Hello again Sisters! Today you will hear from our marvelous Melanie Alconcel. By way of background information, Melanie grew up in Spokane, Washington. She met her husband Brian met at BYU Provo in a Hawaiian Dance class and were married two years later. They are both of Hawaiian descent so connecting to their roots and finding each other in that class was sweet for them. They have now been married for 21 years and have three children, and two dogs, Molly and Alice who are also featured at times in this interview. And just FYI, today Brian is better known in our ward as “President Alconcel” as he is currently serving as the second counselor in our stake presidency.
They lived in Citrus Heights and Natomas before settling in Roseville in 2016. Melanie has a Design degree in Interior Architecture from UC Davis and she loved working in that field both for a private firm and as a UCD lecturer in the design department. Recently she has gone back for a degree in Music.
Here’s two things I love about Melanie: she is a very intentional person in her life choices, parenting, callings, and relationships. When her youngest was little, she started and led a Mommy and Me Music time at her home each week and invited me and several others to join in because she wanted to create that experience for Ender. Also, Melanie is a great example of inviting others to Christ. I frequently see new faces sitting with them on the pew in Church, a sign that sharing their faith is an integral part of the Alconcel lifestyle.
In her interview, Melanie takes us on her journey from simple faith through challenging complexity and coming out on the other side with simplicity of belief again. She shares several experiences from her youth with prayer and fasting that cemented her understanding of God and helped her weather later life storms like seven years of infertility and difficult financial situations.
