My name is Amber, and I was a veritable Old Maid in the Mormon world and waited to marry until I was 30. Or rather, I didn’t find my Mr. Right until then and we’ve been happily married for six years. Together, we have two great kiddos ages 5 and 3.

I was raised in the Mormon church. I grew up in a part-member family (meaning my mom was a member of the church, but my dad did not join until I was 21) so my activity level was varied. My father was always very supportive and even attended church with us every Sunday. When he was finally baptized, many were surprised because they thought he had been a member all along. This was a real testament to his efforts of being unified as a family, regardless of the varying belief system.

I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I left when I was 18 to attend college in the United States and have now lived here longer than there! I worked for a number of years as a publicist in the ski industry and as an adventure-travel writer. I dropped it all when I had kids but started back up again when I started blogging. I currently freelance from home as the editor of the mom section/site for my city’s newspaper and still continue to work as a family travel writer on the side. At church, I teach the Valiant girls (ages 8-12) and am on the publicity committee for a city-wide church jubilee this summer.

I love, love, love the outdoors, hence my career in travel writing. I am fortunate to live in the mountains so rarely a week goes by when I do not go hiking. I have been hauling my kids in backpacks from the time they were six weeks old! Other favorites include running, volleyball, biking, roller-blading and skiing. Basically, any sport except for swimming. Also, I trained for eight years in piano at Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music. Oh, and I do have the gift to gab…!

Even though I felt promptings of the Holy Ghost growing up, I wouldn’t say I really had a solid testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until I went away to BYU-Idaho (then: Ricks College) and participated in a field expedition that a testimony was borne. For two months, we backpacked all over the United States while taking classes in biology, religion, and geology. I came to know of God’s majesty as we sang “How Great Thou Art” while sitting adjacent to a glacier gazing down upon a verdant valley. The truthfulness of the restored gospel rang true as I listened to others speak of their testimonies as we backpacked the north-to-the-south rim of the Grand Canyon. And it was during a solo night I spent in a cave at Lake Powell when I started to catch a vision of my role in it all.

Those were just the seedlings of a faith and testimony that has grown and developed. A testimony that has sent me to on a mission for the Church to Switzerland and France to share it; to the Middle East to learn more about it and those of other faiths; and mostly importantly, to my current city where I try to live it to the best of my ability every day.

I love knowing where I came from, why I’m here and where I am going. I love the peace of living a pure life. I love being spiritually filled every week when I go to church and gaining the resolve to do a little bit better that week. I love the fellowship of my ward (congregation) and knowing if anything was to happen to my family that we would never be alone. I love the knowledge that all the priesthood has been restored to the earth and we are living with Temples, continuing revelation, a prophet and the priesthood. Truly, our world is seeing both the best and the worst of times. Never have I been prouder to be a Mormon Woman.

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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This is Gloria, and she is a Mormon Woman.

Gloria is 81 but feels and acts like she’s still 30. This is because she loves her healthy lifestyle. Gloria walks, at a jogger’s pace, miles and miles each day. She loves to eat fruit, nuts and nonfat yogurt as a late night snack. Gloria loves organic vegetables and lean meats. When asked what her doctor says about her health she said, “Oh he says I’m very healthy.”

Gloria loves, loves, loves musicals. In the early years of their marriage, Gloria and her husband Lee would usher for musicals in their city so they could see the productions for free. Gloria often bursts out into song with words from these beloved musicals as the situation requires. She loves to write skits, collects costumes and can light up a room wherever she goes. Gloria’s laughter is loud, and contagious. Smiles attend all who listen to her funny stories and fond memories.

Following is an example of a funny story she told recently. “My mother was talking to my daughters about getting married. She said, ‘Oh my friends threw me a Bridal Shower, but I’d say it was more like a sprinkle.'”

Gloria has been married for 63 years and has 7 children, 32 grandchildren and 44 great grandchildren. She says one of her greatest joys was having all 7 of her children in the Temple at the same time. Gloria and her husband Lee, served a full time mission together in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana mission.

Gloria has had the same group of friends for decades. Some of them have been very dear friends for over 50 years. They enjoyed serving in church callings (service assignments) together, walking daily, holding a weekly scripture study group, going on overnight excursions, holding investment groups and dinner clubs together. When asked about how to keep friendships going for so long she said, “Feelings get hurt. Get over it. It is not worth losing a friendship over trivial things. One time I wrote in my journal that I was getting disenchanted with one of my friends. Within a day or two of writing that entry I came back and wrote, ‘These small and petty slights do not compare to the hardships my friend goes through, it is silly to hold grudges.'”

Gloria’s legacies will be family, friendship and service. Among the friends listed above there was one who was plagued by an undiagnosed illness that stole her mobility. At first, the Doctors assumed it was M.S. or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But neither matched her conditions. They watched as their friend went from walking to dragging a foot, from carrying a cane to needing to use a wheel chair. Over time, her friend became a quadriplegic and needed full time daily care. These friends, tenderly and willingly cared for this woman for over 40 years. Full time nurses were needed but not always available, so these Scripture Study Sisters, would follow the example of their Savior by washing, feeding and caring for their friend. They would clean her house, come to her calls in the middle of the night, move her from her wheel chair to her bed at the end of the day. All these things they did because they loved her, she was their friend.

Gloria’s service to her family, friends and church were ordinary everyday acts, but together they paint the picture of a very extraordinary woman.

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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This poem was written as an exercise in self-examination — What am I? The first part is a description of what I think I am. The second part is a description of the things I have accomplished that were surprising to me. The Third question is what has amazed me about myself. The last stanza is a declaration of who I really am.

What Am I?

What am I?
daughter,
sister,
mother,
wife,
teacher,
nurse.

Am I what?
chef,
seamstress,
poet,
pupil,
friend.

I am what?
grandmother,
widow,
dreamer,
survivor.

What I am,
child of God.

For more Poetry submissions, please click here.

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My name is Richa, and I was born in Calcutta, India.

When I was 9 months old, I was adopted and moved to the United States. The rest of my siblings were all adopted, too [two are from Korea, two from the Phillipines, and two from Pennsylvania (USA)]. I think that it is the coolest thing!

I have been a member of the Mormon Church my entire life. Currently, I am in school majoring in Elementary Education and Music. My goal is to become a teacher and be an influence to children. At church, I have two callings right now: the Young Single Adult Representative [helping with spiritual and social gatherings for young single adults ages 18-20] and a Relief Society Enrichment board member.

I love to read and watch movies; if I am not doing one, I am doing the other. My talents include violin, piano, writing, and cooking.

I love being a Mormon Woman because even though the world can be a bad place sometimes and bad things happen, I am comforted by the thought that God is up there watching over me and that He is on my side.

For example, there was a time, about two-and-a-half years ago, when a special someone in my life decided to call it quits with our relationship. I was devastated, but with the support of my family and the love of God, I realized that just because bad things happen –even though I may be doing everything in my life right– it doesn’t mean that God hates me. He loves me and wants me to learn from the experiences I have. I knew that everything would be okay and that God did really love me and wanted to protect me from something that may have been ten times worse in the future.

——-

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

Related topics: adversity/trials, church callings, Relief Society, Enrichment,

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I have been married for 61 years. We have four sons, four daughters-in-law, thirteen grandchildren, and fifteen great-grand children (with two more coming). I have been a member of the Mormon Church all my life.

My career is my family. I went through High School and then to University for only 1 semester. I have worked out of the home for a total of about 1 year. It was mostly before I was married. I have had many opportunities to serve in the Church. At this time my calling [volunteer service assignment] is Visiting Teaching to three women. I also work online on the computer doing name extraction for The Family Search Indexing Program [volunteer family history work, transcribing information from paper records to a searchable online format].

I love to do crossword puzzles, jig-saw puzzles (which my husband and I do together), and keep in touch with our family. I have been a member of a Friendship Ladies Club for over 50 years. We still meet once a month at each other’s houses.

My testimony and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ has grown over the years. One time, my Visiting Teaching Companion and I were visiting one sister and I had a spiritual impression that we needed to hurry to the next appointment. We were early but the feeling was very strong that we needed to go. We went to her home and got no response when we rang the doorbell. We tried the door–it was unlocked so we went in. The dear sister was sitting in a chair in her kitchen; she was slumped over and we could tell immediately that she needed medical help. We called 911 and then called her son, who lived with her but was away at work. Soon we had the help from all parties. She was rushed to the hospital where she got the help she needed. She recovered and was home again in a couple of days. Had we not responded to the prompting from our Father in Heaven she most likely would have died. All went well and we visited her for many more times. Her family was very thankful for what we had done. This experience is only one, but I have a firm testimony that we are led by a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is a way of life. I have been spared many trials that others seem to go through. It is such a blessing to have a plan of happiness. I know where I came from and why I am here and where I am going when I pass on. I do not fear death. At my age it is coming soon, probably. My health has been very good, though. I give credit to the Lord for giving us a plan of health [sometimes called the Word of Wisdom] to live by. Our children have not had troubles with liquor or tobacco related illnesses, they haven’t had trouble with the law; they are good people and try to do unto others as they would have others do unto them. We are blessed every day. My children love me, my husband loves and respects me because these are all principles we are taught in our Church. I thank God every day for my blessings.

——

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormons, love to gather. We gather to worship on Sundays. (Visitors are welcome!) We gather to our temples for marriages and to do work for our kindred dead. We gather for baptisms, midweek scripture study classes, weekly youth activities, camps for girls and Scouts. We gather for meetings just to correlate all of those activities, too.

But sometimes, we gather together just for FUN! When a congregation gathers together for fun we call it a Ward Party.

My ward loves to party. We have three annual parties.

1. The Ward Round Up. This is a cowboy themed party where we round up all the ward members from near and far, who have ever lived in our ward, to eat, ride on hay rides and play carnival games.

2. The Memorial Day Breakfast. Every Memorial Day [US holiday in May to commemorate those who have died while serving in the US military] we meet at a local park for pancakes, a flag ceremony and the inevitable water fight.

3. The Adult Dinner Party. This is our favorite and most beloved ward tradition. Here is an example of an Adult Dinner Party we’ve done recently:

First, the Ward Activity Committee decides on a theme. One time we based our Ward Party on a famous talent search.

Ward members were asked to put together skits or talents to share with an audience of around 250 people. The skits are never perfect, but the fun is in seeing the people I love get together and do silly things.

Next, we ask members of the congregation to bring side dishes and desserts to share and put together a Dinner Committee to make the main dish.

Members of the Relief Society sign up to decorate tables. Here were some of my favorites.

After dinner, we have a live show. After weeks of practicing there are often many mistakes, but we still have a lot of fun laughing together.

We always have a band.

In these pictures the band is playing “Ride, Sally, Ride” and “Proud Mary.” The youth who play instruments are always invited to play in the band.

Here is a picture of my mom in a skit:

Here is my picture of my friend being Napoleon Dynamite [character from a movie with the same name].

And here are pictures of my husband trying to break dance.

There is always a lot of hooting and hollering from the audience. No one can leave a ward party without a smile on their face.

To every thing there is a season.

A time to laugh.

A time to sing.

A time to dance.
(Ecclesiastes, chapter 3)

Our ward parties strengthen us and build unity. Our traditions bring us together and create community. I love the members of my congregation. After living in the same ward for over 25 years, I have been taught, inspired and led by these people. I see it as only fitting that we should have fun together as well!

Please share with us what kinds of parties your ward or branch [both are names of local congregations] like to have. Or share what kind of party you think sounds fun.

For more First Person essays, 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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