Hi, I'm Gary Sanders

I'm a computer guy, husband, and father of five remarkable children. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

Happiness in family life is the most important thing to me. As I love, honor, and cherish my wife, there is a sweetness that fills our home. Our children are growing up in an environment where they know they are loved and cared for, developing confidence in themselves, and doing well in school. My relationship with my wife continues to deepen and strengthen on a daily basis as we pray, worship, and face the hard realities of life together as a united, married couple. My primary concern is my wife's welfare and happiness. I'm trying to make the right choices, moment-to-moment, that I may always be worthy of her confidence and tender affection.

I love to spend time with my family, play piano and guitar, serve in the community, and participate in sports such as basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, and swimming.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because the doctrines of the church have answered all of my important life questions. Through reading the Book of Mormon many times I've learned about the Atonement of Christ and how it can help me change my nature to be more loving and forgiving towards others.

I believe in a Godhead comprised of three distinct personages—the Father, His divine Son, and the Holy Ghost. They are one in purpose - which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Man in forever families. I also believe that only through Jesus Christ can we mortals be redeemed from temporal and spiritual death. I believe, too, that Christ restored His full gospel of salvation, and the attendant holy priesthood and ordinances, through a faithful and humble young prophet named Joseph Smith. All of the spiritual gifts and priesthood keys are present on the Earth today. I believe that God reveals His will through living prophets.

I study the Bible daily and in particular enjoy the accounts of the Savior's ministry. I further believe that the Bible is not the only word of God (John 10:16). "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1, Ezek. 37:16-19).

We are indeed saved by grace, which is freely given, the greatest of all the gifts of God. But we believe that this gift must be received by faith in Christ, which is manifest in deeds of faithful discipleship and obedience to God's commandments.

I testify to you that a fulness of joy can only come through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and by obedience to all of the laws and ordinances of the gospel, which are found only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

I served a two year mission in Hong Kong, China. I prepared from when I was very young by saving money and learning basic gospel principles. I felt an overwhelming desire to help my fellow man. Serving among the chinese people gave me a tremendous appreciation for their cultural heritage and the importance they place on multi-generational family relationships.

How I live my faith

My wife is a wonderful cook and we like to take homemade baked goods to families who've had a birthday or have a special need.

A couple of years ago I put together a computer lab for a Catholic school out on the Gila River reservation for at-risk kids so they could learn word processing & spreadsheets.

Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Gary Sanders answered...

Monogamy is the rule unless the Lord expressly commands otherwise with the specific purpose of building up the Kingdom of God. I read in our sacred scripture, "For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women" (Jacob 2:28). Plural marriage was practiced in the church by my ancestors after heart-wrenching agony and seeking and receiving spiritual confirmation that the command was of God, and I know they were blessed for this sacrifice. It was an Abrahamic test for them. The result was a faithful and numerous posterity. They truly believed that this principle would allow them to apply the spirit of consecration to their marriage and that the Father would send choice spirits into their families, which they could then nurture in the admonition of the Lord. They believed their posterity would form a core of honest, faithful discipleship who would spread the gospel to the world.

It wasn't introduced by men seeking to satisfy their own indulgence or gratification. If it were only lasciviousness, there are other and much easier ways of doing it. To marry an additional wife and have children, supporting and raising them in homes and loving them is nothing less than the full measure of devotion. I am also grateful the Lord commanded his living prophet to end the practice in 1890.
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Aaron! answered...

Nope. That ended over a hundred years ago.

Why are only some Mormons allowed into temples? Is there something secret going on in Mormon Temples? What goes on in Mormon Temples?

John answered...

We want everyone to be able to enter the Temple and feel of the sweet and beautifully peaceful aroma and spirit there. A Temple is a holy and sacred place. Unlike regular church buildings which are also sacred, Temples are specially reserved as places to be separate from worldly influences. Therefore, only those who are living such a life may enter, so as to preserve the Temple's sacredness. But we want everyone to qualify so that they may enter and feel of that spirit. It isn't hard to qualify, but it does take some effort. All that is required is for one to live a Christlike life with a heart that only desires to do good.