Hi, I'm Michele

I love my family. I am an empty nester. I enjoy creating digital scrapbook pages. I am a Mormon.

About Me

I love my family. I am a wife and a mom to two wonderful college age girls. Education is very important to me. After 20 years of being a stay at home mom, now that my kids are in colledge, I have returned back to the work force. I am able to help almost 500 other children love to learn by working at a local elementary school. I have made the jump from traditional scrapbooking, documenting many events as my girls were young, to the digital age. I love creating pages with my computer. I also anjoy reading and I dabble in other handycraft such as knitting and quilting. I have 6 brothers and sisters and 1 step sister. I have a wonderful twin sister that lives in Nevada with her family.

Why I am a Mormon

My mother grew up in the Mormon church and my Father did not. I didn't attend any church until I was about 8 years old. My dad gave us permission to join, but he still did not become a member himself. It wasn't until a few years later that he felt the confirmation of the truth. We then started attending Primary (for younger children) and MIA, Mutual Improvement Association (for teens) and Sunday meetings. It was then I learned about Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. Skipping ahead a few years, when I was first married, I still hadn't gained a full testimony of the church. I do remember that they taught us to be kind and to serve others. I wanted those same values to be taught to my children. I made sure we attended every week that our young family could. Little by little I felt the spirit tell me the lessons I had heard were true. I read the Book of Mormon straight through in 6 days. The prophet Moroni challenges us to then to pray and ask if the book is true. I was overwhelmed with the joyus feelings of finding another testiment of Jesus Christ. I know that this is the true church. Although we all have weeknesses, we can be a little bit better every day. I want to be a good mom, wife, friend and neighbor and the church helps bring out the best in me.

Personal Stories

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

We have two girls, two years apart. Growing up there were often the usual sibling fights. When they were young, we started a tradition of Family Night. This is when we planned fun activities and lessons that we did as a family. My girls aften recall the different stories, and games we did together. It was harder as they grew up, but we made it a point to do things together as a family every week. Now that they are on their own, they are best friends. They still have their moments of disagreement, but they know they can count on eachother.

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost has been there to give me comfort when it was needed. My mom passed away from cancer when I was first married. The Holy Ghost has comforted me and confirmed my belief that we will see our loved ones again. A few years later, I was told that some of my tests came back as being possible cancer. The next tests to confirm these fears were not scheduled for another week or so. I then prayed for comfort. I pleaded that I wanted to see my then young girls grow up. Before I was finished with my heartfelt prayer, I felt a presence place an arm around my shoulders and tell me in my mind that everything would be alright. It was so real feeling that I opened my eyes to see who was in the room with me. Although I do not yet know who was sent to comfort me, I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for the comfort that was sent my way when I got on my knees and asked. The tests were run and all was well. I have since watched my children to grow up to be beautiful young women.

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

I believe I have a talent for remaining positive in almost any situtation. Now that my girls are grown, I have gone back into the workforce working with 500 children in an elementary school. I have a chance on a daily basis to brighten their day with kind words, an act of service or maybe just a smile. Even when days become hectic, I recall how Christ would want me to act toward others. The church has helped me know that everyone is a special Child of God. I try to treat them as I would want my own children treated when they were younger and still learning how to be honest, kind and to do their best with whatever may come their way.

How I live my faith

I enjoy organizing uplifting activities and lessons for the young women (ages 12-18) in the Westminster, CO area. We have just returned from a camp where we taught these youth to feel the spirit as well as basic camping skills. We hiked, sang, played games, read scriptures and created friendships in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. We help them plan and carry out these activities so that one day they can use these skills to help their families and communities.

Why did your church previously practice plural marriage (polygamy)?

James Bowen answered...

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1). At other times the Lord has given other instructions. In the Book of Mormon, the Lord told the prophet Jacob “for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife: and concubines he shall have none... for if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things” (Jacob 2:27-30).

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1).

The Lord’s law of marriage is monogamy unless he commands otherwise to help establish the House of Israel (see Encyclopedia of Mormonism Vol. 3, pp. 1091-1095).
Leo Ebbert answered...

The short answer is that, for a time, God commanded it. It was a challenge for those families commanded to practice it, but they accepted the challenge with faith.

There have been many times throughout history that God has asked His people to do difficult things or things that go against the norms of society. For example, God has commanded plural marriage in the Bible. He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, stopping it at the last minute. He commanded the ancient Israelites to destroy all inhabitants of many of the settlements in the land of Canaan when they returned to the promised land.

The knowledge of these things challenges our faith but we must recognize that God's ways are not our ways and He controls all life.

If plural marriage is something that keeps you from the church or keeps you from investigating further, I invite you to consider this: it really comes down to one thing. Was Joseph Smith a true prophet or not? If he was, then the commandment came from God and He restored His church through Joseph. Answer that question and the rest falls into place. I am happy that I did.

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

Trisha answered...

There are doctrinal answers to why we believe we need a Savior to redeem us from the Fall of Adam and to return us to our Father in Heaven that you'll probably come across here. But let me tell you why I need a Savior personally and what He does for me. Christ suffered personally for my pains, sorrows, and sins so that if I ask Him too, He can take them from me. I have been the victim of abuse in my life, and yet through Him I have been able to lay it all at His feet, freely forgive, feel peace, find love, and understand how important negative life experiences can be in teaching us humility. Daily He takes my pain and replaces it with pure love so that I am no longer a victim, but a victor. I need a Savior because He knows me, and through him my flaws become strengths and my pain becomes peace.