Hi, I'm Larae

I'm a mom of 5. I'm a wife to a cop. My goal is joy in this life and after . And I'm a Mormon!

About Me

I grew up in three different states. I was born in Arizona. We moved to Missouri and I lived there until I was 12. We then moved to Las Vegas, NV. I lived there until I graduated high school. I enjoyed moving around. I am the type of person that needs change!

I am the lucky mom of 5 beautiful children! I am learning to enjoy motherhood. It is the hardest job in the world! I definitely learn more about myself everyday, good or bad.

My husband is a law enforcement officer. He works crazy hours and sometimes it is quite difficult. But I love him and he loves his job. It makes me happy to see him so happy.

In my spare time- I use that term loosely, what mother has "spare time"- I enjoy writing, decorating, serving, and reading good non-fiction books. I love to stay active! Volleyball is my favorite sport. I'm glad I get to play once a week. I consider our body a blessing and I want to keep mine in good shape!!

I am a positive person. Life is too short to live angry or unhappy all the time. Our purpose in this life is to find out who we are and experience joy. I am an avid seeker of things that will fill my life with that joy!!

Why I am a Mormon

For those of us who are raised in the church, there comes a time that we have to learn for ourselves why it is important to live the Mormon faith. That time came to me over a period of years. It started when I was very young and living in Missouri. I was the only Mormon in my school class. My family were the only Mormons in the whole school! I remember being invited to go to church with other friends. I had many Christian friends. Some were Baptist, others were Lutheran and Methodist. My parents allowed me to attend church with my friends. By doing this, I started to be able to discern my feelings. When I would attend these other churches, the feelings I had inside were much different than the feelings I would experience in my church, the Mormon faith. The feelings weren't bad feelings, I think it is a good thing to love and worship our Savior. It was just when I attended my church, there was such a warmth and peace in my heart and mind. I loved feeling that way! It was the beginning of learning to recognize the Holy Spirit.

When I lived in Vegas, I was in my jr. high and high school years. Very important years! I wasn't the only Mormon, but we were still few in number at the school I went to. I would be asked questions all the time." Why don't you smoke? Why don't you drink? Why do you choose to wait until you are married to have sex? You don't know what you are missing!" I loved being able to share my beliefs! I would simply reply, " I don't live that way because I want to be the best me possible. Those things are just distractions in my pursuit to discovering why I'm here and who I am!"

I am a Mormon because I want to be the best me possible. I believe that we are here for a purpose. That purpose is to be able to prove that we can rise above things that seem appealing, but in reality are quite harmful to our body and spirit. Because of my faith, I am learning who I CAN be. I know that this is only possible when we follow the example of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I believe the fullness of His gospel is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Personal Stories

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost helps me daily, if I choose to listen. I think that this is one of the greatest gifts Our Father in Heaven has given us. Because of the Holy Ghost, I am able to receive answers to prayers, feel comfort, and be guided.

Seven years ago my father passed away from cancer. He was diagnosed in June and gone by November. This was a very difficult time for our family. It was so unexpected. He was only 66 years old.

Going through something like this can either strengthen a family or break it.

When the doctor let us know that there was nothing they could do for him, instead of anger and confusion, we felt comfort. This was the Holy Ghost. While we didn't fully understand or like the fact that our dad was leaving this life, we knew that he would be okay. The Holy Ghost testified to each of us- all 11 children and mom- that there is life after death. There is an eternal plan!!

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

One of the greatest blessings that has come to me through my faith in Christ is PEACE! Peace in this life when everything around me is crazy! This world is confusing and one can wonder what they are to do. But I don't wonder. Because of the knowledge of who I am, why I'm here, and where I want to be, I have absolute peace! I live everyday to gain that peace and that joy.

How I live my faith

I live my faith everyday. I try to start everyday with a prayer. I feel this is important. By praying everyday it shows reverence, gratitude, and it reminds me that I have a Father in Heaven. When I pray everyday, I am able to focus on my goals and if I keep my mind open, The Holy Ghost is able to communicate with me. He lets me know of things that I should do, or perhaps avoid.

I try to remember the promises I have made everyday. To keep my life free of distractions. I am not always successful. It is sometimes really hard, but the important thing is I keep trying. I want to be a good example to my kids. I try to serve them and others. I try to live as the Savior would.

I attend church every Sunday. There I am able to be uplifted and strengthened. It is a blessing to partake of the Sacrament weekly. I am also a leader in the Young Woman organization. I teach the girls who are ages 16-18. I love this calling. I think this is a critical time in these girls' lives. It is important that they learn all they can before they head off to collage, or wherever they plan on going. I am grateful for the opportunity to help them. They keep me young!!

I try to serve where ever I can. I feel our Heavenly Father wants us always to be engaged in a good cause. I make sure anything I choose to watch or read is uplifting. I love to read my scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I am reading it for a 4th time. I may not do it everyday, but that is my ultimate goal!

Who wrote the Book of Mormon?

Larae answered...

The Book of Mormon was translated from ancient records that were given to Joseph Smith, Jr. He received these records from an angel named Moroni. These records were engraved on plates of gold. They are an account of an ancient civilization that existed here, on the American continents. The men who were in charge of keeping the record of their people wrote on these plates. They tell of their belief and faith in God. They tell of the wars with one another. There is an account of Jesus Christ visiting them after His death. Many great men, believers of Christ, contributed to the writings on the gold plates, which later is translated and published as The Book of Mormon.
Show more of my answers Show less of my answers One Moment Please
Casey Dickson answered...

The Book of Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of America, and their dealings with God; namely, the native Americans. God is no respector of persons; He loves all His children. He wants us all to make it back to live with Him; the Book of Mormon is proof to me that God loves all people of all nations; why would he only give His Word to just the Children of Israel?
The Book of Mormon was written by the prophets that were called of God on the American Continent; they too testifed that Jesus is the Christ, and he would surely come to redeem us from our sins. The book gets it's name from the prophet Mormon, who collected the individual records kept by prophets throughout the centuries, and complied them into one volume, written on gold plates. He gave them to his son, Moroni, who buried them in a hill by what is now known as Upstate New York. Centuries later, a young man named Joseph Smith, who wanted to know which church was true, had a vision of God the Father and His Son, who told him the truth was lost over the years, and he would be a tool in the Lord's hands to restore what was lost. A few years later, that same Moroni who buried the plates, visited Joseph as an angel of the Lord, and directed him to the ancient record. Through the gift on power of God, he was able to translate the book into English. The Book of Mormon helps us understand the fullness of the Gospel; with the Bible, we can discover God's will for us.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Carlos answered...

There is a passage from the Book of Mormon that can help us understand the doctrine of grace:

"And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free... there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah... he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved"

We fully belive in justification and reconciliation by grace - it is an essential doctrine of the Church, and is found repeatedly throughout the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Anyone who believes in Christ shall be saved and inherit all that the Father has; however, we need to understand what it means to believe - we need to understand the word "believe" as Christ intended it to be understood.

The prophet Joseph Smith taught that faith is a principle of action. Yes, it's true that all we need to do to be saved is to believe, but believing isn't just a verbal declaration - true belief requires action.
Knowing that the world is full of breathable air isn't enough to live - we actually need to act on that knowledge and breathe in order to keep living. Likewise, having faith in Christ isn't just something that we say we have - we have to act on that belief. I can't honestly claim that I have faith in Christ and know that His path is the path to happiness if I'm not consistantly trying to gain that happiness.

We fully believe in salvation by grace, but it's possible to fall from grace if we lose our faith - and if we are not doing the things that Christ requires of us then we do not have true faith.
All we need to do to attain grace is to develop faith in Jesus Christ, but developing faith unto salvation in Jesus Christ is a lifetime endeavor which requires our absolute best sacrifice.