Hi, I'm Rachel

I'm a Recreational Therapist. I love cycling and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I recently graduated from college and can finally say I'm a certified Recreational Therapist! I love the feeling that comes from serving others. I hail from an energetic family of seven and enjoy spending time with them and good friends. I love to play sports, especially lacrosse and soccer. Cycling has recently become a favorite hobby of mine and I love teaching classes to fellow enthusiasts. Traveling is simply glorious and someday I would love to see every part of the world! Have I mentioned I love to blog, could use hand sanitizer endlessly, and can quote every line in The Grinch?

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because it makes me happy! I know there is no other way I could find the peace and joy I feel on a daily basis unless I was a member of this church. Living the high standards God has set gives me comfort in all that I do. I truly love keeping the commandments because I feel it brings me closer to my Father in Heaven. The gospel is the knowledge of hope. I know I owe everything to my Savior Jesus Christ and want to always live my life in accordance with this.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I feel one of the greatest blessings in my life is the opportunity and ability I have to pray to my Heavenly Father each and everyday. I truly love to pray and know that what I'm saying is being heard by a loving Father in Heaven. I rely so much on the help and guidance I receive through prayer and can't remember a day when I didn't feel the need to pray to my Heavenly Father. I know he can help me with any situation in my life. Whether it's praying for help to find a lost piece of paper, remembering my debit card pin number, giving me comfort in a time of trouble or even help when my mind goes blank during a psychology test. Each time he has heard me and blessed me with the help I needed at that time.

How I live my faith

I am a visiting teacher to two women in my ward. As a visiting teacher, I get to become good friends with the girls I visit teach and learn of their lives. At least once a month, we come together to visit and hear an uplifting message provided by the First Presidency of the Church. Through visiting teaching, I've seen how God is mindful of every one of his children. He is concerned about our individual lives and wants us to know of the love he has for us.

Having a calling helps me to feel a sense of belonging and responsibility. I know each calling is inspired by God and is given to bless our lives.

What do Mormons believe about the Bible? Do they regard it as Holy Scripture and the word of God?

Rachel answered...

Two years ago I had the opportunity to travel across Europe with a group of 40+ other LDS individuals and visit the sites of the Catholic and Protestant Reformation. During this experience, we studied the courageous lives of the people who brought about the Bible; people like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Martin Luther. We learned of their struggles and triumphs. We learned that many gave away their lives knowing they would never reap the rewards of their work, only future generations. I will always be grateful for the work of these individuals. The Bible is a great blessing to us and this experience helped strengthen my testimony on how mindful God is of us and all his children. After studying the divine history of the Bible, how could I not regard it as Holy Scripture?
Richard Gaffney answered...

As a convert I was concerned that the bible was replaced by the Book of Mormon. How far from the truth that concern was, as the Bible is the LDS primary teaching tool and the Book of Mormon is simply another testament of Jesus Christ and serves to verify the truths found in the Bible. Cerrtainly the Bible is Holy Scripture and the Word of God, as is the Book of Mormon. I have come to love the Book of Mormon and cross-reference the Bible and Book of Mormon finding the same truths in both volumes of scripture.

What do Mormons believe is the purpose of life?

Aileen. answered...

This question started my whole spiritual quest, so it is only most appropriate for me to now answer it.

Mormons believe that we were chosen by the Heavenly Father in the spirit world pre-existence to receive a physical body and to come to Earth to our specific mother and father. We agreed, and we essentially are fighting on Heavenly Father's "side" in the war with Lucifer. It is our spiritual "job" in this world to live a certain way, to use our agency to choose between good and evil, in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father's only son, whom He sacrificed to allow for our atonement to allow for our spiritual progression.

Mormons believe that while here on Earth, we should learn and live more like our Heavenly Father. This is our spiritual quest which is accomplished through our choices. We marry and build our own family, and by following the Scriptures and living accordingly, we receive access to the Temples where eternal ordinances are performed individually and together as a family.

We can be with our family forever, after death, joined together in Heaven, with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. We have greater peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. This is the purpose of our life here.

Before I understood this and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my life was reasonably happy but devoid of purpose. Something was missing. I felt incomplete.

Now, I have peace. My soul is soothed.