Hi, I'm Kalia

I am a songwriter, a poet, a music fanatic. I live in Missouri. Currently I'm serving in the Oregon Eugene Mission & I'm a Mormon

About Me

I love music. Next to God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, music is my life and passion. When I'm down and feeling depressed, it is my anti-depressant. When I'm feeling lonely, it is my best friend. It's how I like best to communicate my feelings with the world around me. I dance, sing and play the piano and guitar (all only adequitly), but I've learned enough in all of them to use those skills for my main musical passion and abilities which are music composition and lyricist. I feel there is no better way to trully express myself than through song.
Also, though I don't find a ton of time for it anymore, I am thrilled when I have the chance to create something from practically nothing. My mom is an artist, and she has taught me the basics of sculpting, pastels, painting and drawing and I inherited from her a love for the arts. I love the feeling of pure joy that comes to me when what I see in my mind and what I see with my eyes become one and the same.
My other passions are reading (mostly the classics, young adult novels and mystery books) and writing my own stories as well. If I had to lump all my passions into one desire, I suppose it would have to be the desire to create. I love to create. Something out of nothing~what a feeling!!!

Why I am a Mormon

I was born and raised in the LDS faith. As a child, I had faith in the testimony of others that the Savior lived and that the Church was true. Late into my teens, I hit my rebellious years. I found myself not going to church on Sundays, not feeling like I wanted to be there even when I went. I didn´t read my scriptures or say my prayers (I thought I had better places to be, more interesting things to be doing). But the reason why I am still a member of the church today is because, when I left those things behind I found myself lost and alone. The joy in my life (which I discovered really was the gospel) was gone and I wanted it back.
The road back from inactivity isn´t easy, it wasn't easy for me. The things I had always found as ¨second nature¨ growing up (like church and scripture study) did not come easily for a long time. But slowly the gospel lit up my life again, and I found that joy. I rediscovered for myself the joy this gospel (the gospel of Jesus Christ) brings. When I felt alone, I had that knowledge that Christ was there for me, that He lives and loves me, and that changed my life completely. That´s what the gospel is all about, the joy that Jesus Christ can give you, the guilt and shame that He can lift off your shoulders, the weights and burdens He can make light. That is how I know, for myself, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I´ve seen it work miracles on my heart and in my soul. I have become converted to Christ.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I had the special opportunity of being baptized on my 8th birthday, 15 years ago. Though I was very young, that day stands out in my memory more than any other childhood memory, and I can still remember exactly how special it made me feel to choose that day to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized in His name.
When my dad brought me out of the water, I felt so fresh and clean. To this day, no moment has ever made me feel any closer to God than I felt that day as I walked, dripping wet, out of the font. After the baptism, my dad, several of my brothers, and a few other men placed their hands on my head and gave me a special gift, the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Those two most special events have been the building blocks that shape my life to this day and keep me full of hope, faith and are my greatest reminder of the love of God and what that feels like it's it purity.

How has attending Church services helped you?

Church services refresh my week and my life. I find that I am able to focus more on all that I have to accomplish, and remember the purpose behind it all, when I begin each week by attending the three meetings held each Sunday by the church. The central focus of our worship services is our Savior. I am grateful for our Sacrament Meeting, where we have the opportunity to partake of the Bread and Water in rememberance of Christ's atoning sacrfice and where members of the congregation are called upon in advance to give talks on different Gospel topics. I have come to understand for myself, and gain a testimony of God's great wisdom in provide us the Sabbath day. A day to rest from OUR labors (not His labors), to rejuvenate ourselves with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to feel strengthened by the faith of those around us. I know that, just as God has said "the Sabbath day was made for man, not man for the Sabbath". I have gained so many blessings from honoring the Sabbath Day. My testimony has grown and I have been strengthened. Every time!!!!

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost is a very special gift in my life. It's helped me know more personally God's will for me, and it's even been there to guide me through dangerous situations, physically and spiritually, bringing me through them safely. I am so grateful for this great guiding power in my life that has literally saved my life in countless ways.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

Right now, I am serving in the Oregon Eugene Mission.
It is honestly the hardest thing I've ever done, but I know it's also the best thing I've ever done and I LOVE it! I have learned, and continue to learn, so much about the never-ending love of our Savior, Jesus Christ and of the power of God to take the weak and simple things and trully make them great and strong.
I know, with-out a doubt, that God called me on this misison and I am in His service as I proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to my fellow brothers and sisters here in Oregon. It is my great privledge for which I am grateful to my Heavenly Father forever.

How I live my faith

Right now, I´m serving an 18 month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eugene Oregon. During my 18 months, I talk with my family on Christmas and Mother´s Day, e-mail them weekly, and write letters back and forth, but I have no direct contact with them. This is so that I can give my full attention to God and the work I have been called to do in His name.
Among the challenges of a missionary is, of course, being far away from home, friends and family. Also, the work load is sometimes difficult. We wake up early, study, pray, and go out to share the message of the Restored Gospel. There are times I struggle staying awake, studying and not being with those I love... but the blessings that we both receive and can share with others by teaching them about the Church and how it can help and change their lives, those blessings far out number the challenges and frustrations that we face. I have felt God's love for those I serve in this area. It has helped me with a greater desire for them to have that joy I've found in my life through Jesus Christ and the Restored Gospel.
I´m glad I came on a mission. It was not an easy decision for me, but it was an obvious one. I knew that I could not sit idle, content in my own happiness from the gospel, I had to share it with my brothers and sisters. His Gospel is true, the Church (His Church) is true and I know it, and I want others to be able to find that out for themselves.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Kalia answered...

It is a very special previlege to serve a mission. We volunteer to serve for a period of 18 months for women and 2 years for young men. It is not a requirement of our faith, but it is the desire of those who have come to know the joy the Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought to their life, to share it with others. A mission is the perfect opportunity to do that.
I chose to go on my mission not out of a sense of duty or requirement, but because I know that God lives and loves me, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored gosel of Jesus Christ on the earth today, I know how much it has blessed me and I wanted the opportunity to share that with others, and to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength.
It is a sacrafice, mainly because I am away from my family for a time, I don't know the area very well, and I've always been a rather shy person... it especially hard right now because I am having health issues that add to the difficulty of this work, but God has blessed me for my sacrafices and that is another important reason why I'm here. I am gaining more and becoming more from this mission than was worth any of the sacrifices I had to make to get here.
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Austin. answered...

No. Every worthy young man is expected to serve a mission, though there is no punishment for not doing so. Also, not every young man is physically or mentally capable, so there are circumstances where a young man may be excused from service. Young women may also serve missions, but are not expected to do so.

Serving a mission means a full-time commitment, leaving family and friends to preach the gospel in a place assigned by the Church.

I served my mission in Los Angeles, California.

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

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.