Hi, I'm Jamie

I'm a wife and a teacher. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a junior high math teacher who enjoys reading books and spending time with family.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born in a family where both of my parents are Mormon, but I know that at some point everyone has to decide for themselves what they will believe and how they will live. My faith was strengthened bit by bit as I learned that God hears our prayers and loves us individually, that families are a way for us to get the support we need in hard times and good times, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior who showed us how to live and He makes it possible to live with God again someday. This knowledge gives my life direction and perspective.

How I live my faith

Currently my husband and I help out in a ward with single college students. I love working with them because they are beginning their own lives and deciding where life will take them and what they will do. We were at this point not very long ago and I remember how difficult it is to wonder where your life will take you and how to make good choices that will lead you in the right direction. I also love to watch them learn that Heavenly Father loves all of us, hears our prayers, and is involved in our lives.

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

Jamie answered...

God, our Heavenly Father, sent us to earth so that we could learn to become the men and women he wants us to be. However, He knew that we would all make mistakes sometimes things as simple as losing our temper or not being kind to others, other times our mistakes are more significant. Jesus Christ was the only perfect person ever to live on the earth and through his atonement and death he was able to suffer for our sins, so that if we would repent he could pay the price for our sins instead of us. To me, repentance means realizing that I did something wrong, making a commitment to never repeat the wrong thing I did, talking to the person that I hurt and asking them to forgive me, asking God in prayer if he will forgive me for my mistake and help me to never repeat it again, and then living the way I have committed to God that I would live. This process seems so simple, but it requires a real intent to change and trust in God that he will help us become better people. I don't quite understand how Jesus Christ can suffer for my sins so that I don't need to, but I know and trust that He has done that and if I believe in Him and follow what he has asked us to do then I can day by day become a better woman. I am eternally grateful for Jesus Christ that he was willing to live a perfect life and die for all of us. Through this process, he was also resurrected so that we can all be resurrected and live with Jesus Christ and God someday.
Trisha answered...

There are doctrinal answers to why we believe we need a Savior to redeem us from the Fall of Adam and to return us to our Father in Heaven that you'll probably come across here. But let me tell you why I need a Savior personally and what He does for me. Christ suffered personally for my pains, sorrows, and sins so that if I ask Him too, He can take them from me. I have been the victim of abuse in my life, and yet through Him I have been able to lay it all at His feet, freely forgive, feel peace, find love, and understand how important negative life experiences can be in teaching us humility. Daily He takes my pain and replaces it with pure love so that I am no longer a victim, but a victor. I need a Savior because He knows me, and through him my flaws become strengths and my pain becomes peace.

Who was Joseph Smith?

Mike answered...

Over my lifetime, I have heard countless theories concerning Joseph Smith - his intellect, his integrity, his sanity, everything about him. Some of the stories about him being a prophet sounded convincing... but then, some of the stories of him as a criminal sounded convincing, too. Then I read about Joseph Smith's visitation by the angel Moroni. Moroni told him that his name would be "had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken among all people." Well, that was certainly a true prophecy. So, it seemed, whether Joseph Smith was a prophet or not, tons of accusations and slander would be said against him anyway! That realization made me understand that only God could confirm whether or not Joseph was truly called of him. I got a strong confirmation of that truth. When others tell me that they "know the truth about the Joseph Smith," I always question their sources - it's usually a book or magazine article, possibly even by an esteemed, intellectual person. But I cannot and will not question my source of the real answer.