I was born two weeks early.  Back in the 1970s, before many of the modern technologies hospitals have now to help premies, that was a big deal.  My mother told me I came out so fast, the doctor barely had time to get his gloves on to catch me.  It was determined that something was wrong with me and so tests were performed and it came as no surprise that my parents, especially my mother, were worried.  My father immediately called my grandpa to come and help him give me a priesthood blessing.  When they arrived at the hospitals nursery where I was, the nurses wouldn’t allow my grandpa and father inside for safety reasons regarding the other babies there.  But they did permit them to take me out into the hall, just outside of the nursery.  My grandpa said I was so small, he could hold me in the palm of his hand.  So in that cold, empty hospital hallway, with the priesthood they held, my father and grandfather gave me a blessing of healing.

The next morning, when all the test results came back, everything was negative.  I was healthy and able to go home that day.  My mother firmly believes it was because of the blessing I was given that I was healed.

Years and years later, I delivered my second baby, our little Josie.  She was a month early and was immediately rushed to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) because she was not breathing correctly. It was like I was reliving my mother’s life, as the nurses told my husband and our family friend that they were not permitted into the nursery to administer to our baby girl.  But they were allowed to take her into the hall, right outside of the nursery.  And so, it was there, that my husband and our good friend Joel, by the power of the priesthood, were able to give her a blessing of healing.

And within a week, she was able to come home with us, healthy and strong.

I remember speaking with my Mom about what I had been feeling as I watched my lil’ baby struggle to breathe and felt so helpless, knowing I couldn’t do a thing to ease her pain. And then the feeling of relief after she was blessed with the power of the priesthood…I knew she would be okay. I knew the Savior was with her.  He understood my pain as well as hers.  And she was healed.  And I was so humbly grateful.

Oh how grateful I am for my father…for my children’s father…for my Father in Heaven…..these men in our lives, they should be honored and loved and respected.  My life would not be filled with the peace of mind and love of heart if not for these amazing, eternal men.

The post Fathers appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I love flowers, particularly roses.  I have planted roses before but until recently, I had never had the space to plant a large, climbing rose.  Finally, after decades of waiting, I finally had a home that had the perfect spot for a climbing rose!  With great anticipation, I chose a rose variety that would grow to cover an entire arch–up, across and down the other side–ordered it, assembled my trellis, painted it white and waited.

At last my rose arrived in bare root form and I planted it next to my newly painted arch.  The first year, my rose–the one that was supposed to span 18 feet–grew only a few feet.  In the photo above, it is easy to measure the level of my disappointment when you compare the size of the branch against the wall to the soaring heights of the arched trellis it was meant to cover.  By the end of summer that first year, I almost dug it up in disgust.  However, remembering that many roses need time to establish themselves, I decided to wait and see what happened the following year.

By the end of the second summer, one green branch had reached the top of the arch.  I was thrilled when a few sweet, pink roses bloomed in early spring, but again, I  felt cheated since this particular rose was meant to be a repeat bloomer.  Yet, the handful of roses it produced were so lovely, I decided to wait one more year.

The following spring, my rose bush went into overdrive.  Multiple canes of leafy green spanned the top of the arch and one even continued down the other side.  I can’t adequately express my sense of intense anticipation when I saw the hundreds upon hundreds of tightly bound buds that sprung into view.  There were so many branches, I set up a second trellis to take the overflow.  Every day I scrutinized the now towering bush for signs of immediate bloom.  I felt like a kid in a candy store and wanted to jump up and down with joy when all my waiting finally came to an end.

Now, as I revel in the beauty of my roses, I think back on the two years it took to produce the desired result.  Looking back, it seems such a short time to invest in something so glorious.  Yet, the waiting seemed so long.

Gardening is  much like raising children–we nurture, we feed, we teach and we love.  So often we must wait  to know that all of our efforts have been of great worth.  There are other things in life that is like this.  Whether rearing children or participating in other worthy efforts, it can be tempting to give up, to quit, to let it go, when so much of what we do seems to amount to nothing.  However, if we give up too soon, we will miss the abundance that awaits us.  Oftentimes, it is the things that we wait longest for that are the greatest treasures.

As I work at becoming a Christlike person–the most important project of all–I remind myself to be patient, that even though my efforts often don’t seem to bear sufficient fruit, the longer the road, the deeper the imprint to my soul.   I consider this as I enoy my roses and know that good things come to those who wait.

The post Good things Come to Those Who Wait appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

This video shares some recent words from Elder Robert D. Hales on the subject. Videos below are in English and in Spanish.

The post We Believe: Becoming Provident Providers (Seamos proveedores providentes) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

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Elder Ronald A. Rasband recently gave a CES Fireside talk entitled, “Thy Friends Do Stand By Thee,” to the single young adults of the Church (these are really great for people of all ages and stages of life). You can find audio and video archives here. (The archives currently include translations into Spanish, Portuguese, and French.) A transcript of Elder Rasband’s talk will be available soon at the CES firesides home page, where you can also find Elder Neil A. Anderson’s talk from January, entitled “Preparing for Your Spiritual Destiny” (and past years’ talks as well).

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The General Young Women Meeting is coming in a week.  The theme is “Be Strong and of a Good Courage.” This meeting is for young women ages 12-18, and their mothers as well. A live internet feed will be available at the link provided.

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The Church’s Semi-annual General Conference is also coming up. It will be held on April 3-4. Live streams will be available here.

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That weekend of General Conference, the Church History Department will hold an open house called “Treasures of the Collection” at the new Church History Library.  Hours will be on Friday, April 2, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 3, from noon-2:00 p.m. and 4:00-9:00 p.m. For more information, see here and here.

The post Recent and Upcoming Events appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~Answer by Michelle**

This is a great question. One of the things that I love about being Mormon is the focus on family. We receive guidance and counsel that I feel make a significant difference in our family life. I was thinking tonight about how grateful I am for what church teachings regarding family life have done for our family. It isn’t about a list of rules in my mind; it has become a way of life that enables us to feel God’s influence and power in our home and our lives, and helps keep us focused on keeping our family strong.

Following are some of the things Mormon families are encouraged to do regularly. At the end of the post, I include some links to content on our site where women talk about these different practices.

Usually on Monday nights, most Mormons have what we call Family Home Evening (or Family Night). We sing and pray and learn and play together, and usually eat treats, too! We try to be deliberate about not scheduling other things on Mondays whenever possible. We do a wide variety of things together. We enjoy discussing gospel principles and finding fun ways to teach them. This is a great opportunity to talk to our children about things that may be concerning them, or us. We’ll sometimes plan schedules, too. Our children love playing church music charades (a guessing game where you act out what the others try to guess — no talking allowed!). Another favorite activity is “doorbell ditching” — making a treat and then delivering to someone in our neighborhood by ringing the doorbell and running. (The goal, of course, is to not get caught!) We also have gone bowling, played basketball, played board games. Last week, we went to visit a widow from our former ward whom the children consider as another grandma. We love Family Night. Try it, you’ll like it — tailor it to whatever suits your family!

We are encouraged to have daily personal and family scripture study and prayer. Family Dinner is also encouraged (which usually includes a prayer as well). These rituals help us stay focused on bringing God into our daily lives and into our homes, and in learning more about the gospel of Jesus Christ together. I have felt a real impact in our home with the practices of reading the scriptures and praying together. I feel blessings of peace, love, understanding of truth, and eternal perspective as we do these things. I love hearing my children talk to Heavenly Father and discuss and ask questions about what we are learning as we read. In our home, we focus most of our reading on The Book of Mormon, although, of course, we like to learn and read from other books of scripture as well. We also try to read the most recent General Conference talks together to help keep the current counsel of living prophets and other Church leaders fresh in our minds. I shared some of the ways we try to make scripture reading memorable and enjoyable here.

I can’t say enough about family dinner, either. Again, if this isn’t something you do, I’d say give it a try. Research has shown its benefits (see links below, and see a video about this topic here).

Sunday is an important day for Mormons — a day focused on faith and family. The usual routine on Sundays includes our church meetings. How each family spends the rest of the day can vary somewhat. In our home, we love just being together, relaxing, playing games, watching inspirational videos made by the Church, talking, reading, writing in our journals, doing family history work. We also looooove going to Grandma and Grandpa’s! Our goal is to make Sundays different from the rest of the week. Except on rare occasions, Dad doesn’t do work. Mom isn’t running around doing errands or laundry. Sometimes Sundays will include additional church gatherings, meetings (if our callings require it) and service. We do our best to try to stop the usual routine and try to rejuvenate our spirits and our relationships so we can tackle another busy week. (We all tend to lament the end of Sunday. We love Sundays!)

We are also encouraged to have fun and to be creative in our families. In 1995, our leaders published what is called The Proclamation to the World on the Family. This document delineates many important teachings regarding family (a topic for another day). A simple phrase from that document reminds us that wholesome recreation is an important part of family life.  The Family Fridays posts we have are designed to explore the many facets of family life, including the things we do to laugh and play and enjoy life together, from birthday parties to family vacations, as well as the day-to-day moments. Family fun often involves extended family as well, such as with family parties, family reunions, and other activities. Every family also develops its own family traditions that can enrich family life.

Now, please don’t misunderstand — we Mormons have our family problems just like anyone else! But just like anyone else, we find that making time for fun family activities can be a really good thing…and also help give us opportunities to learn to work together and love each other.

A broader facet of LDS family life includes doing family history (genealogy). This not only helps us learn more about our ancestors, but is important to us because of our belief in eternal families — in family relationships being able to exist beyond “death do us part.” A central element of our faith includes doing vicarious ordinance work (like baptisms and eternal marriages) in our temples on behalf of our loved ones who have died. This work broadens our perspective on family, helps us face trials and the loss of loved ones, and brings a spiritual power into our lives.

I am so grateful for the family rituals we are counseled to have in our family life. I feel they have blessed my family in so many ways, some of them immeasurable but nevertheless tangible. Our family is far from perfect at doing these things, and we are far from perfect as people, but I feel that participating in these practices helps us be better and draw closer to God and to each other.

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To hear more from Mormon women about the above topics, see the links below:

Family Home Evening:

Family Home Evening
Family Friday: Notable Quotables
Family Fridays: Family Home Evening

There is more information and some resources here on the Church’s official website.

Family Scripture Study and Prayer

We Believe: Family Scripture Study
Portraits of Mormon Women: Rebecca
Family Fridays: Amen, Sister!

Family Dinner

Family Friday: Dinner Together

(As a sidenote, you might be interested in some research that has shown the tangible value of family dinner — for parents, for children, even for corporations! Read more here (article includes ideas for making family dinner happen in your home). This research, conducted by Brigham Young University professors in conjunction with IBM, has also been mentioned at The Wall Street Journal’s Front Lines, U.S. News and World Report, and Slate Magazine.)

Sunday Worship and Family Time

Ask a Mormon Woman: Why Do Mormons Go To Church For So Long?
Ask a Mormon Woman: What Do Mormons Do On Sundays?

Family Fun and Creativity

Family Fridays: Jane’s Family Fun
Family Fridays: Camping
First Person: How I Create as a Mom
Family Fridays: Hiking Together
More posts on family fun, traditions, etc. can be found here, here, and here.
(From a BYU Women’s Conference Sharing Station) Finding Fun in the Family Tree

Family History and Temple Work

Finding Family is Fun
First Person: Touching the Temple
We Believe: Perspective

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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” reflect the thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of individuals. Although here at Mormon Women: Who We Are, we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

Have a question you would like to ask? Send an email to us at gmail, with username ‘mormonwoman’

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: What are some of the family traditions and rules of the Mormon religion? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Lecia. I am 37 years old. I’ve been married for 17 years and I have four children, ranging in age from 15 to 4. I’ve long regretted the fact that I have no interesting hobbies to reveal, but I do love to read and write. I’m currently serving as first counselor in the Primary, where my little charges insist on telling me a lot more about their families than their parents ever wanted me to know!

I was born into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I believe I was converted around the age of 16. At the time, I was serving as a youth tour guide at the Arizona Temple Visitor’s Center. Because of this, I was spending a lot of extra time studying the gospel and trying to find answers to questions that people of other faiths often ask about the church. I spent quite a bit more time than usual on my knees during that period of my life, and I just remember one night when I felt a sweet, peaceful feeling that what I was learning and teaching others was true. I have often found that the experiences I’ve had with the Spirit came with the sacrifice of extra time and effort on my part.

Inside my own head, I often think of my life as a quiet crucible. I haven’t experienced any of the truly heart-rending sorrows this world seems to hand out so readily – my children are healthy and sound, I have a loving and supportive family, and have never suffered abuse or handicap. What I do have is a sweet spouse who has been dealing with chronic pain for the last fifteen years. This long and tedious trial has certainly been worse for him than for me, but letting go of my ideas about being a full-time mom, and learning to carry all of the responsibilities that two parents would generally share has had its difficult moments, to be sure. But I have seen in my own life the Lord blessing me with compensating blessings, and that is what helps me when I feel down. I know Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of my struggles because of the many little hand-holds he leaves for me as I climb this mountain. For every hardship, a compensating blessing is given. For me, these blessings are simple, but many – I almost never get sick, so I have been able to run our household and take care of my family every day, with very few exceptions. My children were blessed with sharp minds, so the time that I don’t have to struggle through their homework with them isn’t missed, because they don’t need it.

This past year has added yet another blessing. Like so many others, my hours of employment shrank, along with my salary, and even my strictest budget tells me that I have a $300 shortfall every month. But somehow, after a whole year of this, I have yet to dip into my savings. I simply can’t explain it, but I know that I am living out my own story of the woman with a little bit of oil in her cruse that lasted until the famine was over. I’m afraid to even discuss it too much, it’s such a wonder.

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For more portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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This poem was written for a sister who relived my pain and guilt when she forgave me of something that happened so long ago, she’d actually forgotten the incident. I on the other hand, clung to the guilt until I confessed to her and was absolved.

I wallowed, all too long,
In depths of sorrow,
For deeds of the past
Unforgotten.

A seed of grief,
Buried in a pit of guilt,
Sprouting anguish,
Nourishing itself.

Reaching up from
My grave of fear,
Heaven touched me,
You said, “I forgive.”

Like a forest bathed in new snow,
Washed in pristine white,
Baptized in the light of love,
I am forgiven.

The post Poetry: Forgiven appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Sylvia. I joined the Church when I was 27 years old, between my return from serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa and graduate studies in Washington, D.C. I feel privileged to work in international development, as I have an opportunity to serve every single day. I also feel lucky to have had the chance to visit wards and branches in different countries, particularly in West Africa.

I’ve had sacrament meeting in classrooms and hotel rooms. I’ve lived where there was no organized church meetings at all, satisfying my desire for worshiping with other Church members by doing Sunday School study via email with a friend. I have hosted meetings in my home for Peace Corps volunteers and BYU students. I’ve been mistaken for a missionary in Albania, gone out on “splits” [serving with the missionaries for an evening] in Montreal and Lyon, and met with the eight LDS Church members in Istanbul. I feel exceptionally lucky as well that I’ve been a member of more typical LDS wards in California and Arkansas.

One place where I haven’t been to church, and where I’d really like to, is my home country of the Philippines. I hope one day to have the chance to visit the mini-temple in Cebu City, where I was born.

Regardless of the physical location, though, I’ve felt at home wherever I’ve been at church.

I’m married to a Muslim. I can’t ask for a more supportive partner – from cutting out spirit children from plastic sheet protectors for my Sunbeam [3-year-old Primary class] lessons to prodding me every Sunday morning to go to my meetings, because, as he says, “you’ll feel better.” My husband is the one who inspires me to be the best example I can be, every day. One Mohamed story: when I told him I was tired and felt like flaking on attending ward temple night, he told me that Satan was working on me. I have NO idea where he got that from.

I don’t know if my husband and I will ever resolve the “who’s more righteous” debate – fasting for a month straight or fasting once a month the whole year – but I’m happy to be able to articulate my side of the argument.

I have been thinking recently about what it means to draw close to the Savior. This topic really resonates with me because of a recent personal challenge. I’ve always had a hard time asking for help. I want to be a strong and independent person. I want to be the reliable one. But sometimes that’s not enough. I’ve had to learn to share my burdens, to allow others to render service unto me, and, most importantly, to understand – or, at least, begin to understand – how to draw closer to the Savior.

In Doctrine and Covenants 88: 63, we read: “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

We as Mormons talk often about how to figuratively “knock.” We are taught several basic principles:
* Pray
* Study the scriptures
* Keep the commandments
* Endure cheerfully

I will be the first to admit that doing any, if not all, of these things on any given day can be really hard. And we don’t have kids or pets, so I don’t know how parents manage. But the point is to try. And in trying there is grace and there is possibility. In doing so, I can draw closer to Christ.

I also remember that we are taught consistently to focus on progress, not perfection, although perfection remains the ultimate goal. It’s with drawing closer to the Savior that we can inch, imperfectly, toward perfection. The Encyclopedia or Mormonism says,

Although to many the goal of perfection seems overwhelming, Christ promised, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). While obedience to the commandments is essential, the spirit of perfection is contrary to ever-lengthening checklists of outward acts visible to others. Rather, prophets invite all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; …and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you” (Moro. 10:32). Therein lies the power to overcome sin and discouragement.

So this most recent trial of mine reminds me that I still have lessons to learn on the road to perfection. I still need to understand that I can’t do it all by myself. I still need to learn how to graciously ask for, and accept, help. Most of all, I still need to know that ultimately, what is most important, is developing and strengthening my relationship with the Savior. It’s easy to dismiss “prayer/study/keep/endure” as a formula, but it’s a formula that works. It’s the Lord’s way; it’s up to me to follow it or not. We all have challenges, whether or not they are visible. Those challenges should not be seen merely as difficulties to overcome, but also opportunities for us to draw upon the Lord.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No.” Romans 8:35,37

I’m inspired by a quote from an essay entitled “The Uses of Adversity,” by Carlfred Broderick, which was a talk originally given at a BYU women’s conference:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is resource in event of pain, and when that pain comes (and it will come because we came here on earth to have pain among other things), when it comes, rejoice that you have resource to deal with your pain.

The post Portraits of Mormon Women: Sylvia appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Usually we have a weekly feature on Mormon Women called ‘Ask A Mormon Woman.’ Today we’ve turned the tables, and we’re asking you a question!

If you are here, on the Mormon Women website, chances are that you’re at least a little curious about the Mormon religion. Maybe the missionaries knocked on your door and you said, “No, thank you.” But now you’re wondering about something they said, or about the pamphlet they left, but aren’t sure you want to call them back. Perhaps you have a friend from high school that was Mormon and you look back and wish you had asked her some questions. It could be that someone you work with turned down an invitation to drinks after work, mentioning that they are Mormon and don’t drink alcohol. Now you wonder what else your co-worker believes. These, and many others, are reasons that this website exists.

There is another way for you to get personal answers to your questions in a friendly, non-confrontational way. Chances are that there is a Mormon woman in your community, maybe even someone you already know, who would like to share her faith with you. I’m a Mormon woman and I’d also like to share my faith with those that I know in real life in a friendly and non-confrontational way. Could you give me your opinion about how I should actually go about doing it?

A few people have accused Mormons of being preachy or overbearing. Mormons hear about this and become timid about sharing their faith. You could have a Mormon neighbor and not even know it. We’re not being secretive about our religion, we’re only trying to be respectful of your religious choices and our own. And I must admit we are afraid of possible negative reactions.

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently told the LDS people, “..over one-half of the people in the United States and Canada have little or no awareness of our practices and beliefs. I am certain the percentage would be much larger in other parts of the world. This same survey also showed that when non-members interact with faithful members of the Church over an extended period of time or are exposed to clear and accurate information regarding Church beliefs and doctrines, their attitudes become positive and open.”

The LDS church membership is encouraged to share what they believe with their neighbors and friends. Some would say we do this only to increase our numbers. We do want all to feel welcome in our church, the Savior directs us to share his gospel with others. And we want to share because of what it all means to us. The gospel brings us so much peace and perspective.

But there is another reason, a reason Elder Perry mentions. We want to communicate clearly with the world who we are. We firmly believe in freedom of religion and that includes your choice not to belong to ours. But we also want you to understand what we believe, or don’t believe.

Thank you for seeking out active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who are trying to be faithful to their religion to learn about what our lives and beliefs are like. And please, don’t forget to leave a comment to give us a little advice on how to let you know who we are, without making you feel uncomfortable.

The post A Mormon Woman Asks You appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I have had many times in my life when I have been made aware that God knows me and what I need and want in life. My husband and I had been married for almost two years when we realized that we were ready to open our hearts and give love to a child. The next month we found out that I was expecting. We were thrilled. Our baby boy was born the following March.

We were sure that we wanted two kids, and we wanted them close in age. So when our baby was a mere three months old, we started trying for another baby. Before long, we realized that something wasn’t right. My body wasn’t back to normal. After rounds of tests, and infertility treatments we decided to look into adoption. We didn’t jump in blindly…we fasted, and prayed, and thought, and pondered, and realized that this was the way that God wanted us to build our family. We knew that He knew that we wanted another child, and we felt a confirmation from the Holy Ghost that this was the way to add to our family.

We researched agencies. We looked into private adoptions. We were drawn to the private agency that a neighbor of ours worked with. We attended the agency’s classes and started the long process of adoption which included writing a birth-parent letter, putting together a family profile, getting background checks and having home studies done. We finally had all of our paperwork submitted on Feb. 27, 2003.

Six weeks later we got the phone call that changed our lives – a baby girl was in Tennessee awaiting an adoptive family. A few days later we were in Memphis meeting her — our new daughter. We knew that this was what God wanted, and that she had been guided into our lives. Six months later, the adoption was finalized and we were able to have her sealed to us in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, Utah. When she was sealed to us, it was as if she knew what was happening. She looked at the worker in the temple that was performing the sealing with an expression of impatience. She smiled at my husband as if she knew that this is what would bind us together for eternity.

We were happy with two kids. We were sure that we wouldn’t have any more babies. Not quite two years later though, we discovered that I was once again expecting. Another little boy would join our family.

People often ask us why we adopted our middle child. My answer is always that she was meant to be with us. She was meant to be our daughter and Heavenly Father made this possible for us and for her. He was aware of what we needed. Of this I am sure.

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For more Sharing Our Voices content, including First Person essays, see here.

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