by Charlotte Wilson | Aug 1, 2013 | About Mormons
American Mothers, Inc. named Stephanie Williams McKnight the 2013 California Mother of the Year. At 25, Stephanie is the youngest mother to ever win the award. Stephanie’s age isn’t the only thing that makes her unique, however; she’s also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon church). Stephanie wasn’t always a Mormon, though. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ when she was 21 and had to dive in head first. [1]
Stephanie McKnight Was Already Preparing for a Family
Even before her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ, Stephanie was preparing her life for a family. She pushed through college at California State University-San Bernardino, working and taking more than the recommended credit hours, to graduate with her master’s in education degree at age 22. While she was completing her formal education, she was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ when she was 21. “[School] was a very busy time,” she says. “Looking back, I see that it was a total prompting from the Spirit to get me in the right place at the right time.” (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Jul 31, 2013 | About Mormons
I am a Mormon woman. That means that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon church). I’ve been a Mormon my whole life, and now that I’m an adult, I find even more joy and fulfillment in my faith in Jesus Christ. The role of women in The Church of Jesus Christ is often misunderstood, so I’d like to give you an opportunity to get to know a Mormon woman better. Not only are Mormon women equal to men, but we have specific and important roles in our families, church congregations, and communities. I’ve compiled a list of my eight favorite places to be as a Mormon woman. I think you’ll find that I’m not so different from you.
1. The park
I love to visit the park. Especially when the weather cooperates, I love to take my son outside and let him play. I often meet up with friends and their children. This socializing is welcome, because while I certainly love being a stay-at-home mom, sometimes I crave some quality conversation with adults. Occasionally, though, I take a walk through the park by myself. This allows me to take in the beauty of God’s creations and express gratitude for the beautiful world I live in. (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Jun 27, 2013 | About Mormons
Since the qualifying age for Mormon missionary service has been lowered, more Mormon youth are postponing college attendance in order to serve missions.
Areas of the world where there are a lot of Mormons have noticed a change in some of the graduating high school seniors of the class of 2013. Many youth have been postponing their college education to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church). This phenomenon was preceded by an official announcement by the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ in October 2012, where the age requirement for serving full-time missions was lowered for both men and women. As a result, many Mormon youth graduating high school this year have opted to serve missions before diving into their college careers.
The Church of Jesus Christ Lowered the Missionary Age
In October 2012 during the semiannual worldwide conference held by The Church of Jesus Christ, the prophet and president of the church, Thomas S. Monson, announced that the age requirements for missionaries would be lowered to 18 for men (previously 19) and 19 for women (previously 21). Soon after, local church leaders around the world fielded calls from excited prospective missionaries ready to begin the application process. (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Jun 21, 2013 | About Mormons
Thirty years ago The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) began missionary efforts in Haiti. To commemorate that milestone and the progress made since then, The Church of Jesus Christ headed up a massive, nation-wide project that will bring beauty and life back into Haiti, a country still recovering from the devastating earthquake in January 2010.[1]
Tree-Planting Project Should Bring Hope to Haiti
The Church of Jesus Christ has organized a tree-planting project to help restore beauty back to Haiti after its shattering earthquake in 2010. The Church procured about 400,000 saplings and obtained the help of local Mormons to plant them all over the country. The planted trees include lemon, orange, papaya, and coconut, and will eventually be able to contribute both shade and food to Haitian communities. (more…)
by Charlotte Wilson | Jun 3, 2013 | About Mormons
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) is well known for its worldwide missionary work. Many people recognize the young missionaries by their nametags and Sunday-best dress. For decades the age for men to enter full-time missionary service was 19, with the women able to serve at 21. Last year, the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ changed the policy so that now young men can leave at 18 and young women at 19. This age change has had a 
swift and significant impact on Mormon missionary service throughout the world. One of those changes is that more Mormon women are opting to serve missions, and that change has had an impact on the Church’s entire missionary program.
Women Now Account for Half of Full-time Mormon Missionary Applications
In October 2012, the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, President Thomas S. Monson, announced the missionary age change, a change that sent ripples of excitement throughout church membership. Now that women are permitted to serve missions two full years before they otherwise would have been, applications from Mormon women have been flooding the Church’s missionary department. Where a year ago, applications from women constituted only about 15 percent of all incoming applications, today 50 percent of missionary papers are submitted by women. (more…)
