I am a Mormon because I choose to be

I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. That means that I am a Mormon. I am a Mormon because I choose to be. I have been introduced to other religions, beliefs and ideas and I found that this form of teaching about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is right for me.

But what about all of the rules taught in the church? I find that the rules that are taught are to help me to learn to love myself unconditionally and to love others unconditionally as well.

I learn that there is an order to life instead of chaos.

I learn that we have the right to make good and bad decisions and we have to live with the consequences with whichever choice we make.

We are not alone in our choices. They do affect those around us. It is because of the many choices we have before us that it is a wonderful gift to have an organization that will teach us what is good and bad as well as why.

Yes, I do ask a lot of why questions. But, I find that those are answered as I am asking them.

I believe in the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am willing to do everything I can to learn about it and to teach others what I have learned.

I have a testimony of the Gospel. I believe in it. I can have hope in my life knowing that I will be able to live after death. I know that this church and it’s organizations are right for me.  I also understand that it may not be the perfect answer for others in whom I love-both family and friends. The only thing I ask is that if you have questions, ask them. If you do not understand something, find the answer from a correct source. When you find out, take action in what is correct.

How do we show love?

Another foster child that we had and I can remember very little of was a boy from Alaska. He was an American Indian who’s family were having difficulties.

One day, he was in trouble and mother had him sitting in the living room while she sat in the rocker rocking quietly. When my father came home from work, he saw what was happening and noticed that her knuckles were white, so he told us to all leave and make some orange juice in the kitchen.

My father then calmed her down and then went to talk with the boy. The boy wanted to understand why he was not beaten. He felt that if he was in trouble, he should be beaten. Did they not love him? My parents then told him that it was because they loved him that they did not beat him.

My mother had the experience of being spanked with willow switches that she had to pull off of the tree herself, when she began to have children, she promised herself that she would use her parents as the example as to what not to do. She did do her best and because of it, we do have love for her.

When this young boy was taken away from us and returned to his family, he ran away to came back to us. He was caught before he reached us. A second time, he ran away again. This time, he was hit by a car trying to get back to us. Our family truly loved this boy and had hoped to be able to give him the love that he had been craving while growing up.