Hi, I'm Rachael

I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a Mother of four children. Thirty years old. Been married to an active LDS man whom I am madly in love with for almost nine years. And I consider that quite an accomplishment :)
I enjoy many things...too many to list. But first and foremost, I think of myself as a loving daughter of God. I love people for who they are~and marvel at everyone's unique views and way of being.
My life is wonderful because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - I've worked hard and overcome much to get where I am. I love my Savior, and know without Him I'd be lost and unhappy. I know He lives and that He is the key to all healing and life.

Why I am a Mormon

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the ONLY true and living (meaning, Christ is the active head of this organization) Church on the earth. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. The Book of Mormon and Bible are true! I have had many great experiences that have lifted my spirit and filled my heart with joy and peace through going forward in faith in these things. My witnesses have come after the trial of my faith. There is nothing better out there! I have seen miracles, had tastes of heaven and visions that I cannot deny. This life is so short!

Personal Stories

How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?

The Book of Mormon, over the course of all of my teenage and young adult years, transformed me completely. Having that influence and power each day, guiding my every decision, refined me into someone full of love and understanding, patience and kindness, humility and desire. I became so close to my Father in Heaven through it-and came to know that I could trust Him completely-that He was always true to His promises.
It was more through the Bible that I came to know His son in greater depth. And together, they complete one another. They confirm the truthfulness of each other. THey have given me a full view of our loving Father in Heaven and how He works with His children, and at least a beginning to understanding how the Atonement of Jesus Christ works. There is always more to learn.
Through obedience to the scriptures' teachings, every promise that I have read about or received has been fulfilled. Every righteous desire I've had has come to pass. They are full of truth and wisdom meant for our day.

How I live my faith

I attend Church each week, hold family night with my husband and children each Monday night, have family scripture study nightly, and family prayer twice a day. Though we are not perfectly consistent all the time, we do our best to give our children a good foundation that will hopefully allow them a good dose of what following the teachings of our Church is like so that later in life, they will be able to choose honestly either the way of the world, or God's way. We want to do our best to hand down all the rich and good things we've enjoyed in our own lives.
I faithfully attend Church each week, and activities I can. I attend the Temple as often as possible.
And although I generally do my best to do what is right, and to serve God and His children, I have never considered myself as above average or better in any way than anyone else. One of my gifts is to see straight through to people's souls, no matter where they're at in life. I only desire for everyone to be as happy and at peace with their lives and their existence as I've come to be through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I care deeply for everyone's eternal well-being. I want mostly to be a reminder to the world of Jesus Christ's love and mercy.

Why do you have 12 Apostles? They were just meant to be around for the time of Jesus Christ, not to be replaced with new apostles.

Becky answered...

Our church is the same church that Christ instituted while he was here on the earth. It is Christ's church and is called after him. Just as he had 12 Apostles, we have 12 Apostles and, as Peter was President of the Church after Christ ascended into heaven following His ressurection, we have a living prophet. Christ is the head of the church, but the prophet and apostles act for him and in his name. They have the same Priesthood power that Christ gave to Peter and the other apostles at that time. The prophet and apostles today are also called as seers, revelators, and special witnesses of Jesus Christ. Theirs as in the time of Christ is the duty to handle the affairs of the Church, to travel to different countries and bear testimony of and administer in the name of Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity every 6 months in a General Conference of the Church, broadcast over television, radio, and internet all over the world, to hear them speak about Christ, and to teach us how to become more like Him. They are important in their ministry as well as in the organization of our large, worldwide church membership.
Scott Jackson answered...

When Jesus Christ was on the Earth, He established an organization of prophets, apostles, teachers, and other leaders to lead and guide the members of His church (the body of Christ, as it is referred to in the New Testament). When Judas died, and Jesus had left the Earth, the first order of business for the other 11 apostles was to fill the vacancy. They did so by praying and seeking out revelation. They eventually decided on Matthias. This example shows us that apostles were not only to be used for when Christ was on the Earth, but that God wanted Apostles to lead His children at all times. Unfortunately, apostasy stirred within the early church, and the apostles were killed one by one. The world was left without Priesthood leadership, until the time of the Restoration, when this same authority was given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery from the very same Peter, James and John (as resurrected beings). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints has 12 apostles, just like in New Testament times. These special witnesses of Christ bear solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ. They help the Prophet and President of the Church to share the Gospel message to the four corners of the Earth.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Joseph answered...

I went on a bicycle ride one day with a friend of another faith. He was a believing Christian but told me as we rode that he believed churches and organized religion are unnecessary and that the best way to find truth is to look everywhere. He bought into the notion that there are "many ways to the top of a mountain."

I think there's truth in that view, too. I believe that God wants us to find truth everywhere we can get it. And yet something nagged at me about his view. As we hit the steeper part of our ride, I said, "I think that's a cop out." (We have a pretty comfortable relationship - we talk pretty bluntly with each other). "If there is a God, don't you think He'd have an opinion about what's right and what's wrong? And don't you think He would have a plan for His children? And finally, don't you think He'd want us to know the truth about that plan? If so, how can you believe He would not create some credible and organized way to help us figure out what is true?"

Throughout history that way has been to reveal the truth through prophets. As my friend and I spoke he saw more clearly that there was no reasonable argument for why God would say, "2000 years ago prophets were a really good idea. But today I changed my mind."

Joseph Smith did what prophets always do. He revealed new scripture that confirms all that we had before. He restored God's full Gospel. And he pointed us to Christ. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. And now my friend does, too.