Hi, I'm Cece

I'm from Seattle; I love photographs, autumn, and mountains; bbq pineapple pizza is my favourite... and I'm a Mormon :)

About Me

I'm twenty and I'm a sophomore in college. I love to laugh and play around with my friends, and I love to make other people laugh. I like to keep up with fashion, but I'm putting myself through school so my budget is more thrifty right now :) I love music. Some of my favourite artists are Adele, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, and smaller bands like the Avett Brothers, the Civil Wars, the Weepies, and the Head and the Heart. I also listen to a bit of top 40 music ;) I like singing with my friends and family, just for fun. I like puns, rhymes, alteration, and word play. I like things that are clever :) I'm fairly awful at math, mostly because I haven't taken a math class since high school. My favourite books are the Chronicles of Narnia, and Les Miserables. I'm rather obsessed with Les Mis. It's my favourite musical, followed by Into the Woods and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I'm kind of in love with the beauty of the world; I love the mountains and the fall colors of the leaves and I take a lot of pictures of them. My family is the world to me; I'm the oldest of six kids and I miss everyone so much even while I'm having the time of my life with my friends at college. In high school I was in choir and drama club. I'm from the Seattle area and I love it there :)

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because I know God loves me. I've felt His love for me and the people around me SO powerfully in my life, and I can't ever deny that. I'm a Mormon because choose to be. This gospel is what makes me happiest. When hard things happen, my faith is what I rely on to get me through. My faith is the greatest part of my life - it gives me so much joy, hope, and happiness. I'm a Mormon because I am in love with the truth that God has revealed to us and that He continues to give us, and most of all I am in love with Christ and his everlasting, redeeming love for me and everyone in this world. I'm so in love with this gospel and all that I know about my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I'm grateful that I have the chance every moment to come to know Him more, and I know that you have that chance as well.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized when I was eight years old. I had a testimony of Christ then, and it has continued to grow, develop, and support me through the challenges of life. My Dad baptized me on my birthday, and my family was there to support me and make it a special occasion.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope to me is like optimism. It is related to faith and love. My hope is firm and gives me strength in trying times. I hope for a better day. I hope that someday I will be reunited with my Savior Jesus Christ and my Father in Heaven. I hope to be with my family forever. I hope that death is not the end. In normal english, hope sometimes sounds flimsy, or like a wish. But to me, hope means I am looking forward with confidence and joy. Hope brings me happiness. I do not doubt that someday these things will happen, and in the mean time I look forward and act with faith and love. Hope is the anchor of my soul :) and all my hope is centered on my Savior Jesus Christ.

Please share your feelings/testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel.

I'm so thankful that God loves us enough to make sure that we have His Gospel today! I'm thankful for Joseph Smith, who was only fourteen years old when he prayed to know what was right! My youngest brother is fourteen. How many young teenagers have the courage and maturity to read the Bible, apply it in their lives, and sincerely pray to find out what is right? I'm so thankful that Joseph Smith did, and that he had the courage to restore God's church as it was originally so that I can have it in my life today. It is such a blessing in my life :) I know that God's church has been restored. It's what so many people have been looking for for so many years. Look into it, pray about it, and ask God if it's true. I promise you will get an answer. :)

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

We believe that people who didn't have the chance to hear about God or Jesus Christ or the gospel during their lifetime will have that opportunity after they are dead. We believe baptism is so important that no one should be without it, so we perform baptisms for the dead. (This is referenced in 1 Corinthians 15:29.) God loves all His children! :)
We obviously want our family members to have these blessings, so we research their names so that they can have everything we do :)
It's also good just to learn about our ancestry and heritage - it gives me strength sometimes to think about great-grandma whomever and the challenges she faced and how she overcame, or what was important to her, or whatever :)

How has attending Church services helped you?

Having Church once a week is such a blessing! Even if I don't always feel like going, I've found that going just once a week gives me such a lift. It's so wonderful to be able to meet with other people who believe as I do and to learn from them and worship God with them. :) I always learn something that helps me throughout the rest of my week, and I always leave feeling uplifted and closer to God :)

Why do Mormons go on missions?

I want to go on a mission because this gospel brings me so much joy!! I'm just bursting to share it with other people :) If you had some super great news that made you just the happiest ever, wouldn't you want to share it with others too? :)

We go on full-time missions because we believe God has asked us to. It's a privilege to go and do nothing but serve God full-time for two years :)

Why/How do you share the gospel with your friends?

I share this gospel because I love it! It makes me just the happiest ever and, since I love my friends to death, I want them to have this happiness too!
I share the gospel by just trying to live my life as Jesus would want me to. I keep His commandments, and I talk honestly to my friends about my beliefs and my church activities. I invite them to things I think they'll enjoy, and I answer their questions as honestly as I can.
I just try to be my honest self and not to hide anything! :)

How I live my faith

I pray daily, I study the Word of God and try to apply it to my life. I forgive others, I love people, and I give thanks to God for everything. I try to live my life in a way that would be pleasing to Him, and that will bring others to Him. I have hope, optimism, and trust in God. Serving others is an important part of my life. Sometimes I accompany the congregation on the piano and organ. At home, I taught the three and four year-olds basic gospel ideas like sharing, forgiveness, and that God loves them. I loved it! I miss my sunbeams :) Here at school, I plan activities for a group of us to do every Monday night, and I visit two other girls about once a month to see how they're doing :)

Who chooses the Mormon prophet?

Cece answered...

God does! :) God inspires the current Apostles about who should be called to be a new Apostle when one of them dies. When the Prophet of the Church dies, whoever was made an Apostle next after him is chosen to be the new Prophet. All of the Apostles pray to make sure that that's what God wants, and then they ordain him the new Prophet with God's authority :)
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Are Mormons Christians?

Rob answered...

Christ said that his followers would be defined by their adherence to his teachings. Growing up as a member of the Church, I learned that Christ is The literal son of God and that through His Atonement we can somehow be forgiven of our sin and allowed to enter back into the presence of God, if that is what we want. Everything I ever learned at church or in my home was centered on the life and ministry of Christ.

Several years ago, we moved to the Southeastern United States and encountered the idea that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints are not Christians. Although I don't understand the need to define certain groups in or out of Christianity, especially given The Lord's frequent admonitions not to judge the faith of others, I understand this idea is rooted in some esoteric academic objections to certain gospel principles such as our belief that Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are separate individuals united in purpose and power. My experience has been that this idea is often passed on among those who have not met or do not have close relationships with members of the church.

Once people get to know what we teach and believe and how we live, they come to understand that we are Christians. While, The Lord has asked us to let our light shine so that others can see it and take strength from it, I believe that ultimately Christ, will judge our Christianity as individuals based on the thoughts and intents or our hearts.