Hi, I'm Page.

I'm a Virginia native. I'm a marathoner. I'm an Army wife. Three sweet little children call me Mom. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in Northern Virginia and went to college all the way out in Utah. There I met one of the most wonderful boys in the whole world and decided to marry him and raise a family instead of pursuing a graduate degree.

Mothering is the most challenging, exhausting, amazing job I have ever had. Some days I go to bed frustrated beyond belief at all the mishaps that happened during the day and my lack of ability to cope with them. Then I pray my heart out that the next day will be better. It always is. My favorite things in the world are reading with my three-year-old, laughing with my two-year-old, and snuggling with my baby girl.

I enjoy supporting my husband as he pursues a medical degree and live for those times when we can get away from it all. I love to run and exercise. I am developing talents in sewing and creating. I try to cook healthfully for my family. I fall into bed exhausted every night. Life is full of challenges, joys, frustrations, laughs, worries, and hope.

Why I am a Mormon

I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church. I have seen too much and felt too much to ever deny that.

There is so much good in the church. There is the promise that our families can be together forever. There is a living prophet who speaks God's truths. There are 19-and 21-year-old boys and girls who go halfway around the world to teach anyone who will listen about Jesus Christ. There is beautiful music. There are blessings given that miraculously heal sicknesses and comfort troubled hearts. There is service. There are laws and commandments that keep us safe and free of crippling addictions. There is living scripture. The power of God is in this church, and that is why I am a Mormon.

How I live my faith

I teach a class for the women of the church. It is such a joy to present a gospel topic to a group of amazing women and listen to their comments and insights the lessons. We are all uplifted together as we try to help one another live Christ's gospel.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Page. answered...

I was not required to serve a mission, but as I approached my 21st birthday I felt a strong desire to do so. After praying and fasting about it, I decided to submit the paperwork and serve a mission wherever the Lord wanted me to go. The sacrifice of leaving family, friends and school for 18 months seems so minimal compared to what I gained during my mission in Santiago, Chile. I learned to speak Spanish fluently, I gained lifelong friends, and most of all I developed and exercised faith in my Savior like I never had before. Missions are the best!
Taylor answered...

Quite simply, no. The young men of the church have been strongly encouraged to serve a mission at age 19, and the sisters are able to serve at age 21, but no one is required to serve. We do it because we want to! Who in their right mind would give up two years and pay that's right, missionaries pay their own way to go somewhere they had never been and do all that they do? We serve missions becuase we know that Jesus is the Christ, and we want the happiness that knowledge bring to be available to everyone! So no, Mormons are not required to serve a mission. It's a personal choice to share the happiness and joy they've received from the Gospel.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

Brian answered...

Mormon church services are unique. When I first started attending I felt three hours was too long to be in church, but I quickly grew to like it because I realised that each of the three meetings has a very practical, edifying focus. The Sacrament meeting is the principal meeting and it is where everyone (women and men, young and old) come together to have the sacrament (communion) and hear talks by their fellow church members. Since there is no paid clergy, Mormons take turns speaking to the congregation about how a particular principle or doctrine has strengthened their faith in Christ. Depending on the size of the congregation, a Mormon can speak as often as once a year to once every two or three years.

In Sunday School, the youth attend classes according to their age and the adults attend a class together. The curriculum varies from year to year, but the focus each year is on a book of scripture and how its lessons can help us develop stronger families, be better neighbours and parents, etc. For example, this year (2011) all the adults are studying the New Testament.

In the third hour we group together as men and women. The men's class looks at how the gospel of Christ can help us in our roles as men, husbands, fathers, etc., while the women study how Christ's teachings can help them be better women, wives, mothers, etc.

Visitors are welcome in all of these meetings.