My religious choices

I recently have been reviewing old journals and diaries that I have kept since becoming a married lady and found a few things that I would like to share with you.

So my religious experiences begin with my Grandma Judy. This is what I can remember, but I'm sure my mom will remind me that we attended church in San Jose, California, but since I have absolutely no memories of that experience I will write about the memories of church that I do have.

Grandma Judy and I attending Easter Service

My religious experiences begin with my Grandma Judy who decided around the age of 8 or 9 to start attending church with me on Easter. It was always Easter that she would go, no other days.

She would choose a church that she wanted to see and go to their service for that day. She wasn't too particular about which church we choose to attend, as long as it wasn't the Mormon church. Hey what can I say, we were in Utah every block has a Mormon church on it, but once you enter into the real world you begin to realize that only in Utah do they dominate what is happening in your neighborhoods.

John and Judy were always a great example to me of how to follow Christ. They joined a bible study group around this time and attended weekly bible class and even joined this group on a trip to Jerusalem. They were both baptized in the Jordan River. Which to me was the coolest thing to do, and to follow Christ's example.

Great Grandma Peterson, Grandpa John, me and Grandma Judy
my baptism in 1996

Later on in life when I was living in West Valley, Utah in a trailer park the Elders found me and baptized me as a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. The only person in our family that was active in the LDS church was my Great Grandma Peterson (as shown in the picture) a sweet lady that lived in Utah as well.

Now, living in Utah you are either a Mormon and live your life by those guidelines and if you're not a Mormon then you go through your whole life trying to figure out your place while living in Utah.

Now when I was 9 years old, I believe that I was baptized as a way to get attention from other people rather than my parents. I was living in West Valley at the time, which meant that I was living with my mom and my step dad. Not bad people by any means, but an unhappy situation for me growing up. At the start of my parents coming off a two year separation those were good times, family events, holidays, and happy memories, but those soon fade with times of trouble.

By the time I was getting baptized I was just trying to figure out who I am, and trying to get attention from other people that wasn't my family. Everyone has that special child that thrives for attention from other people no matter how much attention you give them yourselves. My children are pros at this right now. Aiden hams it up on camera every time we turn on a live feed camera for facetime or streaming time he just loves to see what his face looks like on the camera. Layoni craves attention at church so she wiggles all over the place to get peoples attention so that she can get away from Mom and Dad and go sit with other families. Alexander isn't this bold yet, he just makes eye contact and gives anyone that looks at him the biggest smile he can issue. Zaq used to unleash his pet bird when people were over to visit his house in order to get attention. Everyone craves attention from other people. No one likes to be invisible.

But progressing on with my church experiences. So attending church with my Grandma to begin with, showing me that there is always more than one religion out there. Showing me that more than one type of people worship Christ. Because without Christ there is no great atoning sacrifice that we must be grateful for. Now I'm pissing off my atheist friends who believe that Christ never existed at all and that religion is over rated. Yes I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I have friends that are atheist. I love them, and they love me. We can happily talk religion, but we never argue about it. They have their opinions and I have mine. I respect that. Some Mormons in Utah don't understand how to respect people and their choices in this life.

So after I was baptized in the Church I became inactive because my
mom and step dad never wanted to attend church with me, and because we were in West Valley and town flooded with Spanish speaking wards only I never felt confident in attending by myself. It would take two other individuals to get me to go to church.

Mark Ottesen

Tina Rateau now

Mark and Tina Ottesen they lived in a house across the street from my grandparents at the time. They met me because I was playing in the street with another elderly neighbor. Apparently there were no kids in my neighborhood at the time. So Mark met me first and then I met his wife Tina. They invited me to church and I began attending church with them starting around the age of 12. Which is the age where the children begin to go into Young Men and Young Woman's programs for their teenage "confinement" period lol.

These two quickly became what felt like a second set of parents to me. Whenever I was bored I would just go hang out them. Tina taught me how to cook and do service projects for people around the neighborhood. And Mark loved to hear a good joke even if it was a child's joke. These two had 40 something nieces and nephews whom they adored and loved.

Surprisingly enough when these two weren't around to attend church with me, I would just by myself in order to get away from my West Valley house, which meant that on top of driving me to Salt Lake City every day of the week, I now forced my mom to drive up on Sundays as well. Thanks mom. I love you.

But as a teenager you are given the opportunity to go do baptisms for the dead. Which believe as beneficial to the dead. Those that have died without given the opportunity to receive the gospel. They are now given the opportunity in the after life that they  are experiencing to accept the gospel and Christ as their redeemer.

Something that caught me off guard in an interview with the bishopric at the time was a few questions they asked me the first was "Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?" Now upon reviewing this questions because to me at first glance it's asking members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church? to me it almost felt like they are trying to see what's going on in my house with my family, but upon reading further you understand YOUR CONDUCT. How do you treat your family? Do you treat your family in the harmony of the teachings of the church?

And the other one that threw me at first was "Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individaul whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?" To me that seems like a very daunting question to ask a 12 year old. I had to be honest in my answering of this question. I do and will always support my family in their choices that they make, I may not agree with them at times, but that doesn't mean I disown them for those choices. The bishopric agreed with me.  Something that is hard for people to understand is that people are human we are all prone to err. There is nothing wrong with that.

Just because my family aren't Mormons doesn't mean that I should never talk to them again, and currently I feel very different about family since having my own kids and what not, but that has never stopped me from loving them and respecting their choices in this life.

I have lots of friends that aren't members of the Church and I respect them for their choices in this life. Something my grandpa shared with me as a kid was that as long as you believe in Christ and what he has done for you. You'll go to heaven. I loved that idea.

And as usual in most classes and lectures in the church I'm running late for a meeting so I'll close this post with my testimony. I believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe that the living prophet Russel M. Nelson guides this church on its true path toward Christ. I believe in Christ and his atoning sacrifice that all our sins can and will be forgiven as long as we repent and ask for forgiveness.
Amen