My daughter is seven years old and is learning to write paragraphs at school. Lately, I have found her practicing writing paragraphs at home and she presented two to my husband  that I thought were really sweet. I scanned in the originals, but will provide a translation for you below.

My DAD

I like my dad. I like my dad because he is very sweet. I like my dad because he will take me to work. I think that is nice. Wouldn’t you? You answer. When I was sad, he would always make me laugh. He would always tell me things that were so funny I would almost wet my pants. He will always make me as happy as can be. He may even do this for you. I’m sure he will. I like my dad!

My MOM

I like my mom. I like (my mom) because she wanted to bring me into this world. She was 25 when she had me. She thought I was beautiful even though I was small. I thought that was very nice to say. My mom was 23 when she was married. So two years later I was born. She has two brothers and one sister. I have two sisters. I was born in 2002. So here I am. I like my mom!

These notes made me very happy. Watching my children grow and learn is one of the greatest joys of my life.

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Do you have special notes or drawings you’d like to share that were made by your children? Please scan them in with a description to mormonwoman(at)gmail(dot)com. We’d really appreciate pictures similar to those found in The Friend magazine that depict Temples or Scriptural scenes that your children drew. Thanks!

The post Family Fridays: Notes From A Seven Year Old appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My name is Anna and I am a mother, wife, sister, aunt, and friend. I’ve been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life, yet I’ve had to discover and develop a faith of my own to make it through the challenging times in life and know that God is really there hearing my prayers.

My family has experienced a lot of heart-ache, growth and change that has made me search myself to know who I really am and what is most important to me. I grew up really focused on academics and thought I wanted to be a traveling career woman. I am a task-oriented person who is recovering from being a compulsive type-A personality. I met my wonderful husband in college, and three years after our marriage we had a beautiful little boy and two years later a little girl, changing my view of what is really important in life for the better.

When our son Spencer was 3 years old, he became inexplicably very ill and went through three days of hospitalization trying to figure out what was wrong. It was terrifying as we went through various tests and doctors told us about extremely high white blood cell counts and potential causes like Leukemia. We finally discovered that my son had had the worst level of vesicoureteral reflux—a widening of the ureters causing a “backwash” of urine and bacteria causing serious kidney infections and other bladder problems.

In Spencer’s urinary reflux health issues, there has not been a clear breakthrough for a cure but I’ve seen steady progress, and I see how he has received comfort and strength in small ways. His bladder is improving in that he feels like he needs to use the bathroom, which he did not sense before and he adheres to his potty break schedule every three hours with very few complaints even when it interrupts his own agenda. A few adults have told me that Spencer has told them about his surgery on his own in a way that expresses his strong faith that he will get better. He hears us pray for him as a family and afterward gives us big hugs, saying in a sincere way that melts my heart, “Thank you, I love you.” Prayer provides that comforting assurance that someone is listening and truly does care for us.

All this happened when we lived far away from family while my husband was in graduate school in New York. It was so reassuring to have a network of support through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as others helped us through the difficult times.

When Spencer’s health became stable I enjoyed taking my kids to the park and enjoyed the wide spectrum of people of all race, religion, political, and cultural backgrounds. Somehow being at the park and having children is the great uniting force for strangers. Children’s play areas have been the best place to meet new people and have interesting discussions. For example, when discussing Spencer’s recent surgery, I often found myself explaining how we pray for a good outcome and how those prayers help Spencer be at peace. One woman sincerely asked me, “Do you really think someone is listening and your prayers are heard?” And I was able to answer with a resounding, “Yes.”

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By: Heather

I am 38 yrs old, married to my college sweetheart now for 15 yrs and have been blessed with three children.  My main job is being a mother and wife, something I didn’t predict for my future had you asked me in college as I was focused on my career path, physical therapy.  Todd and I were married just before we both began our graduate degrees and had a great time living in San Francisco while we attended school.  I worked until I had my second child and though I miss the hospital setting and helping people heal and move again, I know that the work I am doing within my family is where I am meant to be at this time in my life.

Being married to Todd is full of surprises…one of the things I fell in love with was his spontaneity and adventurous streak.  But I couldn’t have predicted that one of the blessings that would come from the union would involve my love of dance.  His sister, Mindi, a dance major at BYU formed a dance company and created, with a few others, a Christmas dance production for the Oakland Temple Hill’s Days of Christmas.  The show, Behold the Gift, has been a testimony builder, a faith-sharing tool and an opportunity for personal fulfillment and meaning in my life.  I have been so deeply affected by it that I count this as one of my greatest blessings.

I discovered my love and talent for dance in high school and continued to take classes in college until the dance dept. was closed at our university.  After returning to the Bay Area with Todd, his sister invited me to audition and since that time, I have had the privilege of dancing in many productions and have had many spiritual experiences.

My first year in the show I had many insecurities about my talent or lack thereof.  Mindi and others involved in producing assured me that our desire to share our testimonies through movement was the most important factor in what would come across to the audience.  I have a strong testimony of this now.  A dear friend dancing that year was injured and just hours before that evening’s performance, I learned her part and went onstage in her place.  It was humbling to feel the power of the Holy Spirit guide me to fill this role.  I know that Heavenly Father’s plan was moving forward and that I was able to do this because of it.

We typically perform three evenings and have a cast testimony meeting just prior to the last performance.  I always look forward to this because everyone is on a spiritual high and is ready to share and build one another through testimony.  Our relationships that have grown through 4 months of rehearsals are the foundation for being open with one another and sharing how the show has affected our lives.  I will never forget one year in particular, a teenage girl in the cast shared her testimony and had me in tears.  She had been withdrawn and often didn’t even seem to want to be at our rehearsals although I could see her dance talent when she was moving.  She shared her testimony that final night, holding back tears and told us of her parent’s divorce and her struggle with her testimony.  How coming to rehearsal each week would give her the strength she needed to get through another week.  I had been so focused on the choreography and physical preparation for the show that I had failed to consider that for some dancers, the more important thing happening was with their spirit, their testimony.  I have witnessed this over and over through the years.

Every year when auditions come around, I think of the sacrifice that my family has to make in order for me to be involved in this production.   Weekly four hour rehearsals, commutes into Oakland and an absent mom and wife during performance week.  It is never an easy decision as priority is family.  Last year I did dance but could feel my body’s age affecting my recovery time post rehearsal.  I felt slower and my body didn’t seem to move as quickly as the younger dancers.  I was 20 years older than the average dancer so what did I expect, right?  I was really struggling with whether or not to even quit.  And then I had a rehearsal where I learned a piece set to “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”.  I have loved this hymn for many years and when I was dancing to it, I could feel the spirit so strongly, I knew that I was meant to be a part of the show.  The movement felt effortless, it was like I had a power inside me that filled my extremities and gave extra grace to what I was doing. The words to the hymn were a part of my body and I felt like I was dancing my prayer.  And then onstage during this particular piece, I would feel my eyes fill with tears and my body fill with light.

I love to dance and knowing that I can dance my testimony and share it with others has been an amazing experience for me.  I have a greater appreciation and reverence for our physical bodies because of it.  Heavenly Father has given us talents, dance being one of them,  to be developed and used to strengthen each other.  We are here with purpose and I am so lucky to know that one of my favorite things to do is also a way to testify of Christ.  I know He lives.

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For more First Person posts, please click here.

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This past Mother’s Day, one of the speakers spoke about how her children all had another mother. For example, with her first daughter, a hospital intensive care (ICU) nurse held her baby and knitted her booties to wear when the only other thing she could wear was a diaper while in the isolette.

The speaker went on to tell about her children’s other mothers. Two of her children are adopted. As such, they both have natural mothers who gave them life. One also spent time in foster care. The speaker was able to give birth after adopting, but again, her baby spent over a month in ICU with many other women who took care of her child. She spoke of all the other mothers her children have had in Primary (children’s church class), Young Women’s (teenage girl church class) and all the different influences children have in different stages of their lives. Women around us contribute to our lives, they are other mothers to us.

It was a wonderful talk for a Mother’s Day — speaking to all women. We are all mothers as we contribute to the well being of children growing up around us.

Thank you to all the women in my life. I need your love and support to be who I am, and to help my children be who they need to be. It is especially applicable this time of year as so many children, young and old, go to school and are nutured by ‘other mothers’.

Few of us will reach our potential without the nurturing of both the mother who bore us and the mothers who bear with us. -Sister Sheri Dew

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For more We Believe posts, please click here.

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My name is Marivic and I am a Mormon woman in progress. I say that not so much because I worry about not being the kind of Mormon woman people expect me to be, but because I believe I still need to cover a lot of ground before I become the Mormon woman Heavenly Father wants me to be.

I have been married 24 years to my husband and best friend, Alan, and we have three children, 2 boys and a girl. Our oldest son, Christopher, completed earth life before he turned three years old which is the biggest sadness of our life, but we have faith that someday we will have a full understanding of the plan and have the answers to our questions. I look forward to the day when we are reunited with him, and faith becomes true knowledge, and I can finally comprehend why he left so soon and broke our hearts.

Meanwhile, we have been blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy our daughter and youngest son, both currently wonderful teen-agers. Ah, I know— “enjoy,” “wonderful,” and “teenagers” should be antonymous! Believe me, I often agree, but I can honestly say that Heavenly Father blessed me with good children who fill me with joy and make me grateful for motherhood. It is the hardest but most fulfilling role that I have been entrusted in my life. I am grateful that the gospel of Jesus Christ enabled me to recognize this.

The first time I heard about the Mormon Church was as a young girl in the Philippines. I was about eight years old when Mormon missionaries were first invited in to our home. Unfortunately, my parents were in a sort of “all is well” state common to the prosperous, and my dad told the missionaries not to come back. But times changed. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, and the people of the Philippines suffered. The years of economic hardship my family endured under the Marcos regime humbled my parents and the next time the missionaries knocked on our door my parents’ minds were open and their hearts were ready. Our family was baptized into the church in 1977.

Being a young Mormon in a predominantly Catholic country was quite interesting. The best education was at private schools run by the Catholic Church, so I attended private Catholic institutions both in high school and college. The nuns and the priests were aware of my religion and were tolerant and kind. They did not bother me about my beliefs but neither did they exempt me from the required Theology classes. So for at least a couple of years I managed to balance being president of my seminary class in the LDS Church and an A-student in theology at my Catholic school. You would think I would have been one confused young woman! But I believe that this experience made me feel secure in my faith and my Mormon identity no matter where I am and what the circumstances are. It taught me not only to be tolerant of people with different values, but to also be comfortable in my friendships with people who do not believe as I do.

My friends in the church and out of the church like to say that I am not a stereotypical Mormon. Maybe it’s because, as some say, I have a lot of spunk. Maybe it’s because, in some ways, I tend to do things atypical of how some may have stereotyped a Mormon wife and mom. For example, except for a brief five-year stint as a stay-at-home mom before my kids went to school (which was an awesome and treasured experience), I actually choose to work outside the home; I am a revenue manager for a large hotel chain in the United States. Also, I do not find joy in baking, cooking, sewing, scrapbooking, gardening, canning, etc. I do enjoy reading, amateur photojournalism, and occasional blogging. I currently serve on the Activities Committee in my ward and as a visiting teacher.

I may not fit some stereotypes, but I am a Mormon woman who is deeply although quietly grateful for the gospel and for the Savior. I pray and I study the scriptures. I also strive to have a clean mind, clean hands, a clean mouth, a clean heart and a clean life. I teach my kids to love, to be kind and courteous, to be happy, to seek intelligence and knowledge, and to have faith. I can only hope these things count in my identity as a follower of Christ.

There are many spiritual experiences that have shaped who I am. These experiences came when serving as a full-time missionary in The Philippines Baguio Mission, and when serving in different church callings throughout the years, whether it be as a nursery teacher or as a Stake Young Women President when I was just in my twenties.

However, the experience which defines me the most, which indelibly shaped me and convinced me that Heavenly Father lives, is the experience of losing my first born child. I was crushed under the weight of overwhelming sorrow, but I was lifted up so I could rise from its depths and allow faith to set me on the path to healing. This experience is so sacred to me I have rarely if ever shared it. But I felt it would be worthwhile to share here.

Twenty years ago this year, my son who was not yet three passed away during his nap. There was no medical explanation for the devastation I was asked to bear. “Undetermined natural causes” was all the medical examiners could give us as the reason for why my world was turned upside down. Suddenly, what I thought was my strong testimony that helped me as a young woman, a missionary, a young bride, a new mother, could not hold me up against overwhelming grief and pain. I found myself desperately needing to know that the plan of salvation was true, not just because I felt it or that it made sense in my mind, but because I know. I needed to know it just like I know with perfect knowledge that the sky is blue, and that I have five fingers in each hand, and that a flame hurts when it burns my skin. I had to know not in the abstract but with absolute knowledge that there is indeed a resurrection and that I will see my son again. If I could not know that, then I decided I would rather die.

I am not sure how much my mother-in-law knew of my struggle, but she arranged for me and my husband to meet with Elder Richard G. Scott (an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; the  Mormons) shortly after our son’s funeral. (She was a church office employee back then and was able to do this.) My husband and I went to see Elder Scott and I was determined to get an answer. I did not want an apostle to just bear his testimony to me. I wanted an apostle of Christ to give me a testimony, to tell me how he knew the plan of salvation is true, so I could know it myself. I told Elder Scott exactly how I felt. But of course, and as you already suspected, Elder Scott could not give me a testimony. He shared his testimony, but he could not give me the knowledge and testimony I sought. However, I will always remember what I walked away with on that day. Elder Scott, whether he knew it or not, gave my spirit peace and solace when he told me that it was okay if all I had was faith and not knowledge. He did not judge me or chastise me. He simply told me to keep believing even when I don’t know. Because believing based on faith will carry me to the end, and in the end I will know.

Twenty years later my heart and my spirit are still broken in many ways, and I am still without perfect knowledge. For this I sometimes believe I am farther behind than most Mormon women in their journey back to Heavenly Father. Nevertheless, I am farther along in that path than I was twenty years ago. I can only measure myself against my own progress and not against others’. Along the way I learned to separate the gospel from the cultural expectations of my religion. More importantly, I know now more than I knew back then that I have a Heavenly Father, and to Him I pray. I believe with a deep abiding faith that someday I will see Christopher again. And so I continue in faith to seek understanding, and knowledge— a Mormon woman in progress.

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For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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The Missionary Spirit was written for my daughter Joann’s birthday when she was on her mission in Argentina…. She had one birthday while serving in Argentina, and I wanted to send her something special that didn’t cost a small fortune. I thought of her and how badly she wanted to serve, the sacrifice on the part of the whole family, and the blessings we all received for her service.

The Missionary Spirit

The glow of missionary spirit
Is welling in your eyes.
Love for the children of the Lord,
Yet, unknown, waiting for His message.

A droplet slips across a cheek
Blushed with joy.
The message is delivered,
Reaping gratitude in return for salvation.

Cherish the moment,
Don’t dab it away,
Relish the days,
Hold fast to the spirit.

Return in triumph, knowing
Christ is love, love is charity,
Charity is service,
Service is you.

– by Dianne Billstrom

*This is Dianne Billstrom’s third poem she has shared with us. We are thankful to her for her willingness to share! If you would like to submit your own poetry, please send it to us via email: ‘mormonwomen’ (or ‘mormonwoman’) at ‘gmail’ dot ‘com’.
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For more Poetry, please click here.

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~by Jenny

At first Melissa may seem like a typical Mormon, raised in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While she has been a member of the Church her whole life, her parents haven’t actively participated in church services. During her teenage years she remembers going to all of the activities and Sunday services, with her parents blessing, but they never attended with her. Melissa’s parents and siblings still choose not to participate in activities with the Church, but support her in her desires to serve and take part in the Church.

Another aspect of Melissa’s life that is not typical is her role as a rancher’s wife. She lives with her husband and two children on a large ranch in Northern Utah where she supports her husband’s extended family through great service. Her husband’s elderly grandparents live just steps away and Melissa often provides meals and help to them. They say that they could not make it without the help they receive from Melissa. It is no surprise that her favorite assignment in the church was as compassionate service leader (a special assignment in the women’s organization (Relief Society) that involves caring for those with urgent or intense needs). Her charity is plentiful.

Melissa is also a schoolteacher. You may think that being a teacher isn’t unique, but the type of school she teaches in is unique. It is a school that teaches Kindergarten through 10th grade in just four classrooms. Melissa teaches the 4th through 6th grades in a room next to her mother-in-law, who teaches Kindergarten. While she enjoys tackling a challenge, life on the ranch can be isolating. Melissa is grateful to share her talents through teaching. Many Mormon women worry about working outside of the home when they have children, and Melissa is no different. She is grateful to have found a wonderful family who shares their lives with her children. She feels like they have an even bigger loving family with the childcare help she receives from them.

Melissa’s faith is interwoven through her days. With her husband out on the ranch (often with no cell phone service) and working with the volunteer fire department, her heart is continually asking Heavenly Father for his protection and safe return. Prayers are frequent during the winter, as they go about their duties in blowing and drifting snow.

As you can imagine, being pregnant is an especially trying time to be so far from the city. When expecting her second child Melissa went into labor with the hospital an hour and a half away. She prayed continually while her husband drove (at breakneck speed) to the hospital. Their son was delivered safely and Melissa’s reassurance of the Lord’s love for her and her family grew. She is grateful to Father in Heaven for the many prayers He has answered. Because of Melissa’s unique life she has a wonderful opportunity to trust in God and to feel his love and guiding hand in her life.

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For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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Annette has many roles in her life. First and foremost, she says she is a stay-at-home-mom: “That’s my most important role. But I’m also a novelist, freelance writer, and editor –something a bit easier to do now that the kiddies are in school.”  For the last three years, she has been serving in the church as a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency in her ward (congregation). Now she teaches the 17-year-old Sunday School class with her husband, which she finds very enjoyable.

Annette does not have much free time, since writing takes up most of it, but she loves to read and knit (as well as write!). Family is very important to her. She loves to go out with each of her children, one at a time, even if it’s just for errands or a special treat. On weekends they play a lot of board games, and lately she has been showing them a lot of classic movies (such as: Some Like It Hot and Singing in the Rain) and getting the kids hooked on them.

The following is Annette’s description of a spiritual experience she had:

“One of the earliest moments of what I feel was a real connection and communication with God was when I was sixteen and approaching jaw surgery. I was completely terrified, and the very mention of words like ‘doctor,’ ‘hospital,’ and ‘surgery’ made me instantly burst into tears. The day before the surgery was a Sunday, and my father gave me a Priesthood blessing. It promised that angels would be in the operating room guiding the surgeon’s hands and that through the experience I would learn wisdom, compassion, and understanding.

“From that point on, I didn’t cry again. I had a simple knowledge in my heart that everything would be okay. I was still nervous about the unknown, sure, but if I got emotional, I’d remember the peaceful feeling from the blessing, and the tears dried right up–even at the most intense moment when they wheeled me away from my parents. I won’t say that the next few months (horrid nausea, ICU, liquid diet, mouth wired shut, etc.) were easy by any means, but every time I was on the verge of complaining or whining, I’d be reminded of what I was to learn from the experience–wisdom, compassion, and understanding. And I believe I did.”

To Annette, being a Mormon Woman means having the vision of what a valuable being a woman is, what her place is in the Plan of Salvation, and why she is here. Motherhood, to her, would not be as significant, nor would it be as enjoyable. She says, “I wonder if my marriage would survive the ups and downs without an eternal perspective, knowing why marriage is so important, and the covenants I’ve made with the Lord about it.” She says she loves knowing that she is a beloved daughter of God and has “infinite worth,” as the Young Women value states [go here to read the Young Women’s Theme and to learn more about the values stated in the theme (please note that the value “virtue” was recently added to this theme)].

Such knowledge brings her life purpose and peace. She says she doubts there is any other organization in the world that honors women simply as women more than the Mormon Church does, and she is grateful to be a part of it.

For more Portraits on Mormon Women, please click here.

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Pieces

Pieces of a pen, including the spring

Parts of a flashlight, a phone that won’t ring

Bits of a bagel you ate yesterday,

A toy’s in the cd drive and now it won’t play.

All around me are pieces of things I once knew

Including my sanity; I’m missing that too.

I guess that’s just life when you have a two-year-old

It never is boring– these times are like gold!

For other Poetry submissions, please click here.

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