Hi, I'm Ammon

I am disarmingly charming

About Me

I am a father, first and foremost. I love being a father, I love my wife and my children with all my heart. I love my extended family. I love to do outdoor things and to participate in various things. I enjoy playing sports especially basketball. I love to write, play the piano, the guitar, and be with my family. I earned by undergradute degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism. Therefore, I love to create things. I received my Graduate degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is the main focus of my life.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a mormon because this church has blessed my life and family more than I can even explain. I don't think I have the words to adequately express my gratitude and love for what the gospel of Jesus Christ has done for me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I feel very close to the Savior Jesus Christ because of this church.

I had the opportunity to serve a full time mission to Romania. I have gained so much knowledge, which has given my life meaning in so many ways. I know that prayer is a way we can reach our Father in Heaven. I know that He listens and answers our prayers. I know that He is aware of me and knows my name. I know that nothing is too hard for the Lord. I know that the scriptures can help us understand what the Lord would have us do. I know that families can be together forever. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us to help us return to Him. I know that Jesus Christ lives, that the tomb is empty and that He is aware of my life, my struggles, my weaknesses, my shortcomings, and my trials. I know that He can help me through the storms of life if I just rely on His mighty arm.

Personal Stories

How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?

When I was 14 years old I wanted to find out if the Book of Mormon was true. A leader challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days. I undertook the challenge and in the process it changed my life forever. This leader promised us that the desire of our hearts would be granted if we did the challenge. Through a serious of unfortunate events I had my feet frozen and I had a minor form of frost bite. I was a shy person when I was young, therefore I was afraid to talk to anyone about it. Due to my families economic situation I didn't want to burden my family financially by telling my parents, I didn't want them to have to worry about any more medical bills. So I didn't let my parents know of my situation. I just lived a life of pain which got progressively worse. I finished the challenge and I knew that the desire of my heart was for my feet to be healed. When I was reading the last chapter in the Book of Mormon I felt a love, happiness, and joy that can't even be described. I knew that the Lord loved me and knew of me and my circumstances. It was as if someone touched the top of my head and a warm feeling of love enveloped my entire body, this feeling went from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I felt love, peace and happiness probably 1000 times greater than I had ever felt in my life. I was healed by the Lord through the Book of Mormon. My desire was granted and I learned that the Book of Mormon was of God. I can testify and witness to anyone that the Book of Mormon changed my life both physically and spiritually. It saved my life, it brought me closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that book and know it is real. No man or group of men wrote it. It is of God.

How I live my faith

I attend church services every Sunday. I don't know the last time I missed a church service. I have the opportunity to serve in my church. I get up every Sunday at 5:20am so I can be to my first leadership meeting at 6 am, then to another meeting at 7 am, then at 8:30 am our church service starts and we attend for another 3 hours. It means so much to me to be able to partake of the sacrament and remember my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I feel very close to Him as I attend and analyze how I can improve my life and better live the teachings of Jesus Christ. I feel the Holy Ghost as I attend, I feel very fortunate to have that opportunity.

During the week I teach the youth of the church ages 14-18 (those in high school) the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the holy scriptures. The youth take time out of thier school schedules either before school or during school and they come and we discuss about the doctrines and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We study in depth the scriptures. I find great joy in this opportunity to work with the youth and we have wonderful discussions.

My children are young and one of the greatest things that I get to do as a young father is teach my children the gospel of Jesus Christ and introduce them to the Lord through personal and family prayers. We spend every Monday evening as a family, we play games, sing songs, and talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is safe to say that my life is framed around the gospel of Christ.

What is faith?

Ammon answered...

Faith is action. Faith is trusting in the Lord and putting something into action. Faith involves some type of risk. When we step into the dark using our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, He will lighten our way just enough to keep moving. Faith is all about action, it is more than a mere belief in something. Having faith in Jesus Christ means not only you believe in Him, but also, that you believe Him. That you believe what He promises will hold true and you can then act and progress and grow. Faith is all about relying on Christ and using your agency to make forward, progressive movements in your life.
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Cary answered...

Faith is a huge topic, rarely fully understood even by people who talk about it a lot. In the Mormon conception, it's a step of confidence between mere belief and full knowledge. It's perhaps best described by contrast with these two extremes on the continuum on which they all lie. First, faith is not that passive thing we call belief because it's a principle of action. So for someone to have faith, they have to be motivated to put a belief into practice, not merely be content with keeping it in their mind. For example, we believe that Christ is the Savior, but because we have faith we ACT as if this were true, and follow His example as best we can. In fact, "acting as if..." is a fairly good phrase to define faith. On the other hand, faith is not "perfect knowledge" either. There is enough of an element of uncertainty about the thing we have faith in, that it takes an effort of conscious decision-making to test our faith's hypothesis. If we had a full knowledge of a thing, that whole test, and the faith to find out if it's true, wouldn't be necessary. Atheists will argue that faith is mere belief (and baseless, at that), but what I have described for faith here leads to a more "scientific" approach that Atheists would like to admit is operable in the minds of the faithful. The proper response to a scriptural assertion, then, becomes not blind obedience, but rather careful thought, hypothesis forming, and testing. As tests come back proven or unproven, faith will grow in the right direction until it approaches "perfect knowledge".

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.