I am a fully active LDS woman and have been all of my life. I currently serve three callings in my ward. Although I come from pioneer stock, I gained my own testimony at the age of 18.
I grew up in Plano, Texas until I was 21, lived Jacksonville, Florida until I was 24, then moved to Utah to get married at 25. My husband and I started our family in southern Utah, where we lived for almost 20 years. Although we yearned for a big family and lots of kids we were unable to have children for many years. Gratefully, we were finally blessed with a beautiful girl who will now be going into Young Women soon.
I have my Bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology. I’ve substitute taught for the last five years with my goal set for continuing onto my Masters in Counseling. I am thrilled to be alive in this moment of history. I have always looked up to amazing Mormon women from the past, such as Eliza R. Snow & Mary Fielding Smith, as well as current day heroes including Carol Lynn Pearson and Chieko Okazaki. When I received my testimony at 18, I wept in my father’s arms saying, “I want to be like one of those women.”
I believe that true priesthood order is one in which the priesthood keys and responsibilities are shared by Woman and Man. It is something Latter-Day Saint women are very capable of performing and hungry to have acknowledged. I believe by being ordained, we can share the responsibility of blessing those who are sick and afflicted rather than waiting for the men to come home from work. We can leave a blessing with our visiting sisters whose households are in distress. We can help direct the sisters and their families in a greater capacity within the Relief Society organization. We can help to create wards from which now only branches exist due to a lack of active priesthood holders. Imagine mothers and fathers giving parental blessings to their children; sister missionaries baptizing and confirming in partnership with the elders.
These are beautiful and holy ideas to me. Speaking them aloud on this website is my way of joining my voice in saying, “Here we are. We are ready. Send us.” It rings as a harmonious song, one in which I hope to sing in my lifetime, one in which I want to hear my daughter sing and her daughters and theirs throughout eternity. I love my heritage. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I believe women should be ordained.