Hi, I'm Marnie

I grew up in Idaho. I am a college freshman, a photographer, a sister, an aunt, and I am a Mormon.

About Me

I was born in Idaho and came to a family with six brothers and one sister. Growing up in a big family was hard and chaotic at times but it was the best. It taught me so much about what really matters in life. Not possessions, but people and relationships. It taught me to work hard for the things I wanted and to be more grateful. I became an aunt when I was 3 years old and I am now an aunt to 12 nieces and nephews. I love to sing and I love photography. I am grateful for the talents I was given my Father in Heaven. I am currently attending college and have decided on photography as my major, I cannot wait to start taking photography classes when I get all the generals out of the way. I love school and feel very blessed to be attending such a wonderful university. I hope to someday serve a mission and become a mother.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because of the happiness it brings to my life. I love my family more than anything and I know that I can be with them for all eternity. I am grateful for the temple that makes it possible for my family to be together forever. I know that when we die, it is not the end. It brings me happiness to know that we have a living prophet in the church who leads and guides us and gives us direction. I am grateful for all the guidelines we have in our church that help me be a better person. I never think of them as rules, but rather, as blessings from God. I am grateful that I have agency to choose what I want in my life and I am not restricted as a member of this church. The guidelines are put there to protect me and help me stay strong and healthy. I am grateful that the church taught me to serve and help others. It makes me happy to know that there is always ways to serve in our church. I continue to be a part of the church because I know how much happiness it brings to my life and I am so grateful for the love I feel from my Father in Heaven. I know He knows who I am and cares about me personally. I am grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith who restored the gospel of Jesus Christ so that I could be a member of this wonderful church.

Personal Stories

How has attending Church services helped you?

Church is three hours long but it goes by quickly and has blessed my life so much. I am grateful that I can go to church each week and learn from everyone there. Sundays are special days that I can go to church and learn about Christ and the principles and doctrines of our church. I have been a member my whole life and I am amazed at how many new things I learn each week that maybe I have heard before but have never made an impression on me. I love learning new things about the gospel and although I am 18, there is still so much more to learn. The members in the congregation help me so much to learn and grow. I love them all so much.

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

I have been blessed with the talent of singing. I am able to sing hymns and share my testimony of the gospel through singing. I have also been given the ability to take photographs. I love to take pictures of temples. Through my talents I can share my love for the gospel, for temples, and show my gratefulness to the Lord by sharing my gifts and talents with others.

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith is someone I admire so much. I can't believe the things he went through for this church. He was persecuted beyond belief because people did not believe that he had seen God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. I know with every fiber of my being, that Joseph Smith did in fact see them in the Sacred Grove. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon and I know that he could not have done it without the help of the Lord because he had had no schooling. I know that he would not have gone through the persecution and strife he did for a lie. His wife and children had to see him suffer and he would not have put them through that for a book or for a lie. He dedicated his life to the Lord and was truly a tool in the Lords hands. I love him for what he did for this church. He is an amazing man.

How I live my faith

I live the gospel by being an example to everyone around me and by living the high standards that have been set for me. I know that when I was younger I looked up to the girls older than me and thought they were just the greatest and I want to provide that same example for the girls younger than me. I had an opportunity to do that when I helped plan the weekly activities for the youth. It was a big job to plan activities each week but I had help from the other girls and from my leaders. It taught me leadership skills and taught me to interact and love all of the youth, who are now some of my very best friends. I plan to someday serve a full time mission; give up 18 months of my life to go and spread this wonderful news of the gospel that I have the privilege to be a part of. I have a temple very close to where I live and I make it a point to go to the temple every week. I have a busy life just like every other college student but there is down time occasionally and there are times that I don't have things to do or I am wasting my time with unimportant things and those are the times when I realize that I have time for the temple. It is a wonderful place to be. A place of peace and comfort, a place of refuge from the world and a place I go to receive answers to my questions and prayers

What blessings can you receive from reading the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and other scriptures?

Marnie answered...

I have been trying for a long time to get in a better habit of reading the scriptures daily. I have really good long stretches where I read every morning and then there are times that I don't. I can testify that it is the times that I read the scriptures frequently that I get the most out of my days. I am more productive, I am more in tune with the spirit and I am happier. There have been times in my life when I was lost and I didn't know how I was going to get through the rough things that had been thrown in my path. I felt like I was alone and so I would pick up my scriptures and read. Somehow, every time I did that I was able to be calm and I was able to find answers to my questions. Although the scriptures were written by ancient prophets, they still pertain to me. Sometimes it is hard to understand what the concepts but through much study and prayer, you will come to realize what it is you are to learn and you will be blessed for your efforts.

Are Mormons Christians?

Charlotte answered...

Living in a place where Mormons are a small minority, this is probably the question I get asked the most. For me, nothing is more sacred and personal than my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe he was born of Mary and is the Son of God. I believe he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross on Calvary so that all of us might be saved by the gift of His atonement. I believe he was resurrected three days later and that he will come again. I absolutely whole-heartedly believe in and love Jesus and am teaching my children to do the same.

Generally though, I've found that when people ask me this question more often they are asking what makes Mormons different from other Christians. There are 3 major differences: 1) We believe that God, the father, Jesus, his son and the Holy Ghost are distinct beings (the first two having a body of flesh and blood, the third being a spirit) that are united in purpose. So, we don't believe in the concept of the "Trinity." 2) We believe in an open cannon, meaning that God still reveals scripture. We believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God but we have companion scriptures as well that we believe are holy and inspired, most notably "The Book of Mormon." It is another testament of Jesus Christ, in addition to the Bible. 3)We believe that God still talks to man. Revelation didn't stop with the prophets in the Bible. When Christ's church was restored through Joseph Smith, prophets once again returned to the earth. We having a living prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, to whom God speaks. In addition, we believe in personal revelation. Rather than telling people they must follow unquestioningly like sheep, Mormons are encouraged to ask God themselves about doctrine, actions and anything else they are concerned about. He answers prayers.

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Joseph Smith

As is the case throughout history God has communicated to His children through prophets. God used a humble man as a prophet to restore His Church on earth who ultimately died defending His faith.

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