Hi, I'm Joyce from Arizona

I am an empty-nester mother of seven. I work at our school district organizing career events and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

My husband and I are the parents of seven children and have been empty-nesters for eight years. I now work part time at a school district, sing in the local community chorale, volunteer with the local historical society and serve in the church as a chorister to the 3 - 12 year olds. I enjoy singing, sewing, golfing, cooking, organizing events and traveling.

The total number of grandchildren/great-grandchildren in my family will be 21 in November of this year.

I am optomistic about life and feel that there is a lesson to be learned from all the experiences I go through.
I want my posterity to know that I give credit to the Savior and the gospel of Jesus Christ for any good that they may find me doing.

Why I am a Mormon

I have ancestors who joined the church in the 1800's on both sides of my family. Although church membership was common in my extended family, neither of my parents were interested in attending church so I seldom attended or understood what the gospel entailed. I learned the significance of my spiritual nature from my maternal grandmother. However, some of the principles of the gospel were manifesting themselves to me when I saw how my friends were so good and kind to me and others. I learned that honesty and good effort are valuable. I became aware of the "by their fruits ye shall know them" principle.
I learned an important lesson one day in high school when I was called to the office. A friend of mine, but not one that I was particularly close to, was on the telephone and she asked if I would get her homework assignments and some tablets from her locker. This was the first time she and I had ever spoken on the phone. I was so thrilled that she felt she could count on ME to help her out. It made me view serving others in a new and different way.
My first assignment ever to teach a gospel oriented lesson came from the parents of a young man I was dating. I had sat in on a few of their family gospel lessons so I understood the format. Then one week it was MY turn. Once again I felt that a level of trust had been given to me.
Through these and other experiences, the spirit was able to manifest to me that happiness comes through attempting to align myself with the gospel of Jesus Christ and those positive examples around me. I'm so grateful for them.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

I have used prayer often when seeking to understand what I can do to influence my children and grandchildren in leaning on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I want them to know of Jesus Christ's reality and that He lives. From time to time I will be nudged in a certain direction. Last year while contemplating our families' Thanksgiving the thought occurred to me to make a special box for each of our 17 grandchildren that would be uniquely theirs. Upon the lid was engraved "Always Remember His Gifts." Inside I placed small pictures of different events from the Savior's life so they could look at them and be drawn back to those beautiful stories. I also gave them pictures of each of their immediate and extended family members. I then put their names on the box and signed and dated them. I received a text/photo from our middle daughter this afternoon showing her children engaged in looking through their boxes. I am grateful I followed that nudge.
One year I was adding memory to my computer and thought I had saved everything I wanted to a disk so I could upload it afterwards. Come to find out, I neglected to save copies of two years worth of letters I had sent to my son while he served his mission. I was devastated because I had not be thorough and had lost our family journal for those years. When I walked by my office, my stomach would clench and I would be filled with regret for my hastiness. This went on for many days. I began to wonder if I would ever sit in my chair again without feeling guilty about this loss. It finally occurred to me to ask Father to remove that feeling. I acknowledged my part and fault in the situation but asked Him to please lift the nausea I felt multiple times each day. I knew that doing so was well within His ability. I remember being moved to tears as I pled with Heavenly Father to restore peace to my heart. From that prayer forward not one additional moment of regret manifested itself. I KNOW He answers my prayer.

How I live my faith

I love the chorus of a song that our youth learn, it repeats each verse with the simple words, "Try to be like Him, try, try, try." Because of Jesus Christ I have the blessing of the His gospel. His truths are Eternal and will bring joy not only in this life but in the world to come. I strive to make choices based on "What would the Savior do?"

As a mother, attending church has never been an option. If at all possible, I go.....even when traveling. I have found the gospel is the same in Mexico, Italy and Philipinnes....same format to meetings, same hymnal, same manuals for Sunday School and our women's group. It is constant, and attending refuels my spirit; even though I may not totally understand the language, I recognize the songs and immediately am drawn into unity with the room full of strangers, worshiping Jesus Christ.

I have been asked to visit four sisters in my church each month. This is called Visiting Teaching and most all active women in the church are asked to do this. Visiting Teaching entails giving a brief gospel message and checking to see that the family is doing well. Occasionally, I am able to be of service by taking a meal in to a family. At church I have learned things from others who are willing to share their knowledge and I have also had the chance to teach music, candy-making, sewing and various other things. Knowing that I can impact others by simply sharing things I know makes service simple, rewarding and a blessing.

I am currently teaching the 3 - 12 year olds in a music capacity. Those sweet little faces singing those songs of faith and charity are a wonderful sight each Sunday.
To answer the question “How do I live my faith?” I try each day to serve others prayerfully, with a willing heart and a happy countenance. I am 62 years old and I am still trying to be like Him.

What do Mormons believe about the Holy Ghost? Who is the Holy Ghost?

Joyce from Arizona answered...

Many people refer to Him as the Holy Spirit. He is a personage of spirit without a body of flesh and bones and is a member of the Godhead, along with God the Father and Jesus Christ. He has the ability to witness the truth of things to us if we worthily ponder, study them out and ask God in prayer for enlightenment. He can bring all things back to our memory, when we worthily ask. He communicates to us quietly and powerfully, though our feelings, or peaceful whisperings to our mind.
He is a comforter to us in times of need. He can be a protector, if we allow Him to influence our actions. With all the distractions in the world today (tv, ipods, movies, cellphones) it can be difficult to recognize His attempts to communicate with us. We need to allow those quiet, reflective moments in our day and seek to be guided. He is a great influence and blessing to me.
Show more of my answers Show less of my answers One Moment Please

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Matt Gibson answered...

We believe in grace 100 percent . No one can be saved, except by grace. There is nothing we ourselves can do to earn eternal life. But, we do believe that we will NOT receive grace unless we live our lives in accordance with what Christ has taught. When Christ ransomed us, became the author of our salvation, and also the perscriber of the conditions of repentance. He's told us that we need to have faith in him, repent, and be baptized for the remissions of sins, so that we may be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. He also told us that we need to endure to the end, meaning continue to strive to live by his teachings, otherwise we cannot be saved by grace. There are many today who teach that baptism is not necessary because it is a "work". We know that Christ set the example to make it perfectly clear. He also said in John chapter 3 verse 5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
You might be thinking now, "what about those who never got a chance to be baptized?", well Heavenly Father is perfectly fair, and that opportunity will be provided for everyone to make that decision, whether in this life or in the next. The point of Baptism is making covenants. Without making these covenants Christ cannot give us grace.
Hence the doctrine of grace, and doctrine of works, coinside with each other. One cannot be without the other.