Hi, I'm Mary

I'm a Mormon, and I love it.

About Me

I studied English in college and taught overseas before I returned to my home town and met my husband. I am a stay-at-home-mom to one little boy. I love reading, blogging, making cards, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. My husband is my best friend, and we love hanging out with our little man.

Why I am a Mormon

The values and habits that I was taught as I grew up in the Mormon church are a blessing in my life. I want to be the best person that I can be, and living by the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helps me fulfill that purpose and have joy. I'm a Mormon because living the gospel of Jesus Christ makes me happy!

How I live my faith

I live my faith by loving others. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and I want others to feel the same love and peace that I do. Feeling compassion and caring from others has made such a difference to me, and I want to bless others with that gift too.

What is the Mormon lifestyle like? How do Mormons live?

Serge answered...

Family is everything to us. Our family spends lots of our free time together because we like each other. Life gets crazy with teenagers, dance practice, after school academic decathlon, usually with a toddler in tow, but no matter what, every Monday night is Family Night.

The kids know that every Monday we spend time together and nothing gets in the way of it. It's our commitment to each other. We bake cookies, have lessons about the Savior, work on personal goals, go to the park, go geocaching, play board games or just go out for ice cream.

We do lots of things together. The point is that at least once a week we spend an hour or two together, just for the sake of being together, just because we love being together as a family. It's not as perfect as it may sound, with all the poking and "she's in my spot," and all the other crazy things family members do to each other when scrambling for a spot in the living room, but we try real hard. It takes effort to make sure we don't miss, but it's worth it.

I'm not sure the kids will remember all the games we played, the places we went or what we did, but I hope they always remember that we loved each other enough to dedicate one night a week to be with each other. And that we spent every Monday night together for as many Mondays as they can remember because family is everything to us, and every member of our family is important.

What is a ward/stake/branch?

Adam answered...

There is a lot of vocabulary that is unique to Mormonism, including the terms we use for our congregations.

A ward is a local congregation, usually made up of between 200-600 members. Wards have specific geographic boundaries, so which ward you attend would depend on where you live. A ward is presided over by a lay priesthood holder called a bishop.

A branch is similar to a ward, except it is smaller. They range in size from a single family to the size of a small ward. Generally, branches are in areas without a significant Mormon population, specific to a language, or for individuals who are single. Branches do not have bishops, but are presided over by a branch president.

A stake is a larger organization in the church. Several wards and branches, frequently around 12, will comprise a stake. The stake is able to support the wards and branches through additional resources and leadership. Stakes are presided over by stake presidents.