Sunday, August 26, 2012

Sistas in Zion Radio: Ask the Sistas + Hot Topics

Sistas in Zion Radio! Every Sunday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Listen here or on the radio box on the right! Call in at (646) 478-3671. Today the Sistas are taking questions and talking hot topics. So call in to ask the Sistas a question or comment on the topics!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Damarcus Harrison: Blessed Through Basketball

Yesterday on Sistas in Zion Radio we had the pleasure of talking to Damarcus Harrison about trading in his BYU blue to don orange for Clemson University, plus his plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Listen here if you missed the interview.)

In 2011 as a freshman, Damarcus Harrison earned an athletic scholarship to play basketball for BYU. Despite being a member of the LDS church and his older brother currently serving a mission for his faith, Damarcus had made the decision that he would not be serving a Mormon mission. He credits his time at BYU and the opportunity to see other young men prepare for missions as the reason for his about face regarding going on a mission.

His plan at the end of the 2011-2012 school year was to return home to Greenwood, South Carolina, head out on his mission and then return to BYU in two years. Since his mission paperwork would be delayed until January, Damarcus decided to return to the court and finish another school year before serving his mission. He approached BYU, but found out his scholarship had already been spoken for. BYU offered to allow him to walk onto the team, but Harrison could not financially afford to attend school without a scholarship. 

Clemson University seized the opportunity to snag Damarcus and his talent and offered him a full-ride scholarship, which was an answer to his, family member's and supporter's prayers. While he will miss the opportunity to attend school with members of his faith, he is excited to be playing close to home and with great talent at Clemson. NCAA rules require a player transferring from one D-1 school to another to sit out a year so Clemson has applied for a waiver in hopes that Harrison will be eligible to play this season. Damarcus is grateful for both his family and church family and says that he can use the continued support as he goes forward into the school year with his mission on the horizon.

Here are some of the highlights from our interview with Demarcus:

  • Hearing about his recruiting trip to Provo, Utah. BYU had just had a big football win so there were lots of parties and Damarcus was under the impression that Provo was always as poppin' as it was that weekend. Fellow teammates didn't tell him that it was a rare occasion until he had already committed to BYU and relocated to Provo.
  • Him telling that the Sistas that we are allowed to text, tweet and facebook him to make sure he stays out of trouble and keeps mission plans in focus. (He doesn't even know what he agreed to, we'll be on him like white on rice.)
  • In response to concerns that his departure would lessen BYU's chances of recruiting Jabari Parker, he jokingly said that maybe he would have been a recruiting assest if he had been playing for BYU two years early with Jimmer Fredette and dropping 20 points a game. Damarcus says regarding BYU and Jabari, he has nothing to do with that.
  • Learning that he will now be attending school close enough to home that his mama can pop in and make surprise visits to campus. It will keep D on his toes and we actually think he really won't mind one bit since he has a very close relationship with his mom and wouldn't mind her stopping by with a home-cooked meal.
Demarcus' future looks bright, we hope God continues to bless him and look forward to seeing him accomplish his goals.

God is Love,
Sista Beehive & Sista Laurel

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sistas in Zion Radio: Damarcus Harrison

Sistas in Zion Radio! Every Sunday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Listen here or on the radio box on the right! Call in at (646) 478-3671.

Damarcus Harrison

College basketball player Damarcus Harrison stops by to talk to the Sistas about leaving BYU to play at Clemson and his plans to serve an LDS mission.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

NBA's Blake Griffin Pubs a Mormon Quote

You might be a Mormon if you've seen this quote before, or...

You might be one of NBA super-star Blake Griffin's 188K Instagram followers. Yesterday Blake Griffin shared an image of a version of a quote used by Mormon church leader, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in his April 2012, LDS General Conference talk, The Merciful Obtain Mercy.


Blake commented on the photo saying, "#preach," which means he probably recognized that the message had a church flair. We don't know if Blake knew he was quoting a Mormon, but somebody did, cause one of his followers commented,"#haveyouheardoftheLDSchurch(Mormon)."


Be careful Blake Griffin, this is how Mormon-celebrity rumors get started and once the rumor is out there you pretty much have to get baptized. We think that's how the Mormons got Jimmer Fredette and with you and Jimmer plus Jabari Parker this could be the beginning of a Mormon-church-ball superteam! PS: If you become a Mormon you may have to trade your Kia in for a minivan, but it's a small price to pay for an endless supply of green jello.

Preach On,
Sista Beehive & Sista Laurel

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Blessings of Visiting Teaching

In the LDS faith we get monthly visits from Visiting Teachers & Home Teachers. They share a spiritual message with us, see if we need help with anything and unintentionally motivate us to get a little housework done!

Are we the only ones who get super human cleaning powers right before a visitor comes over?

Glory to God,
Sista Beehive & Sista Laurel

Monday, August 13, 2012

Five Mormons One Wedding

No, we are not talking about polygamy, which members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not practice. We're talking five siblings getting married on the same day and having one wedding.
In the Waldie wedding, three sisters and two brothers all got married on the same day, in the same temple and had one wedding reception! What a great example of brotherly and sisterly love, they are an extraordinary set because we don't think it would have gone down the same way in every family.

Hey Mom and Dad, we're all engaged!

Waldie Family: Congratulations kids!

Other Family: Is this a joke? Is it April Fool's Day?

So all five of you want to get married this year?

Waldie Family: Maybe we can have all the weddings on the same day.

Other Family: Somebody get a hat and put the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 in it. We are about to draw and whatever you come up with, that's what year you are getting married. Whichever couple gets 2016 we'll just have to do a fast and pray that ya'll have the stamina to still be temple worthy in five years.

All five of us get married in the same temple on the same day?

Waldie Family: Ok, we can make it work.

Potential problems for other families.
  1. All five couples can't agree on the same wedding date or temple.
  2. All five couples can't get a temple recommend.
  3. All five couples can't agree on wedding colors.
  4. Some of the bridesmaids will have to be wearing white.
  5. Brides that are sister-in-laws & not actual siblings say; "Oh no you didn't!"
  6. Guests show up for the 1st temple ceremonies & sneak out for the last set.
  7. More than one couple wants to go to the same honeymoon destination.
  8. It's hard enough to find 1 modest wedding dress let alone 5 different ones.
  9. One couple's first dance will actually be the last dance.
  10. Does this mean we have to celebrate our anniversaries together!
Kudos to the Waldie's for making it work, it went so well that they are already planning their one year anniversary trip which they will all be going on together and they plan to keep the tradition going each year.

Do you see other potential problems or would the Waldie wedding way work out in your family?

Be Blessed,
Sista Beehive & Sista Laurel

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Sistas in Zion Radio: Another Mormon for President + Funny, Female & Mormon

Sistas in Zion Radio! Every Sunday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Listen here or on the radio box on the right! Call in at (646) 478-3671.

Mayor Yeah Samake
Mitt Romney isn't the only Mormon running for president, Yeah Samake is hoping to become the president of his home country of Mali and make a change. Yeah was born into poverty in a small village in Ouélessébougou, Mali. Despite economic sacrifice Yeah's father sent all 18 of his children to school. Yeah earned a bachelors degree in teaching English as a second language in Bamako, Mali and a masters degree in public policy at BYU. In 2009, Yeah decided to return home to run for mayor of Ouélessébougou, and was elected with 86% of the vote. Yeah met his wife Marissa Coutinho while they were both students at BYU, they have two children.

Jenna Kim Jones
She's female, she's funny and she's also a Mormon, proving the Sistas theory that the LDS know how to jest. Jenna Kim Jones is a comedian and devoted tweeter with adoring fans all over the internet. A twitter follower recently tweeted, “With cartwheels & charisma, this heart breaker knows how to live; with a Diet Coke in one hand & a microphone in the other.” Jenna naturally assumes this tweet is about her. Born in Seoul, Korea she lived there for 8 years until moving to Provo, Utah. After 8 years in NYC, Jenna recently moved to LA. She's appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, sung numerous commercial jingles and performs regularly at some of the country's best comedy clubs and festivals. Though she's Mormon, Jenna is currently studying The Secret so that she can one day make it rain Skittles.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Sistas in Zion's The Mormon Bachelor Breakdown Weeks 3 & 4

Peeps, The Mormon Bachelor weeks 3 & 4 were good. If you missed it don't worry we're breakin' it down fo ya!

DATE 7: 20 QUESTIONS
Melissa Morales - Date 7: This date was unique because ABC Nightline News accompanied Chris and Melissa on their date. As they were getting to know each other Nightline was peppering them with questions about being Mormon. At one point during the date they both ordered a Coke, which surprised the reporter who said that he thought Mormons didn't drink caffeine. Chris and Melissa didn't even tell the reporter dude to mind his own business and were nice enough to give Nightline an impromptu Word of Wisdom breakdown. Melissa seemed to bring out the more serious and inquisitive sides of Chris. Chris asked her about past relationships with non-Mormons and he didn't threaten to throw her into any water in front of the Nightline cameras. Melissa doesn't seem a damsel in distress, she took Chris to LA's Skid Row and didn't need to hold onto his arm. A quick hug at the door is how this date ended, but who knows, Melissa could be back because they both said see you soon before they left each others company.

DATE 8: ARTSY FARTSY
Heidi Kulicke - Date 8: Right off the bat we're going to say that the Sistas don't think there will be a second date. We wish we could say it was our sixth sense, but it's because Chris said, " I really don’t think there is any chemistry there so there will probably not be a second date." Where's the suspense Chris? Remember when Sharla, date 5 left us hanging. Well even though there was no suspense it was still a fun date to watch. Heidi took Chris outside his comfort zone and had him painting, not even painting by numbers, but for real painting.Chris was really feeling himself and his artwork too, not in a cocky way, he just has a good dose of self-esteem. Heidi said that often at the end of dates she's feeling it and thinks the date went well, but for whatever reason, the guy doesn't have the same feeling. We wish we could say this date would be different, but alas, tis not so. In any case Heidi, you gave Chris some culture and now he's got a cool painting that his Mom can put on the fridge!

DATE 9: TOUGH LOVE
Natasha Ricksecker - Date 9: Natasha, a roller derby athlete says "gentle" is not a word she would use to describe herself. However she was quite soft-spoken and demure during the date, best of both worlds we guess. Now, we would love to know how Chris feels about this; in her pre-date comments Natasha said that even if a guy is "semi-cute" she'll still give him a shot, but she didn't say what she thought Chris ranked on the cuteness scale. She must have liked what she saw because there was definite chemistry between these two. Although there was chemistry, Natasha is a brunette and we can't help but notice that Chris is a little more hands on when it comes to blondes, thus far brunettes and red heads haven't gotten the PDA that Tiffany, date 1 and Sharla, date 5 received. Blonde or not though, Chris really enjoyed his date with Natasha and didn't want to see it come to an end and the date did end with a warm embrace. PS: We want to see dates with a little more action. Ladies stop taking Chris to dinner, we thought for sure Natasha would of had Chris in one of those roller derby outfits.

DATE 10: PICTURE PERFECT
Noelle Thiel - Date 10: This date strengthens our theory about Chris being big on blondes. These were the words he used to describe Noelle and the date; super sweet, sweet & sassy, phenomenal, very interesting girl, lots of fun, sweet heart, absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. Ya'll tell us, but Chris might like this one, no? Noelle planned a unique date, a photo scavenger hunt and picnic. They had a list of things that they had to find people doing or wearing and then ask them to take a picture with them. Our kind of date, rollin' up on random strangers and posing for pictures, we like your style Noelle. Noelle is a school teacher and you can tell, because at the end of the date she had Chris doing a project, scrap booking the photos they took. Smart lady, you gotta give a man a project sometimes, that's how you know if he's gonna be useful or not. Noelle can rest assured that she will be getting a second date, with all those complimentary words Chris was spittin'.

What is the most fun date you have ever been on?

Jesus Loves You,
Sista Beehive & Sista Laurel

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Sistas in Zion Radio: Girls Serving Missions + Musician Kaeli Jensen + Book Giveaway!

Sistas in Zion Radio! Every Sunday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Listen here or on the radio box on the right! Call in at (646) 478-3671.

When professional rugby player William Hopoate and musician David Archuleta put their careers on hold to serve LDS missions, they made headlines. Jabarai Parker, number one high school player in the U.S. is only 17 and his future choice of serving an LDS mission or NBA is already the buzz of the sports world.

We hear of LDS boys and their missions, but all over the world LDS young women are faced with the same choice as well. Today Sistas in Zion will be talking to Melissa Dymock, author of Sisters: A Modern Girl's Guide to Serving a Mission, about her book and Mormon girls serving missions.

Melissa Dymock graduated from Utah State University, majoring in print journalism. She served a mission in West Texas, where she learned how to stay upright on a bike in a windstorm while wearing a skirt. She has been published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and in the Utah Statesman. You can follow her adventures on her blog.

The Sistas will also be chatting with Kaeli Jensen, a singer with a desire to use her time and talents to help others.

Kaeli Jensen: Dancing and music have been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her mother tells how she was trying to sing opera when she was three. Kaeli began music lessons at age 6 and it became obvious that singing would be Kaeli’s future. Kaeli loves musical theater and has aspirations to be on Broadway someday. Learn more about Kaeli on her website.

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Be sure to call into SIZ Radio because the 5th caller will receive a free copy of Melissa Dymock's book, Sisters: A Modern Girl's Guide  to Serving a Mission! (646) 478-3671
(Book can only be shipped to an address within the US or Canada)