Join Gerardo and Hayley Rawle (from the Girl's Camp podcast) as they dive into the journey of sisters Lexi and Sydney, who both joined the Mormon church in their pre-teens in Ohio. Sydney, an LGBTQ+ ally, shares her mission experience in Bolivia and her challenges with dating in the Young Single Adult Ward. After questioning her faith during the pandemic, she found herself grappling with her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Meanwhile, Lexi discusses her mission in California, where she faced mental health struggles, including undiagnosed bipolar disorder and a companion with alarming ideations. Discover how a priesthood blessing empowered her to step away from the church. Don’t miss this insightful discussion on faith, identity, and personal growth! Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/marriage/sisters-convert-then-leave/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:05 Intentions for coming on Mormon Stories 00:05:12 The beginning of their Mormon story 00:10:55 Meeting with the missionaries 00:19:44 Growing up in the church 00:27:55 How did they identify with the doctrine 00:38:00 Sydney’s always had gay friends 00:44:33 Modesty standards in preparation for garments 00:49:44 She did not have shame when speaking to her bishop 00:51:34 Sydney serving a mission at age 19 in Bolivia 00:59:45 Was she shocked when she got to Bolivia? 01:08:25 Sydney going through the temple for the first time 01:09:40 She laughed with her mom in the ceremony 01:10:00 She didn’t understand what was happening 01:10:11 Being in the MTC 01:21:30 She got sick a lot on her mission 01:27:35 What was it like for Lexi when Sydney served her mission? 01:37:00 Coming home from her mission 01:41:23 Men being creepy towards her while she was living in Ohio 01:46:10 Lexi serving a mission 01:48:50 She was called to the California Redlands Mission 01:58:55 Struggling on her mission 02:04:45 Lexi coming home from her mission 02:09:00 Experiences at BYU-Idaho 02:13:10 Getting her nose pierced as a believing Mormon, she also got a tattoo 02:14:55 Sydney questioning the church 02:20:12 Sydney moving to Las Vegas 02:25:38 The musket fire talk by Holland 02:28:37 Life after Lexi’s mission 02:38:20 Finally telling each other where they studio in the church 02:39:27 Why were they NOT sharing their deconstruction journeys? 02:48:55 Lexi deconstructing the church 02:58:34 Closing remarks ___________________ 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