Hello, I'm Jennifer
I am the mother of four daughters, a grandmother of 9, a wife, an active member of the Church, part of a mixed-faith family and a life coach. I used to worry about my family’s faith and about how I fit in at church with a less than "ideal family". I’ve learned that God can take care of His own children and I’ve learned to accept myself and each member of my family just the way we are.
Hello, I'm Jennifer
I am the mother of four daughters, a grandmother of 8, a wife, an active member of the Church, part of a mixed-faith family and a life coach. I used to worry about my family’s faith and about how I fit in at church with a less than "ideal family". I’ve learned that God can take care of His own children and I’ve learned to accept myself and each member of my family just the way we are.
Perhaps This Sounds Familiar?
My husband and I met at BYU, married in the temple, started a family and moved to Washington State to raise our children.
We had family home evening, prayer and scripture study, went to church, honored the Sabbath, attended the temple, held callings, drove to seminary, sent our children to all the BYU’s, sent out a missionary and saw our daughters married in the temple.
I think we might have been called the typical Latter-day Saint Family.
One of our daughters stopped attending church shortly after high school. Later, two more daughters and my husband made the very difficult decision to step away from the church also.
Suddenly and almost without warning, I was no longer part of a typical Latter-day Saint family. I had recently been called as Relief Society President and felt very exposed at church. I was learning to navigate my new mixed-faith family status.
I didn’t know exactly how I was supposed to relate to my husband and children without the structure of celebrations – blessings, baptisms and ordinations that are built into Mormon life.
We were eventually able to figure out milestones without the church to guide us. It is interesting, everyone else in the whole world has been doing it forever, but it sure takes a lot of communication and effort.
This new life was not an effortless pattern that had been set up for many generations.
I had to figure it out on my own.
The Rest of My Story...
Actually, we all had to figure it out together.
I had to learn what conversations were painful for my husband and daughters. They had to figure out how I would react to changes they made in their lives. Sometimes we had difficult conversations – sometimes we had no conversations.
It was like throwing a 1,000 piece puzzle into the air and then reassembling it without a picture to guide me. I had to find the corners and the edges and just start putting things together.
“It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is.
It all works out.
“Don’t Worry” I say to myself every morning.
If you do your best, it will all work out.
Put your trust in God and move forward
with faith and confidence in the future.
The Lord will not forsake us.”
Gordon B. Hinckley
What About You?
How Will It All Work Out For You?
This is where I come in. I’ve been there and experienced all the emotions of an LDS wife and mother who is afraid her dream of an eternal family is fading away. I would be honored to be your guide.
I can’t bring your husband or children back to church activity, but I can help you find peace around their choices. I can help you have confidence that your family really is OK and it will all work out.
