Hi, I'm Jean

I'm a stay at home mom to 6 kids. I love the outdoors, horse back riding and spending time with my family and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have been married to my wonderful hubby for 20 years and we have 6 children! I homeschooled all my kids for many years, but now they do part time homeschool/public school and love it. It is joked about in our ward that we are the redneck mormons because our driveway is a mudbogg for many months of the year and we drive jacked up 4x4's and love it! I love the outdoors and camping off the grid in the middle of nowhere. Entertainment to us is going shooting as a family, and dont be surprised if you catch us doing some ax throwing or barrel rolling. We love animals as evident by the horses, goats, chickens, and dogs around here. I recently earned my GED and was offered a scholarship which made me feel pretty good about myself. Serving in the community is something I enjoy, whether it's chaperoning band trips with the high schoolers, or going with the elementary to the orchestra! I love missionary work! Sharing the gospel with others is the most amazing feeling! Our very humble backwoods home (well we call it home, but it's a shop) is always open to others. I've been told our couch is very comfortable! Home is where ever the family is and almost anywhere I go in this town there are teenagers that call me mom. I guess that means that this whole town is home to me and why I love living here and raising my own family here.

Why I am a Mormon

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ saved my life. When I was younger, it was common for my dad who was not a member of the church to come home drunk and unhappy. I remember trying to avoid my dad when he was like that by going to my room to read or go outside to play. My parents divorced and we found ourselves living with our grandparents clear across the country. My Grandpa Packer was the kindest man I knew and he was a wonderful patriach of our family. Through him we saw what a father figure should be like, and he helped bring the spirit back into our lives stronger than it had ever been. He helped provide the calm in my teenage years that were still very difficult because of abuse I endured.
I remember in primary one day we read about when Lehi asked his sons to return to get the brass plates from Laben and Nephi did not waver or complain about such a difficult task. He just simply said he would go and do it because he knew the Lord would never ask them to do anything unless he prepared the way for them to do accomplish it. This simple passage gave me so much courage and strength to endure my life. When at my times of deep dispair I would go hide in the hayloft of our old barn and pour my heart to my Father in Heaven and I knew he heard me. When the peace came at those times it felt like heaven to me.
I look back on my life now and realize that the Lord had a plan for me, and even though I endured the deep pain from abuse, he gave me strength and courage to overcome and break the cycle. I realized that the Lord could not protect me from all pain and heartache, but he would be there to help me know that there is a better way and that he loves me. I look back on all of it now and I am grateful for the valuable lessons I learned along the tough journey. All my experiences helped make me who I am today and I wouldn't change that for the world. Because of what I endured with the help of my Savior, I was able to help others feel the Saviors love for them.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

Who am I? Where do I come from? Believe it or not, many people ask these questions at some point in their lives. Knowing who we are and who came before us, helps us know more about ourselves. First off, we are all children of our Heavenly Father, but we have ancestors that came before us on earth that have many interesting stories and lives. There are many reasons for family history work! First, it gives us a sense of belonging to something. We are a grand part of something infinately larger...our family. It has given me so much comfort learning about my ancestors, their stories, and their struggles, to give me the courage to keep moving forward as they did. I feel a kinship with these people I have never met because I know they are family and I am never alone! The paths they chose in life, gave me the opportunity to be where I am today and I will be eternally grateful to them for that. Second, For all the blessings they have given to me through their expamples of courage and strength, we are able to give back to them by helping put their records together and join families together forever in the temple.

How I live my faith

My passion is missionary work! Missionary work isn't just preaching the gospel at all times, it's sharing the love the Jesus Christ through service. I love serving by being involved with my teens lives and their friends. Music is a huge part of my life and being part of the Music Boosters in our local district has been fun and fulfilling! I get to chaperone band trips and love spending time with the community youth. I have also been blessed to be a part of our wards "A Night of Nativity!" The single most amazing weekend each year we display nativity sets from around our community of all different faiths and have musical selections from community members as well. The spirit of our Savior is felt so strongly there by all and is the best way I can think of to start the holiday season off right.
Recently our family has been so blessed to open our home to another who sought for something more in his life. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Lord brought him to us as we needed him as much as needed us. He has become to me as one of my own children.
When I read the scriptures, the peace that fills my heart helps me find answers to challenges within our family. I may not always get an answer so much as it just gives me peace when I need it. If you think about it, there are 9 people in our family now. That is a lot of different personalities and dinamics! There is never one size fits all in child rearing...except in the scriptures. I can read the same scripture 4 times and each time I find something else that just didn't catch my attention the other times, because that is just not the answer the Lord wants me to find at that given time.

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

Jean answered...

Have you ever had one of those moments where a quiet feeling of peace came over you, or a warm feeling that filled your soul? Or how about that little feeling that something was about to happen, or perhaps you thought to warn someone you care about that going up that ladder wasnt such a good idea? I know these seem like random feelings, thoughts, or concerns, but when these small thoughts or feelings come to us, it's the spirit of the Holy Ghost speaking to us in quiet and gentle ways. Who is the Holy Ghost? Well, he is part of the Godhead with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bones like we do, but the Holy Ghost is just that, a spirit. Being a spirit his presence can be felt everywhere he is needed. When we see, hear, or read truth, he testifies to us of it's truth through that peace I mentioned earlier. He can warn us of danger also. Every person can feel the promptings or feelings of the Holy Ghost in their lives at different times for many things, but it is only fleeting unless we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism. Without it, I dont know where I would be today. Through the Holy Ghost, I learned that my Savior loved me and that I was not alone. When I prayed at times when the going got really tough, that peace and comfort would come and calm my troubled heart. Sure my life situation wasn't changed, but my outlook changed and my personal worth was changed forever for the better.
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What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' attitude regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Aaron answered...

This issue is one that is rife with misunderstanding to outsiders. First, let me say here that we love and accept all of God's children, regardless of beliefs. That being said, we affirm that the central purpose of life is to make and keep covenants in a family relationship. By extension that means bringing children into the world, born in loving families with both a father and a mother.

We believe that our genders are an essential aspect of our eternal identities, that we were male and female even before we came to this earth. Neither sex is more important than the other; both serve the purpose of God to save His children. Both priesthood and motherhood are essential in the rearing of children.

I myself am unspeakably grateful for the blessing of having both a loving father and mother. They each supported me in different ways, unique to their identity as a man and a woman.