Hi, I'm Heather.

I'm an education professor, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, and an avid reader. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a mom of three kids who sometimes drive me nuts despite being genuinely great. I live in east Texas and am happy to finally be a professor and no longer a student! I have a BA and an MA in Spanish and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. In my spare time, I read everything I can get my hands on. I don't cook, bake, sew, can, store, crochet, knit, quilt, garden, stamp, decoupage, make macrame owls, or scripture chase and don't feel an ounce of guilt about it.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon for the same reason I am a woman, from Texas, and white--it's part of my identity. It's who I am. It's my spiritual language--even though my beliefs are quite distinct from your "stereotypical Mormon." I had a wonderful childhood being raised in the Mormon church and hope to provide my children with a similarly warm, welcoming faith community while also teaching them to appreciate other faiths and recognize the goodness in them.

Personal Stories

What is hope and what do you hope for?

I hope that I will be able to seek out goodness wherever it may be. I love the 13th Article of Faith of the Mormon Church that says that "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." I believe that goodness abounds and that it can be found amongst people who are different than I am across numerous dimensions: race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, language, etc. The world is indeed a beautiful place. I feel blessed to be able to experience even a small fraction of the richness of life found on earth.

How I live my faith

I am the Primary chorister in our congregation, which means that I teach gospel principles through music to children ages 3-12 every Sunday. I have been doing it for years and love it. I love seeing the children's enthusiasm and faith and energy. I feel re-charged every Sunday after spending almost two hours with them.

I also play the organ for our Sunday meetings--something I don't enjoy but do it because I can and because our ward needs an organist!

I also make monthly visits to women as a member of the Relief Society, the women's organization of our church. I enjoy getting to know the other women in our congregation and learning from their life experiences.

What is the Relief Society?

Heather. answered...

Relief Society is the women's organization of the church. Mormon women attend a Relief Society class every Sunday and also attend other interest group activities/meetings during the month. These vary according to the interests of the women in a given congregation.

Even though I have been a member of the Mormon church since birth 37 years!, I have little experience with the Relief Society because I have always worked in the Primary the children's organization.
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Dave answered...

Established in 1842 for women 18 years old and older, the Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world. The motto: “Charity never faileth.” President Julie B. Beck has taught us: “Relief Society should be organized, aligned, and mobilized to strengthen families and help our homes to be sacred sanctuaries from the world. I learned this years ago when I was newly married. My parents, who had been my neighbors, announced that they would be moving to another part of the world... This was before e-mail, fax machines, cell phones, and Web cameras, and mail delivery was notoriously slow. One day before she left, I sat weeping with her and asked, ‘Who will be my mother?’ Mother thought carefully, and with the Spirit and power of revelation which comes to women of this kind, she said to me, ‘If I never come back, if you never see me again, if I’m never able to teach you another thing, you tie yourself to Relief Society. Relief Society will be your Mother.’ Mother knew that if I were sick, the sisters would take care of me, and when I had my babies, they would help me. But my mother’s greatest hope was that the sisters in Relief Society would be powerful, spiritual leaders for me. I began from that time to learn abundantly from women of stature and faith.” (Daughters in My Kingdom, Pages 96-98.)

I have learned that the women of the Relief Society build faith and personal righteousness and help those in need. They have strengthened my family and my home.

What is the difference between attending church and the temple?

Kimberly. answered...

We go to church weekly to worship and take the sacrament, which is like communion. Everyone, no matter their faith, is welcome to come to church services and learn more about the Gospel.

The temple is a special place where members make further promises to Heavenly Father that they will keep his commandments. It is also where we are married, or sealed together, and where we can be baptized and sealed for our family members who have died before having those opportunities in life.

To go to the temple you need a card called a temple reccomend from your church leaders that confirms that you are currently doing your best to follow Christ and His Gospel as a member of the Church.