Hi, I'm Terrie Lynn

I write books about homeschooling and volunteer. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a wife, a mother to three grown children, a grandmother, and a writer. I became a Mormon when I was seventeen years old, joining without anyone else in my family. I homeschooled my three children, which was scary, but very rewarding, because I love being a Mom.

When I'm not writing, I love doing family history work--I always have loved learning the family stories, even as a child. I'm trying to learn to garden, overcoming a lifetime of not being very good at it. I'm not really domestic, but I can bake bread, oddly. To tell the truth though, I'd rather be teaching or writing or telling stories.

Why I am a Mormon

My parents belonged to two different faiths and decided their children should choose for themselves. I considered this a sacred responsibility and set out to figure out where God wanted me. As I visited various churches, I sometimes annoyed Sunday School teachers with odd questions. "If God thought we needed prophets to get ready for the first coming of Jesus, why won't He give them to us to get ready for the second coming?" As I spent time thinking and praying, I began to believe things I hadn't heard in any other church, such as having lived before we were born, but not through reincarnation, the idea that families should be forever, and that Jesus was the literal Son of God. No one knew where I got these ideas, and I didn't either. I just knew them.

When I started hearing things about Mormon beliefs, I was surprised to find out that they shared my unusual beliefs. Even so, I was pretty scared to make a comittment. I knew I was the sort of person who would choose once and stay with it forever, so I had to get it right. I prayed for a very long time before I was certain God wanted me to become a Mormon.

My testimony that this is God's church has been strengthened by many, many years of church membership, answered prayers, and special experiences. There can be no doubt in my mind now, and I'm so glad I found the right spiritual home.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

Mormons believe that families were never meant to end at death. God created families and told us to make them a priority in our lives and to love them with all our hearts. When we return to live with God, we'll be happier than we can ever imagine being. For me, it would be impossible to be happy without my family. Whenever I'm someplace wonderful by myself, I long for my family. I can't imagine God would force me to fall out of love with them and expect me to be happy about it.

Our love for our families is at the heart of family history work. Our forever family includes everyone who has ever been a part of our family. Because we love them, even those who died before we were born, we want them to enjoy all the blessings God has to offer.

However, many people died without ever knowing what God had to offer them. Mormons want to be connected to all their family forever, and this means their ancestors need to accept God's plans for them. Mormons believe everyone should have the opportunity to accept or reject the gospel, even if they die before being given that opportunity. Those who don't have the opportunity on earth will be given it in Heaven. However, they are always free, just as they would have been during their lifetimes, to accept or reject the invitation to become a member of the Church. When a proxy baptism is performed, it is done so in case the person accepted, but since we don't know whether they did or not, their names are not placed on the membership records of the Church. God will take care of all that.

For me personally, learning about my ancestors has helped me to feel a part of something much larger than myself. Recently, while researching an ancestor, I found an obituary that mentioned this person devoted her later years to caring for the poor. Soon after, I found one for another person that mentioned a lifelong comittment to caring for others. Having been raised to do this myself, I now understood this was a long tradition in my family. I continue to find records of this and I realize my passion for this comes to me as a gift from my ancestors.

I've found teachers in my history and know I inherited their love for the classroom. When I read that some branches of my family were illiterate until a few generations ago, and I see the current generations living as passionate readers and writers, I know that those who broke the illiteracy barrior were so excited they made certain our family would forever cherish its literacy. I am not just my own creation. I am made up of all the things God and my ancestors gave to me as gifts.

Which of the Savior’s teachings have influenced you in your life?

Jesus taught us to love and serve others. I grew up in a home where serving was a natural part of life. If we went on a picnic, we picked up the trash left by others. When we visited my grandmother, we stopped at the house next door to see if the older woman there needed any chores done. My parents taught us to watch for service opportunities.

Soon after I joined the church I was invited to help at a home where the mother had broken her leg as the family was moving in. We were going to be cleaning, unpacking, and getting the house set up for the family. I didn't really want to go, but I did and was impressed to notice the adults and teens who had come were having fun. We sang as we worked or we talked. We showed the children how to take care of the home while their mother was recovering. It turned out to be so much fun and I was reminded again that any type of service is fun when done in a loving and cheerful way.

I love knowing I can make a difference wherever I am. Of course, my service also helps me. I've discovered skills I never thought I had and gotten glimpses into the lives of others I would not have had otherwise. However, the real joy in serving, for me, is knowing my time on earth is going to make the lives of others a little better. Someone told me once that when we serve, we're on a mission from God to show the person we're serving how much God loves him and how aware God is of his needs. I love knowing I'm on the Lord's errand, and I'm glad when He can trust me to deliver His message of love.

How I live my faith

On Sundays, after the main service, I run a toddler nursery at church while the parents attend classes. My students are eighteen months to three years old. I have always loved teaching children, because I am extremely fond of flannel boards, storytelling, and puppets. This is the ideal job for me!

On Wednesday evenings, I volunteer as the literacy leader for my congregation. Since I don't have anyone right now who wants to learn to read, we started an English as a Second Language class, which I helped to teach. Currently, I'm teaching a class to help a number of people prepare to become United States citizens. I love this class and I love my students, who have become very good friends.Although the class is taught at church, anyone can attend, and my students sometimes bring their friends to our classes, which are free to attend. I've learned so much since being asked to do this--I knew nothing about ESL or citizenship before then.

What is the Mormon lifestyle like? How do Mormons live?

Terrie Lynn answered...

Mormons are pretty individual. You'll find some women who work and some who are at home. You'll find their children in public, private, and homeschools. You'll find them working in all sorts of careers and all over the world.

That said, there are a few things Mormons tend to have in common. For instance, they are taught to put family first. When I joined the church, I was a teenager at the age where most kids are pulling away from their families. My family didn't join the church, and my bishop (similar to a pastor) advised me to stay close to my parents and spend lots of time with them, because it's what Mormons do and so they'd see who I was becoming as I became Mormon.

Mormons hold a family night once a week, usually on Mondays. It's just the family--a time to learn and have fun together. They usually have a prayer, song, brief lesson, games, and treats. Each day, they're encouraged to hold a family prayer and scripture reading time together. While they live in the world and have careers, volunteer work, and a social life, their family is always meant to come first.

Mormons do a lot of service, both in the Church and in the community. I teach ESL and citizenship as a volunteer. It's through my church, but open to people who aren't Mormon. I also donate my writing skills to a non-profit organization and teach toddlers on Sunday. I have my own business, but I always try to make time for those kinds of service as well.

Mormons are encouraged to have a "house of learning" which means to keep learning all our lives. You'll find Mormon families studying religious and secular topics and helping their children learn as well.

I remember when I was in college that someone asked what I did for fun, since I didn't drink, smoke, use drugs or participate in other activities common to my age group, but considered immoral by Mormons. I laughed and said I'd been on a hayride the night before. He stared at me as if I were crazy, but I'd had fun. Mormons have no trouble keeping busy or having fun without getting into trouble. The teens and young adults have many activities that help them learn safe, moral ways to have a good time. Today, I'm really busy all the time, and I enjoy almost everything I do. I've learned to enjoy having productive fun, but I also enjoy just relaxing with a good book. Mormons keep busy with sports, dancing, good music, hobbies...almost anything other people keep busy with except for those things God has asked us not to do--but we don't miss any of those things.
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Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Jon answered...

No, Mormons do not practice polygamy and discontinued the practice over a century ago. Yet, whenever I discuss my faith, often the first question asked is, "how many wives do you have?" It is important to know that the religious groups that currently practice polygamy, as often seen on the news, have no affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even though some of these groups may claim otherwise.