Hi, I'm Malina

I'm a mother. I'm a math teacher. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a mother to 4 kids. I am a math teacher. I love to do genealogy. I play the piano and love music. I like to run. I'm a fan of baseball.

Why I am a Mormon

My parents joined the church as young adults. I was taught the gospel as a child. I read the Book of Mormon and knew it was true so I was baptized at age 8.

I know that God loves me so much. He has sent his comforting spirit like a protective blanket when I have been in great sorrow. When I read from the Book of Mormon each day, I always find counsel that helps me in my current problems. My Savior Jesus Christ loves me and leads me through his perfect example. I am in awe of his great Atonement and sacrifice. I believe He lives! He was resurrected! I am so grateful to Joseph Smith for his integrity in standing up for what he knew was true, even when faced with adversity. He is an example to me and I know he was the Lord's instrument in restoring the true church of Jesus to the earth again. I believe that Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet and I try to follow his counsel.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was 8 years old when I was baptized. I was so excited! I wore a white dress borrowed from my best friend. My dad baptized me and afterward gave me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt so happy. It was a special day.

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

The best thing I have ever done in my home is to start reading daily with my kids from the Book of Mormon. We didn't start doing that until the end of last year because I thought they were too young. We would read picture versions of scripture stories, but it wasn't the same. We started just reading a few verses before bed. I believe it has changed everything. The Holy Spirit is stronger in our home and we have had wonderful discussions about gospel principles.

Ezra Taft Benson, a Latter Day Prophet made a promise that reading daily from the Book of Mormon would increase the spirit of reverence in the home, that mutual respect and consideration would grow and that the spirit of contention would depart. I believe that over the past 6 months I have witnessed this in my own home.

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

Mormons are big in family history work because we believe that everyone should have a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and choose to join. We believe in doing our genealogy and offering our ancestors the chance to join the church even though they didn't get the chance while they were alive.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I pray when I wake up in the morning, when I go to bed, before I eat, and throughout the day.

We also try to hold family prayer in the morning and evening.

It is good to pray on my own in a quiet place. I can feel the spirit better and listen for answers.

I have had several experiences in my life where I have received direct answer to prayer. Answers to prayer are not always what I want them to be but I know that God is listening and does answer.

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

We read from the Book of Mormon daily as a family. We say family prayers, each taking a turn to talk out loud of Father in Heaven. We attend church and church activities. We have weekly family home evenings where we talk about specific gospel principles we feel our children need more learning about. We also have tried to establish family traditions, like breakfast in bed on Mother's day or giant heart cookies for everyone on Valentine's day. Simple traditions like weekly family movie night with popcorn are the most successful and don't cost much money. Creating memories of our family having fun together as well as teaching the gospel to our kids is important.

My husband and I try to attend the temple each month and to go on regular dates, even if they are free, at home, after the kids go to bed dates. We talk about our days to one another and discuss what is bugging us our what we have problems with. My husband is my best friend and confidant.

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

When I was about 9, we could not find a shoe lace that my dad needed. We had looked everywhere for it. I went and prayed for help. The thought came to my mind to look on a bookshelf and there it was.

When I was 19, I was in love with someone. He broke up with me and my heart was broken. I was so sad, I was crying and praying for comfort because I thought I would never be able to stop crying. Then my friend showed up. He had been prompted to come find me. He gave me a priesthood blessing of comfort. A feeling came over me like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket of love.

How I live my faith

The most important thing I do is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to my kids. We read from the Book of Mormon each night, we have Family Home Evening every week, we say family prayers every day.

I am a teacher to 9 year old kids at church right now and am helping them learn about the New Testament. I love helping them learn to read and understand the gospel messages in the Bible!

I am a visiting teacher to three wonderful women. My companion and I visit with them at least monthly. We take gifts and uplifting messages and visit with the sisters to talk about their lives and how things are going. We try to help out if we can. I love visiting teaching because it helps me get to know women at church I may not otherwise get to know. I also love knowing I have a support system when I need it.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

$Malina$

Malina answered...

We attend church for 3 hours on Sunday. Anyone is welcome at our church meetings. You can come for just one hour if you want or stay for all three hours. I always feel spiritually renewed after church.
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David answered...

Come to church with us! We would love to have you. I know attending an unfamiliar church meeting can be scary and intimidating. Feel free to go up to anyone you meet and tell them this is your first time coming. You should always feel welcome to come and attend with us. Mormon church meetings may be different than other church meetings you've attended. We typically have three meetings you can attend. Our main meeting, we call Sacrament Meeting, is intended for individuals and families to attend together. Sit up front, sit in the back. There are no assigned seats. In this meeting, we try to focus on the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. You will hear several prayers and gospel messages given in this meeting. Another meeting we have on Sunday is Sunday-School. This meeting is designed to focus on specific teachings of Christ. It is often somewhat interactive, with some class members asking questions of the teacher throughout the lesson. You are free to ask questions or simply sit back and listen. We hope you feel a genuine spirit of warmth and friendship as you attend. The final meeting we have on Sunday is a Priesthood or Relief-Society meeting. Men and attend the Priesthood meeting and women attend Relief-Society. Here we focus on the teachings of Christ that are appropriate to our roles as men and women. You should also feel free to participate, ask questions, or simply sit back and listen.

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

Devin answered...

One of the core teachings of the Church is the eternal nature of the family relationship and that marriage and gender play foundational roles in that relationship. Gender is an immutable aspect of our identity that has been part of us from the beginning, before this life. Viewed from this eternal perspective, marriage is more than a contractual arraignment between two people. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, marriage involves eternal commitments, including having children and teaching them to distinguish right from wrong. In addition to the ability to conceive children, Men and women have unique parental characteristics that, when combined, create the best scenario for raising those children. Those abilities and characteristics are not present in same-sex marriages.

As far as same-gender attraction goes, the Church's attitude mirrors that of its attitude to any sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship -- complete abstinence. In that sense, the Church does not distinguish between homosexuals and heterosexuals in how it looks upon sexual activity outside of marriage. It emphasizes the cultivation of heterosexual relationships at appropriate times because it is that relationship that leads to marriage.