From Anti-Mormon to Faithful Disciple

This is a written summary of a True Millennial Podcast episode featuring Parker Walbeck’s interview with Dusty Smith. Dusty shares his powerful story of joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaving the Church for 26 years, becoming openly anti-Mormon, and then returning through miracles, answered prayers, humility, and the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.

TL;DR: Dusty Smith’s Conversion Story Shows No One Is Beyond God’s Reach

Dusty Smith’s conversion story is a powerful witness that faith can return, miracles still happen, and Jesus Christ can redeem anyone who turns back to Him. After 26 years of fighting against the Church, Dusty experienced a miraculous healing, direct answers from God, and a renewed testimony that brought him back to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Watch the Full Interview with Dusty Smith

Dusty Smith’s Conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dusty Smith was not raised as a Latter-day Saint. He grew up attending different Christian churches because his family included Lutheran, Catholic, and Baptist influences. Although he loved the Lord, he often wondered why so many churches taught different things while using the same Bible.

As a young adult, Dusty became angry with God after a tragic accident took the life of a young family friend. He stopped attending church, but he never stopped believing in God.

Later, while visiting his mother’s home, a copy of the Book of Mormon fell from a bookshelf. Dusty opened it to 3 Nephi and became fascinated by the account of Jesus Christ visiting the people in the Americas. That moment led him to contact local Church leaders, meet with missionaries, and eventually be baptized.

How Elder L. Tom Perry Helped Dusty Stay on His Mission

After joining the Church, Dusty eventually chose to serve a mission at age 24. At the Missionary Training Center, he felt out of place among younger missionaries and lacked strong family support.

Feeling discouraged, he called Church headquarters and said that if nobody cared whether he served, he was going home. To his surprise, Elder L. Tom Perry came on the phone and told him:

“Elder, if nobody else cares if you serve a mission, I do.”

Elder Perry became a source of encouragement and even asked Dusty to write to him during his mission. That personal love and attention left a lasting impression on Dusty.

Why Dusty Smith Left the Church for 26 Years

After his mission and during law school, Dusty encountered anti-Church material in Palmyra. Wanting to be prepared, he began researching difficult questions about Church history and doctrine.

At that time, he felt his questions were not being answered well. He was often told to simply have faith. Eventually, Dusty concluded that if leaders were hiding things, the Church must not be true.

He lost his testimony, asked to have his name removed from Church records, and became angry when he was excommunicated. That anger led him into 26 years of actively opposing the Church.

From Anti-Mormon Critic to a Man Searching for Answers

Dusty spent years arguing against the Church online and in person. He debated members, challenged missionaries, and even taught classes criticizing Latter-day Saint beliefs.

He explains that many people who leave the Church feel deceived because becoming a Latter-day Saint requires real sacrifice. For Dusty, leaving was painful because he had given up relationships, career opportunities, and parts of his former lifestyle to join the Church.

For 26 years, he believed he was helping people by warning them away from the faith he once loved.

The Miracle That Began to Soften Dusty’s Heart

In 2009, Dusty became extremely sick with swine flu. He describes himself as being on his deathbed. While he was lying in bed, two missionaries unexpectedly came to his home.

Dusty wanted them to leave, but they asked if they could give him a priesthood blessing. He agreed only because he thought it would get them out of the house.

After the blessing, he was immediately healed. His fever broke, his sweating stopped, and he was able to get out of bed for the first time in days.

Even then, Dusty did not return to the Church. But that miracle planted a seed he could not fully ignore.

How God Used Utah to Bring Dusty Smith Back to the Church

Years later, Dusty’s wife received a job opportunity that eventually brought her to Utah. Dusty had jokingly told his faithful friend Mike that if God really wanted him back in the Church, He would send his wife to Utah.

At the time, there were no available positions in Utah. But almost immediately, a Utah position opened, her paperwork was transferred, and she was hired without the normal waiting period.

Dusty realized that God had answered him directly. That was when he finally knelt in prayer and told God that if He wanted him back, Dusty needed answers to the questions that had troubled him for 26 years.

Receiving Personal Answers After 26 Years of Doubt

Over the next month, Dusty began waking up during the night with answers to his long-standing concerns. These answers were not arguments from apologists. They felt personal, direct, and spiritually meaningful.

One of his biggest concerns had been Book of Mormon archaeology. He had often argued that if people could walk the streets of Jerusalem, they should also be able to walk the streets of Zarahemla.

Then came an answer that changed his perspective. If archaeological proof made the Book of Mormon undeniable, where would faith fit in? Dusty realized that God does not remove the need for faith because faith is central to mortality.

That answer worked for him. After years of unresolved frustration, he finally felt the Lord speaking to him in a way he could understand.

The Friend Who Loved Dusty Back to Faith

Dusty’s friend Mike played a major role in his return. For 20 years, Mike placed Dusty’s name in the temple every week.

Mike did not argue Dusty back into the Church. In fact, Dusty says arguing never worked. What made the difference was love, patience, prayer, and friendship.

When Dusty called Mike to tell him his testimony had returned, Mike wept. His years of quiet faith had helped prepare the way for Dusty’s return.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and the Power of the Atonement

After returning to the Church, Dusty met with President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. During their conversation, President Uchtdorf asked Dusty if he had a testimony of the Atonement.

Dusty answered honestly. He believed the Atonement worked for others, but he struggled to believe it could work for him because he had spent 26 years trying to damage the Church.

President Uchtdorf looked at him and said:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

That moment helped Dusty understand that Jesus Christ’s redeeming power was not just for other people. It was also for him.

Dusty Smith’s Wife Joins the Church

Dusty’s wife had been Southern Baptist and had told him she would never be baptized. Dusty respected her agency and did not pressure her.

When she met President Uchtdorf, he lovingly invited her to bring what she already knew and allow the restored gospel to add to it. He also told her he would save a place for her in the temple.

The next day, she said she was ready to meet with missionaries. Dusty later had the sacred privilege of baptizing his own wife, and they were eventually sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.

How to Help Loved Ones Who Leave the Church

One of Dusty’s strongest messages is that you cannot argue someone back into faith. He explains that when a person wants to fight, contention drives away the Spirit.

His counsel is simple:

• Love them back.
• Do not argue with them.
• Pray for them.
• Put their names in the temple.
• Keep inviting them with love.
• Do not be offended when they say no.

Dusty teaches that love includes invitations, but it also includes patience. A single invitation may plant a seed that grows years later.

The Difference Between a Perfect Church and the True Church

Dusty also speaks directly to people struggling with Church history, prophets, and difficult questions. He says many people are looking for a perfect church, but perfection is not what we should expect in a fallen world.

Instead, the real question is whether the Church is true.

He explains that prophets can make mistakes. Abraham, Moses, and Peter were imperfect, yet God still used them. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were not perfect either, but imperfection does not mean the Restoration is false.

Dusty says the true Church is identified by the fullness of the gospel, priesthood keys, eternal marriage, and living prophets.

Faith, Hope, Eternal Families, and the Blessing of Returning

When asked about the greatest blessing of returning to the Church, Dusty points to hope and eternal marriage.

Because of the restored gospel, he knows he can be with his wife forever. That hope has helped him face cancer, the death of a grandson, and serious health challenges.

He explains that faith does not remove hardship. Instead, faith gives us someone to help us through hardship.

Why Dusty Smith Continues Sharing His Testimony

Dusty has shared his testimony in firesides, podcasts, and interviews because he wants others to know there is hope.

He knows many families have someone they love who has left the Church or is struggling with doubt. His story reminds them that no one is too far gone and no situation is beyond the reach of Jesus Christ.

After spending 26 years fighting against the Church, Dusty now wants to spend his remaining years strengthening faith and pointing people back to the Savior.

Final Takeaway: No One Is Too Far Gone for Jesus Christ

Dusty Smith’s story is a powerful witness that God does not give up on His children. Even when Dusty hated the Church, God still loved him. Even when he fought against the restored gospel, the Savior continued reaching for him.

His final message is filled with hope:

There is nothing you can do that places you beyond Heavenly Father’s reach. No matter what you have done, thought, or said, He still believes in you.

Dusty Smith’s conversion story reminds us that miracles still happen, prayers are heard, faith can return, and Jesus Christ can redeem anyone who turns back to Him.