Hi, I'm Jen

I grew up outside Washington, D.C. I'm a biologist and a mom. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

My Masters degree is in Conservation Biology. I've done work related to logging, oil spills and fisheries. Currently I teach at the community college, but these days my family takes center stage. We started our family a few years ago by adopting a ten year old boy. He was followed by two biological daughters. "Let's Go!" is our family motto, which ensures that not just summer vacations, but every day, is an adventure.

Why I am a Mormon

The easy answer is, I was born one. Throughout my childhood, I felt with certainty that I had a Heavenly Father who cared about me and in whom I could confide. But my idyllic childhood ended when my father announced that he was gay and left our family. In a few years time, he contracted AIDS which ultimately took his life. The relationship I had always felt with my Heavenly Father sustained me through those years of losing my earthly father, but as I moved into adulthood I had to move past the easy answers. What did I believe and what was I going to do about it? In college, I read the Book of Mormon for the first time. As I read about Nephi and his "goodly parents", I was struck with the conviction that Nephi was a real person and that he HAD had goodly parents and that he had actually written the account I was reading. After that, it was just a matter of aligning my actions with my beliefs, which, I suppose, is a lifelong undertaking.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

So many. Our children are perhaps the most obvious. Getting pregnant is difficult for us. Each pregnancy has required surgery, drugs, a small arsenal of ovulation kits and pregnancy tests, fasting, prayers, tears, patience and faith. The fact that three children grace our home, when we once feared there would be none, brings me to my knees in awe and gratitude. They are our living miracles. Surely our Savior is the greatest living miracle of all and for our family, the presence of our children testifies of Him – His power to bless, to heal, to answer prayers, to bring about the unlikely, even the impossible. They are our proof of the Savior’s great Atonement and it’s ability to make whole that which is not, to perfect that which is broken, to bring into being that which was only hoped for.

How I live my faith

A wise woman once advised to never stifle a generous impulse. I've been trying to follow those promptings that invite me to do good to those within my home and beyond. There are other manifestations of my faith - I don't drink or smoke, I'm faithful to my husband, I pay 10% of my income in tithes, I just completed three years of leading our congregation's women's organization, I fast monthly, I pray and read the scriptures daily. But if I can be a person of integrity and charity, a person that reflects the qualities of Christ, then that is living my faith.

What are Mormon women like? Do Mormons believe in equality of men and women?

Jen answered...

I love this question because we are such a diverse group! We are educators, CEO's, mothers, physicians, volunteers, artists, home makers, scientists, community leaders, business owners, athletes - you name it! But whatever our realm of activity, we hold certain values dear - virtue, charity and family being chief among them.
Do we believe in gender equality? Yes! And I like to think that my marriage reflects that. Mormon women are not limited from participating in careers or activities that they find personally fulfilling. In addition, the opportunity women have to nurture children, an opportunity under attack in many spheres, is valued and protected within the Church.
Beverly answered...

Mormon women are exactly like non-Mormon women in many ways. Some of us are stay-at-home mothers, while other Mormon women work outside the home. Regardless of our circumstances or choices in terms of employment, we try to work with our husbands and families as a team to get things taken care of within our homes.

My husband is my partner and my best friend and vice versa for him. He doesn't "rule over me" any more than I would do the same to him. We are equal partners in our eternal marriage. The church teaches us to be kind to our families as well as our friends and we want to make our homes a kind of spiritual refuge for everybody.

What is a “testimony” that Mormons speak of?

David answered...

A testimony in the church is a spiritual witness given to an individual by the Holy Ghost that something is true. The Holy Ghost is a spirit, who is a member of the Godhead. His primary work is to testify, or be a witness, of Jesus Christ and of all truth. However, the Holy Ghost will rarely speak to us in words. Instead, He "pricks our hearts" (see Acts 2) and gives us a feeling of peace and joy, or a feeling of burning and swelling (the good kind) within our hearts. If we seek truth with real intent and pray to God that He will make it known to us, the Holy Ghost will bear witness of truth to us.