Hi, I'm Becky

I'm a social butterfly, a group exercise instructor, a chocolate enthusiast and a stay-at-home mother of four. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am the oldest of 5 children. I'm very close to my siblings. I married my best friend and am grateful for that decision every day. We have four beautiful young children who mean more to me than I can say. I get to be a stay at home mom and spend my days running errands, cleaning messes and toting children around. I love to read, socialize, and cook. I don't love to clean or do laundry (but I do it anyway).

Why I am a Mormon

I was blessed to be born of goodly parents in a home where the gospel was cherished. I'm so grateful for the privilege of being born to my parents and being raised the way I was.

I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is the Son of God and that it is only through His grace and merits that we can return to God. I know that repentance is real. I know that The Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's mouthpiece today. I know that families can be together forever.

I can't identify a miraculous day when I suddenly had my own testimony and no longer relied on my parents' faith. There have been a few times when I've realized that I have a testimony of a specific principle. But for me it's been a day by day process that I suspect will continue throughout my life as I strive to be more like my Savior and draw closer to my Father in Heaven.

Personal Stories

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

Prayer helps more than anything! When we pray, with an honest heart, the Spirit touches our heart and helps us see others as our Father in Heaven sees us. When our spouse or child hears us pray for them verbally they know that we love and treasure them.

How has The Book of Mormon helped you understand the purpose of life?

The Book of Mormon adds clarity to the Bible. Throughout the centuries following the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles, many plain and precious truths were mistranslated and removed from the Bible. The Book of Mormon lay untouched by the world for 1400 years waiting for the Lord to bring forth the words of prophets who have long since passed away.

The Book of Mormon teaches that we must have faith, be baptized and press forward with steadfastness in Christ. It teaches us to feast upon the words of Christ. It teaches us that the words of Christ will tell us all things that we should do. It tells us more about where we came from, why we're here and what happens when we die. It teaches me that there is a purpose for me to be here (to be tested and to prove my worthiness), it teaches me why bad things happen to good people (because the Lord's plan requires agency for all mankind). Because of The Book of Mormon I know how I should live and the eternal consequences of my decisions. I'm so grateful to have a book of scripture that is pure and undefiled that teaches with such power.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

The mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is threefold.

1. Proclaim the Gospel. I participate in this mission by teaching the gospel to my children and by being an example to my friends and associates. I do my best to live the teachings of Jesus Christ and to follow His perfect example.
2. Perfect the Saints. The greatest work I can do on this portion of the Church's mission is to follow the example of Jesus Christ. I'm also responsible for, again, teaching my children and encouraging them to live up to their privileges. I can help with this in my visiting teaching and in my church calling, teaching the 8 and 9 year-olds.
3. Redeem the Dead. This refers to temple work. I try to attend the temple as often as I can. In the temple we are baptized for those who have passed on and didn't have the opportunity to be baptized in this life. We also perform other saving ordinances on behalf of our deceased ancestors, such as sealing families together forever. But this work isn't all done in the temple. Doing family history is necessary for us to find our ancestors.

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

My favorite example of this principle is that of a funnel. If we place a funnel large side up we can imagine that's our starting place in life. We have vast and even infinite opportunities to make decisions, bad or good. If we choose to make bad decisions then our opportunities for making choices dwindle as we fall further and further to the bottom of our funnel. (For example, if we make choices that land us in prison we no longer have the privilege of making our own choices. The same can be said of addictions, we become prisoner to those addictions.)

When we choose the right our funnel flips the other way (large side down). Each choice we make opens up our opportunities as our future becomes clear. We have a clean conscience and life and we're able to find greater and greater opportunities to do what our Father in Heaven wants us to do.

How I live my faith

I currently serve as a teacher of the 8 and 9 year old children in our ward. This year we're studying The Book of Mormon. I'm amazed at how much some of them know and the discussions that I can have with children!

I'm a visiting teacher. At least once a month I get to sit with wonderful women in my ward and talk about life, our children, our husbands, dishes, laundry, good sales and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the depth that the gospel adds to my relationships with others.

What does Mormonism teach regarding baptism?

Becky answered...

Baptism is the gate by which we enter heaven. Jesus Christ, in order to be perfect had to be baptized. It is then, obviously, essential for us, who are not so perfect!

A few essential elements of baptism:
(1) Immersion. Full immersion.
(2) A person must have reached the age of accountability (8).
(3) The baptizer must have authority from God to do the baptizing.
(4) The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost seals and completes the baptism. (And the laying on of hands must also be done by someone who is properly authorized to do so.)

And then we're not done! We must "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men".
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Jerad answered...

For us, baptism is a two way promise or covenant with our father in Heaven. We promise to obey his commandments, take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and to always remember him ((D&C 20:77-78) and he promises to give us a remission, or forgiveness for our sins and his spirit to guide us (3 Nephi 27:19-20). However, we must keep our promise to maintain the blessings offered by our Heavenly Father. Baptism is preceeded by faith in Jesus Christ and then repentance. Once we repent of our sins and change our lives, we enter into the waters of baptism. We believe in being baptized by immersion, by someone holding the authority of God (3 Nephi 11:19-27), and at an age of responsibility, when we can recognize the difference between right and wrong (the age of eight is set as when we can do this) (D&C 68:27). There is symbolism in baptism by immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ and also the death of our past lives and a rebirth where we are cleansed from sin (Romans 6:3-6). Baptism must also be followed by receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 19:1-6).The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a second baptism by fire and completes the baptism by water (Matthew 3:11 and John 3:5).

Why did your church previously practice plural marriage (polygamy)?

David C answered...

Mormons practiced polygamy because the Lord commanded some of them to do so, for purposes known to the Lord. At the time, there were no national laws prohibiting polygamy. When the Supreme Court ruled that later anti-polygamy laws were constitutional, the Lord directed Pres. Woodruff to issue the Manifesto, and the practice ended in the Church.