Marvelous Work and a Wonder® Testimonials

My name is Kendra Marie Nordes.

I was born and raised in the Mormon/LDS faith in northern/central California.  I am the oldest of eight (one adopted).  My parents are/were very staunch members, both “return missionaries.”  My father has a very strong testimony of the church and, although he has never held any high positions, such as Bishop, he has always followed every council of the leaders to the “t.”  My mother (now deceased) is a Smith, descendant of Joseph Smith’s grandfather, Asahel Smith, and cousin, Jesse Nathaniel Smith.  She has always taken great pride in being a Smith, of course.  Her personality was a lot like Joseph’s mother, Lucy Mack, as described in his biography:  Without Disclosing My True Identity.

As for myself, the following has been my personal experience in a nut-shell:

I was home-schooled through my elementary years and church was our life.  When I became a teenager, my parents put me into public school and, after the difficult transition, I eventually became the “rebel” in my family (according to their perception) as I preferred to spend time with my new diverse “non-member” school friends over my more seemingly judgmental church friends (although I continued to be active in church and always participated in the church’s youth activities).

After high school, I became a single, unwed mother from a very domestically abusive situation and, as if that wasn’t bad enough in the eyes of the church, I gave birth to a beautiful little black baby boy…

To make a very long story short, I almost lost my child as a result of the church’s involvement in my life at that time (1995) and my naïve trust and willingness to comply with their council.  I suffered more from that experience than all of the several months of physical abuse I had previously endured put together.

However, soon after becoming a new mother (only a few months) and living on my own, I made the decision to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover… I couldn’t put it down.  I was converted.  I went back to church and became an active, faithfully obedient, tithe-paying member (though I was never found to be quite “worthy” enough to receive a temple recommend due to my single-motherhood-to-a-mixed-fatherless-child status).

After quite a few years (about eight) and after an unsuccessful marriage to a convert that only lasted two years, I became “inactive” and, although I still had somewhat of a “testimony” of the Book of Mormon, I began to lose my faith in the church and its leaders.  Over time, and after tasting the fruits of the church’s involvement in my son’s life, I came to the conclusion that the church was no more immune to the corruption of man than any other religion.

After a series of personal events (2013), I began my active search for truth, which led me to find a recorded video of the entire LDS temple endowment (pre-1990 before the church’s edits).  It was shocking to me.  I physically felt my religious chains break, and I finally understood the saying, “the truth shall set you free.”  I wanted to know exactly where the endowment came from and the meaning of all of its symbolism, which persuaded me to look into the history of the church and, more specifically, the history of Joseph Smith.

Although I know and understand that lineage is not important, it is because of my lineage that I became so intent on learning the truth about my distant relative.  I had done quite a bit of research before I came across Without Disclosing My True Identity.  But when I did, I only read the two excerpts about priesthood and polygamy.  With just that alone, I was somehow satisfied enough (although questioning in the back of my mind, Who is this author?) that I no longer felt the need to dig any deeper into Joseph’s or the church’s past… at least for the time being.

Instead, I spent the next year of my life reading everything I could get my hands on about all other religions, occults, philosophies, cultures, governments, science, the list goes on… I was so hungry for knowledge about things I had been sheltered from for so long, and I was finally free from the chains of my own religion that I was able to read, search and study with a completely open mind.

Over the course of my study, I began to recognize a few recurring points that were easy for me to agree with:  That “God” is “Self” and that Christ’s true simple message (regardless of his divinity) was/is and has always been to treat each other as equals, nothing more, nothing less.  I’ve always known this.

After about a year of “non-Mormon” related study (2014), I found myself back on the subject of Joseph Smith’s history, and after finding a video about Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, in Carthage Jail, I came across a video of Ida Smith (a descendant of Hyrum), which led me to the Marvelous Work and a Wonder®, The Sealed Portion, and back to Without Disclosing My True Identity…  I spent the next year reading all of the books from the MWAW, which answered questions I had about religion, and more specifically, the LDS religion that I was raised in, including a complete disclosure of what the temple endowment is all about.

When I learned about The Humanity Party® (2015), it instantly became my passion.  I have never found more logical solutions to the world’s problems.  After sharing it on social media during its first launch, I was severely persecuted and openly mocked by my partner of seven years (now ex) about the information he read on the chrisnemelka.com website (a website that was created by some enemies and critics of the Marvelous Work and a Wonder®), which I had never even seen myself.

As a result, I lost friends, family, and my home where my personal business was established, which then resulted in losing business and being forced to impede on others for a place to live.  I suffered extreme emotional and mental trauma because of it, which affected the next several years of my life.

I eventually found a support network (2020) through the MWAW and its supporters, that helped me get back on my feet; off of the several medications that I had been prescribed, due to my mental and emotional breakdown; and back to a healthy state of being.

Now (2026), I am more empowered than ever to be my own God; and it is my sincere desire to aid and support the Marvelous Work and a Wonder® and The Humanity Party® in any way that I possibly can.

Truthfully,

Kendra Marie Nordes
209-765-0285
kennipotpie@gmail.com