Hi, I'm Alicia

I'm a mother, an artist, a fantastic cook when I want to be, I love the outdoors, riding my vespa and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am in my 30's and a mom of 4 kids. I am married to a wonderful man who loves our Savior and loves his family. My husband is a full time student studying Physics and Astronomy. We both enjoy spending time together every chance we get and often take turns reading newly checked out library books to the kids. I love music and I love dancing with my children to my favorite songs by Jack Johnson, Cold Play, and old classics too such as Neil Diamond, Billy Joel and Paul Simon. I love the smell of fresh rain, the sound of thunderstorms, going on nature walks and being out in the open air. I also enjoy watching documentaries and checking out books on science, geography, history, and art.

Why I am a Mormon

My mom actually belonged to many different churches while she was growing up. She belonged to the Methodist, Lutheran, Assembly of God, African-Methodist Evangelical, and others. When she found this Church their whole family joined. So I was raised in the Mormon faith. My parents always encouraged me to find out for myself if it was the right religion. They taught me to pray, to study scriptures and search out answers. I had read parts of the Bible and parts of the Book of Mormon but it wasn't until I was 17 or 18 when I read the Book of Mormon all the way through and prayed about it. I’ve read it many, many times since then and have no doubt that it is true! I also know we have living prophets and apostles on the earth today just as we did during the times of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James and John.

Personal Stories

How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?

When I study the Book of Mormon, I feel the Spirit of the Lord as described in Gal 522 and Matt 720. Countless times I have found within it's pages direct answers to my prayers, insights to problems, and an undeniable spirit of truth. Most importantly, I have gained a stronger testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. It is truly another testament of Christ. It may also be of interest to know that through studying the Book of Mormon I have also gained a stronger testimony and love of the Holy Bible. These two books make perfect missionary companions. Together they are a fullfilment of Old Testament prophecy found in Ezekiel 3717-19. Because of this second witness, I don’t just believe God lives, I know!

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?

Well my husband and I made a big decision when we felt he needed to return to school to get his degree. At this time, we had three children and one on the way. We sold our home, paid off my husband's previous school loans and moved into a small apartment near the University he would be attending. I have chosen to be a stay at home mom and so my husband returning to school meant a very large cut of our income. This would take a huge leap of faith. But we had prayed about this decision and knew without any doubt that this is what we needed to do. It has since been 2 yrs. in our new place and we have been amazed at how everything is working out. We have witnessed miracle upon miracle with the Lord providing the way for my husband to contiue his schooling each semester and me being able to stay home with our children. What seemed like such a great sacrifice at first has resulted in the very best years of our marriage and family! I can't wait to see what's next!

How I live my faith

Prayer and study of the scriptures are part of my every day life. I love to read the Bible along with the Book of Mormon. Lately, I have been studying the Old Testament. Every Sunday I partake of the Sacrament or "The Lord's Supper" to remember the sacrifice of my Savior, that I have promised to follow His righteous example and to remember that it is only through His Atonement and Grace that I am saved. I remember that it is through Him I am made clean from sin. Attending the Temple is also a very regular practice for me and my husband. In the Holy Temple we are also reminded of Christ and our need for His Grace. Currently I am serving as the president of the children's organization for my area. I have also served in leadership of youth groups and women's organizations. I have had the privilege of working with Church councils where we discuss how to best help others, strengthen families, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in our area.

Why was a Restoration of the Gospel needed? Haven't we always had the Bible?

Alicia answered...

The Restoration of the Gospel does not replace the Bible but rather clarifies and enhances it. When I study the Book of Mormon, listen to the words of modern day Prophets and Apostles or participate in Temple ordinances it’s like having the missing pieces to a puzzle. I feel an even stronger testimony of the Bible. I feel like I understand it more, I desire to study it more and I want to live it more. I love the Bible!
Todd answered...

Well, the Bible hasn't always existed, at least not in it's present form. The Old Testament is a collection of writing from ancient prophets and the New Testament is a collection of Christ's followers and apostles. Think about this, for thousands of years, God revealed truth about the purpose of life and direction of how we should live. Why, then did it stop?

After the Ascension of Christ into heaven, his Apostles carried on: teaching, building the church, acting under the authority of Christ. Not long into the growth of this newly founded church, others felt they knew better than these men (both in and out of the new Christian faith). Many leaders rejected the teaching of Paul and the other apostles (or at least distorted their meaning and intent) and taught things they found to be pleasing to their followers. This rejection/dstortion is called the Great Apostasy. It led to the death of the apostles and the withdrawal of God's authority on the earth. As a result, the Christian world claimed the Canon was closed and that we had all that needed to said from God.

The Restoration literally was the return of God's authority on the earth. We believe that God speaks to man and that the Canon is not closed, nor will it ever be. Revelation is the key to our salvation, because it is the only way we can truly come to know of the redeeming power of our Savior. That is why we needed the Restoration.

Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?

Madelyn answered...

I feel that men and women both have different but equally important roles in getting us back to God. In God's eternal plan we were spirits in His presence before this life. To progress we needed to get bodies on this earth, then perform specific ordinances (eg baptism, marriage) to return to God after this life. Women were given the godly power to bring spirits into this world and give them bodies, then nurture and raise these children with God's inspiration and guidance. The men were assigned the responsibility (through the God's Priesthood power) to serve others and administer the ordinances that will bring God's children back to His presence after this life. Both roles are necessary and equally important to God's plan for us.
I don't think women need the Priesthood to be powerful influences and to do God's work in their homes and in the church. I see men grow spiritually, and their characters become more godly when they act in God's name through using the Priesthood.
I have never felt the need to hold the Priesthood myself. I can still receive all the blessings offered by the Priesthood, my prayers can be just as powerful, and I still have access to the inspiration of God in my life.