Throughout the years, I have been blessed to meet some of the members of the world-renown Osmond family through telephone conversations, emails and letters, and personal face-to-face meetings. I have always been thoroughly impressed by their genuineness, kindness, and humility.
My First Introduction to the Osmond Family
I was first “introduced” to the Osmond family through The Donny and Marie Show. Each week as I watched the program, I became more and more amazed at how close-knit of a family they really are. The show was called The Donny and Marie Show, but it was apparent that it was not only about Donny and Marie, but rather it was a full-fledged family production. Each member of the family played an important part in the production of the show, both in front of and behind the cameras. Even the patriarch and matriarch of the family, Mr. and Mrs. Osmond were active in the shows either as extras in some of the skits, Mr. Osmond singing with the Osmond Brothers, Mrs. Osmond singing with the Osmond wives, or each displaying their own musical talents. Mrs. Osmond, for example, often favored audiences with her extraordinary saxophone playing.
As I continued watching the show, I became keenly interested in learning more about this wonderful family. I bought their records and even began reading teen magazines to find out as much as I could about them. I soon discovered that they are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That piqued my interest even more. I was born and raised Baptist, so I had no knowledge about Latter-day Saints or their beliefs.
By reading the magazines, I was able to find an address to subscribe to the Osmond’s Fan Club in both the United States and the United Kingdom. I soon began receiving materials, including magazines, CDs, newsletters, and a book by Paul H. Dunn, who was a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He used to invite the Osmonds to speak at Firesides (small meetings with a spiritual bent, usually without a fireplace).
The book, which is titled The Osmonds: The Official Story of the Osmond Family, gave me greater insight into how the family's faith has a major impact on their life. It soon became clear to me that this family had something that I needed in my own life.
Looking back, it makes perfect sense that commercials about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be shown during commercial breaks and at the end of the show each week. Those commercial spots always seemed to end with the same thought-provoking question, “Family, isn’t it about time?” followed by an offer to request a free copy of the Book of Mormon.
I now realize that by watching The Donny and Marie Show each week, a small seed was being planted that would eventually blossom into me becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
My First Copy of the Book of Mormon
I have always been a lover of good books and thought that the Book of Mormon would be a nice addition to my growing library. So, I wrote to the address that was given at the end of the commercials and requested a free copy. I have to admit that I was not prepared for the events that followed, as the commercials never mentioned the fact that two young men riding bicycles would deliver the copy of the Book of Mormon to me personally.
I would soon learn that these young men were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I did not even realize that there were Latter-day Saints living in my area, let alone that there was an LDS chapel literally 15 minutes from where I was living with my parents at the time.
The day that the young missionaries arrived with the copy of the Book of Mormon I invited them in and we had a brief discussion. I was intrigued by what they were saying and invited them to come back so that we could discuss the subject further.
As I recall, this was in the beginning of 1981. I met with the missionaries on several occasions and even began reading the Book of Mormon. However, in March 1981, I made the decision to enlist in the United States Navy. I thanked the missionaries for their time and for the things that they had shared with me and promised that I would meet with missionaries again at a later time to continue the discussions.
I then placed the Book of Mormon in my bookshelf and prepared to leave for Navy Bootcamp. The book would be left behind, but the things that I had been taught and had read up to that point, remained etched in my mind. The small seeds that had been planted from watching The Donny and Marie Show each week were being watered and nurtured. God definitely had a plan for my life, albeit I could not quite put all the pieces of the proverbial puzzle together. The only thing that I knew for certain is that being introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was neither per chance nor a coincidence.
Sailor Continues to Seek for Truth While Preparing for the Baptist Ministry
My early years in the Navy are a story within itself, but suffice it to say that although religion was not a priority in my life at that time, I could not dismiss the the things that I had been taught by the missionaries. There was something in what they had been able to teach me before I left home that I needed to investigate further, but alas, I decided that that would have to wait for a more convenient time.
As afore mentioned, I was born and raised Baptist, and it was my desire to one day become a Baptist minister. As the years went by, I eventually attended Instructor School and was assigned as an Instructor for Navy Electronics C School in Norfolk, Virginia. While stationed in Virginia, I began attending a local Baptist Church on Sundays, and I also attended the Bible College, which was associated with the church, during the week.
All of my life, I had been taught that the Bible is the Word of God and all of His precious truths could be found therein, but still my soul hungered and thirsted to know more than I felt that my Bible College professors were teaching me. I had even read the Bible in its entirety a few times, yet, deep down within my soul, I always sensed that there was so much more to learn and to know.
I was eventually assigned to a ship, the U.S.S. Lake Champlain, in San Diego, California. One day while I was out on liberty, I came across a bookstore that caught my attention. I went inside to look around, and it did not take long to figure out that it was an LDS bookstore. Still, being a lover of books, I stayed and browsed the books and other things for quite a while before deciding to purchase a copy of the Book of Mormon, some tapes that contained general conference messages, and a book by Joseph Freeman who was the first Black to receive the priesthood after the 1978 Priesthood Revelation which allowed all worthy males, regardless of race, to hold the Priesthood and to enjoy the full blessings and privileges thereof. The book is titled In the Lord’s Due Time. In my mind, I was not quite sure what general conference was about or what was meant by the priesthood, but somehow I knew that I needed to have these materials.
I would love to be able to say that I went back to the ship and began reading the Book of Mormon or the book by Joseph Freeman, or even listened to the cassette tapes, but I placed everything in my locker and vowed to get back to all of that at a later time.
The Church Has Missionaries in Iceland?
Years later, I attended NATO Satellite Ground School in Latina, Italy, followed by bring assigned duty at NATO Satellite Ground Control in Keflavik, Iceland. One day, in early 1997, while I was sitting in my barracks room, I decided that I wanted to find out more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I did an online search to find out how I could get an overseas subscription to the Church News. I found an email address and sent an email making the request. I received a response from one of the editors of the Newspaper, Mr. Doug Osborne, who inquired why I was in Iceland and what my interest was in the Church. I told him that I was on active duty in the Navy and that I was only interested in reading about the Church.
He sent a follow-on response stating that he had contacted the local missionaries and had asked them to pay me a visit. I reluctantly agreed to the visit, believing that because I was on a secure NATO base, the chances of missionaries being able to contact me was almost impossible. However, in a few short days after receiving the email, I received a telephone call from the missionaries. My first question was, “How did you get my telephone number?” They responded that they called the operator and she gave it to them. I thought to myself, “Well so much for security.” I invited them to come over.
All the while, I remained in contact with Mrs. Osmond via email. In January 1998, I wrote an article originally titled “How to Be a Success in Life” which she changed to “Encouragement” and published in her M.O.M. newsletter which she sent out worldwide. I still have a copy of that edition of her newsletter in my collection, along with her emails and personal notes that she sent me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her newsletters as each one contained some of her favorite inspirational quotes and inspirational articles that she had written, as well as news about the family that she dearly loved.
A Trip to Branson, Missouri, and One Step Closer to Baptism
In June 1997, my beloved mother, Frances Mae Harmon Brown, passed away at the young age of 59 after losing her battle with breast cancer. Shortly after her passing, I took a short vacation and went to Branson, Missouri. It was there that I met Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay Osmond for the first time. I also met Alan’s wife Suzanne, and 6 of their sons – Michael, David, Scott, Jon, Alex, and Tyler. I even had the opportunity to sing part of the song “Your Cheating Heart” with Jimmy Osmond in one of the Osmond Family Shows and had my picture taken for the local Branson newspaper.
The highlight of the trip was being a guest in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Osmond on several occasions. I could clearly understand why everyone called them “Father” and “Mother” Osmond. Mrs. Osmond and I had wonderful conversations, and Mr. Osmond even signed a copy of the Book of Mormon for me. I still have that copy of the Book of Mormon in my library. While in their home, I clearly remember Mrs. Osmond telling Jay and Merrill that one day that I was going to begin preparing to become a baptized member of the Church. I also had wonderful conversations with Jay and Merrill during my visit in Branson. Merrill even autographed a picture for me and included a personal inscription which reads, “Dear Keith, I know your heart. It is good. You have a great mission to complete. I am anxious to see where the Lord takes you.”
Back to Duty in Iceland and Baptism
When I returned to duty in Iceland, I continued to meet with the missionaries. I met with them for almost a year before I told them that I would not be baptized until I had read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price in their entirety. However, I did attend Church services at the LDS chapel in Reykjavik, Iceland, on a regular basis.
By this time, I had already read the Bible seven times in its entirety. Nevertheless, there still remained a hunger and thirst in my soul for more – much more. I was inspired to create a 40-day reading plan to complete all of the reading. At the end of the 40 days, I contacted the missionaries and told them that after much prayer, pondering, and study, I had made the decision to be baptized.
I was baptized on Tuesday evening, 10 March 1998. The rest, as they say, is history. I emailed Mrs. Osmond to let her know that I had been baptized and as a special gift, she sent me a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants Study Guide and a handwritten note. I still have both in my library.
During the past 24 years I have been blessed to hold several leadership positions in the Church. I have also been blessed to maintain contact with a few members of the Osmond family – Merrill, Alan, and two of Alan’s sons, Nathan and David. I have never met Nathan in person, but I have spoken with him several times by telephone and through personal messages on Facebook. In my music collection I have autographed CDs by both Nathan and David. I have also been blessed over the years to be able to speak to Merrill via telephone.
It all started with the early days of The Donny and Marie Show, which led to early discussions with missionaries, which led to a Naval career and eventually a trip to Branson, Missouri, to meet some of the Osmond family, which led to conversations and a signed copy of the Book of Mormon. All of that culminated in becoming a baptized member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Osmond family may never know the tremendous impact that they have had and continue to have on my life.
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