Hi, I'm Lindy

I live in Canada with my husband and three adorable boys. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Gospel has been my guide, my standard, and my strength. I am proud and trilled to say that I am a full time homemaker. I have a Bachelors of Arts in Art and have been a Photographer and illustrator, but being a mom is where I find my greatest fulfillment. I still enjoy photography, digi-scrapbooking, painting, etc. but doing a craft with my boys seems more important at this season of my life.

Why I am a Mormon

I have the most wonderful parents who taught me about the gospel of Jesus Christ before I could even talk. My father was a Salt Lake City boy with strong roots in the church. My mother, however, was raised in England during WWII and new nothing of the LDS faith. Her journey to the LDS church was always a deep part of who I was, but all of us at some point need to discover what we believe for ourselves independent of anyone else.

There was never a huge event that made me know that what I had been taught my whole life was true, but rather it was a gradual realization and spiritual building process, that occurred throughout my teenage years and early adulthood. My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was 16, and for a time it was believed that she only had a few years to live. Thankfully that diagnoses was inaccurate, and she is now in remission, but I had to come to grips with what "forever" meant and what comes next for us on earth. I knew that my mother would always be my mother even after death, and this gave me a foundation to stand on.

Latter, it was the mistakes of others that did not hold to the standards that the Gospel provides that let me see what a blessing I had in the LDS church. I saw people I love wreck their lives because they did not have the wisdom and strength of standards.

Also, as I served a full time mission for the Church, I had the opportunity to truly find out what others believed, and recognize the points of doctrine that are completely unique to the LDS Church. Doctrine that answers questions like "Where did I come from?" and "Why am I here?" are answered in this church in a way that I always took for granted. When I realized the my whole perspective on my purpose in life was unique to the LDS faith, I gained gratitude for the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, as a wife and mother, it is the Gospel that is holding us together. It unites us, it drives us to want to do the hard right things instead of the destructive easy things. I feel this everyday, and now not only to I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I NEED the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I realize how blessed I am, and I am eternally grateful.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

A few days ago I had reached a breaking point. Some problems in my life seemed to be weighing me down. It had been too much for too long, and I started to get major anxiety. These problems were pretty much self-made problems where selfish pride was at the core. I had already talked to my husband who was now busy at work, so that day I called up my sister to vent on the phone. I tried analyzing everything out on paper, and yet I was still full to the brim of anxiety. I realized that I should probably pray (ya think?!) Of course I pray morning and night and over meals etc. but I needed a real heart to heart with my Father in Heaven.

I prayed about my problems. Mostly saying through my tears that I didn't know what to do. I prayed and prayed; telling Him what I was going through and being honest with why I was so prideful not knowing how to change. After a while, I started praying about my faith instead. I started telling Him about how I needed stronger faith, and I got the distinct impression that I should start reading a certain book to help my faith grow stronger. I had never read the book; It was my husband's. I tossed my problems on the back-burner and went over to my bookshelf to get the desired book that in my mind had nothing to do with my problems and everything to do with my faith.

I started reading from the start, and immediately found on those first pages answers to my problems. God had killed two giants with one stone. I now knew how God wanted me to solve my problems, and answering me so directly increased my faith. He is aware of us. He wants to direct us. We need to reach out to his open arms so we can be safely guided by him.

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

We believe that God has doctrine that He does not waver from. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and what he stands for does not change for the convenience of people on earth. One of these doctrines, for example, is that you must be baptized with proper authority. It seems unfair, however, for God to require some guy in Asia who had never even heard the name "Jesus" in his whole life to be baptized. He never had the chance. There are provisions for situations like this. After Jesus died, he open the keys of spiritual prison, and from then on, people who have died are taught the true gospel of Christ and are given the chance that they might not have had on earth, to be a disciple of Christ. This means ordinances that needed to be done on earth, like baptism, have to be done by proxy. Those that are living get baptized for and in behalf of those that have passed on. Then those who are dead can CHOOSE to accept the proxy service that was preformed for them. We do genealogy work so we can find our ancestors, and help them receive all the ordinances they need to progress after this life. Besides baptism, the sealing of families is an ordinance for the LDS church. Through the priesthood authority of God, husbands and wives are "sealed" or bonded to each other for eternity. Likewise, children are then sealed to their parents. When we do our family history, we are completing the family tree and sealing us altogether for the eternities, so that when we cross into the next life, our families, including the generations before us, will be forever joined and knit together under Jesus.

I have had the wonderful experience of doing family history work on my mother's side of the family, and it makes me a stronger person to know where I came from and to know that I am serving my ancestors in something that they can not do for themselves. I can feel of the lives they lived and how their spirits are not forgot or even dead. Their spirits continue to live on, and I am blessed in this life because of it.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

I think hope is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. It's optimism in a world where things seem to continually get worse. I strive for optimism, but I guess by nature I am skeptical a lot of the time. My mom once showed me an email she had gotten that had photos of the universe. They were incredible. There were so many colours and vibrant things out in space. Being a photographer, I use photoshop a lot. I get rid of zits and moles, I get rid of double chins, I make the mother-of-the-bride loose 40 lbs. I said to my mom "that's probably just photoshopped." She was deflated but agreed that I might be right.

A few months later my mom and dad were visiting our house while my husband and I were doing major spring cleaning. We had a huge bonfire going on our property. My husband was throwing a lot onto it, and in the mix some extension cords and wiring got thrown on. It created an amazing effect. The most brilliant purples and blues started flaming up off the fire. Greens and turquoise too. The blaze was so beautiful, and yet was just a bunch of trash and weeds being burned. I remembered my conversation with my mom. How pessimistic of me to think that beauty in the universe was photoshopped. If there was glorious colours in my backyard, there certainly could be some in God's handiwork.

Often in our lives, we get caught up in horrible statistics and bombarding media not to mention the tragedies that are personally attacking us, but when we unplug ourselves and reevaluate ourselves, there's a lot out there that is beautiful. A Mormon "article of Faith" which are things that we believe in goes like this "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

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

Basically, we keep the question "What would Jesus do?" as our main standard. There is a relationship pyramid that we keep in mind. At the bottom is our relationship with Christ. The next level is our relationship with our spouse, next is the relationship with each child. Then comes teaching behaviours, and at the top is correcting negative behaviours. If we are having troubles with one level, it's probably because a level below it needs some work. So often people start at the top of the pyramid and just try to fix others and try to make them into the person they want them to be, but this is hardly ever successful without the proper foundations.

Relationships are so vital to us as people. It is the source of our happiness. We need attachment, and it takes effort in this world to create them. Attaching to Christ means knowing who he is. This is why the LDS church focuses again and again on DAILY scripture study, praying in the morning, at night, over meals, with the family and as couples. Going to church every week, serving others. These are the ways to get a relationship with Christ, and it is the foundation to a happy family.

Next is our attachment to our spouse. This means weekly couple's meeting (that are short...we do 15 minutes) where you talk about what your plans are for the week, what problems there might be and where the children are at in life. This means a date night each week (which the LDS church suggests.) It means openly communicating about everything...NO SECRETS. It means couple retreats every now and then to keep things on track. It means praying together and discussing Gospel subjects together. And, unfortunately in our society it also means monitoring each other's internet usage to help each other stay safe.

Next is our attachments to our children. This means weekly mentoring sessions with each individual child (again..short meetings unless they really need a long one) It means a weekly family meeting where we talk about family schedules, issues, concerns, and goals (I know it sounds like a lot of meetings, but since the couple meeting, the mentor meetings, and the family meeting are all just 15 minutes each, it just takes an hour out of your Sunday afternoon and makes a world of difference.) This means Family Home Evening. This is a LDS program that encourages families to get together every Monday night for an evening of spiritual thoughts and fun family activities. This means a date with each individual child at least once a month. This means that if you feel your child slipping away from you, to take the time to detach them from peers and all media and creating a situation where open conversation and bonding can take place. Like camping or service activities.

Then comes teaching behaviours. We need to make our standards, goals, expectations, and rules very clear. We cannot expect others to read our minds or gestures and instinctively know what we want them to do.

Then comes correcting negative behaviours. If the foundations are put in place, correcting negative behaviours is not a huge obstacle to overcome. Connect before you correct is my motto. "I know that he stole your toy, and that is very frustrating, but that is no reason to hit him." "I know you weren't able to go last week with Katie, and I know she means a lot to you, but tonight is a family night." Strive to understand before being understood. Consequences are teachers. Consistency, and following promptings of the spirit are the key.

How I live my faith

My faith is not just an inner idea, rather it is an all encompassing force that drives everything I do. The LDS church is set up in such a way that facilitates lifting one another in faith. There never lacks opportunities of service. As women there is a program of "visiting teachers" set up that allows us to organize home visits between a few women at least once a month. We share inspirational messages, find out if any service is needed, and strengthen friendships. But the LDS Church's main goal is to strengthen families. The are resources and magazines for every age that teach all of us how to have a close and eternally-lasting family. We come together as a family every Monday night to have "Family Home Evening" which the LDS Church created which is a night of faith promoting, schedule coordinating, and fun activities that bring us closer.

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

Lindy answered...

The Word of Wisdom is a health code that LDS people follow. It is found in the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which Mormons to believe to be scripture. Basically, it tells us that there must be moderation in all things that we eat. Our body is a temple, and we need to treat it that way. Things that are addictive or harmful cannot be taken in moderation. Drugs, tobacco, and alcohol are among these harmful things. Tea and coffee, which can be addictive because of caffeine and also has the harmful substance of tannic acid, are avoided as well. Herbal teas that do not contain tea leaves are fine. Most Mormons avoid any caffeinated drinks such as colas and energy drinks, but it is not talked about specifically in any Mormon doctrine. We need to eat mainly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Meat should be eaten sparingly.

We are given a promise, that if we do these things we shall "find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;" In the early 1800s when this commandment was given, there was not a full understanding of the horrible effects of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The Word of Wisdom is one of the ways I can see how the Lord directs the prophet in matters that are not even understood by science at the time.
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Mark answered...

The word of wisdom is the Lord's law of health. We abstain from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and are encouraged to eat wholesome food and grains, and not eat excessive meat. I am asked all of the time by my fellow residents at the hospital why I don't drink coffee, and how I can stay awake all night on call without it. I don't consider it a sacrifice, though, and am as awake and perform as well as any. It is true that the body will be more healthy when following the word of wisdom, the but the main benefit is spiritual. The knowledge that you are in line with the the Lord's teaching is the most important thing.

Why are only some Mormons allowed into temples? Is there something secret going on in Mormon Temples? What goes on in Mormon Temples?

Adam answered...

There are many different things that happen inside a Mormon Temple. It's a place where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) make sacred two way promises with God called Covenants. These covenants aren't secret, they're sacred, and so we don't talk about them outside of the temple out of respect for them. Members also go to the temple to be married for time and all eternity. Not just "until death do you part" but even after death. We also perform ordinances such as baptism for people who have died without receiving the opportunity to be baptized. A worthy member is baptized in the place of the deceased.
The temple is a sacred place where the spirit of the Lord is and so one must be worthy to enter. So even members of the church must have a special recommend in order to enter.