Hi, I'm Melissa

I'm a stay-at-home mommy, who loves life. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

Where to start? Well, I guess with the most important. I'm a mom of three little, wild things and married to Mr. Awesome! I get to stay home and try to control the chaos. I love it!

When I have some spare time, I work on my long list of graphic art projects. Top on my list is my preschool website and a children book I'm doing the illustrations for.

Moving onto hobbies. I really have too many things I love to keep them all going but here are my favorites: I have a black belt in Kempo Karate and Taekwondo, I love Yoga, basket weaving, board games, reading books, playing the piano or guitar, horse riding, family history, and cooking.

Why I am a Mormon

I have been blessed to be a Mormon my entire life and I continue to be, because of the wonderful blessings that come from following the teachings and the wonderful truths of my faith.

I am a Mormon because of the happiness, peace and guidance I receive by going to church each week and partaking of the sacrament. I feel a real power come into my life to face the challenges and struggles of each day.

I am a Mormon because of the blessings of the priesthood in my life. From listening to a true prophet giving guidance for our day, to having a loving husband who can bless my little family and lead our home in righteousness.

I am a Mormon because of the sweet blessings of the temple and the promise of eternal families.

I am a Mormon because I feel my Savior’s love for me as I pray, read the scriptures, listen to my leaders and serve my family and others. I am taught how to turn to my Savior, how to repent and how to return home to my Heavenly Father.

I am a Mormon because I feel like saying with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life”. (John 6:68)

Personal Stories

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

Throughout my life I have struggled with social anxiety, making interacting with others a real challenge. In the Mormon church we are asked to serve in callings to help others and attend a variety of meetings to help strengthen our faith. This has always been very hard for me since I feel so much anxiety and fear having to interact with others.

There have been so many times where I have left a church meeting in tears, feeling so discouraged and feeling like something was wrong with me. I would wonder why I couldn’t just talk with others without wanting to run away and hide.

Ever since I was young, I decided I would do my best to follow my Savior. This included accepting callings to serve in my church, going to meetings and doing my best to reach out to those around me, no matter how hard it was for me.

Through my faith in my Savior, I have been so blessed to be able to slowly overcome and control these anxieties. I have felt my burden being made light and I have been inspired with thoughts and encouragement to help me overcome the stress I feel when interacting with others.

I feel like a new person. I am now able to focus more on those around me, without feeling the overwhelming anxiety.

When the Savior asks us to do something, He doesn’t expect us to do it alone but we are so blessed to be able to turn to Him. He will guide and help us. I know this because I have felt His love and His guidance throughout my life.

How I live my faith

It’s in the day to day decisions, actions and the way I treat the people around me that I try to live my faith. For me, it's striving to follow the Savior's example.

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Rachel answered...

No. We only worship God. Joseph Smith was not a god. He was a prophet. Just like Moses and Abraham and all of the other prophets in the Bible. He is not a god, we do not worship him, however, as a prophet, God used him as a tool to communicate with us by giving Joseph Smith revelation. God spoke to us through Joseph Smith. Therefore, we accept what Joseph Smith said to be the word of God.
Alan answered...

No. "Worship" is reserved for members of the Godhead: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Worship means giving absolute devotion, adoration, and submission to someone, and only God is worthy of receiving true worship. God said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)" So what do we think about Joseph Smith? He was a mortal man called by God to serve as a prophet, and he was a great prophet. We love Joseph Smith, we study his teachings, and we are grateful for the work he did. But we do not worship him any more than we worship Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Peter, or any other prophet. We worship God.

Why are only some Mormons allowed into temples? Is there something secret going on in Mormon Temples? What goes on in Mormon Temples?

Adam answered...

There are many different things that happen inside a Mormon Temple. It's a place where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) make sacred two way promises with God called Covenants. These covenants aren't secret, they're sacred, and so we don't talk about them outside of the temple out of respect for them. Members also go to the temple to be married for time and all eternity. Not just "until death do you part" but even after death. We also perform ordinances such as baptism for people who have died without receiving the opportunity to be baptized. A worthy member is baptized in the place of the deceased.
The temple is a sacred place where the spirit of the Lord is and so one must be worthy to enter. So even members of the church must have a special recommend in order to enter.