What Do LDS Women Get?

The recent debate about LDS women being ordained to the priesthood has made me think, and I feel like I need to comment.  I feel completely at peace with being a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and not being able to hold the priesthood.  I personally believe that women do not need to be ordained unto this power, for the power is already within them.  What is the priesthood?  It is the Power of God.  Who is God?  He is our Father, a powerful and loving being.  Who are we?  We are His daughters, created in His image, patterned after Him, in our mortality and nature.  If this is true, that we are His daughters, and that we are like Him, then we inherently have the Power of God within us.  We might use that power differently than our priesthood brothers, but it is there, nonetheless.  We are still privy to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we are still entitled to revelation, and we are still able to move that mountain.

We squeak and squawk about equality in life.  Equality in the work place.  Equality in the military.  Equality in religion.  But women and men are never going to be equal.  Until we become a biological androgynous species, there will always be a difference between men and women.  We were created differently for a reason.  We have different roles and responsibilities, different purposes that we are on earth to fulfill.

Sister Sheri Dew explains the roles and rights of women in the Church perfectly, answering the question of equality and ordination. She, of all people, knows the privileges of being a woman in the gospel, as she has served faithfully beside the priesthood leaders of the Church for years.

I am so grateful to be a member and woman of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am grateful for the difference between men and women and the chance I have to righteously fulfill the measure of my creation.  I know that, even though I have never been ordained to the priesthood, that the Spirit and Power of God reside with me.  And I can call upon that power when needed.  I am grateful for the opportunity we have to listen to living prophets this weekend during General Conference. They are led by God and speak with His voice.  We can feel God's love and know of his will and plan as we listen with our hearts and spirits.  He will direct and guide us.

Happy Conference Weekend!

Thoughts on Christ

I love hearing Elder Holland speak of Jesus Christ.

Happy Easter!

Saintly Tribute

Keith's brother Dean passed away yesterday.  I have only met Dean a couple of times, but it is hard seeing him go.  He is a bright and funny kid, always ready with his quick wit and handsome smile.

I feel that there is something a little significant and beautiful about Dean passing away on November 1.  November 1 is All Saints Day--a day not celebrated in my religion, but a special day, nonetheless.  It is a day to remember the known and unknown saints of the world, and I think it should be broadened to include the saints in our own lives, whether great or small.  Dean had had a difficult life at times, but he had fought hard and was able to overcome his troubles.  He is an inspiration--a saint--to many. 

I am thankful for the knowledge I have of my Savior and the sacrifices He has made so that we can all can live again.  Through His death and His life, we can be made whole and perfect and eternal.  I know that Keith will get to be with his brother again, that his mother will see her son, and that Dean is just waiting on the other side. 

We will miss you, Dean!!!

Unchanging Lullaby

As a child, my mom would often sing as she rocked us kids to sleep.  I remember her doing so with me and my younger siblings, and I see her even now do so with her grandchildren.  She would sing peace to our souls as we slumbered, snuggled safely in her arms.  And it is neat to see that even though the rocking chair has changed, as has the baby sitting in it, the songs and words are always the same.

One of the many tunes she would sing to us was the primary song, "I Know My Heavenly Father Loves Me."  It became one of my favorites, and whenever I would hear it I would be reminded of my mother.  And although my mother may not have been an opera singer or a concert musician, there is something about that song and hearing her sing it that I love.

This afternoon I was feeling a little down.  Some people don't like what I am or the choices I have made in my life.  They think I am making mistakes or wasting my time, and they like to tell me so frequently.  It isn't that my choices are bad; it's just that they are MY choices, and these people don't like that my choices are different than their choices.  And it hurts.

To make myself feel a little better, I went into the other room to play the piano.  Someone had left a sheet of music there and I began playing it softly.  The familiar melody soon plucked at my heart, as it was the music to the same song that my mother sang to me all those years ago--the same song that she still sings.

Right then the Spirit, much like my mother in the past, sang peace to my soul.  I could feel the power of truth in the words of the music as the half-forgotten lyrics flooded my mind.  And I decided that it doesn't matter what other people think.  It doesn't matter if they agree with what I do or with what I am.  It may still sting, but I don't need to care about their opinions of me or of my decisions.  All that matters is what I think of myself and what Heavenly Father sees when He looks at me.  He will support me and care for me.  He will help me and guide me, regardless of what road or path I take. He loves me.  I KNOW He loves me.  I am His daughter.  And no matter what others may say, THAT is never going to change.

The (not so) Tuesday Drudge, Part X

Today the Prophet returned to the School of Prophets.

Not only did he get thronged by a bunch of pre-teens,

he also sang us a song.

I tell you, there is nothing like a Man of God gustily singing

"A Utah Man am I"!

Got to love President Monson!

Ki-yi!!!

Sympathy Smiles

I received a multitude of sympathy smiles last night when on the train. 

While we were waiting to leave the station, this weird old guy started talking to me.  He told me about how he hates technology, how he can't stand Lady Gaga, how he has a paratransit pass (tells you something right there), and how he is going to get fake teeth as soon as the remaining three fall out. 

Yeah, everyone was similing alright--smiling because they were glad he was talking to me, not to them.

After he listed the many foods he can/cannot eat with/without his teeth, this gentleman told me how he hasn't smoked a single cigarette for over 78 days.

"Yep," he says, "smoking is killing me.  The best $130 I ever spent was to help me quit smoking."

Does Nicorette cost that much?  $130?  I didn't think so.  He continued,

"I get a social security check for about $1300 every month.  I was sick of smoking, so I decided I was going to pay my tithing.  We made a deal:  If I paid my tithing, then God would help me quit smoking.  So I did my part and I guess God did his part becuase I haven't smoked for near 90 days.  Best money I've ever spent."

And then I smiled because this old man was schooling me and no one else was listening.

Skipping Sunday School

I ran into Carrie in Sacrament meeting yesterday.

Let's just say I didn't make it to my next meeting:

We had too much to catch up on.

Taoyuan Stake Conference, May 2007, Taiwan

Carrie is super awesome. 

One day she was interested in going to English class,

and the next (well, just a really short two weeks later)

she was getting baptized. 

I met her two days later when I moved into the area and taught her a new member lesson. 

She's pretty much one of my favorite people ever.

The Eastern Easter

There is no word in Chinese for "Easter"--not originally, at least. Being of a different tradition and different belief, the idea of Christ and Easter was not a part of that Eastern world. And so, when Christians came and began to teach of Christ and of His mercy and His power and His love, they needed to choose a word to describe the Western springtime celebration of His life. The way they choose to remember this day was simply "復活節", or "Resurrection Day".

"There is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."

--Mosiah 16:8

"And this is the gospel, the glad tidings...That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him; Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands."

--D&C76:40-43

Happy Resurrection Day!

New Calling

I got a new calling today. I am now a member of the F.H.E. committee.

I guess this means I need to start going to F.H.E...

Just Great! Expectations

When I was in ninth grade, we read "A Tale of Two Cities" in English class. Finding it a rather good book, I thought, "I'll try another Dickens'." The only other Dickens' we had in the house was "Great Expectations." I whipped the fat book off the shelf and began reading. I trudged and struggled and strained to read that book. It was hard. The language was flowery, the story odd, and it was just too much for my ninth grade brain to comprehend.

I hadn't gotten very far when I lugged that big book to school one day. I was trying to read it for quiet reading time and had just determined to quit the book all together, when my teacher, seeing my book, came up to me. "Jill," Mrs. Thornley said, "I am so impressed that you are reading another Dickens' book. I think it is great that you are reading classic literature."

Do you know what I felt? Guilt. Guilt for wanting to quit. Guilt for thinking it was so hard. And Guilt for not trying hard enough. I vowed at that moment that I wouldn't let Mrs. Thornley down. I was going to finish that book, even if it killed me.

Imagine my surprise when, a couple months later, Mrs. Thornley nominated me as English student of the year, ALL because I was willing to go beyond the normal capabilities of a 14-year-old and read Dickens' "Great Expectations." She knew I was capable of reading that book and knew that I could do better than I had done before.

Since President Monson's address at the CES fireside on Sunday, I've been thinking about the Great Expectations my Father in Heaven has for me. He has so much planned for us, He expects a lot of us, and He knows what we are capable of. It might be hard, and I might want to quit and give up, but as long as I try to do my best, I can't let Him down. And when I try my best, I will get a far greater reward than I could imagine.

I started a new book today--"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. Perhaps this time I'll understand it.

A Lesson In Faith

I have currently been reading the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. These books are amazing! Not only are they easy to read and thoroughly entertaining, they also contain many gospel principles and lessons. It is fun to read a piece of fiction and find religious symbolism.

In the fourth book Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy have been recalled to Narnia to help Prince Caspian defeat his uncle and be victorious in reviving "Old Narnia". The only problem is that the children have been away from Narnia for so long, and the lay of the land has changed so much, that they can't find Prince Caspian to help him. They are lost. They have two options: to go up or to go down. Lucy, the youngest and purest of the children, sees Aslan. In her brief glimpse of the lion, Aslan indicates to Lucy that they must go up. The others do not believe what Lucy saw and decide to go down. The path is very rocky and trecherous and everything goes wrong and they must go back to where they began. While resting for the night, Lucy hears someone calling her name. She wakes to find Aslan telling her that she must get the others to follow her. He will lead her and show her where to go, but at the beginning, no one else will be able to see him. Lucy wakes everyone and they grumble and moan and make a fuss about following little Lucy, and do so grudgingly. As they travel through the night and down a ravine and find a smooth path and are swiftly lead to their destination, they stop their mumblings and murmurings, and one by one they all notice that it is not Lucy who is guiding them, it is Aslan guiding Lucy.

The application? Take Aslan to symbolize the Savior Jesus Christ and the children to symbolize you and me.

Sometimes we don't understand all that the Lord requires of us. We don't see a reason or a purpose to doing the things that we need to do. We don't have the eternal perspective, we don't see our Savior, and our eyes and spirits are blinded. This is where faith comes in. As we follow the Savior and his teachings, walking the paths that he himself trod, we will find that road is smooth and easy.  We will be able to walk forward and eventually reach our goal. And while we might not see at first, as we soften our hearts, are willing do as the Lord commands, and become pure and child-like, we will begin to see Him and His hand guiding us along the path. Christ will lead us; all we have to do is believe and have the faith to follow wherever he leads.

Proclaiming the Gospel

Yesterday, I had an awesome missionary opportunity. We have a consultant for work here from Chicago. The other day she asked me what there was to see in Salt Lake City, this being her first time to Utah. I lost no time in telling her that she should visit Temple Square. I even quickly explained that we had temples all over the world and even had one in Chicago. She thought that was pretty cool, but then really didn’t say much more about it. Yesterday, one of my coworkers decided that it was time for a tour of the Square and asked me to play guide. I was only too happy and excited to comply. We spent two and a half hours touring the grounds and buildings. We first took the Temple Square tour hosted by the Temple Square missionaries and then hopped over to the Conference Center and took a tour there. Can I just say that this consultant, Nikki, is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!! She listened to everything she was told with an open mind and heart and seemed to soak it all in and understand it all, all at the same time. She had a ton of questions about the Church and the “Mormon” culture. When talking of the Temple, Nikki explained to me that her family was from Nigeria. I thought a moment and said, “Oh, I think we have a temple there.” She said, “Yeah, you do. I looked it up.” When explaining about the difference between the Bible and the Book of Mormon and how they are the records of the prophets and people in Jerusalem and the Americas, she asked, “What about the people in Africa and Asia? Did they have prophets too?” As I described Lehi’s dream (very difficult to do, by the way, with all that symbolism. Hey, she asked!), she astounded my by saying, “Oh, I get it!” As we were walking back to work, she said, “Really it is so easy. The more I learn about your church the simpler it gets.” The Gospel is simple!!! She surmised that Gordon B. Hinckley preceded Thomas S. Monson as president, said she loved the feeling and peacefulness of the Square, questioned the Word of Wisdom, wondered about missionaries and mission work, queried the succession of prophets, pondered the Christus, inquired about polygamy, temple marriage and divorce, the number of kids we have, and asked me to define ‘Zion’. I cannot tell you how excited I was when Nikki filled out an information card that the missionaries gave her! To tell the truth, though I am exceedingly glad that I got to share this experience with Nikki, I am a little envious of the missionaries that are going to get to teach her. She is a Miracle waiting to happen.


I love sharing the Gospel and being a missionary. The Spirit testifies to me of the truthfulness of the Gospel each time I open my mouth. Like the stone in King Nebuchadnezzar’ dream, this work is unstoppable and will continue to roll until it fills the whole earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's Church on earth today. Christ lives, God loves us, and the Gospel is true!

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." --Alma 29:9

The City's Sanctuary

Today as I was strolling through Temple Square, I was once again struck with the beauty of the Temple and the surrounding grounds. It was a stunning day, with the bright sun, dazzling cloudless blue sky, a hint of autumn in the air, and blooming flowers, and I was overcome with gratitude and love for my Heavenly Father and all that He has given us: the world and it's beauties, the Gospel, and the Temple. While I was strolling through, I took a couple of deep, chi-cleansing breaths and instantly found peace and tranquility. What a wonderful place to come to sit and relax, and just meditate and ponder for a moment! Who needs a zen garden? In the middle of the city is the perfect spot to feel the Spirit of the Lord.