My name is Tequitia and I have been a member of the Mormon church for 13 years. My husband introduced me to the church when he told me he wouldn’t marry someone unless she was a member of the Church. At the time we had been dating almost five years and I had no idea he was a member.  I wanted to marry him, so I called up the missionaries to find out what this church was about. I had the first discussions and honestly, didn’t feel anything from it.

I didn’t continue with the discussions after that. However, I believe that that was the turning point for me in my life. I wasn’t a religious person. I believed in God and Jesus Christ, but I had no formal teachings about Them and my purpose in life.

A few months after meeting with the missionaries, I experienced many changes. I was having financial problems, family issues, employment issues, etc. I was experiencing adversity that eventually led me to discover my faith. I began to have a strong desire to learn about God and live the way he would have me live. I started going to the church of my youth. I started reading the Bible.

At the same time, my boyfriend (now husband) started going back to his ward [congregation]. One day he asked me to attend church with him. I didn’t think of it as him trying to convert me, but as me being supportive, so I went.

Soon I was coming to church with him every Sunday and afterwards having the discussions with the missionaries in a member’s home. One fast and testimony meeting, I felt the Spirit so strongly. I had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about the church. That evening, the Spirit was so strong amongst us, I knew that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was where the Lord wanted me to be. I got baptized and hold strong to that testimony that the Lord blessed me to receive.

My husband and I were married in the Washington, D.C. Temple a year later. We have been blessed with four beautiful children. I have served in several wonderful callings over the years, but currently serve as the Enrichment Counselor in my ward Relief Society. Besides being a wife and mother, I write a bi-monthly column, East Meets West, for Mormon Times. I fancy myself as an mixed-media artist and enjoy singing, crocheting, sewing, and reading.

I always tell anyone interested in the church to read the Book of Mormon and pray about for themselves. If you ask the Lord earnestly, really having the desire to do what He wants you to do, He will answer.

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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.

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