Hi, I'm Joy

I'm an artist. I love to teach. I love my family. I love my life. I am a Mormon.

About Me

My name is Joy! I am a university student and am thoroughly enjoying my experience. I am an Early Childhood Education major and a Visual Arts minor. I love singing, dancing, being in musicals, and I love going on walks. I love being with my friends, I absolutely love being with my family, and most of all I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Why I am a Mormon

I have grown up in the church my whole life, but that is not why I attend each Sunday and follow the standards of the church. I am an active member of this church because I have come to believe through my experiences that this is truly the church of Jesus Christ with the fulness of His authority, truth, and blessings.
I become incredibly happy when I follow Jesus Christ's counsel which I have been taught here. I feel so much direction and love as a result of being a member of this church. I have felt that it is true and have had so many witnesses as a result of living it's teachings. I also belive that it is true because of the lives of the people I have seen live according to the principles taught here. Active members of this church live full and joyful lives that are filled with peace. It is hard for me to imagine that such wonderful results could come from something that wasn't right and true.
I would not have all the blessings and peace in my life without this church of Jesus Christ. He is the only way to real and lasting happiness. I have come to know this for myself. He wants everyone to come back to Him, and this church teaches how and bears the authority to perform ordinances that allow us to be saved. I bear my witness that this is the truth and the way to be happy.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized by immersion when I was eight years old. My father baptized me through the holy priesthood of God, or the power that God has given to worthy men to act in His name. I am extremely grateful for my baptism that made me not just a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, but also totally clean from all of my sins through His atonement. I am incredibly grateful for the deep peace that comes from being clean and free from my mistakes, as well as enabling me to start clean so that I can progress and become better. I take the sacrament every Sunday to renew the covenant I made at baptism and to make me clean and free from sin once again. Because of my baptism I can draw nearer to God each Sunday as I become clean and remember the sacrifice of His life that enables me to eventually return to Him pure and holy.

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost has helped me by helping me find answers to difficult questions, and most of all it gives me peace on a daily basis. It also helps me recognize what is true and good. My life would be completely different without the Holy Ghost giving me direction and peace. I would feel lost without it, but because I have it as I remain worthy of it, I am blessed with direction and guidance beyond anything else I have experienced.

Why do Mormons go on missions?

Many members of our church go on missions because we want to share the love and joy of the gospel. We believe that because we have been given this glorious truth that it is our responsibility to spread the good news. As Isaiah said, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7, Mosiah 15:15-18. We believe that these truths are too precious to be kept to ourselves.

How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?

The Book of Mormon has brought me closer to God because of the way it teaches me to live my life, and because of the Holy Ghost that fills my heart and brings me comfort when I read it. It teaches me what God expects of me, and thus how I can follow Him more completely. This allows God to give me blessings because of my conformity to His will.

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith was a true prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ who restored the true church through the power and authority given to him by God. He had little education, but was humble so God was able to use him to restore the church. Whenever I hear the story of Joseph Smith being visited by God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, I always feel the Spirit testifying to me that it is true. I know that it is. I know that because of that the fulness of the good news of the gospel is on the earth again. This has been and will be a powerful blessing in my life. Despite all those who doubt for whatever reason, I have received many witnesses through the Holy Ghost that it is true.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by going to church each Sunday and participating in the classes and ordinances there. I also try to live my faith during the week by abstaining from alchohol, smoking, drugs, premarital intimacy, and other practices that in the long term cause grief. I also try to serve other people, read the scriptures, and show my family that I love them. While people can see this lifestyle as restrictive I have found incredible freedom in being addiction free and having wonderful relationships with others, as well as the peace of knowing that I am doing what Jesus Christ wants me to do.

Do Mormons only help Mormons?

Joy answered...

No! We believe in loving and serving all of God's children. The church is often the first at the scene of natural disaster to give relief to anyone who is in need. The church also has various charities. Beyond that the church teaches us to love, respect, and help the people around us regardless of their religious background.
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Sam answered...

Absolutely not. I personally have been a part of countless efforts to serve those not of our faith. We don't just serve others because we want them to join our Church. We serve because it's the right thing to do. Because it's what the Savior taught and exemplified. I think God often places people in our path when we are in a position to help. Sometimes, this can be a litmus test for how committed we are to living a Christlike life, especially if this "opportunity" comes at a very inconvenient time.

Perhaps we sometimes overlook opportunities to help because we are too focused on the problems staring us right in the face. I do know, however, that the Church makes a very concerted investment of time, talent, and resources in humanitarian aid throughout the world. We are often some of the first to arrive and the last to leave in cases like Hurricane Katrina, Haiti, and areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. We often coordinate our efforts with other organizations like the Red Cross or the Catholic Church.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Jordan answered...

Jesus Christ. The name of our curch is the Curch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When Christ was on the earth He started a church and it was organized by apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers. Of course the organization that he set up later fell because people didn't want to hear from them. So later on, in the 1800s, Christ and Heavenly Father found it to be the right time to bring that same organization back to the earth. And they then called another prophet, the same way Christ did when he was on the earth. And that Prophet's name was Joseph Smith.