Hi, I'm Sundy Lynn

and I grew up in Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. I'm a wife, a grad student, a voice instructor, and a Mormon.

About Me

Who I am:

Have lived in 8 states and three countries. Married since 2008. My husband and I cook healthy food together. We have lost 2 children to late-staged pregnancy loss. Sister to three, sister-in-law to 5.

I am one who believes that I've never met an ordinary person (thank you, C. S. Lewis!). I am sometimes shy but mostly outgoing. I am a counseling intern who works with families and individuals in crisis. I am an Anne of Green Gables fan. I am an abstract thinker. I am grateful.

What I do:

Sing-I got a degree in music and currently have six voice students; my husband plays the piano--that's how we met.

Quilt & scrapbook- I love color and design but I do not paint, draw, etc., so blocks of color really excite me.

Serve- My husband and love found an assisted living center that has 13 residents all in their late 80's and up (the oldest is 99!). We go twice a month to visit and sing with them--they really light up our lives.

Talk- I am a talker. I love to meet new people. I love to stay connected to old friends. I love to connect with people that have similar situations to mine and those people who know what I don't.

Entertain- I like to throw small parties for holidays and invite couples/families/neighbors over for dinners. We usually invite people over once or twice a month, so long as they are willing to play board games with us :)

Why I am a Mormon

I have always been aware of the spiritual light and darkness that can come into my life. When I live the teachings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, I feel the "light of life" (John 8:12) fill me up, giving me peace, direction, and the ability to keep going every day.

I love the Book of Mormon. I read it with the Bible. I know both to be the words of God to His chosen servants (prophets like Amos, apostles like John), but there's something remarkable about the Book of Mormon--many people believe the Bible, but so few people actually even know what is in the Book of Mormon--where it came from, who wrote in it. The light I feel when I read from scripture energies me, makes me what to serve other people, & allows me to feel Jesus Christ's love and existence in my life today.

So often I have conversations with those outside of the LDS church--Christians and not--who are confused about what is morally right and what is just tradition. Knowing that God has a servant on earth right now, a prophet who speaks with Him and gives guidance to me, gives me firm ground to stand on when others feel unsettled.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

I went on a mission because I asked God how I could serve Him best at that time in my life. I was almost 21 years old and was heart broken with an ended relationship. I prayed to know if serving a full time mission would be good for me. LDS women are not asked to go on missions, but can if they desire. When I felt a warmth and peace that could only have come from God (He was the only one who knew I was considering it, and I was too scared to have created those feelings for myself!), I knew I would go. I did not know where it would be, but I knew it was the right choice in my life.

The only thing I could picture was me with a name-tag, knocking on doors all day long. Little did I picture getting sent to South Africa where we pressed buttons on call boxes outside of big electric gates with barking dogs! I never pictured the joy that would come as I taught hundreds of God's children about His love and awareness of their lives, sorrows, and dreams, that He knew them just as much as He knew me and my desires.

My mission was a crucible in my life--it was exhausting, mentally, emotionally, and physically--it was a miracle that I hated to have end. I came to know the Master I was serving, Jesus Christ, in the midst of my extremities and the extremities of those I served.

Can you think of a specific challenge in your family that Gospel Principles helped overcome?

From the day my husband Tyler and I got engaged to be married, we started making plans for children. We both wanted "lots" and wanted to have them right away. 8 months into our marriage, we lost our first pregnancy. I painfully delivered our deceased baby at home. Our grief was searing, and we struggled to believe that the joy of excepting a sought-for child could be over so soon.

The day we knew something was wrong with our pregnancy, Tyler gave me a priesthood blessing. He spoke on behalf of God to me. The words brought comfort. Two years of infertility passed. I don't believe I could have made it through those days without attending church, reading from the scriptures, and attending the temple, where I was reminded continually that families can live with God after this testing period on earth. I felt very tested, but also very close to my Father in Heaven.

In November of 2011, we again lost a sought-after pregnancy. This time I gave birth to our deceased son in the labor and delivery ward of the hospital. From the moment I knew that we were losing our baby, the words from the first blessing I received from Tyler almost three years earlier came back to me--I knew we would be okay. Being okay did not mean keeping this baby; being okay meant receiving the strength we needed to endure the heartbreak and pain of losing another child.

Elder Quentin L. Cook has stated that "Many will experience severe trials. When this happens, the very act of having faith and seeking priesthood blessings is approved by God. The Lord has declared, 'The elders … shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name; and if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me (Doc & Cov 42:44).' ”

Life and death are the ways we begin and end our test of mortality. Families exist throughout eternity. No joy is greater than being with those we love. All our losses will be made up to us through the suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How I live my faith

Went on an 18 month mission to Botswana and South Africa where I shared my beliefs with families and individuals in their homes, did community service, and sang for local events.

Sing in our congregational choir

Occasionally lead youth/children's choirs

Attend gatherings with other Mormon women where we discuss things like financial preparedness and do service projects for the community.

Work with 12 9 & 10 year old children as their Sunday School Teacher. We study the scriptures together. Each class member has been given a study journal to record thoughts, impressions, and questions while they read the scriptures. We find answers together. Their faith in Jesus Christ is real.

Visit two women on a monthly basis to see how they are doing, share an encouraging message, and develop friendships.

Attend weekly church services; occasionally teach lessons or address congregation.

Donate tithes and offerings for those experiencing financial hardship.

What is faith?

Sundy Lynn answered...

A way of acting, believing, and thinking that is not based on knowledge but on a hope that something is real. Having faith in Jesus Christ means I am willing to follow His commandments, sometimes even before I know why, until eventually, after I have tasted the fruits of my labor, my faith turns into knowledge because I can see the effects.
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Kempe answered...

It's another word for commitment. When assessing one's own faithfulness, it may be easier to ask, "How committed are you?"

Commitment
Elder F. Burton Howard of the Seventy

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a4237cf34f40c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' attitude regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Jim answered...

I have a testimony of the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." It is scripture because it is the word of God coming to us through an inspired Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of the Church, and living Apostles. It clearly states, “We believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God." As long as a person abstains from homosexual relations and cultivates wholesome thoughts, they worthy before God. The Church does not and will not ever condone "gay bashing." I see same-sex attraction as a special challenge to overcome in this life, and not a curse. God loves all of his children unconditionally, but that does not mean that He condones sexual relations outside the bounds of a legal marriage between a man and a woman. I bear my witness that the Atonement made by Jesus Christ is not only has the power to save us from physical death and redeem us from sin, but it also the power to transform our lives. As we yield ourselves to Christ and seek to do his will, we will find the grace and healing to deal with whatever challenges or circumstances life deals to us.