How does LDS view women who remain single all their lives? Is it seen less than a married woman? Are there Mormon women who excel in the workplace instead of remaining a homemaker?

How can I meet a Mormon woman of my age? Is there an activity that non-members can go & meet Mormon women? Can non-members be involved with development activities of the Mormon faith?

I’ll answer the questions in order.

How does [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] view women who remain single all their lives? Is it seen less than a married woman?

One of the things that I think is helpful in understanding Mormonism is to understand both the ideal (the doctrine we are taught) and then the practical facet of living in a fallen, mortal world. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, marriage and family have a significant place in our doctrine. We believe marriage between a man and woman to be a critical part of God’s plan for His children and His purposes for this earth. But we also realize that not everyone will have a chance to be married and that some marriages fail, leaving many people without a spouse. Our leaders remind us that we need to be sensitive to the single adults in our Church even as we uphold the doctrine of the family. They should not be seen as “less than” (although admittedly sometimes we don’t do as well as we should there — hence the reasons sometimes our leaders remind us of what we should be doing!).

But perhaps this question is best answered by women who are currently single and Mormon, found in a previous post: Is there a place in the LDS Church for single/divorced women? I encourage you to read through the post and the comments for the insights and responses of single Mormon women.

– – –

As to whether there are Mormon women who work outside the home, the answer is yes. Brenda answered a similar question about whether all Mormon women stay home after having children. The mormon.org campaign has featured some married moms who also work. Many women do also choose to stay at home (such as the Mormon woman recently featured on our site).

I think the following quote sums up Mormon beliefs well — both underscoring the doctrine of marriage/motherhood/family but also acknowledging that each woman is invited to prayerfully make decisions regarding her choices regarding family and career:

“One of the questions that I get frequently is, “Is is okay if I work outside of my home or I don’t work outside of my home?” You have to know that as an international, global, Relief Society president, that question isn’t always appropriate in all the world’s countries. There are many, many places where if our women don’t work, they don’t eat. So of course they have to work. The question of whether or not to work is the wrong question. The question is, “Am I aligned with the Lord’s vision of me and what He needs me to become, and the roles and responsibilities he gave me in heaven that are not negotiable? Am I aligned with that, or am I trying to escape my duties?” Those are the kinds of things we need to understand. Our Heavenly Father loves His daughters, and because He loves us and the reward at the end is so glorious, we do not get a pass from the responsibilities we were given. We cannot give them way. They are our sacred duties and we fulfill them under covenant.” – Julie B. Beck, former president of the Relief Society, the women’s organization in the Church

– – –

Now, on to the second cluster of questions. I’m assuming from your questions that you are female, so I will answer according to that assumption. (If I’m wrong, please let me know!)

Q: How can I meet a Mormon woman of my age? Is there an activity that non-members can go & meet Mormon women? Can non-members be involved with development activities of the Mormon faith?

A: There are many ways you can meet Mormon women and engage with them (us!) in our activities. One of the best ways would probably be to find out where your local LDS congregation meets. You can do this by going to the LDS Meetinghouse Locator. This would allow you to connect with people in your local area, where you could find out about activities of the women of the Relief Society and/or the activities of the Mormon single adult groups. You could also find out about service opportunities (if that is what you mean by development activities…again, if that isn’t what you meant, please let me know).

An unofficial way to connect with single Mormons who are your age is through a website called The LDS Singles Site. On this site, they are creating a central location where you can find out about Mormon singles’ activities in the U.S. and Canada. I think there is another such site in the works. I also found this Facebook page for LDS singles  where you could connect and ‘meet’ others virtually and find out about events and activities that might be in your area.

Also, if service in a general way is something you are interested in, you could check out the LDS Humanitarian website or Mormon Helping Hands and see if anything there catches your attention.

I hope this helps answers some of your questions. Please feel free to comment or email if you have more questions, if you want clarification, etc.

~Michelle

The post Are All Mormon Women Married / Stay-at-Home Moms? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Well, here’s an example! They’ll often hold FHEs of their own.

(Of course, it’s not very often that such FHEs end up on national television! But this one did. The NBC “Minute to Win It” casting crew came and filmed a re-creation of their activity after seeing a video of the activity on YouTube. Fun.)

See the video of their activity below.

The post Mormon Young Single Adult FHE Version of “Minute to Win It” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I’m living an unexpected life. But aren’t we all?

My eight-year-old declaration of my life’s work was: I am going to be a mother. My second grade teacher didn’t like that; she kept insisting that I needed to pick a “profession.” I was adamant. I would be a mother, and that was final. Everything I have done from that day forward pointed to that eventual goal. Important decisions all centered around how to best prepare myself to be the kind of mother I knew I was meant to be.

My 13-year-old heart was drawn into the world, with the images of famine in Ethiopia and personal participation in a Church-wide fast for famine relief. I knew one day I’d go to that country to help. My mother heart (see Julie Beck, Ensign or Liahona, May 2004) reached out in compassion as it was being prepared to fulfill my life’s work. My unexpected life’s work.

Years have passed. I’ve obtained various academic degrees. I’ve worked many jobs. I’ve served in many capacities and I’ve seen some of the world and the children of the world. I’ve never married.

I have unexpectedly never expected a child.

There have been minutes, days, months…years of heartache and anguish of this unfulfilled dream. Wondering what I failed to plan that “kept me” from realizing my dream. Wondering if I should have said “yes” to some of the men who’ve crossed my path. Wondering if my expecting was somehow wrong.

But there have also been moments of clarity.

Moments of certainty.

I am living the life I am meant to live.

This IS my perfect life.

AND I am a mother.

A mother of thousands, really.

My decision to teach seminary [youth scripture class for ages 14-18] opened my heart to this reality. It struck me, once again, the other day when I received a picture text of a one hour old baby… the newborn daughter of one of my former students. I must have done something for him to remember ME and want me to know about this child entering the world.

Or the text I received just this morning from a former student entering the missionary training center: “Thanks for your patience, love and support. I love you! Jesus is the Christ and has restored His gospel once more! God be with you ‘til we meet again!” I never expected that.

A year and a half ago I took the trip of a lifetime, traveling to the Holy Land, seeking holiness. I wanted to change. Imagine my surprise when the thought came powerfully to my mind and heart: You need to work on a PhD. So I did. I came home and was enrolled in courses two months later. I’m in my second year now.

A little over a year ago I met two women who reminded me of my desire to work with the children and families of Ethiopia. I begged them to take me. They needed someone to do research for their organization. It was serendipity. A miracle, really. Unexpected.

I’ve traveled to Ethiopia. Every day includes something to help the children and families I met and will meet. The children of Ethiopia have won my heart. I pray for them, I think of them, I love them. They NEED a mother. (Did you know there are over four million orphaned children in Ethiopia? Over 12% of all children? )

I was studying the Abrahamic Covenant the other day. Oh how I love Father Abraham! I have always thought of the promise of multiplying in the context of bearing children. (See, for example, Genesis 22:17-18, Genesis 32:12.) I’ve expected that multiplication would perhaps only be later for me. In the next life.

Not anymore.

During this early morning scripture study, I felt that sweet whispering: “I’m multiplying YOU so you have a greater capacity to love them.” Multiplying unexpectedly.

I suppose I needed a will alignment. I know that as I’m learning to want what HE wants me to want, my course is smoother, straighter, satisfying. Who knew that my children would come in such painless ways? Who knew that they’d be so vast in ages, experiences, needs — and even live on different continents?

Who knew?

He knew.

He knows.

And so do I.

Oh, how I love mothering.

Just as I expected I would.

The post Motherhood Series: Unexpected Life appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.