It's an unlikely conversion story. Calyann Barnett initially wanted a Book of Mormon so she "could argue with me and prove me wrong about religion," Latter-day Saint Clarke Miyasaki posted on Instagram. Barnett added, "When I made my list of things I would NEVER do last year—believe in Jesus, join a religion, and get baptized as a Mormon—were at the top spots on that list."
Yet, on June 1, 2019, Barnett was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an "unbelievable story" and transformation that could make a fascinating movie, according to Miyasaki.
View this post on Instagram This morning I woke up feeling so blessed and ready to share. This is how I imagine heaven looks... All your loved ones, dressed in white, waiting to welcome you into eternal paradise with a smile. Radiating love and light, beaconing all home. On June 1st, 2019 I was joined by friends, family, and saints from near and far as I was Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yep I know crazy... And coincidentally when I made my list of things I would NEVER do last year- believe in Jesus, join a religion, and get baptized as a Mormon- were at the top spots on that list. So how did I get here????? Short answer... Faith, The Spirit and @clarkemiyasaki ... The long story stay tuned!!! P.S. Thank you to all the Saints from around the world that have sent love and shared their stories. I feel like my family grew immensely. Please keep sharing your stories as it strengths my faith and inspire me to endure to the end. 📸: @ericamelissa_ A post shared by Calyann Barnett (@calyannbarnett) on Jun 12, 2019 at 6:13am PDT
About her baptism, Barnett posted on Instagram:
"This morning I woke up feeling so blessed and ready to share. This is how I imagine heaven looks. All your loved ones, dressed in white, waiting to welcome you into eternal paradise with a smile. Radiating love and light, beaconing all home. On June 1st, 2019 I was joined by friends, family, and saints from near and far as I was Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yep I know crazy... And coincidentally when I made my list of things I would NEVER do last year—believe in Jesus, join a religion, and get baptized as a Mormon—were at the top spots on that list. So how did I get here????? Short answer... Faith, The Spirit and @clarkemiyasaki ... The long story stay tuned!!! P.S. Thank you to all the Saints from around the world that have sent love and shared their stories. I feel like my family grew immensely. Please keep sharing your stories as it strengths my faith and inspire me to endure to the end."
View this post on Instagram Not sure when I’ll stop smiling after having the privilege of baptizing @calyannbarnett over the weekend in Miami. The unbelievable story (but seriously, I still can’t believe it) of Calyann going from wanting a Book of Mormon so she could argue with me and prove me wrong about religion to being baptized on Saturday will be a church movie someday. I’m so proud of you Caly! Thank you for your incredible example of faith...you’re a real life Moana A post shared by Clarke Miyasaki (@clarkemiyasaki) on Jun 3, 2019 at 6:00pm PDT
About Barnett's baptism, Miyasaki says, "Not sure when I'll stop smiling." While Miyasaki performed the baptism, some of his family members offered a talk and sang a special musical number, "How Far I'll Go" from Disney's Moana. Barnett bore her testimony, and Dwyane Wade, whose NBA career spanned 16 years, offered the closing prayer of the baptismal services.
Mission President and former MLB player Jeremy Guthrie commented on the post, "INCREDIBLE ELDER MIYASAKI!!! God bless Calyann. Great example of faith."
