So I don't really know how to start a blog post, or run a blog for that matter, but there was something inside of me pushing me to tell my story and use my spiritual talents to help those around me. The way to do that, of course, was to start a blog and a few social media outlets. Now enough about my spiritual prompting, and onto a little bit about who I am and my journey.
If you haven't already discovered, my name is Alannah and at the moment I am an investigator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was supposed to be baptized on April 24th, but conflict occurred (I'll go into more detail later) and I wasn't able to.
I was not raised in the church. My mother was raised without religion, but always believed there was some sort of higher power to the universe. My father was raised Southern Baptist (by a step father who is an ex-member) and felt it to be extreme religion. Because of how both of my parents were brought up, they decided they would not force religion onto their children, nor would they restrain them from exploring religion. I finally made the choice to start going to church when I was 10 years old. One of my friends had invited me to one of their activities, and it was a lot of fun. My attendance after that was pretty sporadic. I was going only to the things I thought were fun, and hardly showed up on Sundays.
I remember I started showing up more and more as I got older and participated in Winter/Summer camps, youth conferences, and other activities like that. Once I hit my sophomore year my family decided to move our church because of some issues they had with the leadership, etc. That's when we found Park Church in Long Beach (now Generations Church in Los Alamitos). At this church my parents actually decided to start going and we went as a family. My parents, younger siblings, and I all together feasting on the gospel. They enjoyed it so much and you could see a noticeable difference compared to how their lives were when they didn't go to church.
But, even though I was having a great time, something seemed to be missing and I couldn't tell what it was.
My journey with this church started when I moved. I had moved from Sunny Southern California to a small town in Western Idaho, roughly 45 minutes away from Boise. When I heard the news we were moving I was 17 and just finishing up my junior year of high school. I was more than unhappy to move. I would be starting my senior year at a new school, with no friends, and in a state where I have no family other than those I live with. Ask anyone and they'll tell you moving away from everything you knew is hard. Finding a new church, while dealing with the issues of an out-of-state move is even harder.
My parents told us once we got there that we were not going to immediately search for a church until we were settled into our new home. I was not okay with that AT ALL. Church has always been an integral part of my life and I felt really uncomfortable doing that. So I did the one thing I knew how to do. I prayed. I asked my Heavenly Father for guidance. I asked what I should do in a situation like that, or how to soften their hearts to let us find a new church. About a week or so later, I had met my friend Bailey. Bailey's family had introduced themselves to us shortly after we arrived in Idaho but I had never met her, because she was always out and doing something. The first time I met her, she had invited me to go to mutual with her, and I said yes. That's really where this story begins.
I wanted to make friends so badly, and going to mutual was going to be the way I was going to do that. I didn't care if they were Mormon. Religious labels never mattered to me in a friendship as long as they had similar values as me. At mutual I met some girls around my age, and I met the Bishop's wife, and we made Sacrament bread together. After mutual was done and Bailey and I were walking home she asked if I would double with her to a stake dance that weekend. I was really tentative because, I didn't know any boys to ask but I wanted to help out a friend and meet new people as well, so she asked a boy named Brady who lived on my street if he would be my date for the night.
I was really nervous, but took this as an opportunity to make new friendships and get more comfortable with meeting those new people. After that, I decided to finally try a Sunday. I was a little nervous at first because I wasn't entirely sure on what the standards were and what I needed to follow but everyone was so inviting and made sure I felt welcome. I was swarmed by girls who wanted to get to know me, and some boys as well. Brady even asked me on another date for the next weekend!
My first Sunday will be a time I never forget. I began to go more and more. I hated missing a mutual or a Sunday service, and after a few months I finally realized what it was I was missing out on. I was missing the fullness of the gospel in my life. By going to this church I made friendships with people of the same moral and religious values as myself, I have a loving and incredibly supporting boyfriend (and yes, it's Brady!) who is meant to be my eternal companion and I have received so many blessing, but there have been trials as well.
I've wanted to get baptized into the faith, and become a member for the past few months, but I didn't know how to tell my family. They weren't against me going to the LDS church, but they didn't exactly accept it either, it wasn't a choice that they would make. When April rolled around and I watched General Conference, I decided then that I needed to contact the missionaries and start the lessons to prepare me for baptism. Confirming that I wanted to be baptized was an easy task. Telling my parents was not. I was scared because I wanted their support but I knew how they would act. I didn't tell them until the week before my baptism that I was going to get baptized, and they denied it.
Now, because I'm 18, a lot of people ask "Why didn't you just do it if you knew this is what you wanted?" I have a problem with trying to please everyone around me and I didn't want to cause contention with my family. I wanted their support on my journey, but I didn't get it. All I've gotten is criticism and backlash. It's really hard to deal with. Every weekend is a fight, because they try to force me to go to church with them, and I want to go to my church. The week isn't much better. My mother is constantly telling me "I wish I never let you go to that church. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation." She is constantly arguing with me and questions everything. In short, my parents don't want their eldest daughter to be a Mormon.
I have constantly put my foot down and remain firm in my faith. Sure it'll take a little longer than originally planned for me to be baptized, but in my heart I am Mormon, and I say that with pride. I know if I continue to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ (2 Nephi 31;20) that I will be blessed. Maybe my family will never accept my decision. That's okay. Family bonds that are made by choice are stronger than the ones made by blood, and the bonds I have made with my church family will be with me till the day I die and return to Heavenly Father. I have so much love and support from the people of this church and I will continue to choose Him. Amen.
If you haven't already discovered, my name is Alannah and at the moment I am an investigator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was supposed to be baptized on April 24th, but conflict occurred (I'll go into more detail later) and I wasn't able to.
I was not raised in the church. My mother was raised without religion, but always believed there was some sort of higher power to the universe. My father was raised Southern Baptist (by a step father who is an ex-member) and felt it to be extreme religion. Because of how both of my parents were brought up, they decided they would not force religion onto their children, nor would they restrain them from exploring religion. I finally made the choice to start going to church when I was 10 years old. One of my friends had invited me to one of their activities, and it was a lot of fun. My attendance after that was pretty sporadic. I was going only to the things I thought were fun, and hardly showed up on Sundays.
I remember I started showing up more and more as I got older and participated in Winter/Summer camps, youth conferences, and other activities like that. Once I hit my sophomore year my family decided to move our church because of some issues they had with the leadership, etc. That's when we found Park Church in Long Beach (now Generations Church in Los Alamitos). At this church my parents actually decided to start going and we went as a family. My parents, younger siblings, and I all together feasting on the gospel. They enjoyed it so much and you could see a noticeable difference compared to how their lives were when they didn't go to church.
But, even though I was having a great time, something seemed to be missing and I couldn't tell what it was.
My journey with this church started when I moved. I had moved from Sunny Southern California to a small town in Western Idaho, roughly 45 minutes away from Boise. When I heard the news we were moving I was 17 and just finishing up my junior year of high school. I was more than unhappy to move. I would be starting my senior year at a new school, with no friends, and in a state where I have no family other than those I live with. Ask anyone and they'll tell you moving away from everything you knew is hard. Finding a new church, while dealing with the issues of an out-of-state move is even harder.
My parents told us once we got there that we were not going to immediately search for a church until we were settled into our new home. I was not okay with that AT ALL. Church has always been an integral part of my life and I felt really uncomfortable doing that. So I did the one thing I knew how to do. I prayed. I asked my Heavenly Father for guidance. I asked what I should do in a situation like that, or how to soften their hearts to let us find a new church. About a week or so later, I had met my friend Bailey. Bailey's family had introduced themselves to us shortly after we arrived in Idaho but I had never met her, because she was always out and doing something. The first time I met her, she had invited me to go to mutual with her, and I said yes. That's really where this story begins.
I wanted to make friends so badly, and going to mutual was going to be the way I was going to do that. I didn't care if they were Mormon. Religious labels never mattered to me in a friendship as long as they had similar values as me. At mutual I met some girls around my age, and I met the Bishop's wife, and we made Sacrament bread together. After mutual was done and Bailey and I were walking home she asked if I would double with her to a stake dance that weekend. I was really tentative because, I didn't know any boys to ask but I wanted to help out a friend and meet new people as well, so she asked a boy named Brady who lived on my street if he would be my date for the night.
I was really nervous, but took this as an opportunity to make new friendships and get more comfortable with meeting those new people. After that, I decided to finally try a Sunday. I was a little nervous at first because I wasn't entirely sure on what the standards were and what I needed to follow but everyone was so inviting and made sure I felt welcome. I was swarmed by girls who wanted to get to know me, and some boys as well. Brady even asked me on another date for the next weekend!
My first Sunday will be a time I never forget. I began to go more and more. I hated missing a mutual or a Sunday service, and after a few months I finally realized what it was I was missing out on. I was missing the fullness of the gospel in my life. By going to this church I made friendships with people of the same moral and religious values as myself, I have a loving and incredibly supporting boyfriend (and yes, it's Brady!) who is meant to be my eternal companion and I have received so many blessing, but there have been trials as well.
I've wanted to get baptized into the faith, and become a member for the past few months, but I didn't know how to tell my family. They weren't against me going to the LDS church, but they didn't exactly accept it either, it wasn't a choice that they would make. When April rolled around and I watched General Conference, I decided then that I needed to contact the missionaries and start the lessons to prepare me for baptism. Confirming that I wanted to be baptized was an easy task. Telling my parents was not. I was scared because I wanted their support but I knew how they would act. I didn't tell them until the week before my baptism that I was going to get baptized, and they denied it.
Now, because I'm 18, a lot of people ask "Why didn't you just do it if you knew this is what you wanted?" I have a problem with trying to please everyone around me and I didn't want to cause contention with my family. I wanted their support on my journey, but I didn't get it. All I've gotten is criticism and backlash. It's really hard to deal with. Every weekend is a fight, because they try to force me to go to church with them, and I want to go to my church. The week isn't much better. My mother is constantly telling me "I wish I never let you go to that church. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation." She is constantly arguing with me and questions everything. In short, my parents don't want their eldest daughter to be a Mormon.
I have constantly put my foot down and remain firm in my faith. Sure it'll take a little longer than originally planned for me to be baptized, but in my heart I am Mormon, and I say that with pride. I know if I continue to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ (2 Nephi 31;20) that I will be blessed. Maybe my family will never accept my decision. That's okay. Family bonds that are made by choice are stronger than the ones made by blood, and the bonds I have made with my church family will be with me till the day I die and return to Heavenly Father. I have so much love and support from the people of this church and I will continue to choose Him. Amen.