Hi, I'm Stephanie

I am a daughter of God and blessed beyond my wildest dreams. It gives me so much peace to be a member of this church.

About Me

I'm a wife, mother, runner, intensely interested in this world and learning, but most importantly I'm a daughter of God and follower of Jesus Christ.

I started distance running as a freshman in high school and that became my passion. I was Stephanie the runner. However, as I came to college I began to explore other parts of me and I discovered new passions. One of them was public health. I graduated with my bachelor's in public health education in 2009 and began working at the local health department. I've been the most rewarded through helping people stop smoking. I love seeing the light in other's eyes as they learn something new.

The most important thing that's happened to me in my life however was meeting my husband and marrying him in 2009 and since then, starting our family. I believe I'm more satisfied with my life now than I ever have been. The joy that comes through sharing deep, personal beliefs with someone else and teaching your children brings so much satisfaction to my life.

I love God, I love His son Jesus Christ, I love life and my family. My husband, daughter, parents, and siblings are the most important people in the world to me. I'm so excited to have a life ahead of me full of learning and growing with my family.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born to parents who were both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I always knew God and Jesus Christ loved me and I was taught to pray. I remember as a little girl, praying and feeling comfort from above after waking up from nightmares or after seeing scary shadows on the wall. I have always known God is there. When I was about eleven or twelve however, I began to realize that I had to develop my own testimony - living off my parents' testimonies was not enough. This began a process of developing an even more personal relationship with God. As I know God is real, I know that Satan is also real and that he desires to make us scared, miserable, and hopeless. During vulnerable adolescence I was tested and tried with a lack of self-worth, insecurities, and anxiety that paralyzed my social and emotional growth. This is when my belief in Jesus Christ and his Gospel stepped in and gave me a warm hug of comfort and reassurance. I knew that as long as I did what I knew was right, everything would be okay. And it HAS. God always blesses us when we follow Him. Again and again I have felt God's love when I pray to know whether the Book of Mormon is true, or whether Joseph Smith really did see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, or if God really does know me and have a plan for me. Because I've felt that love so stongly - so strong in fact that I can never deny it - I know it is all true. And that is why I'm a Mormon.

Personal Stories

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is a desire for something. Having faith in Christ leads you to hope for things that are good. Through those righteous desires you gain more faith. I hope that I can have a happy life, a loving home, a happy family and a joyful marriage. I know that as long as I believe that those things are possible in my life and as I keep my faith in Jesus Christ, those desires are all very possible. Although life won't be perfect, I have faith that God will bless my life, family, and marriage as long as I stay close to Him.

How I live my faith

I make an effort to give time to God daily. This world, especially now with its technological distractions can very easily pull us away from the most important things in life. I pray quietly in my mind throughout the day, thanking God for my blessings and asking him to help me in my challenges. I pray and read God's words from the scriptures nightly with my husband. I also try to read the words of the scriptures on my own, creating a sacred time of personal communion with God. I also attend services weekly where I listen to talks/sermons from other members of the congregation and teach children's classes. I also make an effort to serve those in my neighborhood and in my congregation throughout the week. Through these efforts I can keep that feel-good feeling with me all the time and through this service I know that God lives. He blesses me with overwhelming feelings of love. I know I am doing the right thing because He lifts me up, I find answers to my problems through the scriptures, and I feel such a power from above.

Can a husband and wife be together forever? Do Mormons believe that families will live together in heaven?

Stephanie answered...

Yes. I was married in the temple. Temples are buildings where sacred ordinances are performed like the sealing ordinance which allows a husband and wife to be together through the eternities. When I was married there I felt so much peace, assurance, and power and love from God that I wept with joy. I knew that my husband and I could be together forever and that this decision to marry in the temple would bless our children and future posterity.

Through parents being sealed in the temple, children born to them thereafter are automatically sealed to them - creating a family that can be together forever. Your family can also be sealed together, if it hasn't before, after children have been born. This belief brings extra assurance to families that have lost children or a spouse - extra assurance that they will see their face again, embrace them again, and be together as a family again.
Amanda answered...

YES!!! This is one of my favorite parts of the gospel. I believe that my family will live together in heaven. I will know my family as my family members. My husband is my husband for now and for all eternity. My children are my children here on earth and for all eternity. I know that if something happened to one of us that I will see them again. I love this about the church. Before joining, I always had a question about this concept and when taking the discussions from the missionaries this came up. Makes me love the church more and more.

How can we increase our faith in Jesus Christ?

Jason answered...

Simply by trying to. If you have a desire to increase your faith in Jesus Christ, try to do it. Start by praying. Read his words in the Bible. Try to put them into practice. For example, he told us to "love one another." Try and follow that teaching. Be nice to others, help people who might have less than you, smile... As you do so, you will notice a change come over you. You might feel more peace in your life, a calm enter your mind, or a warm feeling that seems to say you're doing the right thing. These things help you realize your faith is growing. Faith is an action word. If you put action behind your belief, I have found that it will grow.