Hi, I'm Hannah

I'm a sister, a daughter, a student, an aunt, a friend. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a college student where I study Clinical Laboratory Science. I would like to go on to a medical scientist training program, which incorporates medical school and graduate school into one. I am one of six children. There are four girls and two boys. I also have a nephew whom I love to spoil. During the spring and summer, I live in Upstate New York with my family. In high school, I was a competitive Irish dancer, and today, I still dance and still love it, but I don't compete anymore. I love playing the piano and violin, learning other languages, learning about the human body and helping people out.

Why I am a Mormon

I was first a Mormon because I was born a Mormon. When I was in junior high school, all of my friends wanted to know why I didn't question what my parents told me and why I followed blindly. So, I asked for myself whether or not the church was true in prayer, and I got my answer that it was. Now when my friends ask me why I don't question the ways of my parents, I just tell them, "If I truly question with an open mind and heart, it is possible that I would come out of the questioning with the conclusion that they were right. That's what happened!"

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

I love doing family history. Mormons believe that our families will last for forever, and so we want everyone in our family to be included in this. Our families last forever because they are sealed and because we can bring the opportunity to accept the gospel to those who did not have the chance in their mortal lives. But in order to offer these choices, and in order to seal our families, we have to find the names and the information connected to them. When I work on my family history, I can feel the gratitude and presence of my ancestors and family, and I love them very much. I can tell that they love me very much as well.

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

Because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I am able to approach each day with the knowledge that I can. I know that anything that is thrown my way is for my good and is doable. The Lord would never ask me to do something of which I was not capable, and I know that my challenges do not have to be suffered through alone. Any challenge that I can have, I don't have to feel that no one understands what I'm going through, because Christ has suffered the pains and ills of all. He has felt every emotion, every challenge and every difficulty. That's what the atonement was! There is not any feeling you can feel that Christ has not already felt. He is the ultimate confidante because of that, and through the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, he can help you through anything.

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

My prayers are answered. They are always answered. However, sometimes they're not answered in the way that I want them to be, or on my timeline. Sometimes, my prayers are answered in just the way I want them to be or automatically.

One such example is kind of silly, but it's always stuck with me. When I was child, I had a stuffed panda bear that I really liked, and before I could go to bed, I would have to make sure that all of my stuffed animals were accounted for and where they belonged. One night, I couldn't find my panda anywhere. I looked, but I couldn't find it. It seems trivial now, but for a child, it was important that that panda bear be where it belonged. So, I prayed that I would be able to find my bear. As soon as I finished my prayer, I knew that my panda was in the closet with my shoes. Sure enough, there was my panda!

In a more important example, but slightly harder, when I first started college, I had every intention of studying nursing. However, as the end of my freshman year came, I started to feel that I wasn't quite sure about the decision. I prayed, hoping that I would get confirmation that that was how I was supposed to spend my life--as a nurse! I had wanted to be a nurse for a long time. When I finished that prayer, I felt that I needed to rethink what I wanted to do. I prayed that I would have the presence of mind to be able to analyze my skills and my abilities to learn what would be my best career path. When I arrived at the decision to work towards a medical degree and become a researcher, I was appalled. That's not what I had wanted! I had always wanted to be a nurse. I took it back to the Lord in prayer, and I received the answer that I knew what I needed to do. I just had to do it. As soon as I officially changed my major, I felt that I had made the right decision. And now, I know that I made the right choice, and that my abilities, talents and thought patterns were always much better suited to this career path, even if it's not what I had wanted. I am grateful that prayer straightened my path.

How I live my faith

My faith centers around Jesus Christ and the way that He lived his life. I want my life to reflect that. The one thing that I admire most about the way that Jesus Christ lived is that He was always willing to stop whatever He was doing in order to help someone else out. As such, I always try to have my life organized so that if I need to drop everything to help someone else, my life will not collapse if I do so, and I will be able to do that. I also try to help my community formally. During the summer, I volunteer as a counselor at a camp focused at girls with bleeding disorders. During the school year, while I'm at college, I answer a crisis hotline staffed entirely by trained volunteers. We're just there for people who need someone to listen.

It's also important in our church that we all help each other. Mormons don't have paid ministry, so we all pull our weight to make sure the church runs smoothly. During the summer, I've been a substitute teacher for the children's Sunday School classes. During the school year, I worked as the family history consultant, helping people know where to start with family history and helping them get over any obstacles. Family history is very important to Mormons because we believe that our families will last forever. Also, whenever any of the women needed help with computers or technology, I was asked to be a reference person that they could call. But Mormons don't just help at large, they also want to help individually. For that reason, all the women in the church pair up as visiting teachers and have specific women that they make sure are personally doing all right. It's just how we show our sisterhood for one another.

What is the Law of Chastity?

Hannah answered...

The Law of Chastity is a law that Mormons live under pertaining to their sexuality. The Law of Chastity states that sexual relations are a sacred and beautiful thing, and the ability to have them is one of the greatest gifts from God. However, since it is so beautiful and sacred, sexual intercourse should only be present between a man and a woman who are married to one another. Breaking the Law of Chastity through premarital or extramarital sex is a serious sin to Mormons.
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Joseph answered...

The power to create children is very sacred. Our Father in Heaven has commanded that the sacred power and privilege of sexual relations be exercised only between a man and woman who are legally married. This is the law of chastity. It means that we must not have sexual relations before we are married, and after we are married we should have sexual relations only with our husband or wife.

Keeping the law of chastity brings safety, happiness, peace, and self-respect. It also deepens married love and protects families. Breaking this law is serious. But those who have broken it can gain forgiveness and peace through repentance and obedience.

God wants the best for you and for all of His children. Following God’s plan of reserving intimacy for marriage will help you and your family be happy.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Nick answered...

"Required" is an interesting word when it comes to faith and religion. In the Mormon Church no one is "required" to serve a mission. Church membership is not revoked for not serving a mission. In this sense, they are not required, yet serving a mission is encouraged at many stages in life and in many different capacities throughout the world.

Missionary service is a tremendous blessing, a challenge, and one of the main focuses of the faith. The life of Jesus Christ was the life of a missionary in many respects. Performing service for one another, preaching the glad message of the gospel, and increasing the faith and dedication of God's children are exemplified in Christ's life and mirrored by those in missionary service.

To dedicate a portion of one's life in service propels those who serve and those who are served into a better life. During my two year mission to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and during my two year service mission with LDS Family Services, I was greatly blessed and strengthened. (I hope those whom I served found some value in my service as well.) That strength has taught me to better navigate this life, has kept my family relations intact, and has been the method of helping others overcome their trials as well.

Spiritually speaking, I don't find value in reflecting on what my life would be like without serving a mission. Instead, I rejoice in knowing that without that time in missionary service my life would be significantly less happy and productive. In my life, serving a mission has taken on many of the characteristics of a "required" act since I can't picture myself progressing very far without having served as a missionary. While not required to be a member of the Mormon church, missionary service has been a critical and welcome part of my life and growth spirituality. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to serve missions, and look forward to serving in many more.