Hi, I'm Charis

I've lived in 7 countries. I'm an ER doctor and mother of 2. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up a military kid, met my sweetheart in undergrad, got married and applied to medical school together. I'm only recently a 'real person'/out of residency and love going to puppet shows with my kids, having lunch with my mom, walking under autumn leaves, splashing in summer pools. Just because I can.

Why I am a Mormon

Everyone must decide for themselves what beliefs make the most sense in their mind and heart--whether they grew up around those or stumbled on them along the way.

My stumbling and private research of the human experience has brought me across timezones: New Zealand, Europe, Israel, South America, Africa. There is--of course--some truth everywhere, in every culture, every experience. I have found the most truth, the most light/peace/clarity in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe in a God, I believe that He knows and loves all of His children, personally. It makes sense in my mind and heart that we are not just here in this life to wander, then to have existence end with death. It seems more likely that there is a plan, that this life has a purpose. A Savior was provided as part of that plan to offer all God's children the opportunity to live with Him forever. And the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me find joy and meaning in this life and hope for the life to come.

That's why I am a Mormon. Because I just can't get enough of that light, that truth, that peace that comes so freely when I go to church and do the things/try to become what it teaches.

Personal Stories

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

I'm an empiricist, a scientist, by nature. Truth should reveal itself--or I should be able to discover it--by data, by evidence. I, like so many others, through my own data have come to believe that a loving Heavenly Father has not left us alone on this earth to figure out truth.

That influence of the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, (eg. stroke of insight, comfort, peace, warning, inspiration, a feeling of warmth, love) has helped me find peace about life's big & small decisions and that God knows & loves me personally.

How I live my faith

I try to do things daily that will help me feel what I have come to recognize to be the influence of God's Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, in my life. Reading scriptures, praying, going to church, loving/serving other people help me to live what I believe in--that God lives, that He knows/loves all of His children and that Jesus is the Christ.

What is the Mormon lifestyle like? How do Mormons live?

Charis answered...

I’m a doctor, an American, a democrat, a mom, a daughter. I drive a beat up car, complain about the weather and probably eat too many sweets.

Obviously, how one lives is influenced by the culture, climate of where they live, their family, past experiences, etc. But, the commonalities in Mormon lifestyle are:

**Most often go to church every Sunday, have a duty or calling at Church, read the scriptures and pray daily, hold weekly family nights, care for the poor and needy, get all the education we can get, fast at least once/month, keep the Sabbath day holy, try to get out of debt, forgive, be honest, love/serve our neighbor, etc.

**We’ve been counseled NOT to smoke or drink alcohol/tea/coffee. We believe in abstaining from sex before marriage and total fidelity after.

The Church does NOT dictate occupations, political parties, # of children, where one lives, military service, etc.

“The purpose of the gospel is . . . to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature.”
So that’s the lifestyle you’ll find: all previous religions, ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, cultures, occupations, political persuasions, severities of ‘sin’—from wherever they started, doing good, becoming better.
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Serge answered...

Family is everything to us. Our family spends lots of our free time together because we like each other. Life gets crazy with teenagers, dance practice, after school academic decathlon, usually with a toddler in tow, but no matter what, every Monday night is Family Night.

The kids know that every Monday we spend time together and nothing gets in the way of it. It's our commitment to each other. We bake cookies, have lessons about the Savior, work on personal goals, go to the park, go geocaching, play board games or just go out for ice cream.

We do lots of things together. The point is that at least once a week we spend an hour or two together, just for the sake of being together, just because we love being together as a family. It's not as perfect as it may sound, with all the poking and "she's in my spot," and all the other crazy things family members do to each other when scrambling for a spot in the living room, but we try real hard. It takes effort to make sure we don't miss, but it's worth it.

I'm not sure the kids will remember all the games we played, the places we went or what we did, but I hope they always remember that we loved each other enough to dedicate one night a week to be with each other. And that we spent every Monday night together for as many Mondays as they can remember because family is everything to us, and every member of our family is important.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

Julianne! answered...

Mormon church services are dignified and simple. A sacrament meeting will be conducted by a regular guy wearing a regular business suit. The organ will be played by a regular member of the congregation who is not paid for his or her service. The singing will be led by a regular member of the congretaion. The prayers will be given by regular folks. The sacrament will be blessed and passed by regular folks, usually teenage boys. The talks will be given by members of the congregation, often teenagers. Special music might be presented by regular folks, or the ward choir. Members of the ward choir are just regular members of the congregation who like to sing, and are not paid for their service. Looking around the congregation, you will most likely see some singles but also families including little children and babies. Babies tend to be fussy so the room will not be totally silent. We try to maintain reverence, but it's a learning process. The kids are not perfectly reverent, and neither are the rest of us. People are dressed in regular clothes, usually conservative and modest. Men and boys usually wear dress shirts and ties. Women and girls usually wear dresses or skirts.

You are welcome to come and attend any of our worship services. You will not be asked to stand and sit, stand and sit, stand and sit. No one will pass a collection plate or ask you for money. You come in and sit and relax. And when you come, please sit by me!