In January of my Junior year in HS (1977) one of the head cheerleaders, Kenna Nolen, came home from visiting BYU Campus over Christmas break and was talking about her visit to Utah. It sparked my interest. I had already had constant contact with Kenna for the last year and a half (early morning practice, 5 days a week).
She never tried to “teach or preach” the gospel to me. Perhaps she had shared different beliefs with me on different principles of the Gospel but mostly I just observed her and her family. I loved it when we would have activities at her house and I especially liked the feeling I felt when her family was around. She had 5 adorable little sisters and her Mom and Dad were great people. I noticed how they interacted one with another and how kind and respectful they were to each other.
On the day we returned from the Christmas break it was Kenna's enthusiasm of BYU that really got my attention: she talked about how there was no drinking or smoking on the campus, there were school dances each weekend, curfews at the dorms and all kinds of fun and exciting things that the school had to offer. All of this was enough intrigue for me to ask her if you had to be a "member" of her church to go to BYU. This is where Kenna could have just answered and stopped at, “No, anyone can go.” But she took it a step further as she continued and added, “If you would like to learn more about the church you could come to early morning seminary with me.”
Recently (Aug/2016) I asked Kenna, “When you invited me to come to seminary was it something you did a lot of [inviting friends to church activities)? Or did it just fall out of your mouth so naturally because you were always listening to the promptings? “
Kenna’s (sweet) reply, “ Jamie, I have thought about your question for the last couple of days! No, I didn't ever open my mouth to invite people to church but I can tell you I was very prompted to invite you! I don't think I was even scared! You made it so easy! You were always so happy and positive! I just loved you! You were always my favorite cheerleader! My family loved you too! You honestly were so ready to accept the gospel! I'm grateful to you and your amazing example! I hold a special place in my heart for you! I totally wept when you posted about your mission call! Thank you for your goodness! I love you!!”.
Kenna lived her religion and "opened her mouth" and "invited" when the opportunity (prompting) arose, she totally led by example and, as the scriptures tell us, she was “stand(ing) as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9).
I think that is the secret of missionary work. It was Kenna’a example, her enthusiasm for life, her outgoing sweet personality that drew me and everyone else to her. She was so beautiful but what you most remembered about her is that she was always the most kind and sensitive person at our High School. As I said before, she is the kind of person that other people gravitate towards and want to be friends with. Everyone thought they were her best friend because she treated them as such. She was such an example of Jesus Christ and was always very Christ-like in her behavior. Always!
I agreed to go to seminary and Kenna picked me up early the next morning. I was excited but a little nervous
. When I walked into the seminary room it was like walking into sunshine. There was an actual physical difference. I, now, of course, know that it was the spirit, but back then I just felt this remarkable warmth wash over me. It was like entering into a “safe” place where angels were watching and hovering in the room. It was like no feeling I had ever felt before.
I entered and Kenna introduced me to everyone and everyone was so nice. I don’t have a lot of recollection other than the feeling I had, but they were studying the Book of Mormon and I was given a copy and I began reading it. It was actually rather confusing to me (I had never even read from the Bible before) and so one of my new “Mormon” friends’ mother gave me a 4 volume book set (for children) to read so I could get familiar with the people and their names (Hello??? Nephi, Lehi, Laman, Lemuel). I read all 4 (short) volumes and shortly thereafter had the missionaries come to my house to teach me the discussions.
My Elders (Elder Kevon L Polatis and Elder Timothy R Taylor) were the cutest (as all Elders are) and they had my Mom sit in on the Missionary discussions with me (I was only 17 at the time). It was pretty funny with my Mom because the missionaries would teach or say something then each time after they would pause and look at my Mom and say, “So, Mrs. Couch, (turn to me) Jamie, what do you think?”. After they did this about 3 or 4 times my Mom said, “Listen, you can come and teach Jamie about the church, but leave me out of it”. That is when we moved the location for our missionary discussions to Kenna’s home!
I was so excited about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all it stood for. I knew the Book of Mormon was real doctrine and as true as true can be (after the children's version I was able to graduate to the actual Scriptures!). The Spirit constantly would testify that what the missionaries were saying was true and what I was reading in the Book of Mormon was correct. I went to Church each week and was learning all about the Gospel, the church organization and the new Mormon "lingo". I enjoyed Young Women’s and had a fantastic Young Women's President, Sister Karen Robison. It was such an exciting time for me and I was ready to be baptized right away! My Mom, on the other hand, was a little leery about me joining so quickly. She had been baptized RLDS when she married my dad because my dads’ mother (Mom), Lorene Jane Couch, was very strong and active in the reorganized church. My Mom was familiar with the commitment that joining the church would entail (even though she was not active in the RLDS church). She just wanted me to be sure. I remember literally baring my testimony to her (without realizing it was a testimony) and telling her that I knew the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was the only true church on the earth and that I knew that the Book of Mormon was written by Holy men and it was brought forth by Joseph Smith for our time. I think the spirit (or my crying) touched her and she gave me permission to join the church!
February 26 , 1977, was a great day, although I don't recall much of the details other than the room being filled with a zillion wonderful people (there were probably only a few) and it felt like there were angels in attendance and everyone was so happy and it was just a glorious day! I attended church each week and attended all the activity's (as long as I wasn't at a cheerleading event) and was fellowshipped at church. These times were when I felt the happiest. 
This last conference (Oct 2016), Elder Neil L. Andersen, in his talk, "A Witness of God" tells us that just by us living the gospel we are being missionary’s! He tells us to stop feeling guilty for not being full time missionary’s (along with the other million things on our plate) and trying to talk to everyone we come in contact with about the church. It will come naturally to us if we are praying for those opportunities to open our mouth when we are approached by others about the Gospel. We are living the Standards of the Church and our example shines forth and anyone who wants that same feeling, that they get when they are in our presence, for themselves then they will ask us about the Gospel."
This is exactly what happened to me and Kenna! SHE WAS LIVING THE GOSPEL and I wanted to constantly have the same feeling in my life that I had whenever I was around her!
Not all was easy or a bed or roses and it was a different story at home and at school. There were only 5 Mormons in my HS (out of about 1500 students). Over the next several months I struggled a bit. I wanted all my old friends to have the missionary discussions and join me in this monumental discovery that I had become a part of. I had found the "Restored Gospel" ~ the exact same organization of Christ's church as it was when He lived and organized it on the earth in His time ~ I was now a member of His church, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, no one was as eager to jump into the waters of baptism as I had been. As a matter of fact I felt many pull away from me because of my overzealousness of trying to convince everyone that this is what will make them happy ~ go figure?!?
Needless to say, my life changed quite a bit; I no longer felt comfortable buying cigarettes for my Mom at the grocery store, I stopped going to the movies with my family on Sunday, stopped seeing "R" rated movies and I was no longer interested in going to party's where there was drinking. I stopped gambling and playing with face cards (when, on the few occasions when my Dad and I would be together, our activity was playing poker). I even gave up all the soda pop I drank except for 7-up and Root beer!! So my life was altered pretty drastically. I was happy inside but I was a little lonely and I felt different than I had before with everything and everyone.
On one occasion (when I was feeling extra sorry for myself) I remember walking to King Sooper's grocery store and I got a little upset with Heavenly Father. I was mad that "He chose me" to join the church. I asked, "Why didn't He just choose someone else's life to turn upside down and leave mine as it was before?". I suppose at this point, like never before, I knew there was no going back. I knew that this was the restored Gospel. I knew I could not deny it and because of this, and my commitment and covenants I had made at my baptism, there was no turning back. This was it. I already knew that what I had learned was true and correct and I would just need to pray harder and buck it up. I could not go backwards so I relied on Heavenly Father to move forward in faith that all would be ok. I realized that I had been chosen to be a disciple of Christ and I would forever be grateful for this miraculous blessing (John 15:16).
It is interesting to note that when my Senior year rolled around I ended up graduating a semester early and traveled around a bit before going off to BYU that summer. I think HS was just not as fun as it had been before I joined the church. The activity's at school and at home were more strained and uncomfortable (I'll write of my phenomenal experiences at BYU another time!).
Side note: Kenna was not my 1st contact with the Church (she was actually the 4th). The first was none other than Donny Osmond. When I was in 5th grade my cute little boyfriend, Mark McMillan, took me to a Donny Osmond concert. Afterwards everyone was talking about the concert and I thought to myself, "Hmmmmm, maybe I should marry Donny Osmond!", then someone mentioned that "Mormons only marry Mormons". As cocky as I was, I just thought, "Well, he hasn't met me!!!". Mini-lesson on TEMPLE MARRIAGE https://www.lds.org/topics/marriage?lang=eng
My second contact was with Lori Johnson in 8th grade. Lori and Rusty had broken up and Rusty and I started hanging out together. A school dance was coming up and Lori thought Rusty was going to ask me (they eventually got back together and he took her to the dance). In a heated 'discussion' she told me that, "There were 3 Degrees of Glory in Heaven that we would go to when we died and she would be in the highest kingdom, the Celestial Kingdom and I would be in a lower one". At this point it was ok by me if I wasn't going to be in "her" Kingdom because I figured if she was there I would not want to be there with her! Mini-lesson on THE 3 DEGREES OF GLORY (Kingdoms of Glory) https://www.lds.org/topics/kingdoms-of-glory?lang=eng
And last but not least, in 8th grade a good friend, Sue Stapleton, was helping me get ready to try out for 9th grade cheerleading in Junior High. I went to her house and met her family; 5 very handsome, adorable and clean cut older brothers and her sweet parents. Their home was filled with love, laughter and fun. We went to her basement to practice and we passed a room that was filled (I mean FILLED) with food from the floor to the ceiling. She explained that, “This was her family’s food storage and that someday there was going to be a famine and if that day happened in our lifetime that she would share their food with me”, (ok, was that not the cutest and sweetest thing she could have said and her just being an 8th grader!). Mini-lesson on FOOD STORAGE (and Emergency Preparedness)
https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage?lang=eng
I love the Gospel! I love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I know that Heavenly Father lives and listens to and answers my prayers. And I confirm with every fiber of my soul that, like Joseph Smith said, I know 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.” (History of the Church, 4:461)
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/06/the-most-correct-book?lang=eng
I share with you and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Here is a pic of Kenna, her husband and one of her daughters; my eternal friend!
