Today we are kicking off our two-part series with Rebecca Lucero Jones, who is here to share her story of losing her husband and the unique complications widows face within the Mormon faith. We will be examining the question of what the Mormon afterlife looks like for widows. In Part 1, Rebecca describes her Mormon upbringing and her eventual marriage to her first husband, Isaac, with whom she had two children before he was tragically killed in a car accident. Be sure to join us again later this week for the conclusion of Rebecca’s Mormon story and her efforts to obtain a second-sealing clearance from LDS Church leadership. This is a fascinating and important issue faced by widows in the Mormon church—one we feel deserves to be brought to light. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/losing-my-mormon-eternal-companion/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:44 Rebecca’s Mormon story begins - born in Missouri 00:06:00 Her father was ex-communicated and parent were divorced 00:12:07 How this shaped her view of her mom vs her dad 00:16:16 What message did this send her about the importance of living the gospel? 00:20:46 Teenage years & dating 00:31:28 Palmyra, NY spiritual experience 00:32:28 Experience in the Sacred Grove 00:38:17 Did the idea of a heavenly father fill the absence of her own father? 00:39:44 Deciding to attend BYU & what to study 00:50:58 Dating at BYU 00:52:24 Had roommates who were anorexic at BYU - they got more dates 01:00:54 There is no space for intellectual women in Mormonism 01:06:16 Deciding to go on a mission 01:09:00 Was called to serve in Russia 01:20:13 Coming home from her mission she felt she lost a sense of purpose 01:22:48 Dating gay men 01:25:59 Dating a man who came out to her as bisexual 01:40:45 Going to therapy through LDS services 01:49:58 Dating in Texas 01:52:55 Getting married - a lot of people questioning them 02:13:25 Their wedding 02:17:41 Had their first child in 2012 02:28:39 What is it like as a Mormon woman to have your eternal companion die? 02:39:08 What did she feel about being a single widowed mom in the church? 02:57:18 Persuing her masters and PhD ___________________ 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