Hi, I'm Nanc

I Live in SoCal, a Volunteer for various Charities, love Community Gardening and Walking 5 to10Ks. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a on the job trained CFO for a small custom data marketing and processing company. I started 22 years ago as a temp in the front office stating I was only there for 1 year as I earn college $$ to return and finish at BYU three and half years of early childhood education and child psychology courses. Life changes. I've never been married nor do I have any children so I count my employment a blessing to be self-sustaining and use my education, skills and passion in volunteering. I've been a Board Member for a work for food homeless charity, a Camp Committee Member for the Epilepsy Foundation Family Camp, a Special Olympics volunteer and basketball coach, monthly volunteer at a play group that encourages children of all abilities to play together, BSA as a Cub Scout Unit/Pack Leader, Venture Sea Scout Mate, Woodbadge and Powerhorn trained and District, Council and SoCal area trainer for High Adventure, and honored to have been presented with an award of appreciation for volunteer services from the County of Los Angeles for services in their DCFS programs. I love walking and find myself in about 10 or more 5k or 10k charity walks a year. Two years ago I started a plot in our Community garden and it is great to grow organic fruits and vegetables. I also love learning any take advantage of the free or paid college or community lectures in SoCal or via computer or CD.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born and raised a Mormon gave service as a Missionary but as I grew, and worked through family abuse issues through my depression I was not able to choose to be a member of the Mormon Church. I wrote a letter to have my name removed the membership of the church and was excommunicated. Life changes .. I still had contact and friendships with members of the Mormon church but I had a hard time believing in organized religion. I was still a good person, volunteering away like normal, I still believed in God, read scriptures, prayed to be lead to good experiences did intense years of therapy and I understood myself better. Life was enjoyable I was not living as I had been raised in the Mormon church but like those I respected around me at work and in charity organizations. A roommate at that time was LDS but from years of working on Sundays in the movie theatre industry had not been to church in many years and did not know anyone locally and asked if I would go with her to church. No one likes to feel alone so I felt no harm in supporting a friend. It was at this church Sacrament Meeting that I had an immpression where I felt I heard the words, "Nanc, these Mormons are doing the best they know how to serve and love me". It was a aha healing moment but I did not want to be a Mormon I was having fun and although I found myself invited to their singles activities which was good clean fun, they had a singles community service group painting schools, planting trees and such and they invited me to be part of their committee, but still I did not want to be a Mormon, but I did start to feel that there was value in organized religion. Life Changed .. I belived that attending a good community church was good for the community and my involvment with it .. but not the Mormon church been there done that. I like three churches overall but I didn't like one over another so I prayed to God and asked him to help me choose which community church would be best for me and where I could give service and grow closer in my relationship with Him. I received an immpression from my prayer where I felt I heard the words He wanted me to join the Mormon church. Oh no, I fought back with God in the prayer told him the Mormon church was not an option it was off the table and that it was not one of the three churches I had choosen to ask him about .. but then I felt even a stronger immpression loving but strong, He wanted me to join the Mormon church. I didn't take the message well, I felt ignored and uncared for, I cried into the early morning and finally fell asleep to a calm hushing and comforting sleep my child feeling. The next day I went about my life as normal reading, praying but telling Him I was upset and that basically what I wanted and needed was what I needed him to support me with. Life seemed normal but I felt a major loss, I could not feel God the same way I had before. When I prayed it was empty this emptiness continued for two long weeks. Finally two weeks was too long I did not enjoy my life as I did before I felt alone and lost, God was the only real relationship I knew I could count on and had counted on. So I prayed again for a long time begging God to return to my life, and that I needed a relationship with Him. Again I heard an impression I felt I heard the words, "We don't have a relationship how can we have a relationship if you ask for my help and guidance and when I give it to you and you reject it, Nanc this is not a relationship". So Life Changed again.. I went over the Missionary lessons called the local Bishop and was baptized into the Mormon faith again for the last time. I was worried how I would give up my life choices that were not in the practices and teachings of the Mormon faith .. but God like always was right. The Mormon church had what I needed to live a good, happy, community engage and ever learning, healing and growing relationship with Him. I love my life and I am not perfect but I love that I get to change for the better every day.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I love prayer I feel my personal relationship with God when I pray. I like to pray to start off my day, for meals and to end my day. I like to pray anytime I need special help or a friend of mine is in need of help. I love that there is a prayer roll in the Temple and that persons whose names are placed confidentially on it are prayed over for two weeks in the Temple. When I am in the Temple I think about these people I do not know their names or their personal issues but I know they need help and support and I believe that by my added faith to their request for help or need they will be blessed.

Could you talk about your baptism?

When I was baptized at the age of 8 I knew I wanted to be like Christ and follow his example of being baptized. We lived in the country so I was baptised in a swimming pool and afterwards with the friends and family that came we had a celebration - it was very fun. When I was re-baptized as an adult I remember the simplicity of it all .. It was in a chapel in Los Angeles a small room with a baptistry and a mural of Christ being baptized over the back. As when I was 8 I still wanted to live my life as Jesus Christ taught through his gospel and take upon me his name. A single friend of mine who was the Sunday School teacher in the singles ward baptized me and in the simplicity of hearing my name and hearing his statement of commission to baptize in the name of Jesus Christ then the symbol of immersion going completely under the water and coming up to a new committed life I remember feeling joy. Friends had come and there was a short program: prayers, hymns, short gospel messages and then another friend now married but had been on the same Mission with me in South Carolina several years before laid his hands on my head and conferred the Gift of the Holy Ghost to me .. I remember crying a little it touched me in such a sweet and enlighting way. I knew from that point on in my life I wanted to do my best to live as best as I could. I felt I wanted to make up for lost time and I knew besides the joy and the feeling that all was right in my life I also felt very purposeful. I loved it!

How I live my faith

Currently for the Sunday services I am a Nursery Leader. The Sunday church service is 3 hours broken into 3 blocks after the main service which everyone attends it then breaks out into age related meetings. So for 2 blocks I along with another Nursery Leader I get to play, share a gospel lesson, have singing time, read books and have a snack with the children 18 months to 2 years old. I love this I think it is the funnest place in the whole church! Fun story a Sunday in July I brought in Italian green beans from my garden and cherry tomatoes for the children to try. One little girl loved the tomatoes the rest not fans but they tried them and two liked the beans although their faces were precious from first glance at bitting into it them you could tell they had not had that taste in their mouth before some spit it out right away others looked shocked then took another bite and then 5 more green beans. Their parents were surprised to see their children with bag of fresh green beans to take home. Of course is pays to have healthy organic fresh grown garden items they always taste better in my opinion. But living the Mormon faith is not just about the Sunday church meetings. The womens organization has programs to learn new skills, book clubs to discuss spiritual, educational and literacy items, opportunities to help a ill family member or a family with a new addition to their home - visiting, sharing a meal and supporting each other in our faith. Then there are group activities for everyone at least quarterly if not monthly dinners, social programs, plays, musical performance. Also being Single there are monthly dances, and other events to meet with other singles along with yearly Singles Conferences - not having a family it is a boost to meet with other single members too. Once a week I am able to attend the Los Angeles Temple and once a month I volunteer in the Los Angeles Temple in the Youth Center a place for the children preparing to be Sealed together as a forever family and then I get to witness their family Sealing and it is beautiful. But even with all the direct church related activities I believe my faith is a everyday occurance reading scriptures, praying and doing my best to live a Christ Center life.

What do Mormons believe about the Holy Ghost? Who is the Holy Ghost?

Nanc answered...

I believe the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead: God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the communicator of God and Christ to us through inspirations and feelings. It is hard to explain but you know it when you know it type of thing. I've felt the Holy Ghost as promptings to help someone, or as a warning or caution in a dangerous situation, in reading the scriptures I feel a comfort a feeling or calm that all that God has given is because he love me and all his children. When I was baptized I was worried how I would be able to stop and give up a life style I enjoyed that was not a practice of the Mormon faith - I felt the Holy Ghost strengthened me to give up those habits. I believe one of the best things about being a Mormon is that after Baptism the Gift of the Holy Ghost is given to you and it will stay with you if you keep God commandments and repent and change when you fall short. I like the word "Gift" because it feels like a personal gift to me from God directly.

What do Mormons believe is the purpose of life?

Oliver Meyers answered...

I have gotten this question a lot and it has been one I have always heard about but never understood it but as I learned more about our Heavenly Fathers plan for us it started to make more sense. This life it’s a time for us to be happy and grow it’s a time for us to get ready for what’s a head in our existence. This life is a time for us to get ready to meet God again and say I did follow you.

I know that this life is a time for joy and the way I know to have true joy is by having a family. I know that sometimes my family can drive me crazy but that is where I have found all my joy is by helping and just living with my family. I am so excited to have a family of my own, and have a home of love and happiness where we can grow closer to each other and to our Heavenly Father.

As we learn about happiness and joy we also learn about pain and misery that is just a part of this life yes it is hard and sometimes you wish it could just go away but as we learn about both we can appreciate the good from that bad. And I really think that is one of the biggest reasons we are down here is to learn.