Showing posts with label single parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label single parenting. Show all posts
Video 1: I Choose to Believe
Members of our stake explain why they choose to believe as they go through challenges and trials of life. Video 1 of 2.
I Choose to Believe in God's Prophets and Restoration
Women's Conference Talk by Lynda Hansen
In December of 2011, my former husband went out to replace the brakes on my daughter's car. When he came back in, something in him had changed, and that day began the twelve-month death of our marriage. He had wanted something to listen to while he was doing his project and had searched and found a podcast that promised to "enlighten him about the Mormon church."
Our marriage had always been difficult. He was an addict, and we had spent years and thousands of dollars in counseling. Now his dive into anti-Mormon literature and podcasts became his new and favorite addiction.
He quickly became angry and disrespectful toward Heavenly Father and Christ in our home. He tried to get me to listen with him, but the negativity flowing from those podcasts immediately told me that I wanted nothing to do with them. SO MUCH ANGER. Instead of casting their burdens on the Lord and asking Him for healing, the people on the podcasts were telling the world how they had been wronged and they deserved revenge.
Despite the fact that I had told my ex-husband that I had experienced too many sacred and beautiful experiences with Heavenly Father and I would never turn my back on God, he began trying to corner me and force me to listen to his "new information." What ensued was feelings of confusion, fear, and panic. I felt like I had to hurry and find the truth about what really happened ... what did the Church say about this topic?
In December of 2011, my former husband went out to replace the brakes on my daughter's car. When he came back in, something in him had changed, and that day began the twelve-month death of our marriage. He had wanted something to listen to while he was doing his project and had searched and found a podcast that promised to "enlighten him about the Mormon church."
Our marriage had always been difficult. He was an addict, and we had spent years and thousands of dollars in counseling. Now his dive into anti-Mormon literature and podcasts became his new and favorite addiction.
He quickly became angry and disrespectful toward Heavenly Father and Christ in our home. He tried to get me to listen with him, but the negativity flowing from those podcasts immediately told me that I wanted nothing to do with them. SO MUCH ANGER. Instead of casting their burdens on the Lord and asking Him for healing, the people on the podcasts were telling the world how they had been wronged and they deserved revenge.
Despite the fact that I had told my ex-husband that I had experienced too many sacred and beautiful experiences with Heavenly Father and I would never turn my back on God, he began trying to corner me and force me to listen to his "new information." What ensued was feelings of confusion, fear, and panic. I felt like I had to hurry and find the truth about what really happened ... what did the Church say about this topic?
The Pure Love of Christ Changed My Life
by Karen Jensen
Take a look at Moroni 7:46-48. As Moroni was hiding from the Lamanites at the end of the Book of Mormon, having watched his entire nation, along with his own family and loved ones, be destroyed, and as he was utterly alone and unsure if he’d be caught and killed for believing in Christ, these are the words of his father’s that he felt were important enough to add to the end of the Book of Mormon.
As we partake of the sacrament, we symbolically make our Savior and His strength a part of us as we eat the bread. What a beautiful symbol that this bread is nourishing us and literally becoming our own muscles and bones and energy. What a beautiful symbol that we drink the water that is now inside of us, washing and healing our body, and giving it life! All of this is a symbol of what the Savior is for us on that altar.
And as we do this, we made a solemn covenant with our Father in Heaven to take upon us the name of the One whose body and spirit was torn and broken for us and which now gives us this healing, strength, and hope. Which means we have promised to represent him, and in the process, become like him as we act in his name.
I have been, for many years, in a position where my kids and I have been the recipients of so many beautiful, simple, and profound acts of Christlike love in the middle of what has seemed like constant intense health and family challenges. These Christlike acts have truly changed my life. I was hesitant initially to share some of these experiences, for fear it may look as if I’m asking for pity or attention. But I have realized that my testimony in this topic comes from these very experiences, and the Spirit I hope to invite may need to come straight from this testimony I have gained.
Something I want to preface this with is the fact that it can easily feel like such an impossible goal to consider how we can and need to try to become like our Savior. But I think everyone here can probably stand here just as well as I can to say that some of the most meaningful and most Christlike acts we’ve individually been the recipients of can be incredibly simple.
For instance, when my Ashley was four years old, after collapsing in her tumbling class and not being able to use her legs for a few moments, she was diagnosed with a malformation in her brain which had caused pressure and fluid to build on her brain and spinal cord. This fluid was threatening to break it entirely.
Take a look at Moroni 7:46-48. As Moroni was hiding from the Lamanites at the end of the Book of Mormon, having watched his entire nation, along with his own family and loved ones, be destroyed, and as he was utterly alone and unsure if he’d be caught and killed for believing in Christ, these are the words of his father’s that he felt were important enough to add to the end of the Book of Mormon.
As we partake of the sacrament, we symbolically make our Savior and His strength a part of us as we eat the bread. What a beautiful symbol that this bread is nourishing us and literally becoming our own muscles and bones and energy. What a beautiful symbol that we drink the water that is now inside of us, washing and healing our body, and giving it life! All of this is a symbol of what the Savior is for us on that altar.
And as we do this, we made a solemn covenant with our Father in Heaven to take upon us the name of the One whose body and spirit was torn and broken for us and which now gives us this healing, strength, and hope. Which means we have promised to represent him, and in the process, become like him as we act in his name.
I have been, for many years, in a position where my kids and I have been the recipients of so many beautiful, simple, and profound acts of Christlike love in the middle of what has seemed like constant intense health and family challenges. These Christlike acts have truly changed my life. I was hesitant initially to share some of these experiences, for fear it may look as if I’m asking for pity or attention. But I have realized that my testimony in this topic comes from these very experiences, and the Spirit I hope to invite may need to come straight from this testimony I have gained.
Something I want to preface this with is the fact that it can easily feel like such an impossible goal to consider how we can and need to try to become like our Savior. But I think everyone here can probably stand here just as well as I can to say that some of the most meaningful and most Christlike acts we’ve individually been the recipients of can be incredibly simple.
For instance, when my Ashley was four years old, after collapsing in her tumbling class and not being able to use her legs for a few moments, she was diagnosed with a malformation in her brain which had caused pressure and fluid to build on her brain and spinal cord. This fluid was threatening to break it entirely.
Trusting in the Lord Through a Lifetime
This talk was given at the 2019 stake women's conference.
by Jannelle L. LaFontaine
Prayer and personal revelation are a very private and sacred part of our lives. Even on a daily basis, we are engaged in these covenant privileges. In Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 we are taught to search, pray, believe, walk uprightly, and remember our covenants.
I would like to share a story with you that I believe exemplifies these principles, especially prayer and personal revelation.
In a small rural farming community in Aroostook County, Maine, it was 1956. One afternoon, two young missionaries from Utah knocked on the door of Bob and Marian and asked if they knew anything about the Mormon church. Their answer was no, and thus began their conversion. Bob was a very quiet man and Marian was incredibly curious. She asked a lot of questions, and the answers rang true to both of their hearts. They were baptized. That was that!
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| Image from LDS.org. Used with permission. |
Prayer and personal revelation are a very private and sacred part of our lives. Even on a daily basis, we are engaged in these covenant privileges. In Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 we are taught to search, pray, believe, walk uprightly, and remember our covenants.
I would like to share a story with you that I believe exemplifies these principles, especially prayer and personal revelation.
In a small rural farming community in Aroostook County, Maine, it was 1956. One afternoon, two young missionaries from Utah knocked on the door of Bob and Marian and asked if they knew anything about the Mormon church. Their answer was no, and thus began their conversion. Bob was a very quiet man and Marian was incredibly curious. She asked a lot of questions, and the answers rang true to both of their hearts. They were baptized. That was that!
The Amazing Influence of a Woman
Labels:
death,
faith,
infertility,
single parenting,
special needs,
womanhood
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| From LDS.org, used with permission |
During May, we can't help but think about mothers, so it is a great time to think about our divine gifts as women that enable us to nurture those around us, whether our own children or otherwise. One Sunday this month during our Relief Society, everyone was asked to think of a woman in their lives that wasn't their own mother that had influenced them or had made an impression on them and tell about them. We are all capable of influencing those around us and may never know the effect we may bring about even in the generations to come.
We will post all of the responses over the next few weeks. Read and be uplifted!
My mom’s best friend has always been like a second mom to me. She has always been so loving and accepting of me. Now that my mom is gone I’m glad I can still feel her love for me through her best friend. My mom lives on in her.
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Recently a good friend of mine lost her husband. It was an untimely death and came as a shock to her, her family, and others around her. She had the task of breaking the news to her 12-year-old son. He responded as expected. He was very upset and crying. She put her hand on his knee and told him it was going to be okay, that they could do hard things, and that they would make it through this. He calmed down immediately. He could feel her strength and her words gave him security. I watched her as she continued to comfort the people around her and the ones that came to pay their respects at the viewing. She reassured them that all would be okay and that they would see her husband again someday. Her testimony and strength meant a lot to me in my own life. It showed me that with the help of the Lord I can do and get through whatever comes my way.
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I had a music teacher for many years who became a dear friend and mentor. I still remember when I was in college, and my boyfriend I thought I was going to marry broke up with me and I was absolutely devastated. She comforted me and helped me know that I was strong enough to make it through. She has the heart of a Mother. Unable to have biological children, she and her husband adopted several children, some with special needs. She gladly also served in the special needs Mutual for many years. She loved and nurtured all who came in contact with her. She has one of the most Christlike hearts of anyone I know.
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My sister has never married or had kids but has been a great influence on my family and also on lots of young women and Primary girls who she’s been a leader over for many years. She has a kind and generous heart and blesses those around her. I’m so grateful for her in my life.
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I admire the single moms in my life who do it all. They keep house and home together, work, go to soccer games, pay the bills, do a zillion other things, and love their kids fiercely. Instead of dwelling on their problems, they just forget themselves and get to work. I am in awe of their determination, faith, and strength.
We're Here to Help and Love Each Other
by Sherry Wheeler
We moved into our ward a few years ago and have six children. Only one still lives at home, and that is a big adjustment. I love being a mother and serving my children. The best sound in the world to me is the sound of my children, in the same room with each other, laughing.
I have four of my own children, and after going through a divorce and remarrying was blessed with a wonderful husband and two stepsons. As you can see from our family picture, there are only five children in it.
I had a daughter at the age of three pass away from cancer. She was my first of my children to be bothered with the disease. Her little life was cut short, but for a while I was able to be with her and learn more from her in three short years than I could have taught her in a lifetime.
My second daughter was diagnosed when she was 12 with a tumor in her breast and has undergone a double mastectomy, and my youngest was 12 when he was diagnosed with a tumor and has gone through a partial amputation of his left leg from the knee down. I was married for 17 years to my first husband and also went through a few different cancers with him, including a brain tumor.
I don't like to share my story very much. I get some very sad faces starring back at me, and sometimes it sounds too crazy to be real even to me. I have been asked how I get through all of this, and it makes me wonder myself sometimes. I figured it out one day: I just run faster than the hurt. When I start to get comfortable, I feel it catching up with me, so I just start running again. One day it will catch me, but I hope by that point the Savior will have returned, and the sting won’t hurt so much.
We moved into our ward a few years ago and have six children. Only one still lives at home, and that is a big adjustment. I love being a mother and serving my children. The best sound in the world to me is the sound of my children, in the same room with each other, laughing.
I have four of my own children, and after going through a divorce and remarrying was blessed with a wonderful husband and two stepsons. As you can see from our family picture, there are only five children in it.I had a daughter at the age of three pass away from cancer. She was my first of my children to be bothered with the disease. Her little life was cut short, but for a while I was able to be with her and learn more from her in three short years than I could have taught her in a lifetime.
My second daughter was diagnosed when she was 12 with a tumor in her breast and has undergone a double mastectomy, and my youngest was 12 when he was diagnosed with a tumor and has gone through a partial amputation of his left leg from the knee down. I was married for 17 years to my first husband and also went through a few different cancers with him, including a brain tumor.
I don't like to share my story very much. I get some very sad faces starring back at me, and sometimes it sounds too crazy to be real even to me. I have been asked how I get through all of this, and it makes me wonder myself sometimes. I figured it out one day: I just run faster than the hurt. When I start to get comfortable, I feel it catching up with me, so I just start running again. One day it will catch me, but I hope by that point the Savior will have returned, and the sting won’t hurt so much.
The Life of Faith and Testimony of Bernadette Waldrop
Living with cervical cancer, Bernadette Waldrop shares her philosophy of faith as a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). To her, life is a journey, a journey we each somehow chose to take and can only successfully realize through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Thank you to Kirk Strickland for creating this video.
Thank you to Kirk Strickland for creating this video.
Laying Hold on Every Good Thing Through Faith
Labels:
faith,
miracles,
single parenting,
stories of faith
by Janet Taylor
The Lord has carried me every step of the way through my life. It was by faith that as a very shy girl I was able to leave home and attend BYU. It was by faith that I married in the temple and had a family. It was by faith the I survived six very difficult pregnancies and births and many trials of life.
The Lord has carried me every step of the way through my life. It was by faith that as a very shy girl I was able to leave home and attend BYU. It was by faith that I married in the temple and had a family. It was by faith the I survived six very difficult pregnancies and births and many trials of life.
It was by faith that I was able to overcome the shyness and be allowed to help with building up the Lord's kingdom through serving in auxiliary presidencies and to fulfill Relief Society teaching assignments. It was faith that brought about the miracles of temple marriage, jobs and promotions, homes were sold and acquired, babies born, health restored.
In every instance of my petitions before the Lord, it has been faith on the Lord Jesus Christ which has brought about the sought-after blessings. It has been by faith that I have been able to lay hold upon every good thing in life with which I have been blessed.
I know the Lord lives, Jesus is the Christ, and miracles do happen. I have experienced so many instances of small miracles and unexplained coincidences that have come along to rescue me or reassure me that Heavenly Father is active in my life and is watching over me. My experiences are very sacred to me, and I hold them deep in my heart. I know that my Savior is advocating my cause with our Father.
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