Posted on July 2nd, 2009 by mormonwomen
~by Julie P.
In the New Testament, Jesus says that if we only have as much faith as the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.
I love gardening, and was thinking about faith when I planted some carrots recently. Have you seen a carrot seed before? They are tiny. If you have some carrot seeds in your palm and even a light breeze blows, you might lose some if you’re not careful. It’s hard to pick up just one or two seeds by pinching your fingers together; they’re that small.
When I was poking little holes in the dirt in my backyard, and trying my best to put just two or three seeds in each hole, I thought about what these seeds would be by the end of the summer. From these teeny seeds to beautiful, substantial roots in just months. It’s a miracle, really. Each time I plant seeds in my garden, I worry a bit. I go outside each day to water, and feel hope mixed with anxiety. Will the seeds sprout? Will enough seeds turn to plants that bear a decent harvest? What could I do to help them along? Read more…
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Filed under: First Person, Sharing Our Voices
Posted on July 1st, 2009 by mormonwomen
-by Erin
Something happened yesterday that reminded me that God watches out for me. I was reading books with my son at the library (I don’t go to the library very often). After about 45 minutes we walked up to the desk to check out the books we had chosen. There was a woman standing at the desk asking about library cards, and she looked really familiar to me. I was pretty sure I knew her from my previous hometown, in another state. After I was finished checking out my books, we walked out of the library at the same time, and I asked her, “Who are you?” (Yes, kind of uncouth, but I needed to know who she was.) She said, “Emily.” I said, “I KNOW you! What are you doing here in this state?” She said, “My husband got an internship nearby and we will be here for the summer.” Read more…
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Filed under: First Person, First Person, Sharing Our Voices
Posted on July 1st, 2009 by mormonwomen
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. Read more…
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Filed under: Portraits of Mormon Women
Posted on June 30th, 2009 by mormonwomen
-by Fiauna
Many people don’t believe that Mormons believe in the Bible. In my essay below, I share a story of a time when I found strength through a passage in the Bible. I hope this story will help other readers who are dealing with a situation similar to my own, as well as solidify that Mormons are true Christians, followers of Christ.
I view parenting with sacred awe and reverence. I believe that when we set out on the path of marriage that eventually leads to parenthood, we make a contract with our spouse, our community and our Heavenly Father that we will do all within our power to make a successful family unit. Circumstances come and go, but the contract remains the same.
Marriage came early in my life, a fact for which I am grateful. Parenthood took a few years of trying, but came on with full force once we got started. And we began to work with all our hearts and strength to nurture that little seedling that is our future–our family.
On the day I was told that our youngest daughter was moderately developmentally delayed–a diagnosis that later would be called autism–I felt that somehow I had violated that sacred contract. I felt I had failed to produce a successful family unit. I had given birth to a child with a disability. A child that would suck precious resources from society. I was quick to blame myself. Surely, I had done something wrong. Read more…
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Filed under: First Person, Sharing Our Voices
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by mormonwomen
In the Proclamation on the Family (read it here), we read:
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
Family vacations can fall under “wholesome recreational activities.” Does your family go on vacations (holidays)? If so, what are some of your family vacation traditions? Does your family visit the same place on a regular basis, or do you vary your location?
If you don’t go somewhere away from home (sometimes called a “staycation”), what kinds of “recreational activities” does your family enjoy together?
How do vacations and recreational activities bring your family closer together?
*If you would like, please send us photos and stories of your family vacations. This can include great memories and funny or spiritual experiences. Please email them to us at ‘mormonwoman’ AT ‘gmail’ DOT ‘com’.
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For more Weekly Questions, please click here.
For articles at lds.org about family traditions and family fun, see the following:
Having Fun as a Family
More Smiles Per Gallon: Ten Ways to Make Family Vacations More Fun
See “Finances and Family Fun” in this Random Sampler for one family’s creative idea for an alternative plan for a family vacation when they were on a limited budget
The Power of Laughter
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Filed under: Sharing Our Voices, Weekly Question
Posted on June 28th, 2009 by mormonwomen
~by Cheryl
Forgiveness is not an easy commandment, but it isn’t one I’ve had to think about much in my life because I do my best not to burn bridges. I rarely hold a grudge. Friendship is very important to me, and so I will give the benefit of the doubt easily before making harsh judgments. Of course, I’m not perfect at this (who is perfect at this?), but I make a conscious effort to forgive.
However, my resolve has been tested severely by one person in my life; I can’t seem to forgive this person. Read more…
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Filed under: We Believe
Posted on June 27th, 2009 by mormonwomen
(For the first article we posted on what the inside of a Mormon temple looks like, see here.)
Another temple will soon be dedicated in Utah, USA: the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Perhaps you have not had a chance to see what the inside of a temple looks like. This link provides numerous pictures of the inside of the Oquirrh Mountain temple. The Church is currently holding an open house, giving people an opportunity to walk through the temple before it is dedicated in August of this year.
More photos of the inside of other LDS temples can be found in this article. You can also find pictures here at the MormonWiki.
Read more on Mormon Women about what temple worship means in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints below:
Articles on the topic of temples can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions: What can you tell me about Mormon temples?
What the temple means to Mormons
More information about Mormon temple worship can be found on the sites below: Read more…
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Filed under: Basic Doctrines, Frequently Asked Questions, Noteworthy News
Posted on June 27th, 2009 by mormonwomen
Tami shares a quote that has inspired her and explains why:
Mother Teresa said, Read more…
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Filed under: Sharing Our Voices, Words that Inspire Us
Posted on June 26th, 2009 by mormonwomen
Today we share a link to the International Art Competition which is sponsored by the Church History Museum every three years. For this year’s event, 1,149 amateur and professional artists from 44 countries submitted entries. Nearly 200 artworks have been selected for the exhibition.
Click here to be taken to the Church History Museum page. Then scroll down below the hours for the exhibit and click the link to The Eighth International Art Competition Exhibit.
We encourage you to take a few minutes to look at the amazing entries. Then return and share with us which you enjoy the most and why.
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See more Review, Refect, and Return posts here.
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Filed under: Review, Reflect, & Return, Visual Arts
Posted on June 25th, 2009 by mormonwomen
~by Phoebe
In August of 2004 I first became acquainted with food storage. I had heard much about food storage in my life, but really had no idea what it was really about. To be honest, I still am a little vague on some of the details. However, a year in the city where I lived can really teach a person a lot. The town is right smack in the middle of good farmland. As a result, produce is cheap and plentiful, so people find ways to store it.
My parent’s must have canned when I was growing up because I have many memories of eating home-canned goods, but surprisingly ZERO memories of the canning process. I must have been very good at making myself scarce when work was threatened. In my new ward everyone was talking about getting ready to can. The peach and tomato crops were upon us and we had access to free fruit. So I had some figuring out to do.
At the time I was serving in the Relief Society Presidency (an organization for women in our church) I was also 7 months pregnant with my second son, which is a fairly irrelevant detail. The president at the time was Janell. Janell was the second of three Presidents that I was to work with in three short years. She had also recently moved to our city and was like a breath of fresh air. Janell was a mother of 7 grown children, made her own bread, had a testimony of wheat, and –most importantly–she was a Master Canner. I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as a Master Canner, but apparently through the local university system, you could take classes and become a Master at many things-gardening, canning, etc.
So we enlisted Janell to come over and teach a few of us rookies a thing or two. Many, many hours later she had imparted enough wisdom that we were all able to go home and finish canning our fruits and vegetables. I will never forget at the end of that late night, standing in my dining room, Janell telling us that she had a doctor’s appointment the following day since she was having trouble with her vision and remembering things. Two days later we found out that Janell had a brain tumor. Read more…
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Filed under: First Person, First Person, Sharing Our Voices
