BluePlastic

Yes, it's just that one page :) And I meant all the mobile apps. I will change the wording, thank you for your feedback. :)

I'm not really comfortable with discussing particulars of my research methodology while I'm still conducting my research. I am taking steps to address the things you have concerns about, though. Thank you for taking the survey :)

Hello :) I was hoping some people here could help me out! I am conducting a research survey for my special project for my master's of library science degree. The survey is for LDS Church members only, about the use of media by Church members. If you could go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YVCVR5M and take the survey, I would really appreciate it. It's only 19 questions and does not collect any information that could uniquely identify you. I am trying to get responses from all over the place, and I thank everyone who takes the time to take the survey in advance!

The nearest YSA ward is an hour away from me, and there is institute about 45 minutes away but it is only for people 18 to 30, so I am too old.

My visiting teacher is a very nice lady, and I probably should get together with her, but she is a mother in her 50s so I don't know how much we would have in common.

First of all, thank you for your posts, netgood and LDSValley. :) Lest you misunderstand, the people in my ward are very, very nice people who are very friendly to me. But, since most of them are parents of little kids or busy career people, they don't really have time to hang out or a lifestyle that has much in common with me (31, unmarried, no kids, graduate student). I am also geographically separated from almost all of my friends from outside the church, so I really treasured my time with the sisters for social reasons.

I am really bummed out right now. For the past year, we have had female missionaries in our ward (different ones, obviously, but always with one staying and a new one coming in). Now, they are being double-transferred out and I am really upset. I only joined six months ago so all I have known is sister missionaries and I am really upset that we will be getting elders now. I don't relate well to young boys like that (they scare me for some reason and make me feel really shy) and anyway, it would be really hard for them to meet with me since I am a single woman and they would always have to have a guy with them to meet with me. I will really miss my weekly meetings with the missionaries. How do people deal with this? It's so depressing.

I was just thinking, "I'd love to have more people to talk to on Facebook" :) If anyone would like to befriend me, this is me: Me!

I'm 30 myself, and I wish I could go to Institute. In my area, though, the cutoff for Institute is 30, and it's also 45 minutes away from me. A lot of stuff seems to close me out, as a 30 yr old woman who isn't married.

I am a new member (almost two months now! ) and I was just thinking about something that I keep forgetting to ask my missionaries. :) I have heard that young people in the church are encouraged to keep journals by articles in the New Era, etc. Does this extend to adults as well? And if it does, about what percentage of adults in the church actually do keep journals?

Definitely. And in my case, it was very eerie, because the things they were berating me about were exactly the type of things that would hurt me the most -- basically, trying to equate my religious beliefs with hatred/prejudice against people, and also trying to convince me that the church will force me to stop doing all the things I love and turn me into a boring housewife-bot. It was like the person knew how to hurt me most -- and they don't even know me that well, so it was really weird.

Thanks :) That does seem to be the case -- I have a lot of people who are neutral to fine, but then there are startling, upsetting incidents, like the one in the chat room -- I really felt like I was being rebuked by something really awful, through this person. It didn't even sound like them.

I stayed in the chat because other people were talking to me too, and I was sort of talking around the people berating me. I will be participating in ward activities when they happen, since I was baptized today I might have more things I can do. It's a little hard for me because I am too old for things aimed at young single people, but I'm not married so I don't have much in common with most of the women my age in the church and in life in general, who are mostly married with kids.

Hi all :) Just to update -- I was in fact baptized today :) It was quite nice -- even with the holiday, a good number of people came and we had a nice service with cake afterward. I was touched that people actually shifted their fast around in order to be able to have cake with me. :) I am disappointed though, that it was fast and testimony meeting this week and so I'll have to wait a whole month to bear my own testimony. Ah well, I will have time to think of what to say...

Hee hee...this only proves you've never seen it

Thanks to all who have posted so far. Vanhin: I have encountered resistance from a friend from my former church, who I am afraid I might not be able to be friends with anymore. And, last night, I was ganged up on in a chat room I frequent with no provocation, and harangued for almost an hour, even after I stopped replying. I was called a bad person just for my religion, and accused of supporting and endorsing all sorts of prejudices and bad things. It really hurt my feelings.

Hi everyone. I'm getting baptized on Sunday (7/4), and I have been having a lot of incidences of people aggressively opposing my beliefs in the last few days, in ways that are very offensive to me and have made me sad. I could really use some cheering up and encouragement in this time of worry, and assurances that it will be okay.

Technically I introduced myself before, last August, when I was doing research for a book with a Mormon character in it. I got some good answers to a few questions I asked and I thank everyone for those :) But, I thought a reintroduction was in order, since things have changed a lot :) I recently began to study with missionaries (I caught them in my neighborhood :)), at first asking them questions for my story, but then quickly realizing that all the things I had found interesting about the doctrine in my research added up to a compelling feeling that this was the church I should belong to. So, I am now scheduled for baptism on July 4. :) I am nervous, but excited. :)

Nothing else published, but I do have some stuff available to be read...here are two chapters of a story I started in a magical world sort of like Harry Potter. :) The book with Cecilia in it is titled Silver Key, after an important thing around which the story turns, and in which Cecilia has a major part

I do plan to go to a few meetings, when I can sneak away...it's hard because I'm a night person and my parents (who I live with, unfortunately, due to misfortune) would be really suspicious if I woke up so early :) I talk out my ideas with a few friends of mine, who are writers/creative types themselves. It really does grant perspective and good ideas, and helps keep my stuff on track -- one friend, especially, is very, very astute at knowing just how I want each character to come across, and he lets me know when I stray from that :)

Wow, thanks everyone for the wealth of responses! :) In all, it's about what I figured -- people will try to be nice usually, but some people won't know what to do or will be insensitive. beefche, that would be interesting, especially as the book progresses (without giving away too much, let's just say that disabilities become incredibly rare after the disaster in my book, so people would really not be expecting someone to be disabled and would assume the worst). No, she doesn't have a service dog. She uses the white cane sometimes but usually she is led by her parents or husband, and, after his death, by her friends Michael and Jeremy who sort of watch over her. Ah, okay :) Cecilia would be glad to help in any way she can if she needed help. She already is very involved with the music program in her ward because she's an excellent singer, and she's the kind of person who would like teaching little children so that would definitely be a possibility. :)

Thanks for your honest answers :) I should add that while Cecilia needs some help constantly since there are always limits to what you can or should do when you can't see, she tries to be as self-sufficient as possible. I know that in the end it's down to the individuals in a certain ward or group whether they're nice or not, but I don't want to be too Pollyanna-ish in describing the level of involvement/inclusion she experiences. :)

Hi there :) My mom was born in Germany (my grandpa was in the Army) and then my dad served in the Army and was stationed in Germany as well, and really liked it there. And, one of the characters in my book speaks German and used to live in Germany, too :) (This character is a smartypants who speaks 5 languages. He's also a vampire but that's not important )

Yay, catchy disaster! (Sounds like a band name :) Oh, neat :) I went to school for English/Creative Writing and I love to read too. I also love French -- actually, all of the major characters in this book except for Cecilia speak French, and one of them is from France :) (My friends say I have an unhealthy interest in French things...:)) And, if you'd like, you can check out the thread I just posted here and see if you can answer the question. :)

So, I am writing a story with an LDS woman as a major character (in case you didn't read my intro thread, heh. :)) Cecilia, my character, is blind and has been for her whole life. Now, I know that the official position of the church as expressed on their official websites is very accepting of disabled members, and that a lot of church materials are available on tape or in Braille, etc., so she would be able to access all that information and materials. But, I was wondering more about how accepting, in your experience, the members of the church are toward people with disabilities that might require someone needing extra help/accomodation during Sacrament meeting and the other church meetings and activities. Are people generally happy to help? I know that all the people who "work" in the church (teachers, group leaders, the bishop, etc.) are volunteers and that made me wonder if they might feel that someone who needs extra time and accomodation is a "pain" or what have you. Any experiences you can share are much appreciated :)