Hi, I'm Hilarie

I'm a spiritual person raised in the Mormon capital Utah that had to find out for herself the truth.

About Me

I am a mother of 3 beautiful children for whom I thank my Heavenly Father daily. I have a good and loving husband as well. We live on a farm and I enjoy cooking with the produce my husband grows. I am an avid reader of almost anything, especially historical and cultural fiction, parenting books, and gospel-related books.
I love to travel. I lived in France and backpacked through Europe during college. Then after I graduated I served an eighteen month mission for the LDS church in Armenia. That is where I met my husband. After we married, had our first baby, I finished graduate school in Linguistics, had another baby, and he started his masters degree, we moved to England for my husband to complete his masters. We lived there for 6 months with two kids and then we moved back to Armenia for 2 months for him to conduct his research. I love languages and am fluent in Spanish, Armenian, and French (I have studied some Italian, Portuguese, and German as well).

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because I am far from perfect and attending church and partaking in saving ordinances help me to keep my life better balanced and better focused on following our Savior.

Personal Stories

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

I absolutely LOVED my experiences serving in Armenia and my husband and I have dreamed about living there again some day. We fell in love with the people and their culture and I tr to make Armenian dishes often, and teach our kids some of the language.
It was so neat to see people's hearts touched as they heard the truths that God loves them and wants them to be happy and that in our church we can truly find happiness and most importantly live with our families even after death.

How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?

My knowledge of the Plan of Happiness has increased as I have reached my adult years. I grew up knowing that "families can be together forever", but that has taken on a completely knew meaning as I have had children and so fiercely love and cherish them. I would hate to think that it would have to end at death.

How I live my faith

I love going to church every week where I meet with my ward family and study the gospel together. I serve as a teacher in the women's group and teach once a month. I am also a visiting teacher, we all are in our church, and its similar to missionary work that we do for those that live within our own ward. I have a companion and we are assigned to 2-3 ladies at a time and we go and visit, share the gospel, and help out in any way we can. For example, when a lady I visit teach has a baby or is sick or hospitalized I would help to organize meals to be brought into her home. Its a wonderful way to become better friends and for all of us to take care of each other.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

Hilarie answered...

We have three different periods that comprise our Sunday worship services. The order varies from meetinghouse to meetinghouse. The most important meeting is the Sacrament Meeting where we renew our covenant we made at baptism through taking the Sacrament. We are also taught by speakers, and sign together as a congregation Hymns of the Gospel during that meeting. There is also a Sunday School where the scriptures including the Old and New Testaments, The Book of Mormon, and The Doctrine and Covenants; and other Gospel topics are studied. Then the women and men break up into separate groups and are instructed from the same manuals, but separately so that we can talk about how it applies in our separate roles. There are also classes for children of all ages from 18 months to 18 years of age, and babies under 18 months old are invited to sit on their parents laps in their meetings.
OF COURSE visitors are always invited and warmly welcomed. If you are interested and would like to attend just come on in. There is never any pressure to join or receive missionaries in your home unless you are interested.
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Julianne! answered...

Mormon church services are dignified and simple. A sacrament meeting will be conducted by a regular guy wearing a regular business suit. The organ will be played by a regular member of the congregation who is not paid for his or her service. The singing will be led by a regular member of the congretaion. The prayers will be given by regular folks. The sacrament will be blessed and passed by regular folks, usually teenage boys. The talks will be given by members of the congregation, often teenagers. Special music might be presented by regular folks, or the ward choir. Members of the ward choir are just regular members of the congregation who like to sing, and are not paid for their service. Looking around the congregation, you will most likely see some singles but also families including little children and babies. Babies tend to be fussy so the room will not be totally silent. We try to maintain reverence, but it's a learning process. The kids are not perfectly reverent, and neither are the rest of us. People are dressed in regular clothes, usually conservative and modest. Men and boys usually wear dress shirts and ties. Women and girls usually wear dresses or skirts.

You are welcome to come and attend any of our worship services. You will not be asked to stand and sit, stand and sit, stand and sit. No one will pass a collection plate or ask you for money. You come in and sit and relax. And when you come, please sit by me!

Who is the Mormon prophet today?

Mark answered...

God through out the ages has spoken to His children through living prophets. We have a prophet today, named Thomas S. Monson. He is a prophet just like Moses, Abraham or Peter. My wife and I, were blessed to be personally called by President Monson to serve a mission. For 2 hours we sat in his office as he taught us. We felt his spirit and his love. I know that he is a prophet. This is the Savior’s church and He leads this church just as he did anciently through a living prophet. As we follow President Monson’s teaching and example we will be blessed to draw nearer to the Savior.