An Oldie but a Goodie

The Young Women and Young Men of our ward have been practicing this song to sing in Sacrament meeting for a while now. Today we sang it and I can't begin to express the beautiful Spirit we felt as we sang together. Our chorister worked hard to help the youth and leaders learn how to "sing out," "breathe," and "stay on pitch." It all turned out so well...I was so impressed with how the Young Men sounded (I knew the YW would sound great;)! It really was powerful; by the part in the song where both YM and YW sing together I couldn't muster any words. I looked the song up when I got home to try and feel what I felt again, and hopefully share it with you! Many have probably heard or sung this song, but I think it's always beautiful, no matter how many times I hear it. Enjoy:)

First day Jitters!

It's my first day back at work and Stace's fist day of senior year. And oh yeah! I realized I never told you who won the battle between the non-English-speaking- Calculus 2-monster-class and my wonderful husband...buh buh nuh nuh....STACE DID!
He got an A!
That class can really put a damper on a summer, I tell ya!
We're in for another fun-filled semester alright. He's taking: Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, C++ computer programming, as well as two advanced finance classes for a total of 18 hours. This should be interesting! But I know he can do it:)
I just hope our kids end up inheriting his math smarts. I will be able to help them with all math up to maybe, long division...maybe. So...yeah...after that they'll need to go to dad for math homework help!

Michigan Road Trip!

Saturday we drove 1000 miles in one day from Tallahassee to Michigan. We both thought it would be a lot harder than it was-- in fact, it was pretty easy and we had fun! After we made the trek we felt like we could do anything! Road trip to anywhere, anyone?
We stopped for lunch in the middle of nowhere and found this:

Who knew there was a Chick-fil-a Dwarf House? And why is there even such a thing?

Oh well...in we go!
We've been having a great time so far. We went and visited my grandma right away, and it's been so nice to spend time with her. She is almost 93 and is just smart as a whip. It was the first time Stace and grandma met, so it was pretty special. Here she is holding a teddy bear she gave my grandpa back in the day:

We've also visited the beautiful University of Michigan:


Stace and I went to the store and I turned around and saw this:

He is so silly! He likes to make me laugh:)
We went to the U of M conservatory and botanical gardens...they were beautiful:



We have been having so much fun with my family. I have such a great family that I just don't get to see enough! :( But I'm so glad we had the opportunity to come up here! On the last day of the trip we are going to my dad's house on Lake Michigan which we are both really looking forward to. He built it a few years ago and it was beautiful then-- but now he's doing lots of renovations and never stops talking about it so we're anxious to see it!

Feminism & the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I know, I know! It's been a while...just file my blogging diligence somewhere under "failure".
I was finally motivated to blog again after receiving an e-mail and filling out a questionnaire from a friend. I enjoyed answering his questions as they allowed me to think through a topic I have never really given much thought to: feminism and the Church.
I decided to post this up in the event that someone stumbles across this blog who has also been misled as to what the experience of a woman in the LDS Church is like, or in the event that someone is actively searching to learn more about how women in the LDS Church are treated. Either way, I hope it will provide insight to that person's questions and ideas.
(*I, of course, am not an official spokesperson for the LDS Church, but members have been asked to join "the ongoing conversation about the Church" online by a prominent leader: Elder M. Russell Ballard*)
The e-mail was from someone I went to high school with-- we haven't spoken since then. I'm glad he knew he could ask me these questions even though it's been a while. This is part of the message he sent me:
"I am in the class Cross-cultural Perspectives of Women's Religious Experience and we have this final paper coming up. During the course we discussed an article which made me rather angry. It sought to discuss the Mormon identity and faith through the woman’s experience solely through the polygamous societies and groups. So, I am seeking to describe contemporary religious experience of women who are involved with the Church of Latter Day Saints. My only goal is to accurately portray what Mormonism and the Church of Latter-Day Saints is all about. I have done a bunch of research on the experience of women in Mormonism both theoretically and through narratives. Now, I would love to have your perspective."

Here is the questionnaire and my responses (there is some overlap in my responses, as I didn't know which of my answers he would choose to include in his paper):
1. What does feminism mean to you?
Feminism, to me, is a social and political movement and also a way of thinking that promotes the equality of the sexes in the workplace, the home, and in all other social structures.
2. Are you a feminist?
I am a feminist in that I believe that women are just as capable, intelligent, productive, and innovative as men are. I believe that women possess as much potential as men do. I believe there should be equality between the sexes in the workplace, the family, and in all other social structures.
3. What is your religious affiliation?
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
4. How did you arrive at this affiliation?
My mother was a member, my father was not. Growing up, I chose to be involved, and today I choose to be involved in the affiliation.
5. What has been your experience as a woman in the actual church?
My experience has been one of feeling loved, appreciated and respected. I am recognized as a child of God, as are all people who walk the earth. I am valued as a daughter of a King with a divine nature and individual worth. I have been asked to serve in leadership capacities and as such have been stretched personally, spiritually, and intellectually to meet the subsequent responsibilities and have thus grown closer to my Heavenly Father. We believe very strongly that all are equal in Heavenly Father’s eyes. He loves us all the same, no matter our sex, race, ethnicity, religion, sins, flaws, or positive attributes.
6. What does it mean to be a woman of your faith? (i.e. a Mormon woman, a Christian woman, a Latter-day Saint who is a woman)
Everything! I feel blessed beyond measure to know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is my Savior. I know that He loves me. I know that He gave up His life so all could have a chance to receive eternal life. It is through Him and Him only that men and women can be saved. As a member of His church, and I do believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His true church upon the earth, I have gained a knowledge and surety of my own of where I came from, why I am here, and where I have the potential to go.
7. What is the importance of motherhood in your faith?
“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World").
I know that as a woman in His Church, I will one day have the beautiful, sacred role and blessing to be a mother to Heavenly Father’s children on the earth. It will be my responsibility to teach, nurture, and care for them, and to raise them in the light of the Gospel; God will be counting on me to do so. I will play an integral part in the development of their testimonies of Jesus Christ, and in helping them to develop a desire to return to live with Him someday with our family forever.
8. What is the importance of priesthood in your faith?
Without the Priesthood of God, this would not be the true Church.* To have the priesthood, by definition, is to have the authority to act in God’s name. When Jesus walked among men, He appointed 12 men to the Holy apostleship. To these 12 men He gave the priesthood. They then had the authority to bless and baptize others, and to continue building the Lord’s kingdom on the earth. After each of these 12 men were killed, the priesthood was eventually lost from the earth and there came a period we refer to in the Church as the Great Apostasy, or period of darkness. The Lord reestablished His church upon the earth in the early 1800’s. It was then that He appointed a prophet, just as He had done in Biblical times. God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to this prophet, Joseph Smith, and eventually gave him the Priesthood. The prophet Joseph Smith then had the authority to baptize others, and to confer upon others the Priesthood. The first church meeting was held in April of 1830 with six people in attendance. Now, less than 200 years later, there are more than 13 million members of the Church worldwide. There are more members outside the United States than in. These millions of people all over the world have come to know the Savior in a personal way and that it is His Church they attend each week. They know it. And I know it. This could not have been without the Priesthood.

*In his book, Jesus the Christ, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James E. Talmage wrote: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms her possession of divine authority for the use of the sacred name, Jesus Christ, as the essential part of her distinctive designation. In view of this exalted claim, it is pertinent to inquire as to what special or particular message the Church has to give to the world concerning the Redeemer and Savior of the race, and as to what she has to say in justification of her solemn affirmation... among these specific teachings of the Church respecting the Christ are these: The unity and continuity of His mission in all ages, ….the restoration of His Priesthood and the reestablishment of His Church in the current age.” (Talmage 5)
9. Do women of your faith have power in the home? In the church? How? Why or why not? Women have power in the home and in the church. It is believed in the church that “what is in each woman’s heart is reflected in the spirit of her home” (quote by Anne C. Pingree). This quote illustrates that women have much power and influence in the home and on her family. We believe each child is meant to have a mother and father, both of whom have divinely separate but equal roles in the home which compliment the other. A husband and wife are meant to work together, as they both have one common purpose: to guide their family back to Heavenly Father and to be with each other forever. Indeed, we believe that “man is not without the woman, neither is the woman without the man in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11). “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.” ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World").

Women have power in the church, as well. If you are asking about Priesthood power, then no, women do not have the Priesthood. The Savior appointed 12 men to the Priesthood when he was on the earth, and as He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He appoints men to the Priesthood today. Women in our church are put upon the highest of pedestals. We are honored and respected for the attributes we have been given, and we serve in various leadership positions.
10. Many people theorize that Mormonism and the Church of Latter-Day Saints involves women having a stronger connection to one another than is seen in other faiths. Do you agree with this claim? Why or why not? Honestly, I have never heard this, nor have I ever thought that women in our church have a stronger connection to one another than women in other churches. We love and support one another, as the Savior taught us to. We also love and support people who are not members of our church. God is no respecter of persons, and as He is the ultimate exemplar and the One whose teachings we strive to follow, neither do we esteem one woman or person above another, whether that person is a member of the Church or not.
11. How do you feel about the idea of being a “Sister in Zion ”? We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and as such, we are all brother and sisters. So I see other women in my church as my sisters, as I do women outside of the Church. I suppose the specificity of the term “Sister in Zion” refers to a woman, or sister, who is a member of the Lord’s Church, and who seeks to bring forth His Kingdom, IE: Zion. Members of the Church know that we have a responsibility to share what we know with others, humbly yet unapologetically, and not only that: we believe that if we want to be true followers of Christ, we must be “willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort (see Mosiah 18: 8 & 9 in the Book of Mormon). As sisters in His Church, we know we must love and care for one another and help others in their journey. So, as sisters in Zion, we strive to build His kingdom earnestly and sincerely and “to stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). This is what unites us; this is our common goal.
12. What do you think about a “Mother in Heaven”?
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose” ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World").
We don’t speak of Her, but we know She is there. We don’t speak of her is because the Father knows that many on the earth desecrate His name-- He loves and honors Her so much that He does not want anyone to dishonor Her or desecrate Her name.
We focus more on the principles and doctrines of the gospel which will lead us to eternal life. However, I do know that God is our example in everything we say and do. A big tenant of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the belief in eternal families: “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World"). We believe that families can be together forever. Heavenly Father wants us all to return to live with Him with our families. So, if it is His example we are to follow in everything we do, then wouldn’t He also have a family, ie: a wife? And if He is our Father in Heaven, then she is our Mother in Heaven.
13. Do you see your religion as being a “male-dominated” religion? Why or why not?
No, not at all. I know that just as Jesus gave the Priesthood to worthy men when he was on the earth, he allows worthy men to have it today. We believe that docrtinal decisions are made by God and He informs His Prophet who then tells the rest of the world, as it was done in Biblical times. Even though the majority of executive leadership positions are held by men, that does not belittle the importance of women and the special roles they have in the Lord’s kingdom.

Link to Proclamation: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0sourceId=1aba862384d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0