Hi, I'm Jessica

Life is hard but it's hard to help us become all we can become!

About Me

I'm 26 years old and married to an amazing man! My husband is going to college for Electrical Engineering Technology. I have 2 Associates degrees; one is in American Sign Language and the other is in Early Childhood Education! I am currently a student going for my Bachelor's Degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting and will graduate in May of 2013. It's been a long road getting my education. When I finish, it will have taken me 10 years! I am currently pregnant with our first child which will be due in May 2012! It's going to be a challenge to finish my degree but I've had more challenges in life so I think I can handle it. I have scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. My scoliosis was pretty bad as a teenager and had to wear a back brace for a while as well as have two back surgeries to correct my curvature. I now have three metal rods in my back and actually feel pretty great. I'm in pain at times but I'm very glad for the experience I went through. It made me stronger and I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for the challenges I faced when I was younger. My husband and I like to watch movies together and love The X-Files and Lost. We also like to go hiking, camping, and doing things outdoors. We also have two cats that we love very much named Mace (which means cat in Albanian) and Avash (which means calm down/chill out in Albanian).

Why I am a Mormon

I joined the Church when I was 17 years old, a week before my 18th birthday! All my life I would go to different churches because I love God and Christ. I didn't realize it then, but I was always trying to find the right church/Christ's Church. When I was 15 and 16 years old my mom had two brain surgeries and I had two back surgeries. My mom has two brain aneurysms and I have scoliosis. I was very upset that I had to go through this difficult time. I became angry at God and became depressed. While I was in the hospital the second time I met a woman who comforted me and helped me realize that she was sent to me because of God. She had been through a similar surgery and I was able to realize what I could become. I decided to find a church to go to. About 9 months later I got my first job and met my a boy who had lost his mother to breast cancer. I noticed how he seemed so happy even though he lost his mom. He had been through a much more tragic situation and even though I went through a lot of pain I still was alive and so was my mom. I began to ponder about why he was so happy and I wasn't. We became good friends and I met with the missionaries. I started to understand why I went through what I did and how Christ has felt all the pains I had felt. I also loved how someday my body wouldn't be in pain and I could live with my family forever. I got baptized in 2003 and ever since that day my life has been amazing! I still have struggles but I can feel that God is always there and that He loves me. I love to go to Church and feel the Holy Ghost and the love of God. I continue to go because I see God's hand in my life and want to continue to see it! Now me and that boy are married and have been to the temple to be married for eternity.

Personal Stories

How can we develop greater harmony in our homes?

When we are learning about God and applying Christ's teachings in our homes and lives we get closer to God but also with our families. When we apply Christ's teaching in our lives we want to love others and show that love. We don't want to hurt others around us. When we want to be more like Christ we become loving and charitable as He was. We're not perfect and still get upset with others but for the most part there is more harmony when we want to be more like Christ. I think one thing that helps my husband and I is the picture of Christ that is hung up in our apartment. I feel like Christ is there and it helps us show our love for each other. We also pray together in the morning and at night. I love praying because we are talking to Heavenly Father about our worries or the things we are thankful for and it allows us to see how much love we have for one another.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

Missions are to help bring others to know for themselves that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's Church on the Earth today. Missionaries make the choice to serve missions and set aside their lives to do a mission for Christ and Heavenly Father. I was a full-time missionary for the Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City was the best mission for me and I loved every minuet; even though it was hard. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, severed as a full-time mission at the same time as me but in Albania. We communicated through letters that we wrote each other throughout our times as missionaries. I loved being a full-time missionary because I loved seeing the changes and excitement the people I met and taught had when they came to know for themselves that the Church was true. I got to meet people I would have never met if it hadn't been for being a missionary. I met people from all over the world such as; Burma, Africa, Iran, China, etc. Meeting those people really changed my life. I felt like Salt Lake City was the best mission for me because as a convert I got to experience the culture and daily lives of Latter Day-Saints since Salt Lake is very populated with Latter-Day Saint. However, there are many people who aren't members of the Church there which made Salt Lake more like home at times as well. Missions are hard because you want so much for other people to have the happiness and understanding that you have. Many times others don't accept it and it hurts but everyone in this world has the choice to accept the messages the missionaries share or not. I loved my being a missionary and still help the full-time missionaries today.

How I live my faith

Living everyday to be more like Christ is how I live my faith. Everyday I try to remember the two greatest commandments; to love God and to love others. When you can do those two things you are trying to be the best person you can be. At church I am involved with the full-time missionaries. I help the sister missionaries when they need someone to go with to meetings with people interested learning more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I also get to share why I am Mormon and what I believe. I love helping the missionaries! I also go visiting teaching; which is when sisters(women) go an visit other women in the ward(congregation).

How can I know Mormonism is true?

Jessica answered...

You can meet with the missionaries and be open to what they teach. Then when they ask you to pray about The Book of Mormon or something else do it! Heavenly Father will answer your prayers and let you know this is true! I had a hard time when I was learning about the church, I was nervous because it was a nice experience. I felt very strongly that the Plan of Salvationwhere we came from, why we're here, and where we're going was true but I had a hard time with knowing the Joseph Smith was a prophet. Someone sat me down and asked me how I felt about what the missionaries were teaching me. I told him that I felt that the Plan of Salvation was true but I was still struggling with Joseph Smith. He asked me if I had ever heard of the things I believed were true in any other church. I said no. Then he said that it was because Joseph Smith restored those truths again to the earth and other churches didn't have that knowledge. If you believe one thing is true that the missionaries have taught you then the rest has to be true as well.
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J. Sean answered...

Here is a simple step by step instruction on how to know Mormonism is true.

1. Meet with missionaries.
2. Pray to Heavenly Father with real intent and ask something like this, " I want to know if this is Your church, so is this Your church?".
3. READ THE BOOK OF MORMON! Ask God if it is true.
4. Look for an anwser from God. He speaks with us through our thoughts and feelings by the Holy Ghost. Ask the missionaries for more details.
5. Come to church to see for yourself.
6. Keep the commandments that the missionaries teach you.
7. Repeat until answer is received.

To what do you attribute the growth of the Church?

Angela answered...

I think the Church is growing because people see that there can be a better way to live, that they don't have to be bound by the chains of addiction, pornography, dysfunction and broken homes. We know that the most important thing in this world is the family and the future of this world is found in the lives of the children and teenagers we see on the street, in our malls and schools. The best thing we can do is teach them to be honest, upright and moral citizens who can contribute to the betterment of society. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the family is incredibly significant--so significant that God wants us to be families forever, even when we die. This is huge for many people in the world who realize that their children can really be with them forever. There is tremendous comfort in that, and I think this is why so many people are drawn to this Church. It provides hope and peace.