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Hi, I'm Steve
My name is Steve. I'm a physician in Arizona. I'm a Mormon
About Me
I am married and have six children. Having a large family is sure tough these days, but the joys my wife and kids bring to me are so worth the sacrifices. I love classical music, and am a flute player in my spare time. All my children enjoy music as well. However, our most favorite family pastime is chess. All eight of us love to play, and our games range from heated to fun.
Why I am a Mormon
Mom is Italian, so I was raised on pasta, hugs and her Catholic faith. I remember going to Mass with her as a child. My dad was Mormon though, and mom and dad met at a "proper" dance club in 1955 in Los Angeles. Part of their decision making was that me an my two brothers would be raised in the Mormon faith. Mom says she was really impressed with the youth programs, and the strength and examples of so many of the members.
In 1968 we moved to a small town in Utah called Kaysville. It was tough on mom to move away from her family, but she quickly assimilated into a nice Catholic congregation. All went smoothly and as I had always been accustom until I turned 13. One evening, mom told me that she had been reading the Book of Mormon, and that she had decided to take the missionary lessons to formally hear what the Mormon church was about. I guess I thought that was cool at the time, but when she then decided to join the Church, it seems kind of strange to me. Mom just always went to her church and we went to ours. It is just the way it had always been, and it was awkward for me to see it differently.
Over the years though, I have seen an amazing light blossom in my mom. I guess it had always been there, and I don't really know what I am trying to describe. It is just that she seems so happy. She sometimes gets tears in her eyes, when she talks of how joining the Church has been such a blessing for her in her life. She and dad even went on a volunteer mission to South Korea for eighteen months. Wow. That just isn't like the shy Italian mother I had always known.
Personal Stories
In what ways have your prayers been answered?
Prayer for me has become a very real and active part of my daily life. The thought of kneeling down and personally asking God for help and answers is so looked down on in the world these days. But I admit, that is just what I do. I do it in the morning and evening. In the morning I used to forget, until a friend told me that he has a rule that his knees have to hit to floor before his feet do when he gets out of bed. So sure enough, I developed the habit of sort of swinging my legs out of bed in the morning so that his knees, and not his feet, were the first to tough the floor. I tried it, and a great habit was born!
I ask God all sorts of things. I address him first, and then I thank him for His blessings. There are so many little things to be thankful for, even food and shelter and healthy children. Then I ask him for things I need and ask for his help. I take the time to list and try and sense his approval. I have found that the more specific and sincere my asking is, the more specifically he later answers my prayers and blesses me with what I need. Then I always end my prayer in the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I do that because Jesus says in the New Testament that all our communication should be to God through Him.
I don't know where my life would be without prayer, because they are answered almost daily. It has been the number one thing that has increased my confidence in myself and in my relationship to God. It is evidence to me in my own way that I know he lives and loves me.
Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?
I served a volunteer mission to Sweden for the Mormon Church from 1980-82. It was a great experience for me. I was assigned to that country after demonstrating a sincere interest and willingness to participate. Being a missionary volunteer involves being a representative of Jesus Christ. As such, we spent most of our time in activities he would do, such as talking with people, donating service, and answering questions about our beliefs.
How I live my faith
I have an assignment in my church called hometeaching, which allows me the assist other members of my faith in their personal needs. I have three very different family units I help with, all of which are very different from one another. One is a single man who has been divorced twice, one is a couple who have been married for twenty years, and the last is a single elderly woman who is living alone. Since every member helps one another in the Mormon faith, our family has hometeachers assigned to us as well. We make visits and calls in pairs, and we love it when our home teachers visit us in our home. They is hilarious, and yet it feels so great having them there.
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What is faith?
Steve answered...
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Do you really believe there is a prophet like Moses alive today?
Kimberly answered...
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