Hi, I'm Jenne

I'm a women's rights activist, a feminist, a stay at home mother and student of midwifery. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up attending the Unitarian Universalist church. I took the UU church's teaching regarding each person's responsibility to be on "an individual search for truth and meaning" seriously. I studied world religions, attended different churches and was open to learning whatever I could about whichever religious organization I came into contact with. When I was introduced to the LDS church, I gave it the same chance.

I was baptized in the LDS church my senior year of high school. In college, I met and married my husband, and graduated with my bachelors. I went on to get a masters degree. When I graduated with my masters, my 2 year old was on my hip and I was pregnant with my second. I stay home to care for them. I'm enrolled in midwifery school and I blog about childbirth and family policy as women's rights issues.

Why I am a Mormon

After years of being atheist and my father's sudden death in a car accident, I started struggling with my belief that there was no afterlife. I wanted more than anything to see my father again and to know that a mortal life wasn't all that there was to existence. At that time, I was blessed to be a member of a youth performing company founded by two LDS women. Many of the youth involved were also LDS. When I started asking about their beliefs regarding the afterlife, I was impressed by the plan of salvation, baptism for the dead and the idea of eternal families. When I prayed the first time to know if God existed, I felt an undeniable rush of the Spirit.

I have been guided by that same Spirit many times since then and know that I can receive answers to my prayers and receive confirmation on the truthfulness of things that I learn. Most importantly, through prayer I can learn God's will for me.

Personal Stories

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

Simply, it gave me hope. Before the LDS missionaries taught me about the Plan of Happiness though first I read the book "Our Search for Happiness by M. Russell Ballard, I worried that there was no point to life. I tried to live a good life and be a good person but I felt so discouraged and saw so much that was hurtful and wrong in the world. As a Unitarian, I felt frustrated by the lack of answers so I was looking for the most complete explanation for life and existence as possible. For a while, I thought that meant I could make my search a career and I planned to become a Unitarian minister. In learning about Mormon beliefs, I found what I still feel is the most complete explanation for why everything is. There are holes missing in that understanding still, but I have hope that all will someday be revealed. May I be patient and faithful until then.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I have faced periods of despair, discouragement and confusion. Prayer has helped me find my way out of those times. I described how prayer led me to know of the reality of God. Through prayer, I also learned that the Book of Mormon is scripture, that Joseph Smith really did see God, he was called as a prophet and organized Christ's Church on the earth. I've learned that life and existence does not end with death. On a daily level, prayer helps me sort out what is right for me to do and helps me think of how I can and should help and care for others. Prayer helps me to be grateful and reminds me of my duties to God, my family and others.

How I live my faith

My activism for women's rights and families is very much shaped by my faith in the LDS teachings. In college, I studied societal threats to healthy and functional families. As I became a mother, I learned and experienced some of those and others that threatened mothers' well-being and their ability to care for their children. I find encouragement by the LDS church to stand up and work for what I believe is right. I also have a desire to serve mothers and families through my volunteer efforts. I try to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all that I do, so I pray often. I try also to find empathy and understanding for everyone I come in contact with and try to help in whatever ways I can. Because I believe so strongly in the importance of mothers and family, I keep my children and husband my primary focus.

What are some of the ways that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helps those around the world?

Jenne answered...

One of the missions of the church is to "care for the poor and the needy." The LDS Church does this in many ways. The Humanitarian Fund gives aid during disasters, builds schools, wells and health clinics across the world, teaches about health and safety practices and ways that families can be strong. Members of the church are encouraged to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause" and many of them choose ways to do this that put their skills and talents to work. It may be knitting baby hats for newborns and premies, making quilts and receiving blankets for low-income mothers, working at food banks, creating orphanages in developing countries, and finding employment in non-profit organizations and public service. Even the other missions of the church "to perfect the saints" and "preach the gospel" give help to people around the world as they find hope and strength in the answers to prayers they receive and the teachings of the prophets.
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Collette answered...

Check out ldsphilanthropies.org for some of the official ways that Mormons help. Our help is directed to anyone in need, regardless of religious affiliation.

We believe in being 'anxiously engaged' in a good cause. I have enjoyed serving the people of Guatamala and Peru on serveral occasions, to help train dentists, provide dental work to people who have no access to it, and to deliver much needed humanitarian supplies to orphanages and churches. I have felt joy in serving my brothers and sisters in other lands. I hope to get a better handle on the Spanish language, and return again soon to Central or South America.

What are some things that tell you there is a God?

Mark answered...

Everything around us testifies of a God who created all things. The complexity of life points toward an Intelligent Being who designed it, organized it and brought it to existence. The probability that everything around us may have arisen by mere chance is infinitely small, and the idea of a Supreme Creator is the only one that can make sense of all the beauty and complexity of nature including ourselves. And yet, these still do not prove the existence of God in the same sense that scientific concepts are proven. It is really impossible to prove the existence of God in the same, logical way used in science (the scientific method). That is why we say that we believe that there is a God, even if we have not seen him - this is called faith. I have not personally seen God, but my inner self tells me that he exists. Ultimately, it comes down to individual choice. We decide based on what we see and feel, on what the surroundings tell us, whether God exists or not. I choose to believe that there is a God, and this choice is one of my most important freedoms.