Hi, I'm Brooke

I'm a college student, a mom and a wife. I'm also a Mormon.

About Me

I am a young mother of one precious little girl. I stay home with her and am working on finishing my college degree in small amounts as I raise my daughter. My husband works long hours so I can stay home with my baby and enjoy all of those sweet "firsts". I live in Layton, Utah and love to read!

Why I am a Mormon

I was born into the Mormon faith. But as I grew, I learned to love it by myself. I think that every teenager questions the faith they are raised in at some point and I was no exception. But upon meditation and prayer and studying the scriptures, I decided of myself that I would continue in the faith. I had no one awesome experience that made me believe in the Mormon faith. Instead, it was a bunch of smaller less dramatic experiences. Mostly, it is because it makes me happy. Living the standards of the church have never brought me misery but they have brought me uncountable joy. Life does not always go exactly as we plan, but I have always had my happiest times when I was trying my hardest to live a life in accordance to the standards of the church.

Personal Stories

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

I think that Joseph Smith is the most courageous and strong man who has lived in the last 300 years. The things he did to bring the fullness of the Gospel back to the Earth are just as amazing as the things that Moses did to free the Hebrews from bondage. He freed so many people from bondage too, just spiritual bondage. He took the necessary steps to open the world to the gospel.
If at 14, a young boy can give such a sincere and honest prayer that the Father and the Son appear to answer it, what can't be done? I love Joseph Smith. I think he is one of the greatest heros who has ever walked this Earth and deserves to be compared to the prophets of old. He is just like them in so many way. He gave up everything he had to bring God's Kingdom back on the Earth.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

Prayer for me is like therapy. I get to tell my Father in Heaven about my day. I get to tell him about the parts that were good, bad and frustrating. I also thank him everyday for the countless blessings he has given me. Each day a different prayer is said. Morning and Night are when I say my personal prayers. In the morning, I have a habit of asking for the strength and support and encouragement I will need for the various tasks ahead of me. The thing I find myself praying for the most is patience. With a one year old running me in circles, i seem to have needed lots of that in the past few months. We also say prayer before meal time. My daughter thinks it is funny when I say the prayer at lunch because it is just the two of us and she doesn't know who I am talking to. My husband and I also have prayer morning and night together. We take turns saying it. As our daughter grows, we will be bringing her in to take her turns also.
I used to think prayer was a chore growing up. Now I know it is the best thing for a troubled, sad, upset, or overwhelmed heart. I can tell Heavenly Father anything, even those things I might feel embaressed or ashamed to talk to other people about. He knows already anyway!

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

Having family prayer has helped so much as we have began to establish our little family. Also, studying the scriptures together helps us understand each other and understand the doctrine. Having someone else's opinion and insight is wonderful and we always know that we will have that time without the TV, computer, music or any other distraction fighting for our attention. It is just us and we have each other's attention. We also have goals that we are trying to reach together. One of these is to keep our finances in check. We don't want to have debt, so that is something we can talk about and move forward together with. it feels good to accomplish things together.

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized a month after I turned 8 years old. I was baptized by my father who holds the priesthood and therefore has the authority to baptize. At 8, I didn't know that for some people, the choice to be baptized is such a hard, prayerful, major decision. I knew that I wanted to be baptized in the same manner Jesus was and I was excited to be baptized. I had learned in Sunday school about when Jesus was baptized, he was in the Jordan River and that he went all the way under the water. I was a little bit nervous about going all the way under the water, because my dad had teased me that he would hold me under. He didn't, of course. I was baptized in the font of our church building. The font is pretty much an oversized bathtub. There are mirrors above it so the people who came could see. Unlike when Jesus was baptized, there was no dove and no voice from Heaven, but I was very happy!
My father also confirmed me a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that same day. He and some other men who also hold the priesthood put their hands on my head and blessed me with the gift of the Holy Ghost as well as church membership. The gift of the Holy Ghost means that although anyone can feel the spirit when they are doing good and faithful things, I could now take the Holy Ghost to be my companion anywhere that was clean, uplifting, and good. I could rely on the Spirit to help me in math class as well as to help me understand the lesson in church. It is a wonderful blessing, but one that takes persistence and patience to recognize what the Spirit is prompting me to do. Sometimes I do things that might cause the Spirit to leave for a short time, but I can always repent and put myself back in a good place again, either physically or mentally. I have found that allowing myself to be angry is one time when the Spirit will nearly always leave.
Baptism is a very hard choice for lots of people. I know that it is the right choice. Although I was very young when I entered the waters of baptism, the blessings are continuing to come. It is a fond and happy memory.

Why/How do you share the gospel with your friends?

Mostly I share the gospel with those around me by my example. If someone has a question about the church, I want them to always be able to come and ask me with out the fear that I will be upset or offended. I also want them to be able to look at my life and tell that I am living up to the standards of the church. My friends know that they are always welcome to come to church with me.
The why is much more important. I am so happy and blessed by living the gospel. If you had the most delicious cake in the whole world, wouldn't you want to share it with everyone you could talk into trying it? That is how I feel about the gospel. I think it is the most amazing, life changing thing in the world. And unlike cake, you can eat it all day long and never gain weight!

How I live my faith

I go to church every Sunday unless I or my daughter is sick. My husband and I have been assigned to teach a group of children in our ward ages 5 and 6. We really enjoy teaching them about the miracles of Jesus Christ and how to pray. We love to watch these little children get excited about Jesus and help them understand that he loves each of them very much.
I also visit a couple of the women in my ward with a partner. We go and share simple and short messages with these fellow sisters and make sure that they are doing well. When one of them had surgery, I made dinner for her and her small family and when I had my daughter, someone did the same for me. It is a great sisterhood where we can share our hopes, dreams, and fears with each other. We are also able to share simple tips or talk about things we like to do.
I pray many times each day. With my family, at meals, and on my own. I study the scriptures and try and apply the things I learn to my life. I am by no means perfect, but I feel joy and strength from reading the scriptures and especially when I offer up my troubles and fears to my Father in Heaven during personal prayer.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Brooke answered...

No. All worth young men are encouraged to go (usually at age 19) unless mental or physical health would be a problem. The decision to serve a mission is one that should be prayed about by the individual and through much discussion with parents, bishops, and other important people. Young women can also serve missions. The church allows them to go as young as 21. Also, older married couples who are retired and do not need a means of supporting themselves can serve missions. The types of missions available are very broad. A young man who has poor health can serve what is called a service mission that might only be a few hours a week working in one of the church's humanitarian centers or other similar projects. Older couples also have these sort of options if their health or family situation makes it too difficult to serve away from home. I never served a full time mission, although my husband did.
Serving a mission is a wonderful way to devote yourself to the Lord and to grow your personal testimony, but it is not required by every member of the church.
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Trisha answered...

Serving a mission is a priesthood responsibility, and young men are asked to sacrifice two years in order to serve others, gain experience as followers of Christ, and grow in their faith. However, that is a choice each individual has to make on their own and deciding not to go does not affect a person's standing in the Church. But those who do go, men and women alike, usually find that two years is not enough time and wish they could stay longer. Service creates bonds of love for the people you serve. I was unable to go in my young adult years, but I still yearn for the opportunity and look forward to a time when I can serve as a missionary.

What is being a Mormon like?

Rebecca answered...

My membership in Church has been very rewarding. Here are some of the reasons why:
- It helps me focus on the things that will matter most in the long run, such as building my relationship with my husband, teaching and making memories with my girls, and serving others.
- It provides a rich social environment, but at the same time motivates me to reach out in my community and carve out time for personal reflection and meditation.
- It helped me prioritize my education when I was a teenager and young adult.
- It has helped me develop management and leadership skills. I've had numerous opportunities to lead meetings, plan and execute events, teach classes, mentor individuals, and speak to groups.
- It has consistently enabled me to build relationships with individuals from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. I have a vested interest in the future of people in a variety of circumstances, facing a range of challenges.
- It encourages me in healthy living -- exercising, eating right, and avoiding addictive habits.
- It's given me a vision for what I want to do when I reach retirement age: my husband and I plan to serve a mission, which could entail doing humanitarian service in a developing country, or teaching people closer to home about Jesus Christ.
- It has helped me understand that the purpose of my life is to try to be like Jesus Christ and to serve him, and that after I die I can live in His presence.