Hi, I'm Kelsey

I am an artist, a human rights activist, a student, a "feminist," and a voracious reader. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a university student finishing my Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and starting law school. I do a lot of research and work relative to human trafficking and violence against women and girls, and am active in promoting better human rights, education, and health for women and girls in developing countries. I currently teach an undergraduate refugee health class at my university, and I love having the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded students.

I also LOVE to read, I often stay up until 2 and 3 in the morning just reading books! My friends and husband think I'm crazy, but I really do love it. I am also an artist, and I have been drawing since I can remember and painting in oil and acrylic since middle school. I love to go on long, fun bike rides with my husband, who I met at an LDS youth camp called EFY when I was 14 years old. We lived in different states but stayed great friends, and wrote letters to each other and talked on the phone until we met up again in college and started dating then. He's my best friend!

Mostly, I'm a pretty happy lady! :) There are a lot of horrific and terrible things that happen in our world, but I am confident that if we educate ourselves and stand up for what is right and good, we can continue to make this world a more peaceful home.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because I really do believe that the doctrine of this Church is true. I am a very, very curious and critically-minded person (just ask my mom ;), and so I've always asked a lot of the "hard" questions about this Church. Some people would say that Mormons have "blind faith," and that we just follow our leaders without really thinking for ourselves. I cannot speak for everyone in my religion, but I can certainly promise that that is not true in my case (and certainly the majority of Mormons I know don't follow blindly either). I have worked hard to gain every bit of my testimony that this is Christ's church. I have always asked the hard questions, and kept working, researching, and learning until Heavenly Father helped me find or understand an answer that made sense to me. I certainly don't understand everything 100%, and I wouldn't begin to claim that I know everything there is to know about being LDS, but I do know that this church is truly Christ's church restored to the earth in our time. I promise that if you have any questions for God about what he wants you to do in your life, or about what his true doctrine is, if you ask him with the intention to follow through with whatever answer he gives you, he will answer your questions.

How I live my faith

I try to improve myself every day-- some days are better than others. But when I read the scriptures and pray regularly I find that it is easier to emulate qualities of the Savior. I know I have a long, long way to go, but I know that through the atonement I can continue to grow and learn until I become a "joint-heir" with Christ.

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Kelsey answered...

Absolutely not. Sometimes people not of our faith get the impression that we worship Joseph Smith, the first modern prophet in our religion, because we respect and honor him very much. But our respect for him is very different than worship, which we reserve solely for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
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Ken answered...

Joseph Smith was a great man and we revere him as such because of the great and important things he accomplished. We do not worship Joseph Smith or serve him. We study about his life, because of the great significance of Joseph Smith's first vision and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood authority. It is a series of remarkable historical events.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Rochester, New York on a business trip and I found time to visit the nearby town of Palmyra and the Sacred Grove. I was able to see and study and review the circumstances surrounding the events and experiences of Joseph Smith. This was no chance happening or coincidence.

We worship Our Heavenly Father and His Son, the resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ.

Who is the Mormon prophet today?

David Child answered...

The president of the church today is the prophet of the world. His name is Thomas S. Monson. I know he is lead by God and leads God's church.