Hi, I'm Melanie

I'm from Alaska and have a master's degree in landscape architecture. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I was born and raised in Alaska. It's really not that interesting, at least it's not as incredibly unusual as others seem to make it. Let me just clear up a few misconceptions. First, I do not have a pet polar bear. I've never even seen a wild one. Second, I do not live in an igloo nor have I ever seen one. Third, there are no penguins. Wrong hemisphere.

I studied landscape architecture and graduated with a master's degree a few years ago, and currently work with the government. Say what you will about the government, I love working there.

In my spare time I'm an artist. I work mainly with pencil, pastels, and oils, though I've done a bit of everything. I love playing the piano and have a ridiculously massive movie collection. Like all good Alaskans, I love camping and fishing, but to be completely honest, I am a whimp and require warmth and dryness. I love nature, but I want to be comfortable. I love traveling and want to visit every continent including Antarctica before I die. So far, I've been to three.

Why I am a Mormon

The quick and easy answer is that it makes me happy. In the end, it all comes back to that. Besides the fact that I believe this is the true church of God and it is the only path back to His presence, it makes me happy right here-and-now. Everything Heavenly Father does, His laws and commandments, is for our happiness. He wants us to be happy and the guidelines He gives us are what will make us most happy.

At times in my life, I haven't been as strict in keeping the commandments and I can see the difference it makes. Those times I have strayed from God even if it's not that far are the hardest points of my life. And the funny thing is, it's not because the times were rougher than others, but because I didn't have His strength and spirit with me. It's amazing to see how much more capable I am to bear up the hardships when He is on my side.

Even when the commandments are difficult to follow or when the sacrifices seem to much, I can see the blessings that flow into my life. No matter how much I give up or how hard it seems to follow the path, I always get back more than I gave up and I know that it is because God is blessing me.

I know God loves each and every one of His children. I know that this is the true path back to Heavenly Father. I feel it's truthfullness in my life. But even if I didn't, I know that it brings me comfort and happiness.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

While every individual missionary might have various reasons to go, the main reason is that we believe in our message. We believe in the truthfulness of the gospel and that it is the only path back to Heavenly Father.

Several years ago more than I care to admit I served as a missionary in California. I can tell you that up until a few months before I went, I had no interest in doing so. I was incredibly shy and the idea of approaching strangers on the streets and in their homes and being surrounded by strangers all the time was terrifying for me. I had thought about it, but had never seriously accepted the idea of going. Then one day I was speaking with a coworker about the church. She knew I was a member and started asking me questions. We got into this conversation about the gospel and I realized how much I loved sharing the gospel with others. I love sharing such an important message with others and realized just how much I wanted to help everyone around me.

I am so glad I went on a mission. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I want nothing more than to help everyone have the happiness and joy that I have in my life, and I want us all to return to our Heavenly Father.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

To me it means wanting a certain outcome when you aren't sure it'll happen. But hope is a tricky thing for me to really understand. It's difficult to balance being realistic about things you hope for in your own life and letting your hopes get too big, grandeous, or impossible. Hopes need to be something that can happen, otherwise you're setting yourself up for heartache. But you can't let jadedness or bitterness squash a hope because of pessimism. I guess it's kind of like knowing that with Heavenly Father all things are possible, but accepting that it still might not happen.

Too often, I'm inclind to be too pessimistic about myself and what I can do. I give up on hope too much, but then I'll swing the other way and hope for something that just isn't realistically going to happen. I'm trying to learn that balance in my life, but some of the things I hope for are eternal salvation with God, that my family and friends will be happy, that I will get married and have children, that I'll get certain job promotions, that I'll do well in presentations and projects...Well, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I have constant hopes in my heart. I guess I think "please, let this work out" more than I realized.

How I live my faith

A lot of my time right now is taken up with serving as the leader for the women's organization, the Relief Society, for my ward. It keeps me super busy, but it's so much fun, because I get to spend my time helping the women of the church stregthen their testimonies. I get to organize activities for the women and make sure when they have problems someone is there to help them. It's amazing to have such an active role in helping the women come unto Christ.

Besides that, I attend the church meetings on Sundays and weekly activities, which takes another chunk of my time, but I do enjoy it. I might not be the world's best volleyball player, but it's still fun to get together with other people my age and hang out.

What is the Relief Society?

Melanie answered...

I love Relief Society. It is a wonderful organization for women that is dedicated to helping them spiritually and temporally. We are focused on helping us and those around us draw closer to God and bear their burdens. The Relief Society is what its name says. It's about giving relief to those around us, no matter what their trials might be. Relief Society is about charity and love.
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Karen answered...

To me, Relief Society means friendship. It's an opportunity to know and love and learn from other women from so many different backgrounds and situations and ways of looking at life and yet they are truly my sisters! I can't tell you how many times I have been wrestling with an issue in my own life and there, during the course of our class or other conversation, comes the answer. I know that Heavenly Father so often works through others to answer our prayers, and to me Relief Society is a huge example of that. I'm grateful not only for those who reach out to me, but for the opportunies to reach out to others through Relief Society. It is an inspired program and a wonderful asset to my life!

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

Nate answered...

The fundamental principle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the faith in, reliance upon, and relationship with Jesus Christ. We regard Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Everyone on the earth today has made mistakes. All of us have come short of the perfect example that Christ set for us. The problem is the laws of God state that “no unclean person…hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:5) Because of these laws, we needed a way to be cleansed from these sins and mistakes. God knew that we would fall short of perfection and by His grace he provided us a Savior, Jesus Christ. Being a perfect soul without blemish, Jesus was capable and willing to take upon Himself our sins. Because He paid the penalty for our sins, the atonement, we must take upon ourselves His name to reap the blessings of forgiveness. We do this by having faith in Christ, admitting and repenting of our sins, and being baptized in the true and restored church of Jesus Christ.