Hi, I'm Jeremy Andrew L.

I'm a grade school teacher. I'm a father of four and a husband to one wife! :o)

About Me

I call Wyoming home and grew up playing football on my high school team and racing down mountains with my school's alpine team. My high school classmates voted me "Most likely to have 12 kids" and "Nicest guy." I served a 2 year volunteer mission in the great state of New York. I'm currently a grade school teacher and thus I have more then 12 kids each fall. :o I'm happily married to a beautiful wife and we've been blessed with four children, three boys and one girl. I guess we'll be a scouting/camping family.

My wife and I chose to raise our family in Wyoming for many reasons. For one, we love the beautiful mountains, and I love the hunting and fishing they offer. I took my four-year-old hunting last fall. He started to complain sitting in a blind can be boring. However, just after the complaining started I bagged a nice big doe. When my son saw it, he stated, "Let's get another one!" I love enjoying the outdoors with my family.

My grandparents homesteaded Wyoming. The family dairy farm is still up and running and I hope my children will have the opportunity to milk as I did when I was growing up. There is nothing like a farm to keep family close. It's nice to be part of a large family and live in the same town. Family is important and my children and I have the advantage of growing up with cousins. It's such a blessing to live by family.

Why I am a Mormon

Some who know me may think that the reason I'm a Mormon is because my parents are too. Thus, I was born into this church and thus it is simply a tradition for me to be a "Mormon." Honestly, it isn't the truth. Who in their right mind would go to church 3 hours each Sunday, donate 3+ more hours each week and give more then 10% of their income simply because "mom and dad" do it? I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and actively involved because I know this church is the only true and living church upon the earth. I know it's true.

I came to know this church was truly the Lord's Church by living it's teachings and feeling the Spirit of the Lord (Holy Ghost) in my life. I first identified the feeling of the Holy Ghost telling me that this Church, of which I was a part of, was true when I was 12 years old. It was during a youth testimony meeting (people sharing their beliefs with each other). I don't remember what was said or what I said when I bore my own testimony but I do remember what I felt. The Holy Ghost works with the souls of men through thoughts to the mind and feelings to their heart. I received that feeling to my heart that the church was true. It was like pure intelligence flowing into my heart and mind. Even now, over 30 years later, I remember what I felt. Since that time, I have had numerous occasions of feeling the spirit testify to me and work with me to help others feel the truth of the Gospel. That same spirit has testified to me that there are true living prophets upon the earth in my day.

In the bible it talks about false prophets. It states how we can know who the real prophets are, I will now quote from Matthew versus 15-20;

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

There are true living prophets upon the earth today. I have listened to them and their council my entire life. I have seen the fruits of following their council. I tell you that they are good. These are not men who quote the bible, ask for your donations and then live in million dollar mansions paid for by their church members. These men are true prophets who spend every day of their lives teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and taking care of the affairs of the Lord's Church. They are striving to prepare the church and its members for the second coming of our Savior. I know they are true prophets. Their fruits are good and my life is blessed because of them.

I am a Mormon because I know. I am a Mormon because I want to be happy. Happiness comes by following the Savior and his servants, the prophets. The fruits of mormonism are good. I invite you to try it out for yourself!

Personal Stories

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

My wife and I made a decision individually before we were a couple and that decision is one of the single most important ways in which we have strengthened our family. That decision was to do everything we could to make sure we lived on one income so our children would have the blessing of a stay-at-home mother. I'm a teacher, we're not rich but we have sufficient for our needs. Sure, a bigger house, a nicer car, glamourous vacations, and newer everything would be nice but it isn't worth sacrificing our children's needs for them. I count myself lucky that my wife is willing to sacrifice the glamor of a career and give her whole self to keeping a home warm, clean, and nurturing for my four children. My children are loved and their needs are being met in the most ideal way. I know others are not as fortunate but for us it was simply a priority. My wife shops at second hand stores for clothes and she's excited to show me the deals she gets. She doesn't see it as a sacrifice. I'm a lucky guy and so are my children.

How I live my faith

I am an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is rare for my family or I to miss a Sunday service. My wife works with the young children in our congregation Primary. I work with the congregation to help them share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their friends and family. We strive to serve in the callings that our Bishop pastor gives to us. We don't expect compensation for our service because we believe that when we are serving others we are only serving God.

My wife and I are full tithe payers, or in other words we give 10% of our gross income to the Lord's church. We also give more on top of that as an offering to the poor. It is known as a fast offering. These funds help the poor of our congregation and the poor of the world. We have also given money to the "Perpetual Education Fund" which helps poor members of my faith gain an education which gives them earning power that brings themselves and their families out of poverty. Their gift is then returned to the fund which is then used for another member in need, thus it "perpetuates" itself. What an amazing blessing it is to know that our small donations help so many in so many ways. My charitable donations do not line any man's wallet, and that is the Lord's way.

I've heard it said that if I quit going to church then I'd get a day off and a 10% raise. That may be true in some respect. However, I'd never do it. The reason I give of my time and money is because I love my Savior. Jesus Christ is my Savior and giving of my time and money is insignificant to the gift he has given me through the atonement. If you don't know what the Atonement is, I implore you to find out. It will change your life.

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Jeremy Andrew L. answered...

No! Absolutely Not! That would be breaking one of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." We revere Joseph Smith as a great prophet just as we revere Moses as a great prophet. We in no form worship either.
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Daniel. answered...

No. I've never even met the man.

One night I was on the front row of a concert. A big star came to the edge of the stage and held out his hand. EVERYONE rushed forward, climbing over each other, pushing and wedging themselves along, just to touch him. I almost got caught up in that too, and was about to rush ahead when a little voice kicked in "He's just a man. What's the big deal?" At that moment I vowed to never adulate anything less than deity. I will not go to my knees for anyone but a Loving God.

I respect Joseph Smith like I respect any man who tries his best to live according to his conscience. I hope maybe one day I'll get to chat with him over lunch--or over whatever kind of meal they offer in the life beyond. But I cannot worship a man, for why should I place and value one person any higher than another?

Can a husband and wife be together forever? Do Mormons believe that families will live together in heaven?

Daniel answered...

When married by earthly power and the authority of man, our vows are "Until death do you part."

We believe that families can be together forever as part of our Heavenly Father's Great Plan of Happiness. His Work and His Glory is to bring to pass the exaltation and eternal life of man. He wants us to be even as He is and to return home to live with Him again.

Through the ordinances of his Holy Temples, God's son's and daughter's are able to make covenants. Through the power of His Holy Priesthood, be sealed together for all of time and eternity as Husband and Wife, parents and children.

Families were designed and instituted by God with the intent that they be forever. The love we feel in this life does not need to be cut off when we die. Those who have already died are not lost us forever. God has mercifully made a way by which all who would accept these saving ordinances can do so, living or dead.

We perform these ordinances for those who have in the past died so that they may have the opportunity of accepting them on the other side if they so choose to do so.