I saw a fun quiz on someone's MySpace profile and took it myself. I am a...

Perfect Mormon 8 Orthodoxy, 5 LDS knowledge, 12 Cultural homogeneity Orthodoxy ranges from (-) anti-, non- and liberal Mormon, to mainstream, conservative, and fundamentalist Mormon (+).

The obedient Latter-day Saint. Temple recommend in hand, you live the gospel every day. Like a city on a hill, you remember the slogan every member a missionary. You beat your peers in seminary scripture chase, and you look forward to (or fondly remember) your beautiful temple wedding.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 89% on Orthodoxy You scored higher than 90% on LDS knowledge You scored higher than 93% on Homogeneity

Link: The what kind of Mormon are you? Test written by SLC-Mike on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I try to live the gospel every day, but since I am human, I don't always succeed. I keep trying, though.
I find it very hard to be a missionary, since I'm so shy and don't think my friends would be interested. But they are respectful of my beliefs, so I guess that counts for something.
I was okay in the scripture chases, but there were so many others who were so much better at it.
I do fondly remember my temple wedding! So much happened that day...

Note: Some of the pages may contain adult advertisements or uncouth language. Proceed with caution...

You don't look 200, Joseph...

Today, the church (and, most likely, it's various splinters) celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of our first prophet, Joseph Smith. Now, in no way does this overshadow the traditional celebration of the birth of Christ. Our current prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, said: "We do not worship the Prophet [Joseph]. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood."

We're not the only ones who are aware of this anniversary. Wikipedia's featured article today is on his early life. Earlier this week, a friend of mine sent me a link to an NPR broadcast with Richard Bushman, who recently wrote a biography on Joseph called Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Newsweek had an article about it in October. And I got an e-mail the other day about a statue being dedicated today in New York of the prophet.

I am very grateful for the restoration of the Gospel, and that I have it in my life. And to think, it all started because a young man wanted to know which church to join. Thank you, Brother Joseph!

James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Out with the old...

I was realeased today after a year and a half in the nursery with the precious children of our ward. When Sister B called me this morning asking me for my input on the graduation of the soon-to-be-Sunbeams we had today, she said she heard I was being released. The sister who took my place (another sweet gal) told Sister B that she had recently been called into the Nursery, so Sister B naturally assumed I already knew I was being released. I didn't. ^_^

When the *bishop's family came over for dinner a few months ago, he said, "We need to get you out of the nursery," and I told him, "Maybe one of these days". I figured I'd be in there for another year. Thankfully it didn't come as a complete shock when, sure enough, they announced that I was being released today. I had a lot of people saying they were going to miss having me there. We've had a couple releases and calls this year in the nursery, but I was the one constant.

While I'll miss being with those sweet spirits, I'll also get to look forward to sitting with my hubby each Sunday. This year's schedule hasn't worked for him because church starts so early (his health makes it hard to get up before noon), but next year we start later in the day, so it should be easier for him to attend. I'm grateful that I've had this time to work with the nursery-age children. It's given me some experience with that particular age group that I'll need when Mira and I eventually start our family. It's been fun being a teacher to them and I know that at least a few of them will remember me. I know I'll remember them.

*The bishop is the leader of the ward, or congregation.

"An Incredible Journey"

"A Guided Tour of the Spirit World" by Lyse Sonning

I re-read this book for a third time recently (it was in my MIL's book collection). Long story short, Ms. Sonning has had contact with her guardian angel Martha, who describes the spirit world in great detail. It's a rather quick read at 100 pages in nine chapters and an epilogue; it could probably be read in an afternoon. There are two chapters near the end with a bunch of questions that people had for Martha and her answers to them.

It was printed in 1993 by New Horizons Publishing and Recording Co. I've tried looking for both online, but there weren't very many sites selling the book, and the publishing company is probably now defunct. I don't know if anybody else has read it besides me, Mira, his mom, and probably her mom (his grandma gave it to his mom). We're probably in a minority, as it doesn't appear to be a very well-known book.

Something different

When Mira and I were dating, we went to Institute on Halloween. We even got to dress up. ^_^ The first year that we were married, we went trick-or-treating. Last year, we stayed home because it was Sunday. This year, we plan on somehow honoring our ancestors. We're not sure how we'll do that, maybe by doing some genealogy or reading/telling stories about our ancestors, or something. Does anybody else do this or have ideas on what we can do?

General Relief Society Meeting

LisaB over at FMH posted her thoughts on the General Relief Society Meeting that was held last Saturday, and asked others to comment on how they felt about it. I started to comment, but it turned into a post, so I thought I'd post it on my own blog.The one problem I had was that it took until the very last talk to mention those of us who don't fit the not yet married, married with children, married with grandchildren, widowed, or divorced mold: those of us who are married but don't have kids!

I'm one of two married couples in our ward without children. I'll admit that I probably shouldn't have anything to complain about. To my knowledge, I'm still capable of having kids; I'm not infertile, nor do I have any problems that keep me from getting pregnant. I've never had a miscarriage, or gone through pregnancy resulting in a stillborn, or lost a child to SIDS or something else. Really, I should have nothing to complain about.

But I do. My husband is at the moment incapable of raising a family. His health keeps him from doing most anything, actually. He's had health troubles since Christmas Day of 2003, almost two years ago! We get new theories every once in a while, but the treatments never seem to help for long. He can’t go out because he hurts and tires easily. He also can’t eat out at restaurants because so much of the foods are made with soy, sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, and many other ingredients that he can’t eat. He also has troubles doing the things he loves so much because of the pain. He can’t draw, he can’t play the piano, and even playing video games becomes tiring after a while.

I'm grateful that James E Faust remembered to include us sisters in his talk. We were told that we can be as mothers and help others in a motherly way, and that we can be blessed in our efforts in doing so. I was touched, but the natural woman in me was saddened, because it's just not the same as actually being a mother. And being reminded that if I remain faithful, then I can reach the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom and have children then doesn't help either.

It doesn't bother me much the first half of my cycle, but during the second half, it really hits home. I think the PMS fuels it and makes it harder for me to bear. I am grateful that my husband can tell when I'm sad and we can talk about things together. I needed that last night when I heard that my sister's sister-in-law, who got married last month, is pregnant. At the rate things are going, my oldest nephew's wife will have a baby before I do.

This has turned into rambling on on my part, but I needed to get this out of my system. It just doesn't seem fair that we do all we can to be strong in the gospel and our needs don't seem to be met. I truly have been blessed to have a wonderful family, both on my side and on my hubby's, and that my in-laws have been kind enough to let us share their home until we can get on our feet and venture out on our own. I've been blessed with a good job and relatively good health. Most important of all, I've been blessed to be married to my sweet loving husband in the temple, and I'm grateful for the love he shows to me every day, especially when I need it most. I just wish this didn't bug me as much as it does...

Changes to HFPE in 2006

I first heard about this on an iVillage message board I lurk on (LDS Family Life). Apparently some changes are going to be made starting 1 January 2006 in the Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment program. (For non-members reading this blog, HFPE is a monthly meeting of all the sisters 18+ in the Relief Society. It's a way to get together with the other women in the ward.) The idea is that monthly Enrichment nights (for all sisters) will instead be quarterly, with Enrichment activities "for sisters with similar needs and interests" as needed. This should be interesting...

Ward Temple Day

Tomorrow is Ward Temple Day, and I haven't been since through November when my nephew went through (not counting the wedding a couple weeks ago, since I didn't do a session), so I'm going with my mother-in-law. We'll be there from 9 am to 3 pm, so I have to make sure I bring my work clothes with me, since I work at 4:00. It'll be nice to go and be in such a peaceful place for six hours.

Two days until eternity...

On Thursday afternoon, my sister's sister-in-law will be sealed to her sweet fiance in the St. Louis temple. Good luck and congrats!

Pre-dates Christianity?

Opinion warning! This post contains my opinion. I do not want to start a debate. If you don't agree with me, you can say so. But I will not get into a debate with anybody. Uncalled for comments will not be tolerated. If you start bashing, your comments will be deleted.

I've been reading Dan Brown recently. I started with The Da Vinci Code, then read Angels & Demons (A&D is actually first). Both are good books, and very entertaining. I thought a lot when I read TDVC, mainly about the whole "Christianity didn't exist until after Christ's death and lots of Christian ideas were taken from other religions" thing.

Mind you, this is my totally non-professional, just me, an average LDS woman's opinion here, so bear with me. I don't think anything pre-dated Christianity. It always has been, ever since Adam and Eve.

See, when Adam and Eve were here on earth, they had the knowledge and they taught it to their children. But like a game of telephone, the original message was changed as it went forth, and by the time there were people all over the earth, the message was almost unrecognizable. Some of the original message was still intact, but a good portion of it was lost. Other religions on the earth have idealogies similar to LDS belief. This is one that really stands out to me:

*As Latter-day Saints, we are taught that Heavenly Father has a wife.
*We have cultures that include goddess worship.

This was the central theme of TDVC. I don't know why we are told to not pray to or worship our Heavenly Mother. Maybe we already do by praying to our Father, since He and Mother have been sealed for all eternity and are one in body and spirit, much like LDS couples that have been sealed in the temple, just on a much grander scale. But this is only speculation on my part.

So, that's a chapter of the Gospel According to Sister T. I suck at conclusions, so I'll just end it here. Again, this is my opinion, so let me have it.

Welcome back, Jay!

My 2nd oldest nephew "Jay" came home today from a two-year mission to Russia. My mother-in-law says he does have a Russian accent. (Not all missionaries that go to foreign lands come back with accents. Mira didn't, but he did have a tendency to slip into Spanish without realizing it.)
I don't think he'll remember who I am. When Mira and I got married, he was away at school. I think I saw him once, and that was when he came home for his farewell before he left to go to Russia. He'll also get to meet his oldest cousin's wife, who married into the family almost a year ago (sweet gal).
Anyway, congrats to Jay on an honorable mission, and welcome home!

We did it!

We reached our goal, and gave out more than 5,000 copies as a stake. Our ward gave out over 700.
Way to go!

Off topic: I'm a regular over at iVillage, and I lurk on the LDS Family Life board from time to time. A current post concerns how close we've come to fame. So have I ever met someone famous? Yes I have. Well, sorta. When I was a youth, John Bytheway came to a youth fireside, and I got his autograph on a very small scrap of paper that I keep in my scrapbook.
Also, my husband (then my fiance) tuned the piano at the Stake center for a fireside by Marvin Goldstein. My bridal shower was the day before the fireside, and I went to the SC afterwards to see Mira so we could go to his house (now our home) and unload some of the gifts I received. I saw Marvin the next day at my chapel, and I wanted to go tell him that Mira had tuned the piano he was to be using that night, but I was too nervous to get anywhere near him. He is a wonderful pianist, and a very funny guy!
As far as being in the spotlight myself, I was on TV twice. The first was my junior year of high school, and I was in the school musical. We were performing Groovy, "a musical comedy tribute to the 1960's". Anyway, the day or so before the performance, the whole cast got together and advertized on one of the local early morning news shows. We performed part of the opening number before a commercial break, then a friend of mine and the director gave a small interview later in the broadcast while the rest of us waved wildly at the camera.
Then when I was a Senior in high school, I joined the marching band, and we marched in the Mid-America Holiday Parade. At one point we stopped in front of the same news station where I "made my TV debut" and performed part of our routine. I was way in the background, but that's really where I prefer to be.

90 Day Challenge Ends Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the last day for our stake's 90 day reading of the Book of Mormon. There were times when I would go a week or more without reading, then have to catch up, but I did it, and I'm almost done. I haven't read it by myself since before I got married, and that was over two years ago. Mira and I have read a chapter a night since we've been married, and we're almost done with our third time around.
Monday night is Family Home Evening, and a special lesson will be about Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Then at 8:00, the head of each family will lead their family in prayer, and we will express our gratitude for the Restoration. In this way, as a stake, we will mark the 161st anniversary of the death of the prophet and his brother Hyrum.
I regret not having the courage to give out any copies of the Book of Mormon, since that was a part of it. But I hope that I may still have many opportunities in my life to tell others what I know to be true, even if they don't believe it.

New experience

I had an interesting experience this weekend. I went with my family to my grandmother's (dad's mom) family's annual reunion down by the Current River where my grandmother grew up. Her brother-in-law "Bob" is a minister; the last I heard, he attended a Foursquare church, and I think before that he was a Baptist. (You can tell I'm not too up-to-date on my relatives' lives.)
Anyway, while sunning after swimming with my niece in the river, a bunch of folks started towards the river with talk of a baptism. It seems that a couple (I don't know how they're related to me, but they have a daughter about my niece's age, and Lar talked to her for a bit) had decided to get baptized and Uncle Bob was going to do the honors. He took them both out together, basically gave a mini sermon and said a prayer (I didn't catch all he said; I was too far away and he spoke very softly at times), and under they both went.
This was the second non-LDS baptism that I had ever seen. The first was seeing a friend of mine being baptized into the Catholic church a few years ago. That was pretty cool, but very different than what I was used to. This was a bit more familiar, but it still had its differences. Nobody wore white (Uncle Bob was in blue jeans and a button-up shirt, and the couple wore their bathing suits) and I don't think there was a confirmation. I know the family stood around talking, but I didn't really pay attention to what was going on.
Aside from getting burned to a crisp on just about all but my face, I had a really good time. My niece wanted me to hold her, as usual, and people actually asked me if she was my daughter. Somebody even assumed that I was the one who was expecting, not my sister, since I was holding Book; and being behind my folks didn't help, since nobody could see my tummy and see that I was not four months along. ^_^ I missed my hubby, but I'm hoping he can come next year.

Note for non-members: In an LDS baptism, the baptizer and the baptizee wear white to symbolize purity, and baptism is done by immersion. Afterwards, the baptizee is confirmed by somebody holding the priesthood, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the individual. Feel free to read more at the official LDS sites in my sidebar.

Congrats to...

Harold and Sara! We got the invitation in the mail today. They'll be married on 11 June in the St. Louis temple, and have a ring ceremony that evening at our stake center. Here's to an eternity of happiness and love.
~Sister T

Evangelist = Patriarch?

I was reading about the Community of Christ on their website the other day, just to be curious. It's interesting to see the different ways we see eye-to-eye, but also to see where our doctrines differ. One that jumped out at me is a sacrament that the CoC has that is similar to the patriarchal blessing that a person is given in the LDS church. From what I've been told at the Non-Mormon Latter-day Saints board over at Beliefnet (this post title is named after the thread I started there), the patriarchal blessing was also given to members of the CoC church. What makes the two different is that women were ordained to the priesthood in the CoC in 1985, and the term "patriarch" no longer fit. Instead, they call it the evangelist's blessing. Also, the evangelist's blessing no longer names which tribe one is descended from (as is done in the LDS church), more than one blessing can be obtained throughout a person's lifetime (where in the LDS, a person receives their patriarchal blessing only once), and there is an option for the blessing to be recorded (LDS blessings are recorded).

It's a Mother's Day miracle! ^_^

My hubby was able to go to Sacrament meeting today! He was only there for an hour, but that was okay, because he was there!
Last night, he asked me what time the other ward that shares our building starts. I looked it up, and they start at 11:30 (we start at 9:00). So he set his alarm so he could go to the other ward for sacrament. (A little FYI: He has a hard time getting up early because of the fibromyalgia. We've been working on getting him to bed and waking up early a few days, and it helps a bit. He hasn't been able to go to church for a long time, and he thought it would be a good idea to attend the other ward to get the sacrament.)
He came back from getting ready for bed a few minutes later and said, "I'm going to our ward tomorrow." I was floored. While he showered, I begged in outward prayer that he would be able to go. After his shower, we said a prayer, mainly asking that he'd feel well enough to go to church the next day, and continued reading in the Book of Mormon where we had left off the other night. The second verse we read was Mormon 9:21 - "Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."
And wouldn't you know it, I woke up this morning and got myself ready, then hubby woke up and I helped him get ready. When we came upstairs, his dad was going out the door and was happy to see him up. Then his mom saw him. "You're going?" she asked.
"Happy Mother's Day!" he said. Boy was she thrilled! She told us on the ride to church that this was her second favorite Mother's Day. Her most favorite was when my hubby came home from his mission.
So this wasn't such a bad day. ^_^ All the women in the ward got a huge chocolate-almond candybar. I had to leave after he Primary kids sang so I could set up for Nursery, but I was back in time to sing the last hymn. I was so happy that I was able to sit with my husband this Sunday at church, and I'm ever so grateful that our prayer was answered.
So, that's my miracle! Thank you for letting me gush. ^_^

Time for God

I got this as a handout in Young Women's a number of years ago. The author, from what I've seen online, is unknown, but if somebody knows who the author is, I would truly appreciate knowing who said it.

Hi,
As you got up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. But I noticed you were too busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work.
I waited again. When you ran around the house getting ready I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip.
I watched as you went to work and I waited patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There is still more time left, and I have hope that you will talk to me.
Yet you went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done you turned on the TV, I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there & you spent a lot of time each day in front of it, not thinking about anything - just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal but again you didn't talk to me.
Bedtime I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.
Well you are getting up again and once again I will wait with nothing but love for you hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day!
Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Let me get a big "Heck yeah"!

Beliefnet has a corner called Blog Heaven: Where faith blogs go if they're good. Under "General" is a site called holyweblog.com (sporadically reviewing the good, the bad and the quirky in the religious world),
and it had an entry from a country station in Utah that did a spoof of Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman, and called it Mormon Woman. This is freakin' hilarious! I couldn't find the lyrics, but I did download the song, and I had to laugh at just about everything. The guy who did it, Robert Lund, is a parody song writer, and performed this very well. It's one of those things you have to hear at least once. So give it a try!