Hi, I'm Brad

I'm a husband, father, and medical student. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm graduating and starting an internship this summer. I like to be with my wife and daughters. I love mountains and plains. I like road trips with my family, mountain biking, and Nordic skiing.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born into a family who were members of the Church. I always believed in its teachings, but while I was in my first year of college I sincerely prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. God answered my prayers, and my beliefs and faith became more personal than ever. I knew more than ever that God is my father in heaven, and that he actually hears and answers my prayers. I knew that the Book of Mormon was true, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ, restored through a true prophet, Joseph Smith. Continued prayer, scripture study, effort, sharing, and living the Gospel has strengthened me and given me eternal perspective so I can live my everyday life in a way that I hope pleases my Heavenly Father. My family finds a refuge peace and happiness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Personal Stories

Think about your everyday activities. What are things you act upon each day where you cannot see the end results? How does faith move you to action?

Each day, we get our family together to read from the scriptures and have family prayer. With three little girls seven years old and younger, this is not always easy, but I know if we are consistent it will bless and strengthen our family now and in times to come. Studying The Book of Mormon daily can especially bring us closer to Christ and to each other.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

One of the central missions are the Church is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of the world. Members of the Church are encouraged to share what they believe with their friends and family. When young men become 19 years of age, they can become "full-time" missionaries to preach the Gospel in a specific part of the world for a period of two years. This is an extremely important responsibility for all young men, although one could choose not to go. Women, at the age of 21, can also serve as missionaries if they so desire, but are not expected to as are the young men. The call to serve a mission for the Church is given by its leaders through inspiration from God. I was a missionary in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo, Brazil. This experience changed my life. God is our Heavenly Father, and as such, all human beings are brothers and sisters. I learned to have charity, the true love of Christ, and to give all that I could to help others to come unto him.

How I live my faith

I teach 16 and 17 year old youth about the scriptures. I try to prepare my lessons throughout the week which helps strengthen me in the process. I am also responsible to look after and care for the needs of a few other families in my congregation. This includes visiting them monthly to see how they are doing and giving them spiritual messages. Each family has two such "Home Teachers." Living my faith means trying to do all that God wants me to do every day and being an example so that others will want to learn more about the Gospel.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

Brad answered...

My family and I go to church every Sunday for three hours. It starts with a meeting where everyone is together in the chapel of our church building. This is called Sacrament meeting and lasts an hour and ten minutes. After it is finished, we separate to different classrooms for Sunday School, based on our age group. During the third and final hour the women, men, young women, and young men separate for meetings directed for each individual group. Children have a meeting together at this time, where they sing and get to give talks in a similar way as the youth and adults do. All of these church services are open to visitors, and we are encouraged to invite others and to help them feel welcome.
Brad answered...

Our fundamental religious service is what we call our Sacrament meeting. Anyone is welcome to join us in Sacrament meeting as well as our other Sunday meetings at any of our buildings. Sacrament is a time when we ponder and reflect on Jesus Christ's atonement for our sins, for He is the path by which we can repent of our wrongdoings and begin anew on a correct path with additional guidance from our Heavenly Father. Furthermore, on Sunday we have general Sunday School meetings where we talk more in-depth about the various doctrine of the gospel as well as meetings where we meet in groups of similarly-aged individuals to learn and discuss gospel topics more focused to each particular age group. We welcome anybody and everybody and would love to see you in our congregation spiritually connecting with your loving Heavenly Father and drawing nearer to him and his son, Jesus Christ.

How can we increase our faith in Jesus Christ?

Brian answered...

Faith in Jesus Christ doesn't just happen. You have to work for it. I discovered my faith increasing when I decided to study the scriptures for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Doing so has allowed me to understand the doctrines of the gospel on a deeper level. Scripture study coupled with daily personal prayer where I really try to converse with my Father in heaven, and seek to know His will concerning me, rather than give him a list of my wants and needs and ask him to grant them as if he was my personal butler. The best way I have found is to seek to do as Jesus did. Be friendly with everyone I meet. Go the extra mile and help people beyond what is expected. Avoid judging people and try to find the good in people, rather than dwell on their weaknesses. I've found that seeking to do God's will and striving to live like Jesus Christ taught us to live, has not deprived me of anything, rather by doing things Heavenly Father's way has freed me and brought me more happiness than trying to do it my own way.