'Sistas' discuss their path in the LDS Church at Preston fireside

By Robert S. Merrill for the Preston Citizen

Aug 27, 2014

Tamu Smith, left, and Zandra Vranes, center, sign a copy of their book, "Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord’s Lesson in Everyday Life,” at the Preston Citizen Bookstore on Saturday. They spoke at an LDS Church fireside in Preston on Sunday evening. (Robert S. Merrill/Preston Citizen)

PRESTON — Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes are entertaining gospel speakers, and they didn’t disappoint a large crowd Sunday evening at the LDS South Stake Center that overflowed the chapel into the cultural hall.

The two African-American sisters talked about their culture and how they meshed it with Mormonism. On Sunday evening they discussed their lives and how the LDS faith has changed them.

Smith, from Provo, discussed a service project she was “forced” to attend at a homeless shelter that changed her outlook on service, saying it was an eye-opening experience.

Vranes, who moved to the Salt Lake City area from Atlanta when she was a freshman in high school, said the move initially made her miserable, and she wanted to return to familiar territory.

She said she was mad at her parents because of the move and wanted to make them miserable, as well. She said she was made to attend an Especially for Youth event in Provo where speakers talked to youth about teen attitudes. She said she learned she didn’t have to be miserable or make others miserable.

“I learned that by living a Christ-centered life, you are not alone. Nobody has to be,” she said. “And if you can live a life of joy, it has a ripple effect on many, many others.”

They also were at The Preston Citizen for a book signing on Saturday afternoon. Several residents braved an intense hailstorm and showery, cool weather to talk to the duo about the book and get it autographed.

The “Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord’s Lessons in Everyday Life” is the first book published by Smith and Vranes. They also have a blog and do a radio show.

At the book signing it was evident they like to laugh and have a good time as they graciously entertained those who attended.

Vranes said they started their blog in 2009 as a way of staying connected to each other, family and friends. The blog is religious in nature and not too personal, she said at the start of the afternoon book signing.

“We’ve been thrilled with the way the blog has grown. We attempt to put a humorous twist on the LDS faith, but not be offensive. We really like to laugh and have fun. For us, and the Mormon community, this has turned out to be a great missionary tool, although that was not what was initially intended in 2009.”

Smith said the radio show is international in scope and is online.

“We estimate right now we have about 2,000 listeners who tune in each week and hope our audience continues to grow,” she said. “We cover a wide range of topics that change each week. We have discussed Mormon feminism, have talked to Sherri Dew [sic] and the athletic director at BYU. We have also had those of other faiths on the show, including a Pentecostal pastor,” she said.

“Again, the radio show is faith-based. We don’t always agree with each other, but we try to see the humorous side of things and sometimes take a different approach in doing this. It has been and continues to be fun.”

These sisters spend some time on the road, away from family, spreading the humor of life as Latter-day Saints.

“We speak together at least twice a month. We do come to small towns, although Preston may be one of the smallest,” Vranes said. “We’ve been to Richfield, Utah, which is pretty small. Surprisingly, we’ve been having a lot of fun in the small towns.”

“Tamu and I met in Utah 16 years ago when both our families moved there,” said Vranes. “My parents joined the LDS faith as adults, and I was born shortly thereafter. Tamu joined when she was 11 and attended church on her own as a youth.

The pair, which has had speaking engagements all over the country, was invited by the Preston LDS Stake.

“We’ve learned that whether we’re in a big city or a small town, people are warm and welcoming. It’s been a blessing getting to know folks we never would’ve known. And guess what? It turns out we are never as different as we think after all.”

Next on the duo’s itinerary are trips to Texas, Alabama and New York City to present firesides to various audiences.

They have multi-faith families follow them, and they figure if they read something from their blog that helps them, it’s worth it to them to continue.

The women want people to know that Lastter-day [sic] Saints come in all shapes and sizes. Some of what they have brought to audiences is the idea that it is acceptable to have their culture and still have their religion.

“Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord’s Lessons in Everyday Life” can be found in The Citizen bookstore. The cost of the book is $21.99. For more information, call 208-852-0155.