It all started with two loaves of banana bread that turned out perfectly!

We ate almost the whole first loaf for breakfast. My plan was to take the second loaf to our church social that evening – I was so excited! Beautiful and delicious banana bread isn’t easy for me, and having it done ahead of time was miraculous.

Later that morning, I was working intently on a very important document on my computer when my five year old came and asked if he could have some more banana bread.

I uttered the fatal words, “Sure, just a second,” fully intending to finish quickly. We all know where good intentions lead! Mine led to a sweet voice at my elbow, “Look, Mom!”

I turned and gasped. “You’ve ruined my banana bread!”

As I grabbed what was left of the banana bread from his hopeful hands, my son’s face crumbled before my eyes, and he ran to hide in the pantry.

Turning to take my banana bread – my now mutilated banana bread — to the counter, a poster on the fridge caught my eye. It was a poster I made with a picture of this same little boy hiding behind a glass of spilled milk – a poster I made to remind me of President Thomas S. Monson’s counsel:

“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”1

Sobs were coming from the pantry, and I began to sob, too. I had let my anger over my “beautiful” banana bread – my temporal, temporary banana bread — become more important than my tender-hearted boy!

I knelt with him in the pantry, and apologized with all my heart.

“I love you more than banana bread!” I tried to reassure him – hard to do when a little one’s heart is breaking. Taking a deep breath, I asked, “What can we do to fix it?”

He looked up, hope returning to his eyes. “Well, we could…,” and he started listing ideas.

Going back to the banana bread together, I realized there was actually a lot left, despite the great abyss he had scooped from the middle. We got a knife, and a pretty bowl, and began to cut it into bite-sized chunks, like store samples. The bowl was soon filled, and thankfully, feelings were on the mend.

No one at that church social will remember that dish of banana bread.

Except for me – I’m trying to be sure that I never forget it!

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Where does one begin with an introduction…..? There are many details and history to my story, most of which I am sure will bore, so I will spare you as I am sure many of those specifics will unfold in time as I reveal elements of my testimony to you. It is precisely that history and those experiences that are intricately woven into the very being that sits and writes this rainy night from Austin Texas. I suppose if we were to meet in person and had the opportunity to share with you a few things about me… what would I want you to remember me by?  Sure, I could monopolize space on this page with all kinds of words as it pertains to my hobbies (which are many) or my talents (which are few) or all the things I am involved with, or past and present church callings and on and on…but none of that is really important to me. What I would want you to know about me is that I am happy, overwhelmingly so. I am a daughter of God; I know it, I feel it and am gaining an essential understanding of His love for me. That makes me happy and THAT is important to me!

As a snap shot into some other things, I am a demonstrative and loving mother of 5 gorgeous and delicious children whom I often want to eat :). I am a high sensory person;  smell, touch, taste, sounds are all very much intoxicating for me and my babies (children) are no exception. I am very much in love with my husband, we have an easy, passionate, and beautiful relationship and adore one another. I am a relatively transparent person that is deeply feeling and expresses enthusiastically the things that are most important to me.

We have our share of challenges and trials but have been so very blessed and count those blessing daily. I am by nature a very grateful person and  am often saturated with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for providing such a beautiful plan of happiness. I am especially grateful for the tremendous example of others and continue to be inspired at their fortitude and strength as they pass through their refiner’s fires, it gives me strength to carry on.  I have an overwhelming desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the things only my spirit can communicate.  I pretty much could do without anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is satisfying in the utmost interpretation and is at the crux of my existence.

Though I do not have all the answers in life, I am plugging along just like the rest of you, I do have one answer that means the most,  it is my faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ to which I owe my happiness. THAT is what I would want you to know about me, I am a Mormon Woman, I am happy and there is no greater happiness I could hope for.  The love I have for my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ consumes me and perpetuates a happiness that could not be produced any other way.

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~by Kimberly VanderHorst

My newborn was born starving-hungry. Holding her slight weight against us in the hospital, we could feel the wiggling of her tummy and hear the deep rumbling bubbly sounds of her cavernous innards. While she’s a champion nurser she just can’t get enough into her stomach before she falls asleep and as a result has to nurse almost constantly to stay contented.

And so I pump. And so there is bottle paraphernalia everywhere. And so I feel horribly, horribly defensive. Like I have to explain to everyone who chances to see that it’s not MY fault. That she nurses for comfort only and that the bottle is necessary. That the bottles are full of MY milk and I’m working hard to stay ahead of her needs so that there is always Mommy Milk waiting for her when she needs it.

I need to stop taking myself so seriously, though. I need to learn serenity, to smile quietly and let the defensive feelings go. My baby girl has a full tummy and that is enough. And in the wee hours of the night when she wants something more, I’m able to give her that, too. The skin to skin closeness of mother and child is such a gift.

Such a joy.

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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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Karen attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. She has taught school for 32 years. She said: “I always had the support of my husband and children, and I always felt that I was supposed to be a teacher.”

Right now, Karen serves as the Relief Society President in her ward. She has served in many areas in the Church, and she says that the more she serves in the Church, the more she realizes how important each calling is –how each one was the experience she needed. However, if she could pick, she would serve as the Primary (children’s Sunday classes) pianist!

Karen loves to read almost every kind of book –from Jane Austen to Harry Potter. She also loves to relax by watching movies with her husband. She enjoys hiking and skiing, although she doesn’t do either very often. Some of her other favorite things to do include: scrapbook, spending time with her family, doing family history, and traveling.

One time, Karen had an experience which changed her life:

“I remember one time when I was pregnant and had a miscarriage. I prayed for someone to come and my visiting teacher showed up. My husband was out of town, and I was hemorrhaging pretty badly. My visiting teacher was a nurse and she had her husband give me a blessing. She stayed with me all night, because I wouldn’t go to the hospital because my insurance wouldn’t cover it. She took me to the doctor’s office the next morning. I was in pretty bad shape, but I felt the Lord with me through the night in the form of that wonderful visiting teacher.”

For Karen, the Plan of Salvation is so wonderful! She says that only a loving Heavenly Father would have such a plan. She also knows that she is a child of God who knows her and loves her. On being a Mormon woman, Karen says:

“I have never felt that we as women were less important than men in the eyes of our Father in Heaven. He has blessed us with the power of creation. He has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the Priesthood is such a blessing in our lives. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I love the peace it brings into my life. I’m grateful for that blessing and I wish everyone could hear about the gospel and could know what I know. It gives my life such purpose!”

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