hope that your family is as supportive as mine have been. Ladies and gents, we only have one life so why not live it the way you want to! Thank you all :)

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P.s. I am definitely willing to answer any questions, fill in anything I may have left out, or help you in any way I can

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TL;DR I was born into a TBM family and grew up realizing that I dont believe in the church. I was pressured into going on a mission and was pushed even further from the church while I was out. Two months into the mission, My companion and I lost our cellphone and got another one. I found the old one, contacted my old scout master who previously left the church and moved away. He bought me a plane ticket and flew me down to live with him and his family. Live a life that makes you happy and dont be a good person just in hopes of getting your afterlife...be a good person just to be good!

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