Thanks to LDS Missionaries who first shared this fun story.
A returned sister missionary has found a unique avenue to share the gospel, something that Mormons and people of all faiths love: Disney.
Since she was a little girl, Teresa Jack has always been enchanted with Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid. This love continued through high school and even through her mission years as Sister Jack packed a Little Mermaid pillow with her throughout her service in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission.
This love even helped Sister Jack connect to a young girl on her mission who shared a similar love of Ariel. This young investigator loved going to church with the "princess missionary," and later she and her whole family were baptized, according to LDS Missionaries.
After returning from her mission, Teresa Jack went to Hollywood Bowl’s showing of The Little Mermaid. Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian and her ex-husband Scott Disick happened to be sitting just a few rows back from Jack, and she became smitten with Jack's fun Ariel costume. She took a picture of the costume to show to her kids and her millions of Instagram followers.
How cute is this girl in her Ariel costume?! #TheLittleMermaid A photo posted by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on Jun 4, 2016 at 11:30pm PDT
The picture also made it's way onto Us Weekly, who featured Kardashian's day out with her kids and ex-husband. Jack used her moment of fame to share her testimony by giving this response on Facebook:
Modest Mermaids I went to sleep last night a happy little mermaid and I woke up famous. You have all seen now that I got the blessing of meeting the lovely Kourtney Kardashian last night and she honored me in allowing me to portray Ariel to her children and posting me on her Instagram. Thousands of people now know me as Ariel and I have wanted that title forever, but anyone who truly knows me knows that the title I wore the proudest was "Sister Jack" When I served as a full time missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I was a young girl, Modesty wasn't very important to me. It was when I served a mission that I decided to honor my body that Heavenly Father granted me by revealing it less. I found my comfort zone and I believe everyone has a different one. That's ok! I don't know where everyone else's comfort zone is, but I know where mine is. And getting to be a mermaid in a bikini top is a far cry from my comfort zone. That being said, I owe so much in my life to that little mermaid! I cried real tears at this concert when Jodi Benson sang part of your world. Ariel impacted me so much with her curiosity and bravery. So last summer I decided to cosplay as Ariel and I found a modest solution. I wore a skin colored leotard and I worked with it instead of against it. Instead of making a traditional shell bra, I beaded purple gems and pearls onto the chest to make a more organic look. It meant a lot to me when people started telling me how they appreciated the wholesome substitution. While Ariel's costume is completely fine to some, to others it might make a situation uncomfortable. So you can't imagine how great it felt hearing from a Kardashian that she loved and appreciated my costume. The Kardashians have a different comfort zone when it comes to modesty than I do, and Kourtney agreed that my costume was still beautiful enough to share on her Instagram. I'm not here to shame anyone with a different modesty standard, but I do want to inspire and uplift girls who are seeking to be modest. Modest isn't always the hottest, but I don't care about being "hot." I think modest is beautiful and I do hope that I can be seen as being beautiful. Beauty starts within! We live in a society that encourages immodesty, and while that may be fine for some it makes life difficult for others who choose not to dress that way. I want to argue that class is always in fashion. There were literally hundreds of girls dressed as Ariel at this concert, but mine was of the few which covered the midriff and shoulders. Kourtney liked mine and agreed that it was beautiful. When she honored me on her Instagram she honored a modest choice. I want younger girls to know that you don't need to let society dictate your fashion choices! You don't need to be your moms age to appreciate the quiet dignity that comes from serving yourself and the Lord in how you dress. I love dressing modestly. It's a personal choice. I don't do it because I want to protect the thoughts of men around me. That's a little arrogant. I also believe it is each Christian's own responsibility to walk purely. I do love when I talk to a man and know he is looking at my eyes. I do love knowing that I'm getting the right kind of attention. I dress this way because it's how I personally honor the gift of a body the Lord gave me. It's how I show gratitude for something that I know doesn't truly belong to me as I have been lent this body from my father in heaven and I will need to return it some day. It makes me feel beautiful and I want other girls to know that they can rock that modest beauty as well! Kourtney sharing this modest mermaid goes to show that modest choices are every bit as beautiful as the next. Don't be ashamed of modesty. Don't buckle under the pressure of societal standards. I told my efy kids this and I hope they know I live it and believe it. Be Radiant! Shine from within! I'm excited to be a modest mermaid! Love y'all!#modestisbeautiful #sharegoodness #lds