Mormon baptisms are a great opportunity to learn more about the LDS church and to show the person who invited you how much you care about them. Here are 6 things you should remember about an LDS baptism when you attend one.

Sidenote:

My daughter is being baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She has turned 8 and that is the age that LDS children are baptized.  She was very excited to invite many friends, but I wanted to be sure they had some idea of what to expect.  I hope you find this post helpful!

Mormon baptisms are not a spot where we will try to convert you or get you to be baptized.  Don’t be afraid to go, just enjoy the service and the happy feelings you get.

What an LDS baptism is like

Pro Tip:  “Mormon” is a nickname. We prefer to be called members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints… which, can be a mouthful. So I often say “member of the church of Christ”…we are not a Mormon church. No matter what you call it — we’re happy you are thinking about coming!

An LDS baptism typically happens on a Saturday and is a happy occasion.  I remember my own baptism and being a very happy day surrounded by loved ones.

What happens at a Mormon baptism?

LDS baptisms are done by immersion
In an LDS baptism, the person being baptized is submerged completely in the water (immersion) by someone with Priesthood authority. This is to signify the remission of sins and rebirth as a converted individual.  Baptism is the making of a covenant between the person being baptized and their Heavenly Father.

What to wear to a Mormon Baptism?

Wear dress clothes

In the Mormon religion baptism is a special occasion for the person being baptized and their family members.  Dress clothes are typically worn.  Most women will wear dresses/skirts.  Most men will wear a shirt/tie and boys might have khakis and a polo shirt.  Feel free to wear whatever you’d prefer though.

Mormon Baptism Outfit

People being baptized wear white
White clothes symbolize the purity of one after they have been baptized. Everyone who gets baptized in the LDS church wears white once they get to the church, as well as during the ordinance, and will change into dress clothes afterward.  The church actually owns the clothes, and members just borrow them while performing the ordinance.

Many little girls being baptized will have a special white dress they wear on their baptism day.  This is completely optional and up to each individual person.

Eight is great

LDS children are baptized at the age of 8 if they are willing/ready.  Those joining the LDS church, as long as they are over eight, may be baptized at any time.  If you’re a church member looking for more info on eight is great, I have a cool brochure.

How long is a Mormon Baptism?

Baptisms are around one hour long
Baptisms are usually about one hour long for the entire program. Generally, two individuals will give a short talk.  One is usually before the actual baptism and about baptism.  The other typically happens after the baptism and is about the confirmation of the Holy Spirit (which is the second portion of any LDS baptism).   Refreshments are often served at the end.

Baptisms also include a confirmation
The second part of any LDS baptism is confirmation. Confirmations usually involve several male priesthood holders placing their hands on the person’s head and saying a prayer. This confirms the person as a member of the church and gives them the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Mormon Baptism Ceremony

The actual ordinance of baptism is really quick.  Both the person being baptized and the baptizer will walk into the baptismal font into warm water about waist height.  The baptizer will say a short prayer in the name of the Father with their right arm raised and then help that person go all the way under the water.  It takes less than 5 minutes.

Invited to an LDS Baptism?

Overall, the person who invited you to their baptism will be happy simply that you’re there. LDS baptisms are very important to church members, and it is an incredibly important event for any church member.  Baptism is the first step in making promises to God to do your best to be like Jesus Christ.

More information about LDS baptisms can be found at www.lds.org/topics/baptism?lang=eng.

OR, if you have questions, I’m happy to answer them here!

If you’d like more information about the LDS church — you might enjoy the posts below:

This post was written in 2017 and has been updated since then.

The post Mormon Baptisms: What happens at an LDS baptism? appeared first on Pulling Curls.

I have a wildly popular post about quiet bags, or church busy bags.  The reality is that before I had the luxury of sending these kids off to school I had one, even up to two, kids who needed to attend an event with me and be relatively quiet, even beyond church.  I have a quiet drawer for our church toys, and a quiet box for other quiet activities.

Really quick, if you’re just looking for some options the most popular toys in this post are:
This one is great for infants
My kids have loved this one a LONG time.
This one’s a little loud, but fun!
A whole set great for littles!
Awesome to get those wiggles out

Getting quiet bags is all about the routine of packing them and making sure you have them ready before an event or church service. Just sayin’ — routines are the bomb and I can help you get in them.

Before we get started, if you have a child 0-36 months I LOVE the toys in the Panda Crate. I outline what I love about in this post about what to do with your baby all day, but they’re top-notch toys and most are also very quiet.

What are Quiet Toys?

These are toys that you can use for a meeting, church, or just any time you need your child to be quiet. They can be used however you want. Sometimes kids just play LOUD (which is great) — but hopefully this post gives you some ideas!

Quiet Toys for Church

Church Activity Bag for Small Children on Sunday mornings:

1.  Books.  Of special note are books that have doors that open (or flaps that lift), or things you slide, any book that requires an action is highly prized in this area.  Again, I checked at Goodwill, I looked at garage sales and I bought from bargain book shelves.  Some of the different books have religious tones or bible stories, but many don’t.  At one point my dollar store had these smaller books with GIANT flaps that were SO perfect for little hands.  The key to finding good quiet bag items is keeping your eyes open.

Favorite Church Quiet Books:

• I love Touch/Feel books like this one — a great sensory toy
• Flap books like this or this are awesome! — a busy book!
• I love fabric quiet books like this one

2.  Coloring, and stickers.  Once my kids hit 18 months I bring out the coloring options.  I like twistable crayons the most for church.  They don’t break and they are plenty sturdy for small hands.  Right now my 5 year old gets a notebook, and a coloring book.  I have a few coloring/tracing/workbooks that we rotate between. Coloring and drawing is a great option for young kids and older kids as a quiet activity.

Favorite Coloring/Activity Quiet Books:

• I love color by number coloring books like this one
• I like how many different options there are in this one
• This unicorn one made many of my childhood dreams come true.
• This type of one is great for kids of many ages
• Activity books like this one are great too (Costco often has great ones too!)

3.  Quiet Toys for kids.  I no longer bring toys to church but I do before kids are good readers.  Usually just one small, silent item — etch-a-sketch ,a small felt board, small dolls, or those draw and erase boards are great.  I have had a lot of finger puppets (love the Ikea ones), or sensory bottles.  The key is SILENT toys.  Also toys with few parts because I have 12 million things to do on Sunday and I don’t want to miss pieces.  I also try not to use toys that can easily be thrown or make excessively fun banging noises.  Seriously, it’s trial and error on this one. But I have found some great toys for our special bag.

Favorite Quiet Toys:

• This one looks really cool (and I’m always surprised how toys like this keep my older kid’s attention)
• I love this one, and I might well steal that during a boring meeting!
• This one seems awesome for babies!
• Lacing activities like these awesome!
• This pack of fidget items looks awesome!
• We’ve had this one for a LONG time and it’s always a hit!

I tend to bring 1-2 of of these 3 items.  Right now, she gets a book and some coloring, and that is all she needs. When she was younger, it was certainly more (and before she went to nursery I had a GIANT box of church-only toys that I rotated through).  

This is the boy scouts moms and dads, be prepared.

Busy Bags for Church

When my youngest was about 2 we did a giant busy bag exchange at church and it was AMAZING.  It allowed us to build a huge collection for our children’s church activity bags.

Seriously, we all made our own bags (which streamlined the process, and allowed us to buy items in bulk making it, ultimately, cheaper.

They were great for sacrament meeting or quiet time. Don’t think you need buy a new bag for this, just use an old diaper bag.

Steps to a busy bag swap:

1.  Get a group of friends you’d like to do it with
2.  Make a giant Pinterest board with ideas (invite everyone to pin there) — there are a TON of busy bag  ideas on Pinterest!
3.  Make a google doc signup sheet to make sure people aren’t over-lapping activities
4.  Have a date that you come to exchange.

Besides the fact that you’re cutting a TON of circles or whatever — they are absoutely great!  Well worth the time you put in. 

Quiet Toys for Meetings:

For me, I don’t demand my kids are silent in my meetings.  Most of them are attended by mothers, some of which like to color with her or reminice about when they had to bring their own kids to meetings.

1.  Polly pockets, and i’m talking the old cool kind.  NOW, these have a lot of small pieces, which is OK if we are sitting at a table.  She LOVES these.  I found them all at Goodwill and they have been a wonderful find.  Matchbox or small cars would be the boy version of these.

2.  Paper dolls — or, I have found some magnetic doll sets that are really neat.

3.  Coloring — color wonder is great.  I try not to bring markers to church, but I allow them at meetings (especially color wonder).

4.  Tiny dolls — any kind.  The girl loves to pretend and these don’t make much noise.

5.  Spelling items.  We had a similar rotating spelling toy.  That was fun for the kids (still in our quiet box).

6.  Puzzles — I really like these cube ones.  Again, found at Goodwill! You can find some of the best quiet toys and quiet time activities there!

7.  Beading — the more you can work on lots of hand eye coordination, the better, am I right?  Little fingers need to practice fine motor skills. I would bring just a few in a tiny tupperware container.

8.  Busy Bags — we did an exchange for these once as friends and they were SO nice.  I love them!

9.  Letter writing practice.  I have had wax pencils, dry erase boards, wipe-off crayon boards, you name it we’ve used it and it is GREAT practice!  AND, quiet!

10.  Small video games.  I also have some old marble games from when I was little.  These are louder than I normally care for, but it depends on the type of work I am doing.  I REALLY try not to resort to electronics, but you can be sure I’ve thrown my phone to her a few times.  I’m sure if I had my Kindle Fire back then it would have been a mainstay.

11.  Stickers.  Oh baby, do we love stickers. Sticker books, random sticker sheets — you name it, we play it.  Big fun.

The main key is rotating through all of your stuff.  Much like my shirts, I put the items we last used at the back, and then push forward the other stuff.  That way, when you grab from the front, those tend to be newer things that you haven’t done in a while, and will hopefully capture some interest.

FAQ’s about Quiet Toys for Church

Do you have any tips for quiet bags?  Share them in the comments, Id’ love to hear more.  Even though my 5-year-old is in school we still have meetings to go to every now and then.  I really don’t miss the weekly toting-a-child-to-a-meeting-phase.  I must admit.

Do you have any favorite quiet toys?  Feel free to link to them below (I’ll even allow affiliate links of high-quality non-spammy type toys).

FYI– This post was originally written in Jan 2015, and has been updated since then.

The post Quiet Toys & Busy Bags for Church & Other Quiet Times appeared first on Pulling Curls.

You might have had them knock on your door, or you’ve seen them in the grocery store or on the streets. What do missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do all day? What can they do for you, even if you don’t want to get baptized?

Today’s guest is my niece — Sister Grace Pope of the Minneapolis Minnesota Mission (and her compaion Sister Whitmore). She was kind enough to come on and tell us about her day and what things are like being on a mission during Covid. If you’re interested in anything else Grace does (and you’re not a perv) you can find her here.

This episode was inspired by my post on Missionaries

As a note, many people call our church “The Mormons” — but our church’s full name (and preferred name) is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints — but, we also get it that you know us as The Mormons.

What Do Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ Do All Day? & Why do they do it?

In this episode

We’re talking about making the choice about going on a missionary

The Church’s #startingtoday Easter initiative

What missionaries do all day

How missionaries are told where to go and who they live with

How a missionary companionship works

How missionaries are required to dress and look

Other things that might interest you

What happens at an LDS Baptism

Facts about Mormon Women

5 Facts about Mormons

Producer: Drew Erickson

Check out all my podcasts:

Transcript:

[00:00:00.205] – Hilary Erickson

Hey, guys, welcome back to the Pulling Curls Podcast, it’s bonus time. It is a brand new bonus fresh off the presses for Easter. Let’s untangle it.

[00:00:19.805] – Hilary Erickson

Welcome to the Pulling Curls Podcast, I’m Hilary, your curly headed host on the podcast, where we untangle everything from pregnancy, parenting and home routines. I want you to know that there are no right answers for every family. And I find that simplifying my priorities is almost always the answer. It’s tangled just like my hair.

[00:00:44.675] – Hilary Erickson

OK, so today’s episode is a little bit different, I don’t want anyone rolling their eyes and like shutting it off because today’s episode is a day in the life with my niece, sister Grace Pope, who is on a mission in Minnesota. And I wanted to share kind of just behind the scenes as to what a missionary does every day. I think a lot of us have maybe had them knock on our doors or have seen them at the grocery store, but they don’t really know what that missionary is doing the rest of the time and kind of what it entails to be a missionary.

[00:01:10.895] – Hilary Erickson

Now, you might even meet somebody who went on a mission, and this will just give you an idea of kind of what it entailed and what it was like. It’s not really like Peace Corps anyway. You’re going to listen to the interview. You’re going to kind of find out what it is. We’re not here to convert you. That’s not what this episode is here, although it is Easter. And if you’re looking to make a change, the church does have an initiative called Starting Today, where it’s just about making a change today.

[00:01:32.195] – Hilary Erickson

And I think that spring is a great time to make changes no matter how you want to change in your life. And I’ll leave a link to that in the show notes. But for this episode, I want to introduce my niece, Sister Grace Pope. Hey, Sister Pope, welcome to the Pulling Curls Podcast.

[00:01:45.515] – Grace Pope

Hello. This is so fun.

[00:01:47.915] – Hilary Erickson

I have to say, when I said Sister Pope, I thought of my mom.

[00:01:51.465] – Grace Pope

Yeah, call me grandma.

[00:01:55.715] – Hilary Erickson

I don’t even refer to myself as Sister Pope anymore, although I guess for a brief moment in time I didn’t go on a mission just so everybody here knows. OK, so Grace, where are you at?

[00:02:05.915] – Grace Pope

Well, I am serving in the Minnesota Minneapolis mission, but I’m living in Anoka, Minnesota right now.

[00:02:11.795] – Hilary Erickson

OK, so Grace, how long does a female missionary serve for?

[00:02:16.055] – Grace Pope

So we serve for a period of 18 months.

[00:02:18.615] – Hilary Erickson

Okay.

[00:02:19.415] – Grace Pope

And I have I’ve been out for about a year now. I have about six months left.

[00:02:24.035] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And boys serve for two years, right?

[00:02:28.415] – Grace Pope

Yeah. Yeah.

[00:02:29.225] – Hilary Erickson

OK, so let’s just talk… Like I think what people want to know because they don’t want to talk to you on the street even though they should. You’re very, very friendly.

[00:02:36.395] – Hilary Erickson

Grace is also very, very friendly. But like what is your day look like. Normally like a regular day.

[00:02:43.145] – Grace Pope

It looks a lot different just covid right now than traditional missionary work. So we do a lot of our work just over a video call. So my day is a lot of praying with people. Bible studies over video call. We are allowed to meet with some people in person for mass in distance at our church buildings. But I do a lot of work on Facebook, also with a lot of Facebook calls, a lot of Zoom, a lot of technology face-to-face.

[00:03:07.055] – Hilary Erickson

Wow. So that is just so everybody knows that’s very different. Although, Grace, you have only been out during covid. Yeah.

[00:03:13.205] – Grace Pope

So I actually when I flew out to the mission my first night, it’s tradition that you eat dinner with the mission president. And as I was eating dinner with him, he got the call that we were officially fully on quarantine and he came back and he was like, well, Sister Pope, welcome to the mission. And we just really had to learn how to do missionary work, not on the streets, because we I’ve never knocked a door as tradition, never street contacted or anything.

[00:03:38.585] – Hilary Erickson

So even before all this, when we lived in California, those missionaries were actually not allowed to knock on doors. It wasn’t part of their mission. I’m sure that wasn’t like, against the rules. But I will say the church was like we’ve been decreasing how often we knock on the doors. If you have gotten a missionary knock on your door in the last year, tell me in the comments of the podcast, I think that would be interesting. But yeah.

[00:03:57.305] – Hilary Erickson

So you meet with some people in their homes, right?

[00:04:00.665] – Grace Pope

No, I’ve actually never been in a home either. Wow.

[00:04:05.045] – Hilary Erickson

So you meet them outside.

[00:04:07.385] – Grace Pope

Yeah. So we can do lessons outside. If we’re masked, we can do lessons in our church building. Also masked and distanced. So the majority of the lessons I’ve taught my mission are actually over video call or just a traditional regular phone call. But yeah. Crazy.

[00:04:22.565] – Hilary Erickson

What time do you wake up?

[00:04:23.505] – Grace Pope

Six thirty in the morning.

[00:04:25.265] – Hilary Erickson

And that’s a mission rule, right?

[00:04:26.765] – Grace Pope

Yes. You have to.

[00:04:28.415] – Hilary Erickson

OK. So you wake up and you look at YouTube for a while, right?

[00:04:32.705] – Hilary Erickson

Like I do?

[00:04:34.235] – Grace Pope

I wish. No yeah, we wake up, we exercise for an hour every morning.

[00:04:40.325] – Hilary Erickson

Oh my gosh. What do you do? You’re in Minnesota. It’s not like you’re going to go for a run when it’s snowing. What do you do.

[00:04:47.195] – Grace Pope

Yeah, actually right now, I mean, my companion, Sister Whitmore, we’ve been doing as we’ve been doing exercise using a deck of cards. So if you get just a regular deck of cards and you like choose an exercise for each suit and then whatever number is on that, that’s how many reps you have to do. So we get really, really excited about you.

[00:05:05.975] – Hilary Erickson

We’re going to tell me you were playing poker for your exercise.

[00:05:09.255] – Grace Pope

Yeah, we’re starting off war. And right now we’ve we’ve also gone on runs or walks or anything. Right now in Minnesota, it’s a little bit warmer than it has been. So it’s not about OK. All right.

[00:05:22.925] – Hilary Erickson

So you work out for an hour right after you wake up?

[00:05:25.865] – Grace Pope

Actually, yeah, we do that and then we plan our day. So we spend about half an hour scheduling lessons, making sure people still want to come that day.

[00:05:34.265] – Hilary Erickson

While you’re sweaty, you don’t get a shower before you plan your day?

[00:05:36.845] – Grace Pope

You get to choose the order you do it in.

[00:05:38.585] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, OK.

[00:05:40.325] – Grace Pope

We just like to do that to get all the way out of the way, but

[00:05:44.195] – Hilary Erickson

yeah, that makes sense, especially if the day is shifting.

[00:05:47.195] – Grace Pope

So we spend time getting ready and then we hop into our study.

[00:05:50.705] – Hilary Erickson

OK, so are there requirements on makeup or hair?

[00:05:54.335] – Grace Pope

There actually are like dressing and grooming standards. Yes.

[00:05:58.415] – Hilary Erickson

Are you required to wear makeup or you’re required to not wear too much makeup?

[00:06:02.405] – Grace Pope

We’re not supposed to wear too much, but yeah, we’re supposed to look nice and professional, so nothing too crazy. But we need to look down, I guess.

[00:06:11.245] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And then hair.

[00:06:12.965] – Hilary Erickson

Do they have hair standards that you’re supposed to follow for women?

[00:06:16.685] – Grace Pope

Not as crazy as for the elders factor. So I’ve actually never really had too much trouble with my hair.

[00:06:23.645] – Hilary Erickson

It’s basically just nothing extreme for women, right? Yeah. Can you get a perm while you’re on your mission?

[00:06:28.715] – Grace Pope

I don’t even know. OK, probably. I don’t know.

[00:06:32.855] – Hilary Erickson

It probably. The problem is it takes so much time. I don’t know how you would do it and. Can you get it colored? Does anyone get their hair colored.

[00:06:38.975] – Grace Pope

You can get it colored. We just don’t we just can’t have any like extreme colors or anything.

[00:06:42.585] – Hilary Erickson

All right. And what about dress? Has it been hard to wear dress everyday? So missionary’s have to wear a dress every day?

[00:06:48.035] – Hilary Erickson

Pretty much, except for. Right.

[00:06:50.015] – Grace Pope

We even still wear the one because we where we have to wear those clothes in public also. And a lot of times we are just at the store or something like that. So I pretty much do wear a dress every day.

[00:07:00.845] – Hilary Erickson

OK, you don’t wear it while you’re working out though.

[00:07:03.395] – Grace Pope

No, thank goodness.

[00:07:06.155] – Hilary Erickson

And they do have rules about like how low it can go or not go. It can’t go all the way to the ground, but also can’t be what above your knee?

[00:07:12.335] – Grace Pope

Yeah, it has to go past your knee, whether you’re sitting or standing up.

[00:07:15.635] – Hilary Erickson

Now, I’m sure all of you listening or thinking what stupid rules these are. But you’ve got to think that there are all of these missionaries coming out at a time in their lives where fashion is somewhat important. And so I think this is just guidelines to try and keep everyone more focused on the work that other than like what they’re wearing, you think, oh, yeah.

[00:07:34.595] – Hilary Erickson

And do you ride a bike in your mission when it’s not snowy?

[00:07:37.505] – Grace Pope

So I actually was asked to come out with a bike, but the only time I used it is for exercise. So times that I wanted to do that. But I’ve actually always had a car. So, OK, missionaries do depending on their area that they’re serving in.

[00:07:49.325] – Grace Pope

But because of a journey we try.

[00:07:50.795] – Hilary Erickson

I will say here in Arizona, they bike. Even when it’s one hundred and ten, they still bike.

[00:07:56.135] – Grace Pope

Which is why I’m in Minnesota.

[00:08:00.575] – Hilary Erickson

So, you know, there’s just it’s just a different kind of way of life. It’s a lot more structured than probably people imagine or maybe people imagine it even being more structured than it is. But you got to think these are kids from like, what’s the eighteen? Is the youngest a boy? You can go. And then how old’s like the oldest missionary in your in your mission all the way.

[00:08:18.845] – Grace Pope

Twenty four. I want to say like twenty four probably.

[00:08:21.965] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. Yeah. So they go at some point during that time you can kind of make a choice. But here’s the deal breaker. Remember the missionaries always come in two Grace. You have a companion don’t you?

[00:08:31.205] – Grace Pope

I do. She’s right here. Always.

[00:08:34.355] – Hilary Erickson

OK, put her on because I want to ask her the skinny about living with bubbly grace.

[00:08:40.475] – Grace Pope

Oh yes, Sister Whitmore, like you said earlier, but…

[00:08:44.195] – Hilary Erickson

OK, Sister Whitmore, where are you from?

[00:08:45.935] – Sister Whitmore

I’m actually from Arizona.

[00:08:47.765] – Hilary Erickson

Oh, you are?

[00:08:49.365] – Sister Whitmore

Yeah, I am.

[00:08:49.655] – Hilary Erickson

I’m in Tempe. What part of do you want to reveal what part of Arizona you’re from?

[00:08:54.455] – Sister Whitmore

Yeah, I’m from Gilbert. I’m not too far away though.

[00:08:57.275] – Hilary Erickson

Not far away at all. OK, so Grace is your companion. Have you ever wanted to kill her because she’s too cheerful.

[00:09:04.055] – Sister Whitmore

No, never going to be cheerful.

[00:09:07.595] – Hilary Erickson

But what is it like being so companionships have to say you have to stay in the same room like you sleep in the same room, not in the same bed. Yes, that is in the rulebook. Right?

[00:09:19.425] – Sister Whitmore

That is.

[00:09:20.075] – Hilary Erickson

And you can use the restroom alone.

[00:09:22.355] – Sister Whitmore

Yes, actually we can.

[00:09:23.735] – Sister Whitmore

Which is a good thing.

[00:09:26.285] – Hilary Erickson

Have you ever stayed in the restroom a little extra longer just to be alone?

[00:09:29.945] – Sister Whitmore

Yes.

[00:09:31.895] – Sister Whitmore

 I’d say it’s more showers than just the restroom. That’s like the best time because you’re alone and you just just take very long showers. That’s what I learned.

[00:09:42.005] – Hilary Erickson

That totally makes sense. Although I will say that as a mom, you spend more time in the bathroom just to be alone also. So that doesn’t change from here.

[00:09:49.115] – Sister Whitmore

Goes is preparing us, right?

[00:09:50.645] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. OK, what is the best part about having a companion? I want both of you to answer while you pick.

[00:09:58.625] – Hilary Erickson

What’s the best part?

[00:09:59.435] – Sister Whitmore

I think the best part is like have a best friend with you all the time and there’s not going to be other time in your life where you have someone with you all the time like you when you’re married, you still aren’t with your spouse 24/7, like you have a life and work and things, but you have a best friend with you all the time. But I what your day just so fun.

[00:10:18.785] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, that’s a good answer. What’s your answer, Grace?

[00:10:20.795] – Grace Pope

I would say one of the best parts is just like. Want to say just all that I learned and like the help that I get, I mean, like the spiritually, but also just having someone with you to laugh with you and do two things like, I don’t know, like she’s teaching me how to braid my hair right now and maybe I should expose myself. But little things like that where you have a friend always, but also in lessons like if you want help saying something or I don’t even know what I’m saying right now, but.

[00:10:48.725] – Hilary Erickson

Well, can you imagine being on a mission alone, know like all these awkward things you had to do alone?

[00:10:55.245] – Grace Pope

And I think that’s part of it.

[00:10:56.345] – Hilary Erickson

That’s like being a nurse.

[00:10:58.715] – Sister Whitmore

I think that’s part of it, too, is just having someone you all the times, there’s never they never miss anything. Whenever I talk with her, she was there. She’s been with me all the time. So we go through the same experience all the time. There’s always something to talk about and relate to and look back on. Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:16.535] – Hilary Erickson

I think that’s really cool. And I think it really gives you so many great life skills. Speaking of which, what’s the worst part about having a companion, whoever wants to go first?

[00:11:25.025] – Grace Pope

Oh, I don’t know.

[00:11:26.795] – Grace Pope

I mean, sometimes just two people are just not going to get along very well. And when you’re stuck with them 24/7 for at least a month and a half. But it’s definitely hard.

[00:11:37.505] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. What about you, Sister Whitmore?

[00:11:40.685] – Sister Whitmore

Yeah, I think the same, which is the best thing with someone 24/7, but also sometimes the worst because. Right then I need to a really long shower today because when, when there are conflicts or problems, it’s, there’s no escape. But I guess this is part of learning how to deal with them and how to work through it anyways, because they’re definitely not going anywhere.

[00:12:02.675] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I will say that Grace’s dad had a mission companion that my parents thought he might kill at some point. So there are times. So but you only get like Grace was saying, you you are together at least six weeks, right?

[00:12:16.235] – Grace Pope

Yeah.

[00:12:16.625] – Hilary Erickson

And the president decides when you move, right?

[00:12:19.445] – Grace Pope

He does. Yeah.

[00:12:20.645] – Hilary Erickson

So there’s a lot of, like, uncertainty about where they’re going to be at.

[00:12:25.715] – Grace Pope

Oh yeah. Makes things exciting and scary.

[00:12:28.565] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah.

[00:12:29.075] – Hilary Erickson

It makes things exciting for the members of the church too because we never know when the missionary is going to leave. So if a member is like getting attached to one and then all of a sudden they send them away, that can be frustrating for everyone. Yeah. Yeah. OK, so Grace, what what made you want to go?

[00:12:44.555] – Grace Pope

So I’m going to be honest, I didn’t always want to serve a mission. I was actually terrified of all the things that I don’t have to do, like knock doors, talk to people on the street.

[00:12:54.305] – Grace Pope

And around the time that I was eight- or around the time that I was nineteen, when I had the option to go serve as an I just felt strongly. I prayed about it and strongly that that God’s next step for me. And I don’t know if you remember this, Hillary, but I remember going to lunch on my 19th birthday and you made a joke. You were like you could serve a mission now.

[00:13:13.145] – Grace Pope

And we both were like, ah ha. So funny. I don’t know if I do, but it was pretty clear that I needed to do that. So I’m really glad that I did a couple of months, probably like four months after that when I left and I came to Minnesota and I’ve loved that ever since. Yeah.

[00:13:29.435] – Hilary Erickson

And you were thinking maybe later, right?

[00:13:31.685] – Grace Pope

Yeah. I always thought maybe I do college for a year and then go see what plans are taking me. But I only did a semester of school before I headed out.

[00:13:39.545] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And how great that you just went when you did. Right, because you got the full. So missionaries back in the day used to go to the MTC in Provo, Utah, and you would hang out there for a couple of weeks and get a bunch of training before you went out on your mission.

[00:13:52.715] – Hilary Erickson

And now people are doing the MTC sort of at their home, MTC standing for missionary training center. Yeah, but you got to go to the big one.

[00:14:00.065] – Grace Pope

I did. Yes. I was there for three weeks just learning how to be a missionary. The different lessons we would teach them. And I actually left probably like a week before down. I barely made it out. It’s just like Indiana Jones.

[00:14:15.725] – Hilary Erickson

OK, so I told Grace she couldn’t make this super churchy because that’s not the kind of gal I am or the kind of podcast Pulling Curls Podcast is. But I think it’s important for you guys to understand why these missionaries are out and what they are trying to do. So, Grace, what is your big aim as a missionary for you? Sister Pope?

[00:14:31.295] – Grace Pope

Yeah, the reason we’re out here is to share the message of Jesus Christ. Share that peace and that whole thing can come from allowing him into our lives. So I think that’s one of the biggest rewards of being a missionary, is to be able to, like I said, do Bible studies or read scripture with people to really experience that with them, be able to see their lives change the superiority.

[00:14:52.085] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah, I always think of it as like when I get this is a pretty literal translation, but when I like like a moisturizer on my face that I just love, like, I want to tell everybody about it because I get a real dry face sometimes. And I think it’s the same idea. You want to just go out and share something that’s really working for you so the other people can have a good life. And I think people think we’re brainwashing these kids into going out.

[00:15:14.465] – Hilary Erickson

But I think most of them that have come to my house really feel like they’ve found that moisturizer that works for them. If we’re going to use that metaphor again. What do you think, Grace?

[00:15:22.895] – Grace Pope

Oh, yeah, I totally agree. I know, I mean, missions are hard and like I said, I didn’t always really plan on going, but it was definitely my decision and I’m so glad that I came. And there’s so many things that I’ve learned in my testimony.

[00:15:35.205] – Grace Pope

My faith of Jesus Christ has grown. So much. So I definitely feel that I just want to share it with everyone. Yeah.

[00:15:40.235] – Hilary Erickson

OK, Grace, is there a way that people can get in touch with you? You don’t have Instagram. How can they get in touch?

[00:15:45.665] – Grace Pope

Yeah. So one of the biggest ways is through our church’s website, come unto Christ dot org. People can I guess a lot of forum that says what why they want to be a missionary and that information gets forwarded to us to your missionaries in your area because there’s missionaries all over the world and that’s how we contact you. Whether you want to do a Bible study or you want to pray together or you want to hear more about our beliefs and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

[00:16:09.665] – Grace Pope

But another huge way for Facebook. I have my own Facebook profile. So does every other missionary where we post more about what we believe and how we want to help people. That’s a big way that we can affect the people.

[00:16:22.315] – Hilary Erickson

That’s awesome. And I think people feel like if you’re just at a point in your life to my listeners, where you just want something different, I don’t want people to feel like when you fall that Church of Jesus Christ, dot org, you can also go to LDS dot org if you’re lazy and typing, but are the real name of our church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. So they changed it. But if you’re just looking for something different, those missionaries could just provide you maybe some insight into the Bible or something like that.

[00:16:48.815] – Hilary Erickson

It’s not that you’re you’re saying yes, for sure. I want to get baptized. Is that true?

[00:16:52.595] – Grace Pope

Oh, yeah. Yeah. We just want to help in any way that we can. And I think a lot of people are scared that we’re just going to baptize and we’re just going to dunk em real quick. But we we really know that it’s important and we just want to share what we can. Yeah.

[00:17:04.745] – Hilary Erickson

And I think a lot of people, especially during quarantine and maybe even coming out of quarantine or just feel like something’s missing. So that’s a great way to get in touch with people that could just see, ah, maybe some positivity and then you see where it goes. And if you’re not interested after a while, that’s fine too.

[00:17:18.975] – Grace Pope

Totally.

[00:17:19.715] – Hilary Erickson

One other thing I forgot to mention. So missionaries do a lot of service, right, Grace?

[00:17:24.305] – Grace Pope

We do. Yeah.

[00:17:25.535] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And do you have to be a member of the church to have missionaries help you out?

[00:17:29.495] – Grace Pope

No, certainly not. We want to help everyone.

[00:17:32.315] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. And the missionaries in our area, especially during quarantine, are always looking for ways to serve other people. So they were looking to help do yard work like move stuff around in your house, stuff like that. So that’s that’s a great thing that they’re doing while they’re out there. I’m not saying that you find the missionaries so that they can serve you, but just keep in mind that even when you see them on the streets, they could be out doing good things and helping other people around them, right?

[00:17:54.425] – Grace Pope

Yes, we love that. We’re always looking for service opportunities.

[00:17:57.335] – Hilary Erickson

So that’s awesome. OK, Grace, this was awesome. Get out there and missionary it up. All right. I will. Thank you for having me on today.

[00:18:05.135] – Hilary Erickson

Yeah. All right. Thanks. You guys have a good one.

[00:18:07.595] – Hilary Erickson

OK, I hope you guys enjoyed that episode. I hope it was just kind of some insight into what these young kids have made the choice to do while they’re out on their mission. I’m super proud of Grace and the choice that she made her companion, those to actually get along super, super well. I haven’t I’ve seen grace, maybe not love certain companions as much, but she’s really gotten along well with most of her companions.

[00:18:26.075] – Hilary Erickson

So that’s really fun. And in fact, like since she’s been on her mission, I’ve kind of been like this seems more like girls camp than a mission. But that’s probably because Grace is so fun and makes whatever she’s doing fun. So I hope you guys enjoy this episode. I hope you guys have a great Easter. It is a great time to make a change. As the hashtag says, starting today, if there’s something you want to change in your life, Covid shrinking… Easter’s here.

[00:18:47.405] – Hilary Erickson

Let’s make the world a little bit better of a place. So, yeah. Happy Easter, everybody.

[00:18:51.875] – Hilary Erickson

Thanks so much for joining us today. I hope we help smooth out a few of the smiles in your life. We drop an episode every Monday and we always appreciate it when you guys share and review until next time. We hope you have a tangle free day.

The post What does a Church of Jesus Christ Missionary Do All Day? — Bonus Easter Episode with Sister Pope appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Gratitude is my superhero. It saved me when nothing else could, and today I want to talk about how I bring gratitude into my day, to give you some ideas on how to spark gratitude at your house!

This episode was inspired by a lot of things, but this post on hope kind of outlines how hope saved me when I was lost (and how it can save you too).

In this episode we’re talking about the many ways that I incorporate gratitude into my day. Some links you might find helpful:

• How I use my planner
• Having Enough
• The Storie(s) of our job loss(es)

Producer: Drew Erickson

Check out all my podcasts:

Transcription:

Hilary Erickson 0:00
Hey guys, I want to welcome you back to the pulling curls podcast. Today we’re on episode 16 and today we’re talking about gratitude. Gratitude is my personal superhero and today I want to share why it’s my personal superhero and why I feel like it’s a thing that we need more than just around Thanksgiving. Gratitude really can save you let’s untangle it.

Welcome to the pulling curls podcast where we untangle everything from pregnancy parenting home routines, even some family travel because heavens knows our lives are tangled. I’m your host Hilary Erickson.

Guys, it’s Thanksgiving week, we’re talking gratitude. Are we just thankful for the turkey or is there more to it? gratitude is my personal superhero. And today I want to share why. So back in I don’t even know what year it was 2014 ish. My husband left his job at the high school. We had moved here for that job. It was our sole job and it just wasn’t working out. He was miserable. His school was a piece of work and it just wasn’t working. So it was trying to find something different. And we just felt like there would be something new and great for us. But it was taking a long time to find our new and great and I was extremely depressed now situational depression for sure I was depressed because I was really worried about where money was going to come from and all that kind of stuff.

I had zero hope in my life. I was starting to be like, this is our new life. We are going to be on food stamps, I’m going to work night shift, I was so just down. And I know you guys have been in that same place too. And people would say, use gratitude to help you and I would just be like, like, we should be about the words that I was thinking in my head because I was like, That makes no sense. What on earth do I have to be grateful for he left his job, he hasn’t found a new job. Like that’s all I could focus on. But I decided to start letting gratitude help me out. And I have to say that starting to realize all the good that’s in your life, even if it’s that you have enough money in your bank account to pay your mortgage. You know, even the small things my dinner tasted really good tonight. It does start to help you to build some hope in your life. I wanted to share how I Work on gratitude in my life. There’s two things that I do.

So every morning I write down what I am grateful for in my planner, I use a Happy Planner, it has three slots. So the first section is for gratitude. The second section, I write intentions for the day. And then in the third section, I write a to do list and if I have any appointments or things like that, so in the top section, I just write the things that I’m thankful for now, these things can’t just be like the dishwasher or the washing machine because I am grateful for those every day, but I want them to be a little bit more personalized and exactly what I’m feeling at that point in time, but it’s still definitely can be small things like my daughter folded and put away her laundry. That was a really funny TV episode that I just watched again, yummy dinner. You guys seeing a thing? I love good food. And that’s always something to be grateful for. Because honestly, the fact that dinner ever turns out is sometimes a miracle, am I right? And I find that as I write these statements of gratitude, it really gets me in the right position and the right frame of mind in order to write my intentions. Because, of course my intentions could always be like, make more money, get a giant sponsor post, you know, really monetary things. But once I think about gratitude, I think about maybe my intention really is that my kids get themselves up for school better, or I’m able to book a hotel room for our next trip easily and efficiently. I mean, intentions can be anything, they don’t just have to be business or monetary related. It can just be like, I hope my son goes to church this week, things like that. And so a lot of times by doing the gratitude initially, it really puts my intentions in the right spot and things that I really want versus just like, please make me rich or something stupid like that.

And then at night before I go to bed, I think of five things that I’m grateful for in my prayers. Now I am 100% a morning person and I give pretty good morning prayers, but by the time bedtime comes I know I go to bed at like nine I am not late owl at any stretch of imagination. But at night I just you know get on my knees you guys Know that I’m really churchy. But I am a big believer in praying in the morning in the night I feel like it sets my day in the right spot and then it helps me to go to bed better and sleep better through the night if I do say prayers and I thank God for all the great things that are in my life, I think it helps you review your day in a very positive way. Because sometimes by the time I get to bed I’m, I’m already not in maybe the best mood. And so when I go through these things with my Heavenly Father, the things that I’m grateful for, again, they aren’t going to be giant things often times it’s going to be that my daughter put away her laundry that she cleaning her room without a big to do that I got a piece of mail that made me happy, like they don’t have to be big things but I try and do five I just kind of count them on my fingers and I think my Heavenly Father for them and then I get into bed and I also think that it puts you in a great mindset to feel positive when you go to sleep and then hopefully you’ll be positive when you wake up because I believe positivity breeds more positivity and by showing the universe or God or whatever you believe in that you’re grateful for the good things in your life. I do believe it will bring more good To your life.

So that’s today’s Thanksgiving episode. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving. I’m actually not working this year. But I want to give a big shout out to all the nurses policemen and all the people that have to work these kind of holidays because it’s not a lot of fun, but it’s something that you need to do.

If you’d like to know more about gratitude. I have some posts on my blog that might give you some other ideas about how it all works. I’ll also link about how I use my planner in my life and it might give you an idea of how to set up a notebook or a planner that you might want to be more grateful in.

If you liked today’s episode, I would love it if you’d Share Subscribe and review. In fact, that could be a thing that I’m grateful for. I love reviews. I don’t get a ton of them I must admit so everyone that I get I’m super thankful for. I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving and until next Monday. I hope you have a tangle free day.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

The post Gratitude at Home — PCP 016 appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Who are the Mormons of Today?  I know a lot of people have questions — so here are some I get asked frequently, hopefully they answer a few of your questions:1

First off, “Mormon” is just just a nickname.

When you refer to use, please use “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”

Facts about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

LDS Meetinghouse {church}

1.  What’s the difference between a Temple and a Church.

Anyone can go inside an LDS church.  They are open to everyone.  We hold weekly services there and they most often have a gym, kitchen — just your basic church.  We do not have daycare services at our churches, like some do.  The Temple is only for those who hold a temple recommend.  You can get one of those by answering simple questions.  Most of them are things you would do anyway, just to be a good person.  We do have to follow the Word of Wisdom {no coffee, tea, drugs or smoking} and we do have to pay tithing {10% of our increase to the church}.  Inside the temple we have different services, most of which you do once for yourself and the rest of the time you do for ancestors who have died.

2.  Are Mormons members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?

Yes, Mormon has become something of a nickname.  Our full name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We even have a cute song about it.  It means this is the restored church that Jesus Christ had when he was on the earth.  Some people call us LDS.  It’s all the same.  HOWEVER, our official name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

NOW, fundamentalist LDS or Restored LDS are not the same.  They are NOT members of the same church I belong to.  They believe fairly different things.  Similar to Lutheran and Catholic churches.

Related post:  What happens at a Mormon Baptism?

3.  Do Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints practice Polygamy?

I got asked this a LOT when I moved to California.  No.  We do not.  Any member who starts to practice polygamy is excommunicated as soon as anyone knows about it {so, that does mean members COULD be practicing polygamy without anyone knowing it, but that would be difficult to do long term}.  SO many people acted like Polygamy WAS being practiced, and I just didn’t know about it.  It’s not.  The church is totally not OK with Polygamy.  I still think Kody is creepy.

4.  What are the Mormon Garments?

I get asked this a LOT in California where we had a communal change room and were required to wear the hospital scrubs.  They look like a t-shirt and biker shorts.  They have symbols on it that remind of us of covenants we make in the temple.  We wear them closest to our skin, because we also hold our covenants closely.  These are things we have promised to do our entire life here on earth.  They’re nothing huge.  Help the poor, help the church, do not commit adultery, things like that.  But I do hold my covenants close enough to wear these garments when it was 114 degrees outside and we were moving.  I take them seriously, but I get that a lot of people think it’s weird.  I get that.  Garments are not to be altered or taken off for special occasions.  The end.

5.  Do Mormons Use Electricity?

I got asked this one once.  Mormons are everywhere.  They probably are in your school and helping on your little league team.  Mormons tend to be very family-centered people who love life, their families and God.  That makes them, in general, good neighbors.  We use electricity, we have the internet, we drive cars, Mormons can use phones.  Mormons aren’t Amish.  How many Mormons are there?  There are currently (at last head count) 15,082,028 Mormons Worldwide.

So, there’s 5 fast facts about Mormons.  I hope they were helpful for people with questions.  Have more questions?  Ask them below and maybe I’ll answer them there, or in a future blog entry.

{I would ask that people keep their comments respectful of ALL religions in the comments or I will delete them immediately.  Check out our 11th Article of Faith — we hope you’d provide the same to us.}

The post 5 Facts About Mormons — Just the basics appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Who:

Who attends the LDS church?  In general, it is members of the LDS church.  In order to be a member of the church — you have to be at least 8, and baptized to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  However, all people are welcome at our church and you 100% do not need to be a member to attend.

What:

The LDS church is put on entirely by “lay” people — there are no paid clergy in the church.  Everyone receives a “calling” that they do to the best of their ability.  I am currently in charge of our ward’s Facebook page and I play the piano in the women’s meeting.  Prior to that I ran the children’s programs — all unpaid.

Talks in the main meeting are given by members of the congregation.

When:

LDS church assigns each geographic area into a “ward” — those wards are assigned times, and most often they rotate times each year.

You can find your local LDS meetinghouse here, as well as the times church is held — but you can also feel free to go with a friend wherever you’re comfortable.

Where:

LDS churches all seem very similar.  There is not usually any stained glass, or sculptures.  sometimes there are paintings, although not usually in the chapel.  Most also include a gym (which they sometimes call a “cultural hall”).

There are pews, but we do not kneel during our services, so there will be no kneelers.

FYI, no Sunday meeting are held in our temples — they are held in churches (and temples are closed on Sundays so people can worship with their families).

Why:

Why church?  I get asked that a lot.  I think the idea behind church is that we are there to build each other up.  Give each other ideas of how to be a little better and happier.  Also to enjoy the fellowship of like-minded people.

In reality I think we do this some weeks better than others.  And some wards do it better than others.

Ok, after that brief synopsis, here are 12 things you should know before you go to an LDS Church (also called Mormon — but our full name is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”):

1. During the main meeting (called “Sacrament Meeting”) they will pass around bread and water to help us remember to try harder to make changes in our lives to be better & happier.  You are welcome to partake of these items, or not — it’s up to you!
2. Most women wear skirts or dresses.  Most men have on shirt & tie or suits — but you are welcome to wear whatever you feel comfortable wearing.  I might bring a sweater, as it is sometimes pretty chilly in the buildings.
3. People will be friendly — but just say hello and share as much as you are willing to.  If you’d prefer to stay private, just thank them for their friendliness.
4. We are not going to sell you on joining.  Yes, the missionaries might come up to ask you if you have questions or want to know more — but it is all up to you if you want more info — and church members will respect those feelings.
5. Feel free to ask questions.  Ever wanted to know something about Mormonism — ask away (or ask me in the comments, I’m happy to answer there as well)
6. Families are together are in the main meeting (again, called Sacrament meeting) and because we are encouraged to have families, and many LDS families are large — it can get a little loud.  There is no reason not to smile at the baby in the next row.  I bet their mom appreciates the distraction for them.
7. Feel free to sing out.  We do have singing in several sections of our church — and we’re often most well-known for our Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
8. LDS meetings are 3 hours long.  They consist if Sacrament meeting, Sunday School and then the men/women split off in the 3rd hour for Relief Society & Priesthood.  Children & youth have their own classes/activities during the 2nd and 3rd hours as well.  Don’t feel like you have to come to all 3 hours — just come to what sounds good to you!
9. Did you know that the LDS Relief Society is the largest world-wide organization committed to proving relief to those around them?  You can learn more about strong LDS women in this post.
10. Sit Anywhere.  No assigned seating.
11. There may be some “business” conducted at the beginning of the meeting.  That is just people accepting callings, and the ward saying it supports them as they serve in that manner.  People will raise their hand — again — feel free to raise yours, or not.
12. Things are pretty sub-dued, no clapping or shouting Amen’s…

MOST of all, just try to feel as comfortable as you can in your new surroundings.  We know it’s awkward….

Like all groups, the LDS religion has terminology that is kind of different.  Feel free to ask someone what a word means, or just skip it — it might make sense later on.

The LDS religion is not wanting everyone to convert.  We do feel like we have something so good, that we want to share it.  BUT, it may or may not be for you.  I recommend everyone give the meeting a try.  See what you think.

Ever been to an LDS meting before?  Tell me about it in the comments.  As always, Pulling Curls only accepts comments of a respectful nature.  Any comments that bridge into disrespect will be deleted.

The post What going to a Mormon Church Like? appeared first on Pulling Curls.

From the time I saw the ultrasound I dreaded the day my kids would plow into scouting.  My husband loved scouting as a kid.  My brother didn’t have as many positive experiences.  One time his scoutmasters left his troop on the mountain… alone… but I digress…

Obtaining Eagle scout has a lot of benefits.

When my oldest was making his resume that was certainly the shining star on his limited work experience.  I think it speaks loads.

Our bishop, an orthodontist who owns a giant dental practice said he still puts it on his resume because it sets him apart.  People know it’s hard and they respect it.

Anyway.  Let’s talk about my 5 tips to getting the Eagle, and then I want to share a bit about our projects and how we got that all going.

5 Tips to Helping Your Son Get Their Eagle Scout Rank:

1.  Start early
2. Be  involved
3. Ask for donations
4. This is up to the scout
5. Paperwork up the yang

Ok, let’s dive into each of those a little deeper:

Start Early

Sometimes kids don’t get into scouting early-on.  In the LDS church you have the opportunity to start scouting at age 11 (prior to that you’re a Cub Scout — but none of those things carry over into the Eagle program).

This means, at age 11 you need to jump in with both feet.  Start earning badges, going on campouts and more!  If Eagle is on your radar you need to start hard from day one.

Also, don’t plan to do your Eagle project at age 16.  You’re SO busy in high school.  I’m a strong believer in getting it done while you’re still in Jr High or a Freshman in HS.  Don’t wait!

Be Involved

Parents are really the key in scouting.  We are lucky in that we have an experienced gung-ho scout leader in our church who encourages the boys like crazy!

BUT, none of that would be of worth if we weren’t backing them up, reminding them of badges during long summer days.  Making sure they get to where they’re going — that’s all up to the parents.

This one, is especially important for dads.  They need to be willing to go on campouts and do the badges with the boys.

The scouting program, first and foremost, has been a great way for my husband and boys to bond.  I’ve been VERY grateful for that opportunity for them.

Ask for donations

Once you have your project set out, it will likely involve some supplies.  Below I’ll mention the generous companies that helped us out — but ask around.

Lowes and Home Depot are often willing to help boys out. Locally owned supply stores are also great resources to tap into.

They receive a lot of good PR for the good in the community and good boys, for very little effort on their part.  It’s really a win-win.

When your child goes in to ask for donations, make sure they wear their uniform (at the very least, their shirt).  It makes them look legit.

Up to the Boy

The boy needs to want it.  And if they don’t, then I’d let it go.  Yes, we encourage, but if they really don’t want to do it — then don’t do it.  There’s no reason for the MOM to earn the Eagle.

Yes, it was a rough road of “encouragement” but both of my boys really wanted to get the Eagle.  They had worked hard up to that point, so they wanted to see it through.

Paperwork

Oh man, you somehow think the project will be the worst part, but the PAPERWORK is astronomical!

Hours and hours and HOURS of work on the paperwork.  So many questions and answers.

This is where a great scout leader helps too.  They can look over the paperwork to see areas you’re lacking in.

I will say that the paperwork is pretty rough for a kid who’s 13 or 14.  Maybe too rough?  I heard they made it easier, but I have NO idea how that’s possible.  My kid has been on that computer for hours and HOURS filling it out.

Oh, and take lots of photos as I hear the board of reviews love those!

Paperwork gets the Eagle, not the project.

BUUUt…the project is also quite painful.

Both of our projects were done at the schools we attended.  Since I was on PTO boards I always had quick access to principals.  They had no shortage of ideas.

My oldest son did playground games at the elementary school.

My middle son did his at the Middle School, he painted a couple of rooms for them.

Keep in mind the school only provided the main color of paint, but they did want an accent on the bulletin boards and one of the walls really needed primer due to the dark coloring.

Here is the before:

Those top two were pretty bad, right?

And here is the after:

We painted both rooms, including the bulletin boards and put trim around the white board (which I think looks amazing).

A huge thanks to the companies that helped sponsor this:

Wagner sponsored by letting us have one of their paint sprayers.

Oh man, this made priming that wall SO easy, I even got into it.

That sprayer is awesome.

1.  We didn’t have to thin the paint — a HUGE plus when you’re doing a big room
2. It was REALLY easy to clean.  A lot easier than we had thought, and because the whole spray head comes apart there’s no chance of it clogging from a previous spray.

I even got in on the action:

Seriously guys — SO easy, I think we are planning to do our backyard fence with it next.  It was awesome!

Plaid gave us the green chalk paint as well as a TON of brushes and some varnish for the bulletin board outer.

I will say I was a little concerned after our second coat — but the paint dries a LOT darker than you see when it’s wet.  It was easy to apply and the finished product is great!

This is the kind we used (you can also get it here on Amazon)

It ended up so bright and vibrant, a very fun addition!

Rustoleum also gave us some green, as well as a spray primer that some people had a little too much fun with.  It made for easy (and fun) priming.  They also sent some Zinsser primer that was a HUGE help for the poop-brown walls.  It’s the primer I used in the Wagner sprayer above.

This is clearly what happens when the sister missionaries help with your eagle project (can you read the writing on the wall?):

Other companies that helped my son out included:

• Lowes gave him the trim and blinds for a big discount; as well as some rollers, painters tape, plaster tray (became a whiteboard marker tray – Thanks, Grant!) brushes, and a box of screws for free.
• Einstein brothers (donated bagels at the end of day prior to keep us fed)
• Local pizza store also provided a discount on pizza

Right now, his paperwork is awaiting a board of review.  I am really proud of him, and for all the people that came and helped out.  We are lucky to raise our kids in such a village!

If you’re interested in more realistic parenting tips (I even have an “older kid” version of my newsletter) — sign up below, and check out all of my other teen parenting posts below that:

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We had prayed and fasted and I was devastated.

Prayer obviously “didn’t work”.  I slowly worked through the fact that sometimes things are just meant to happen.  I also saw something that would completely make my friend’s life end, become a footnote in her everyday life.  It went on, and I saw how strong she became because of it.

Fast forward 25 years and I had a devastating life change that left me just mad.

Really, really mad.

And I tried to let it go.

I wanted to be like Elsa — to shatter my ice castle and move on, but I couldn’t.

What happened

My husband had been a music teacher for over 10 years but had finally come to an impasse with the school we had changed our entire life for about 5 years earlier.  The parents were horrible.

And when I say horrible, I mean that one time they came up to tell me all the things he had done wrong.

The day they did that I knew that we weren’t dealing with normal humans, these people were whiners.

At the end of that year, he decided he needed to leave.  It was just not a good fit anymore and I was devastated.

I couldn’t believe that we had up and moved and then it was so very wrong.

But, my son still went to the school.

So, I was constantly there, I had to see those parents, the principal and deal with those emotions on a weekly basis.

The first concert we went to I felt like I had a cancer in my body.

I had never had emotions like this that I was having to deal with.  I needed to support my son, still be there and yet not be eaten up inside by how mad I was.

I kept trying to change myself.

And after a while, I knew this wasn’t something I could do on my own.

My emotions were too big for me.  

So I started to pray

I started to pray — to ask God and Jesus Christ to take away these feelings.

I’ll admit I was disappointed with the initial results.  I had always heard that {magical snap} the atonement could take the feelings away.

But, they were still there.  However, they were slowly getting smaller.

It took a lot of time and a lot of prayers and a lot of realization that they hadn’t ruined my life.

I had always envisioned using prayer in something you couldn’t change — something you NEEDED God to change.  Things like jobs, finding a home or even cancer.

But sometimes you have to pray for help with things that you can change.  Small things like changes in your heart, your mind, and your soul.

My promise

And I promise you that if you have faith that God can help you, if you pray for it and you’re willing to give it some time –those changes can happen.

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Have you seen this Easter video:

#Halleleujah

Honestly, we don’t say it enough in our church, I’m grateful it’s getting some voice time this Easter.

I remember we had an African American new convert in one of our wards.  He’d give a “Thank you Jesus, Hallelujah” every now and then during his testimony.  I loved it.

Because He came to earth and changed everything.  

Hallelujah.

Because when I’m down and feeling so very low He gives me hope.

Hallelujah

Because when I can’t do anything for friends who are in turmoil, I know I can at least pray for them to have some peace and He can do that.

Hallelujah

Because when it all boils down to the very bottom He will reunite me with those I love the very most.  Heaven most certainly won’t be my heaven without those people.  He has made that possible.

Hallelujah.

I’ve gotten a lot of flack from my Easter Advent post.  I was criticized for calling it Advent when there is Lent.  How I need to focus on his suffering for me and how sad Easter is.

** The LDS church doesn’t observe Lent.  We do fast every month where we go 2 meals without food.  We also have what most people consider a fairly strict moral and food code that we live by our entire lives.

Easter isn’t sad?!  I find Easter to be the VERY most joy-filled and hopeful time of the year.  He did it!  He lived a perfect life, paid for our sins and we can all live with Him again!  I suppose at the very surface, the fact that he did suffer is quite sad.  I don’t like to think of that time.  I hate to think of His suffering, and I don’t get the feeling that He wants us to dwell on the suffer part either.  Men are that they might have joy.  The joy He brings.

So, this week I challenge you to post on your social media something He has done for you.  I’ll be doing it — using the hashtag #hallelujah.  I’d love for you to tag me in yours.

Quite simply.  He gives hope, He changes lives, He saves.

#Hallelujah

Final thought —  This being Palm Sunday I am always struck by the two days within just a week where he is worshipped and then killed.  I think it’s a good story to share with your teens that being good may sometimes be popular, and then not…. and Jesus understands that.

The post King of Kings #Hallelujah appeared first on Pulling Curls.

And it was ruined.

Walls were barely standing.

Beautiful stained glass blown out and stairwells had crumbled, the majority of the roof had fallen.

I was sure it would be of no worth.  Ruined.

I’d been to countless church meetings there, performed in concerts, Drew even performed in a musical there.

And now it was gone.

And in all reality it was a very old building.  Things had begun to fall apart, even when I was there 20 years prior.  It was a building that had needed some serious TLC.

They spent some time looking at the structure.

And then they announced that they were going to turn it into a temple.

I. Was. Shocked.

It had been ruined.  Barely 4 walls, who knows what the foundation looked like.

And in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it is a beautiful and amazing house of the Lord.

And every time I would drive by I would think about how sometimes it takes a fire to turn into something so very amazing.

What is your fire?  What’s turning you into a thing of beauty?

I must admit that even in the midst of a fire of unemployment, I find plenty of other fires.  And perhaps ones that are really changing me.

The big fire is that I’m learning to be patient and to learn that God always provides for us.  Patience is a fire that refines me time and time again.

That’s my fire right now.

What’s yours?  What will it turn you into?

I’m still not sure what I’m going to be.  Some days I’m waiting for a wall to cave in, and sometimes I’m waiting for new paint and hardware to bring me to full glory.

Some of you might be interested to see what it looks like inside, and I have some photos here that show that.

This is the plae where we do baptisms for the dead:

This is where brides get ready before being married (called the brides room):

Here is where people are married (sealed) — called a sealing room:

It’s so lovely and perfect.  If you want to see more photos click on over to this story from the Mormon Newsroom.  There’s also some awesome footage about how they fixed the building.  Very cool.

Big thanks to the Mormon Newsroom for letting me use these photos!

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