Hi, I'm Danyelle

I Blog. I Create. I'm a Wife and Mother. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

Creating and making my home a happy place is how I spend my days. I love learning and progressing, trying new things and perfecting my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love my Savior and endeavor every day to be a little more like Him.

Why I am a Mormon

I was not raised in a religious home and neither of my parents attend church. When I was a small child my mother and father allowed me to attend various congregations. I would catch a bus to the baptist church, the local christian assembly and the catholic parish. None of these places felt right for me. I always had questions that would go unanswered and many times, when I attended these congregations, more questions formed.

I didn't learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until I was in high school. Many of my friends were Mormons and I was impressed by their example. They were happy, seemed to know who they were and appeared content. All things I had been striving towards since I was a little child.

I'll never forget when I met with the missionaries. For the first time in my life, I was told that I was a Child of God. That I had a Father in Heaven that loved me, that knew me. I learned of the Prophet Joseph Smith and how he spent much of his childhood feeling the same way I had been feeling. He was searching for the truth and through the power of God, translated the Book of Mormon and restored Christ's church back to the earth. I learned that families can be together forever. A few short months after completing the missionary discussions, at the age of seventeen, I was baptized.

So, why am I a Mormon? I am a Mormon because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's church. I am a Mormon because I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I am a Mormon because I believe Joseph Smith is a prophet. I am a Mormon because I know there is living prophet on the earth today. Finally, I am a Mormon because I spent the first part of my life searching for the truth. And I found it.

Personal Stories

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

I know every good thing in my life is directly linked to the decision I made at seventeen to be baptized. My life isn't perfect, I have challenges like every other person, but I feel like I have a perspective that only faith in Jesus Christ can bring. I know that the trials I have are also a blessing and are given to me as an opportunity to grow closer to my Savior and Heavenly Father.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

Prayer is a huge part of my life. I begin and end each day on my knees in personal prayer with my Father in Heaven. My children, husband and I also gather for family prayer in the morning and in the evening. I am a young mother, so often I pray for strength and patience. But I also pray to feel prompted about the individual needs of my five children and my husband. I pray over decisions. When I pray, I feel the love my Father in Heaven has for me. I feel closer to Him when I am communicating with Him. I know He loves me and wants to guide me.

How I live my faith

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are given special opportunities to serve those within our congregation and our community. Currently, I am serving the young girls age 8-9 as the Activity Day Leader. Activity Day is a program where young girls gather twice a month to work on personal development and to form friendships. I teach the girls skills such as cooking + time management. We organize service projects like pulling weeds at a local elementary school. Recently, all of the girls and I created an original piece of art and hosted a "gallery night" for their families.

What is the priesthood?

Danyelle answered...

To put it simply, the priesthood is God given power for men to act in His behalf. The priesthood is conferred upon worthy men to bless the lives of all God's children.
Ethan answered...

I like to approach questions by looking at the words of things

"priest" has reference to either the concept of one who leads, one who is elder, or one who is holy I like to remember that the words 'holy' and 'whole' are linked by a common ancestry. When something is 'holy' it's essentially saying that it's complete, that it's healthy..

And "-hood" makes reference to the state of being, and not just any state of being but a state of being that's worthy or correct for it's placement. That is, that it's done properly.

So one could say the priesthood is leadership or a point of reference that's completely suited to the position in which it's been placed.

Another way to look at it is to say it's God's perfect order. That is, it's God's perfect arrangement.

In our Church we often give a definition of priesthood as being "the authority to act in God's name" and that's exactly what it means to be a part of God's perfect order. If God commands something to be done by you, and you do it, then you are acting under, and with that portion of God's authority that he's permitted you to exercise within his perfect order.

Just as with any instance where someone tries to act in the name of someone else there are bound to be those who try and do so falsely. That's why God has things ordered in such a way that one can know for certain if someone has His God's authority, or not.

What is the attitude of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Joshua answered...

I am sexually attracted to other males. For awhile, I struggled with how a loving Heavenly Father could allow for me to be attracted to other males, and then ask me to abstain from same-sex relationships. However, as I have tried to deal with my attractions in a Christ-like manner, I have found that He really does love me. I have grown so much spiritually as I have learned to deal with my same-sex attractions. I now understand that everyone has challenges in this life. I am no different.

The Church has a high standard on morality. The only sexual relationships that are permitted are between a man and his wife. This may prove difficult for both people with same-sex and opposite-sex attractions. However, I believe that by obeying this law, we can gain greater peace and happiness. God does know what is best for us, and He gave us this law to bless us.

Same-sex marriage distorts what marriage is all about. It is based on the lie that because you are attracted to the same sex, you need to be in a same-sex relationship in order to be "true to yourself". Many members of the Church can testify that this is not true. Some have found peace and joy in celibacy, and others gone on to have faithful and fulfilling marriages. For a long time, I thought I couldn't get married, but the Lord has blessed me to develop a sexual attraction to a beautiful woman and we have a wonderful marriage.