Hi, I'm Britty

I grew up in Missouri, where I live with my husband and young daughter. I love my family very much. I am a Mormon.

About Me

I'm 21 years old and joined the church when I was 17. I have been married for almost 3 years and have a 1 year old daughter. I have a dog and a cat and I really care about animals and people. I'm going to college to become a High School Spanish teacher. I like reading, spending time with my family and friends, cooking, and I watch too much TV.

Why I am a Mormon

Before I visited a Mormon church, I had no idea what it was about. I didn't know it was really called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I literally knew nothing about the religion. All I knew was that the nicest people at my school always turned out to be Mormon. I invited myself to my now husband's church meeting because I felt drawn to it. I've never been really interested in religion before, I wasn't the kind of teen you would expect to see at church. My parents are Methodist, but I've never gone to church regularly, prayed other than at dinner sometimes, or read the Bible. I just really wanted to know what was different about this church that made my teenage friends so happy and kind.

What I learned is so true to what I already knew in my heart, but hadn't found yet. I found it hard to believe that God would send a child to Hell just because he had died before being baptized, and that was the number one thing that stood out to me. I also love that we are all part of God's plan and that we can live with him once again. This church is the true restored church of Jesus Christ. My life has been truly blessed as I have been trying to live God's Commandments.

Personal Stories

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

My husband and I have recently been praying nightly and often together. We have developed a more harmonious relationship because we are able to share this together. We have Family Home Evening every week, and are able to spend time thinking together and sharing thoughts. Every day, I enjoy hearing my husband's prayers because I lets me in on what he is feeling and thinking and what is most important to him.

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

A big challenge that we've had is paying our tithing. When you have a little baby and not enough money to cover the bills, it is hard to give 10% of that little money you have, away. My husband made it a priority to pay our tithing and I have joined in full heartedly. We have recieved more blessings than we could have imagined and have not gone one month without being able to pay our bills. Somehow, we've been pulling through and we thank Our Heavenly Father often for the blessings he has given us.

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

Through my faith in Jesus Christ, I have had many many blessings. Since becoming a member of the church, I've married my wonderful husband and had a beautiful baby. Since becoming an active and worthy member of the church, our blessing have grown so high I can't explain. As soon as we started paying our tithing (though we have not much money) we have been blessed with the opportunity to buy a house, one that is stable and safe and we are able to pay for it. We have been blessed to buy this house just before the end of the tax credit, we recieved that money in just enough time to pay bills on time and have been able to pay off our debt. One week, we payed our tithing on a Sunday, knowing fully that we would not be able to pay our bills the following week. That next Monday, we were blessed with a large gift of money and we were able to pay our bills, and tithing on that as well. I have an illness and through the power the Holy Spirit, I have been able to overcome more and more trials. Every day I pray, I feel uplifted and motivated to do the things I need to. Every day I read the scriptures, my burdens are lightened and my outlook improved. My faith in Jesus Christ grows stronger every day.

What have you done successfully to shield your family from unwanted influences?

One big thing we have done is we stay away from higher than PG-13 movies. We are a young couple and our friends are often seeing movies that are R rated or going to clubs and parties. We miss the social interaction, but we gain much more by keeping the Spirit with us. We hope to set a good example for our friends and hope they will want to recieve the blessings that we recieve.

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

After I got baptized, I still wasn't making right choices. Soon, I stopped going to church. Although I still had a testimony of this church, it was weakened. Once I had my baby, I knew that we needed to go to church because I want her to be raised with worthy parents. We started going to church every Sunday, but that wasn't enough. I started praying more. Then, I started reading scriptures more. When we started paying tithing, we were blessed with the ability to buy a house of our own. We pray before meals, we pray before bed together, we have Family Home Evening where we learn about gospel principles, I go to church activities. Going back to church was an easy step for us and by making that step, it was easier for us to really start living worthily. In James 1, it talks about "hearers" and "doers." I was once only a hearer of the word, but once I started being a doer too, my life changed dramatically.

How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?

Knowing the purpose of being here is the best thing that could have happened to me. I know now that this 80+ years of hard decisions and sometimes suffering, will end in my eternal happiness if I spend this "probation" working on myself and making good choices. I love knowing that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me.

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized when I was 17, against the wishes of my parents. My father would not open his mind to the church. I, however, had read some of the Book of Mormon and had met with the Missionaries. I felt the Holy Ghost and he made it known to me that this church was true. At my baptism, I had people I had recently met at church give talks and I picked some songs I liked that we all sang. There were many many people who came to watch my baptism, many of whom I did not know. I asked someone I knew most of my life to baptize me, he was the same age as me. It was his first time baptizing anyone, but I think he did a good job. Unfortunately, I forgot a towel, and so did the guy baptizing me! Luckly, my boyfriend (now my husband)'s mom ran home to get some food she left there and grabbed a towel just in case I hadn't brought one. (prompting of the Holy Ghost? probably) My baptism was the best feeling I'd had. I felt renewed and every Sunday I take the Sacrament I feel my covent renewed and I feel peace.

Think about your everyday activities. What are things you act upon each day where you cannot see the end results? How does faith move you to action?

Everyday we make choices and these little choices we make will end up deciding the fate of our souls after our bodies die. I pray throughout the day, follow the Word of Wisdom by not drinking coffee or tea, I don't watch movies that are more than PG-13 and if a movie under that rating is still inappropriate, I turn it off. By having Family Home Evening each week and going to church and church activities, it keeps my faith strong and makes it easier to make those little choices correctly. Faith in Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation/Happiness helps me to know that while I may suffer now from something I want now, but don't take, after I die, I will live eternally happy. What could be better than that?

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost helps me often, as long as I am listening. When I pray and read the scriptures often and when I attend church often, I am more able to hear the Holy Ghost. I believe that the Holy Ghosts reminds me to pray in time of need and comforts me when I need it. The Holy Ghost helps me choose what is right. One time, I had the sudden urge while making breakfast to call my husband and remind him to pray (he forgets sometimes). As I walked from the kitchen to the living room, I was just in time to stop my baby from pulling a tv tray down on herself! If I hadn't had the urging of the Holy Ghost, my child could have been injured. I rescued my baby and called my husband to remind him to pray and to thank Our Heavenly Father for our blessings. I've experienced things like this many many times, after 50 times it can't be a coincedence.

How I live my faith

I live my faith daily, it is a huge part of my life. I say personal and family prayers daily. I read my scriptures daily (if I remember!) and I teach my daughter simple principles, like the importance of prayer. I go to church every Sunday and participate in church activities. I have been given a calling from God, in which I volunteer my time to help plan monthly activities for the women of my ward (the people who go to the same church building and meeting time as me).

Does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorse political parties?

Britty answered...

No. We are reminded to vote, but that is all, never recommended to vote for a certain thing.
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Emrol answered...

Members of the Church are encouraged to be actively involved in their communities. This involvement may even include political activity. The Church is made up members who hold differing political views, positions and opinions. While the Church will support any measure or position that will allow for the free practice of our religion, and the strengthening and supporting of families in general, it does not endorse any specific person involved in political activity, platform, or party.

Why don’t Mormons drink coffee, tea, or alcohol? What is the Mormon Church’s law of health and proper diet?

Braden Scothern answered...

We do not drink coffee, tea, alcohol, use tobacco, or illegal drugs because of a commandment known as the Word of Wisdom.

The Word of Wisdom was a commandment revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith in 1833. It tells us the importance of keeping care of our bodies because they are temples. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

We know that while from the outside it may seem restrictive it really gives us freedom it blesses us physically and spiritually. The things that we are counseled to stay away from in this law from our loving Heavenly Father help us keep our agency. When you are addicted to something you have given up some of your agency, it controls you. Satan tries to use addictive things to bind us down so we cannot focus on our relationships with the Lord.

In addition to us keeping our agency we are promised these things in the Word of Wisdom: "all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments... shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures... And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen." (D&C 89:18-21

So those who keep the commandment are able to be in tune with the Holy Ghost more. That is a great blessing because it is the Spirit that helps us stay on the path to eternal life and teaches us all spiritual truths.