Hi, I'm Charis

I am a mother of three kids. I love reading. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have been married for four years. I have two beautiful daughters, 3 years old and 3 months old. We have a 13 year old foster son. I stay at home and teach my children everything I can.
Before being a mom I worked as a special ed teacher, for children with severe disabilties.
I spent time in Romania doing research for Humanitarian Aide, developing programs for children in Orphanages.
I love reading, playing the flute, decorating my house, playing with my kids, camping with my family, watching movies with my husband and throwing parties.
I sell Usborne Books to help supplement our income.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon by choice. My parents are Mormons, their Parents were Mormons, and so were their parents. However, I choose to be, because I know for myself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church. It has the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Christ loves me, and that through following his commandments I will be able to return and live with him again.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

When I was thirteen I prayed that I would develop a stronger testimony. I guess this is like asking for patience. . . the only way to gain patience is to test patience, I suppose testimonies are the same way. The Lord blessed me with a life threatening disease. Yes, I said blessed. I spent the next three to four years of my life receiving treatments for my disease. I witnessed many small miracles and many large ones. For instance, sometimes I would get very sick. I would throw everything up and be in lots of pain. I would take pain medicine that and I would pray that I would be able to take the medicine and that I wouldn't throw up for at least a half hour so that the pain medicine would have time to take effect. So long as I prayed, I could keep it down. One night, I was so sick, I thought I would surely die, I was so sick, I really wanted to die. My father was able to give me a blessing using the priesthood and I was immdiately comforted, my symptoms became less and I recovered. After years of therapy and treatments, the doctors ran out of ideas of what to do. It was a scary feeling having them give up on me, so my family turned to the only thing left. We fasted and we prayed, and all our friends did the same. I was cured. It was 12 years ago that we fasted and prayed. It has been 12 years since I have had any treatments and 12 years since I have had any complications. My OBGYN was concerned that being pregnant would cause problems, but it didn't and I have 2 beautiful little girls, that I haven't had any problems with.

How I live my faith

My favorite part about the LDS faith is the emphasis that it puts on the family. The goal of the church is to create eternal families. Everything they do is there to help support the family. So on Sundays I go to Church, we as a family attend a general meeting, and then after that the kids go to class and are taught values and lessons of Christ, I go to class and I learn about how to make myself better, how to be a better mom, how to be a better wife, and how to better worship Jesus Christ. But being LDS is more than just going to Church on Sundays. Every Monday night we have Family Home Evening, a church sponsered program. We stay home and spend time as a family, learning the gospel of Jesus Christ, playing games, praying, studying the scriptures, and growing together as a family. We also have daily scripture study as a family, we study the scriptures every night, we sing hymns, mostly children's hymns every night, and we pray together as a family. We also eat dinner together as a family.

What are Mormon women like? Do Mormons believe in equality of men and women?

Charis answered...

I think Mormon women are pretty awesome! I enjoy being a women in the LDS church. Church doctrine teaches that women are God's greatest creation, that man are women are created equal and that we need each other. We hold very traditional gender roles, and that there is nobility in motherhood, and joy in womanhood. We are encoraged to go to school and gain all the education we can. We hold important roles in the community and professions. Most women in the church aspire to being stay at home mothers, and consider it an honor to do so. However, this is not always possible, and sometimes some women choose not to. This is acceptable and many women have very worthy career goals and do nicely in the career world. Mormon women are always going about doing good, and watching out for their neighbors. We have a social network that is built to look out for the spiritual and physical needs of eachother. Women need other women, and we watch out for eachother. Being a mormon woman is GREAT!
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Keri answered...

Mormon women are like any other good woman who is trying her best to raise a family in love and trying to leave the world a little better for future generations.

Mormons do believe in equality of men and women. We believe husband and wives are to work side by side, not one dominating over another. But equality does not mean being exactly the same. We believe that God gave men and women distinct and different roles/assignments to fulfill. Men are primarily responsible for the physical welfare of their families while women are to nurture and care for their families. Although the roles are different each one is important and critical.

What is being a Mormon like?

Kristin answered...

Many people think that being a Mormon is very strict and holds people back from experiencing all that life has to offer. However, I know that it is the exact opposite. In The Book of Mormon, an ancient governor named Pahoran tells us that the spirit of God is the spirit of freedom. I know this principle to be true. The things of the world bind us with feelings of guilt, sorrow, envy, hatred, doubt, judgment, chaos, and confusion. The things of God bring peace, contentment, happiness, joy, satisfaction, clarity, and love. Through family relationships, The Book of Mormon, communication with a loving Father in Heaven, repentance, baptism, church attendance, and making sacred promises in God's holy temple, I have experienced these feelings of freedom. Being a Mormon is not just something I do, it is who I am! Mormonism is not just a belief, it is a lifestyle. This lifestyle has provided me with clarity, purpose, value, and direction. I will forever proclaim the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! It is Christ's true church upon the earth. It is the pathway to true joy in this life and the life to come!