Hi, I'm Cynthia

I'm a Mormon. I am a good cook, love to garden, and treasure family time.

About Me

I love reading NYT bestsellers, gardening, especially flowers and tomatoes and herbs. I enjoy cooking what I grow, and I own about 2000 cookbooks. My homemade breads are amongst my proudest achievements! I am also an avid Geocacher. Motherhood has been the best thing that ever happened to me too. My family are my strength.

Why I am a Mormon

I believe Christ is my Savior. When I make a decision I lean toward Him for wise council. I believe Christ is the Head of His church. The Church of Jesus Christ is HIS church. I believe this to the depth of my soul. This church has major focus on the family. And my children and husband and I have become blessed from our membership in the church.

Personal Stories

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

Before my husband and I married, we agreed to never say anything to each other that we would regret. It is hard to take back harsh words, and even harder to forget them. We have tried to instill this same attitude in our children. (Not always successfully, but WE TRY!)

How I live my faith

I love my participation in the church. I get to be a leader for our 8-9 year old girls. We meet twice a month for fun activities that help strengthen them and their families in many ways. I also get to teach the my fellow sisters in the church important lessons once a month on Sundays.

Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?

Cynthia answered...

Family is very important in the church for more reasons than can be explained here. Holding the priesthood is just one of these reasons. Husbands act and bless their family with their priesthood, but wives benefit and honor the priesthood through their husbands. It is a symbiotic relationship. As I have participated in the church in various activities I have come to understand my importance as a woman in the church. There cannot be one without the other.
Madelyn answered...

I feel that men and women both have different but equally important roles in getting us back to God. In God's eternal plan we were spirits in His presence before this life. To progress we needed to get bodies on this earth, then perform specific ordinances (eg baptism, marriage) to return to God after this life. Women were given the godly power to bring spirits into this world and give them bodies, then nurture and raise these children with God's inspiration and guidance. The men were assigned the responsibility (through the God's Priesthood power) to serve others and administer the ordinances that will bring God's children back to His presence after this life. Both roles are necessary and equally important to God's plan for us.
I don't think women need the Priesthood to be powerful influences and to do God's work in their homes and in the church. I see men grow spiritually, and their characters become more godly when they act in God's name through using the Priesthood.
I have never felt the need to hold the Priesthood myself. I can still receive all the blessings offered by the Priesthood, my prayers can be just as powerful, and I still have access to the inspiration of God in my life.

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

Katie answered...

I used to play in a Balinese Gamelan ensemble here in Washington, DC on weeknights and had some of my friends ask me this question. First, I pointed out that anyone can go into the temple during the open house to see what it is like. After it is dedicated, it becomes holy ground and you have to make yourself clean or holy to go in. I told them that EVERYONE can go to the temple, as long as they are wiling to go through that process of becoming clean. I reminded them that you can't just waltz in to the White House either (much to the chagrin of many tourists here). You have to go through a background check that takes 6 weeks and that is just to get into the East Wing, the West Wing requires a job and security clearance. Our protectiveness of the temple is not a sign of secrecy, it is more a manifestation of how special and important the the building and its rituals are.

And I hope people don't get intimidated by the word "ritual", everyone who has gone through a school graduation has experienced a ritual. It just means that we are participating in life-changing experiences that turn our hearts to God, our families and our fellow men. The real difference is that we believe that process of making devotional promises to God in a sacred place is necessary for our salvation. That is why we encourage everyone to join with us and make their way to the temple.