Hi, I'm Rose, I believe in God & Jesus Christ & I'm a Mormon/Restoration Christian

http://mormon.org/me/13G1-eng
I am an artist by profession, a painter and printmaker and I work from my home studio in Virginia and I primarily paint the human figure. I graduated in 1990 in Fine Arts Studio and Art History. I also teach art from my studio.

But primarily, I am a wife and mother of 4 wonderful children ranging from age 19 to age 9. Balancing family and the creative part of my life is an ongoing process and this is where I seek constant guidance from the Lord to manage our busy lives, to stay close to what is most important which is the physical and emotional well being of my family. No matter how much success I achieve in my field, my richest blessings come from the precious relationships within my family. Being a mom is certainly the most challenging thing I have ever had to do, but it is the most rewarding in so many ways and it keeps me real. It also gives me so much depth as an artist that I never anticipated because now I paint through the filter of my experience as a woman, and a mother.

I joined the Church when I was age 19 after having known about the Church most of my life since my neighbor & best friend's family growing up is Mormon. Ever since the age of 5, I spent much time in their home and always felt a very special spirit there. I also felt the interactions in their family and attended a few church activities and met many other members of the Church and I always felt that same spirit. They radiated something and it was something that I wanted. I wanted that secret to happiness. But as a child, all these things were in the back of my mind.

It was not until I was an adult 18, in between my freshman and sophomore years in college when these things all of a sudden became so much more important to me. Having been disgruntled at the shallowness and lack of meaning in such a swirling world of ideas and pursuits having been away at college for a year, I felt that there had to be more to life than day to day existence. I knew that I needed to find God. I wanted to know what was the true Church. Therefore, I researched many religions, not having grown up active in the one into which I was born. At that point, my best friend sent the missionaries to my door. This might have annoyed me earlier in my life, but I was at a point where I was actively seeking answers. I wanted to know for myself.

The message from the missionaries about Heavenly Father's plan for happiness resonated with me, as if I had known those things before, but needed to hear them. It all sounded so familiar. I knew I wanted in the things of real substance, not fleeting worldly happiness. I wanted true happiness. To hear that God has a plan for happiness rang true to me. To know Heavenly Father is a loving Father and that I am His child, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to atone and to be resurrected for us because He loved us, for me, is like precious gold and for some reason, it all of a sudden had meaning until this juncture of my life. I vaguely knew about God and Jesus Christ growing up, but I did not know them, not knowing much about the tenants or the religion of my childhood, but suddenly to know who God and His Son are and to know who I am was like a light switch going on. Learning about a loving Heavenly Father's plan for happiness was like the sweetest fruit I had ever tasted. I have a purpose, life has direction and relationships and families all have meaning. I wanted to have that love in my family relationships.

Even learning the fact that Joseph Smith was the instrument to initiate the restoration of the Lord's Church made sense. He was the first prophet of this latter-day dispensation and the priesthood power and all its keys needed to be restored by Jesus Christ through him. The fact that it is Jesus Christ, not Joseph Smith who leads this Church, rings true. His apostles & prophets seek Him and His Spirit for direct guidance.

Moreover, it was also because I learned from the missionaries that I could ask God Himself if all these things were true and that I could receive that answer for myself which made all the difference. This too rang true to me and the hallmark of a true religion. I did not have to take their word for it. I could ask God myself after much study and research and prayer. And I felt those same feelings learning from the missionaries, that same feeling which I felt early on with my best friend's family, that special something, that spirit. I felt that burning in my bosom and I knew all the things were true. And I got the answer that it indeed that they are indeed true.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Artist
• Mother
• Virginia
• Jesus
• Christ
• Mormon
• LDS
• Latter-Day
• Saint
• Truth
• God
• Freedom
• to
• Choose
• Heavenly
• Father
• Holy
• Ghost
• Missionaries

[ChulaKirby]

How does someone find the official doctrines of the Mormon doctrines? Do Mormons (besides believing Jesus was the Son of God) believe that He is God Himself?

[IarrthoirNaFirinne]

@ChulaKirby Thank you for your query absolutely we believe that Jesus Christ is God as well just as stated in the scriptures. He created this world and he is our Lord, our Saviour, our Judge, our Redeemer, and he sits on the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. The best resource I can suggest is go to lds dot org for our actual teachings and beliefs, thanks again.

[ChulaKirby]

@IarrthoirNaFirinne ids.org is official site for Mormon beliefs? I am looking for the authoratative teachings and beliefs and not someone's interpretation of them......Is this their site?

[IarrthoirNaFirinne]

@ChulaKirby yes that is the official site.

[yageman]

the number of these types of videos is disturbing.

[IarrthoirNaFirinne]

@yageman and all the thousands of cable and satellite TV channels, commercial, informercials and the number of numbingly mindless completely waste of time youtube videos isn't?

[AdAequitas]

And you are an amazing artist! I love your Adam and Eve painting I wish you did limited edition giclees. :)

[iloveellieandcody]

love the Adam and Eve as well. You're video is very inspiring, thank you!

[kakkananglita]

what's a pity? I was there in Virginia. The whole years I been there I don't know about LDS b4 . Now I COME BACK TO tHAILAND .I'm a Mormon ....and I really want to go to the temple so much.. here don't have one.

[PsYcHo4MuSiC]

@AdAequitas I was just thinking that!

[morgancook1011]

I agree. You're an amazing artist. I would buy one.