Choosing Jesus Christ

Sister Rubio was the only one of six children her Catholic parents never got around to baptizing, and at 21 one late night prayer brought her back to Jesus Christ and eventually onto a mission. In this episode of Choosing Jesus Christ, Elder Avalos sits down with Sister Rubio, a missionary serving in the Idaho Falls Idaho Mission, to hear how Heavenly Father reached her family one step at a time....

Elder Kitchen grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but spent years running from it. Parties, sneaking out, trespassing, chasing approval from everyone around him. He was numb. Not sad. Not happy. Just empty. Then one Saturday morning his mom walked into his room and asked what was wrong. He told her everything. And watching her heart break was the moment that woke him up. In...

Jeff Young grew up being told The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a cult. His mother made sure of it... but something kept pulling at him anyway. Then he met Katie. She never pressured him. She just shared small pieces of her testimony and let him decide. In this episode of the Choosing Jesus Christ Podcast, Jeff shares what happened after he got baptized in secret, walked into a b...

Don Reed spent years asking questions that nobody would answer. The Catholic seminary told him some questions weren't appropriate. So he walked away and kept searching. Then he met a woman who had walked away from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He encouraged her to go back, and as he watched her change, he knew he needed what she had found. In this episode of the Choosing Jesus C...

Elder McCartney grew up going to church because his best friend's family made it a condition of Sunday hangouts. He got baptized at 13. Then at 18 he walked away. Four years of going inactive, making mistakes, and becoming someone nobody recognized including himself. Then on December 17th at 4 a.m., he said goodbye to his mom. And the only thought that got him through that night was one thing he h...

Hunter grew up around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but never made it his own. The night his best friend died by suicide, he prayed almost by instinct and felt an unexpected peace he couldn't explain. He set it aside for years, not knowing what it was. Then a missionary lesson on the Plan of Salvation changed everything. Learning he would see his friend again one day brought that...

Bill Berry spent 12 years watching his wife go to church without him. He met with 24 missionaries. His neighbors fixed his appliances and never charged him. But none of it was quite enough. In this episode of the Choosing Jesus Christ Podcast, Bill shares what finally happened when he knelt down and prayed out loud about the church for the first time. Then doubted everything four days later. Then...

Before her mission, Sister Peña never believed in God. Growing up in Mexico, she struggled with anxiety, depression, and addiction while trying to find acceptance and belonging. For years she felt lost, surrounded by unhealthy influences and searching for something that could bring real peace into her life. Everything changed the night she prayed for the first time. Desperate for help, she asked G...

Patrick Toussaint has lived a life that doesn't make sense on paper-until you hear his story. Raised Catholic by a mother who was once a nun, Patrick was 'made' to join the Church as a teenager... but didn't truly understand why. Then everything changed after two separate bicycle accidents-both times he was hit by a car, survived, and didn;t break a single bone. That's when he finally asked the qu...

For years, Elder Patterson believed the Church couldn't possibly be true. He had read the criticisms, studied the history, and felt confident he had the answers. While living what felt like the perfect life-mountain biking, racing cars, dating, and planning his future-faith was the last thing on his mind. But everything changed after one sincere prayer. In this episode of the Choosing Jesus Christ...

What happens when you walk away from God and feel completely lost? In this powerful episode, Sister Dameron shares her deeply personal story of struggling with anxiety, depression, and feeling abandoned during the COVID pandemic. After leaving the Church and entering a difficult and abusive relationship, she felt like her life was falling apart. But in one quiet moment at work, everything changed....

Many people wonder why God allows suffering and whether He is really there during life's hardest moments. In this powerful conversation, Sister Shebaily shares her deeply personal story of growing up facing religious persecution, depression, health struggles, and overwhelming trials. Through years of pain, questions, and loneliness, she came to discover something life-changing: Jesus Christ had ne...

President Rogers won two Golden Glove Championships, climbed Kilimanjaro, visited all seven continents, and built a 37-year wealth management career. None of it was an accident. Every experience God gave him, He used. The boxing taught him discipline, preparation, and how to show up scared and fight anyway. The travels showed him a world too perfect to have happened by chance. The business gave hi...

Many people believe in God but still feel like something is missing. In this episode of the Choosing Jesus Christ Podcast, Sister Rogers shares the story of the night everything changed. After years of searching for answers, she received a powerful spiritual confirmation that led her to choose Jesus Christ and be baptized. Her story shows how God answers sincere questions, guides us step by step,...

Most people aren't running from God - they're just stuck. Stuck with questions about faith. Stuck wondering if they've messed up too much to start over. Stuck asking if God really hears them. On the Choosing Jesus Christ Podcast, missionaries Sister Hawker and Elder Avalos sit down with real people navigating their faith journey - some discovering Christianity for the first time, others rediscover...