Hi, I'm Jessica Marie

I am married to a wonderful man and mother to three wonderful boys.I am Mormon.

About Me

About me is sometimes so difficult, I just don't know what to tell you. I am a mother to three boys, all school age and very active. We love to camp, hike, and spend time in the great outdoors. I love the beach, everything about it calls to me. The smell of the ocean, the feel of mist on my face - watching the boys bury each other in the sand.
Right now, my favorite in home activity is crochet. I am learning to knit as well, but I really like crochet. I'm teaching a friend how to sew, and that has been very rewarding as well as fun. If I don't have a crochet hook in my hand, I probably have a book. Reading has long been one of my favorite past times...I read while camping, I have tried reading while hiking - I don't recommend it. My reading interests vary wildly. I love history, historical fiction, classic literature and of course my scriptures. On my list of favorites are Harry Potter, The Ranger's Apprentice, The Percy Jackson series and Fablehaven...ok, you got me, I like kid books.
Whew, well, that describes me in a nutshell.

Why I am a Mormon

Many people find my story of conversion to the faith interesting simply because it took so long! My two best friends as a child were Mormon, and in a small town where there were only two Mormon families, that is quite interesting. I attended church services with them on several occasions, and I never understood why other people thought they were different. I didn't notice anything odd. We sang hymns, we read the bible, we listened to spiritual talks... Same. After growing up and moving away, I happened to marry an inactive Mormon. He was very anti-church and did not want to talk about his faith. We had many other issues and eventually, we divorced.
My current husband was ALSO an inactive Mormon! What are the odds? He and I have had many discussions on faith and the Mormon church. After being married for almost four years, I decided to listen to the missionaries. I was so touched by their faith, as we read together from the scriptures, I felt my heart lifting. I knew that what they were teaching me was true and after praying for many hours and begging for forgiveness for all of my past sins, I asked to be baptized. What a wonderful experience it was. I am so happy to have the knowledge that God loves me, has a plan for me, cares about my trials and will one day bring me home to live with him again. I am a child of God. That knowledge has changed my life.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

We study our family history so that we can provide our ancestors with the opportunity to be together for all eternity. We believe that families can be together forever if we follow the principles of the gospel. Those members of our family that did not have the opportunity to hear or did not accept the gospel during their time on Earth, can embrace it in the spirit world. We can help them here by providing them with a baptism by proxy (we are literally baptized on behalf of our ancestor) and they can accept that baptism, or not. It is still a choice for them, we are simply giving them the chance.

How I live my faith

Living my faith is so much fun. I share my love of Christ with everyone I meet. I may not talk with them about the church, but they can always tell that I love my fellow people. Charity is the most obvious virtue we have, Charity (the pure love of Christ) can be seen in every choice and action we make. I strive to show love to all people that I meet.
Typically, my week involves making lunch for the homeless, making quilts for children in need, crocheting hats for our troops overseas, volunteering in the LDS Temple and working with my children on their Boy Scout requirements.
Sharing my time with those in need helps me feel closer to God and his Son.

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

Jessica Marie answered...

The Mormon lifestyle is much like that of other Christian families. We have high moral values and believe in following the example of Christ in our everyday lives. There are some differences in my life since converting to the Mormon faith. I feel that I live a healthier lifestyle because of the teachings of the Church; those teachings in particular are included in the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom teaches us that we should avoid alcohol, drugs, coffee, tea and other harmful substances; however, at the same time it guides us to be moderate in our diet, eating many fruits and vegetables and less fat. Other differences that I have noticed are that we strive to avoid profanity, in our lives and speech as well as in the media that we indulge in. R rated movies are out, but so are many television shows that are common in many homes, there are some channels that I will not watch simply because of the commercials they show. To me, media such as music, television, books and the internet should be uplifting and clean. If I would not let my children watch it, I won't either.
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Serge answered...

Family is everything to us. Our family spends lots of our free time together because we like each other. Life gets crazy with teenagers, dance practice, after school academic decathlon, usually with a toddler in tow, but no matter what, every Monday night is Family Night.

The kids know that every Monday we spend time together and nothing gets in the way of it. It's our commitment to each other. We bake cookies, have lessons about the Savior, work on personal goals, go to the park, go geocaching, play board games or just go out for ice cream.

We do lots of things together. The point is that at least once a week we spend an hour or two together, just for the sake of being together, just because we love being together as a family. It's not as perfect as it may sound, with all the poking and "she's in my spot," and all the other crazy things family members do to each other when scrambling for a spot in the living room, but we try real hard. It takes effort to make sure we don't miss, but it's worth it.

I'm not sure the kids will remember all the games we played, the places we went or what we did, but I hope they always remember that we loved each other enough to dedicate one night a week to be with each other. And that we spent every Monday night together for as many Mondays as they can remember because family is everything to us, and every member of our family is important.

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?

Kara answered...

Women don't hold the priesthood in the church, as this is a teaching that has come from Jesus Christ. However, women have such a significant role to play in the church that personally I have never felt that this is an issue I am concerned with or even think about. My husband and I are equal partners in our family, and the church has such respect and reverence for women and their role in the world. Women in the church also belong to what is called the 'Relief Society' it is one of the largest women's organisation in the world, and fills me with such a desire to serve and do good that when we meet together wherever I am in the world I feel so proud to be apart of it.