In this compelling episode, Rian Anderson unites with her mother, Jen, to share their powerful journey of faith and family. While Rian served her Mormon mission, her entire family left the church. Jen is here to tell her side of the story. Jen shares about how her mother battled with cancer while she was in High School and after marriage Jen’s husband struggled with pornography. As a former Relief Society President, Scout Leader, and member of the Stake Young Women’s Presidency, Jen also reflects on her experiences with church leadership and the inequalities she witnessed. The conversation touches on her son coming out as gay and the impact of her decision to leave the church on Rian's mission. Join them as they candidly discuss their stories and the complexities of their faith journey. Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/faith-shattered-while-daughter-was-on-a-mission/ 00:00:00 Introductions 00:02:15 The beginning of Jen’s Mormon story 00:09:50 Meeting her future husband in High School 00:18:10 Processing her mother’s death 00:26:05 Mormonism can be so avoidant with hard emotions 00:29:50 Her first sexual experience with Andy 00:32:55 Confessing to her bishop 00:38:35 Attending College and dating 00:54:10 Dating Andy again, not caring that he wasn't Mormon 01:06:06 They got engaged when they were in college, he was taking the discussions 01:10:55 Not taking the sacrament because she didn’t feel worthy 01:15:40 What was their temple experience like? 01:19:32 Andy confronting a problem after nine years together 01:27:55 The bishop and she felt like she shouldn’t leave him 01:32:35 The way the church handles pornography creates a massive problem 01:41:15 He wasn’t able to baptize Rian because of this 02:00:30 She was called to be the Relief Society President in her ward 02:05:50 She despised the Scouting Program and was called into it 02:11:55 She was called into the Stake Young Women’s presidency 02:16:00 Sensing that her autistic son was gay 02:29:29 She wanted to start an LGBTQ support youth group 02:37:40 She saw the inequality and couldn’t deny it anymore 02:42:45 Rian going to the temple for the first time 02:51:45 Jen did NOT want Rian to go on a mission 03:06:15 Rian leaving the MTC and struggling on her mission 03:25:44 “Holy sh*t is the Book of Mormon not true?” 03:35:30 Do we tell our kid on the mission that we’re leaving the church? 03:55:45 Rian seeing child abuse on her mission 04:08:20 Rian telling her mission president that her parents were leaving 04:17:33 Rian was told NOT to call home 04:35:00 Rian coming home from her mission 04:42:35 Rian leaving the church and their relationship now ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117