Have a little faith

For those of you that don’t know,

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormon”).

Growing up, we said prayers, read scriptures and went to church every Sunday. I never questioned it, it’s just what we did.

I attended all the church classes; including early morning seminary in my teens and evening institute as a young adult.

I then served a mission at the age of 21. For those unfamiliar with the term, a mission is voluntary service for the church. I was assigned to the North-West of England and Wales for a period of 18 months.

My mission was one of the most unique and profound experiences of my life.

The purpose of a mission is to “Invite others to come unto Christ”. This is not an easy thing to do,

and as an introvert, I was very much out my comfort zone.

I learned not to judge people by their appearance; some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met were those who looked a bit rough around the edges.

I also discovered that despite our many differences, we all have the common desires to find happiness, to feel loved and to belong.

Some of the happiest moments in my life were on my mission, helping other people to find those things.

My deepest desire in life has always been to marry and have children. Families are a central focus within the church and I looked forward to starting my own more than anything else.

I have spoken openly about my experience of motherhood and how it is nothing like I expected it to be. I have struggled every single day since having my son.

Attending church has also been a struggle. I won’t go into all the reasons why, but it has been a very challenging time for me in all aspects of my life.

I know that there will always be challenges, that’s one thing that’s guaranteed in life...

But today as I sat in church I felt at peace. I was reminded of all the parts I love, even though there are parts that I struggle with.

Rather than turn away from something that has played a such a huge role in my life...

I feel really strongly that if I want to see changes in the church- I need to be a part of it.

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