Hi, I'm Nate

I'm a Samoan language and culture enthusiast. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in an active Mormon family, the third of six kids. I played sports throughout my youth, including football, track and field, wrestling, basketball, and a season of lacrosse. I was also involved in Boy Scouts and our church youth group.

I served a two year full-time mission to the Samoan islands. There I learned to love the people, their language, culture and food. In the years since then, I have tried to maintain my language abilities and read as much as I can about the history and culture of the Samoan people. Doing so has given me additional missionary experiences among the Samoan people.

Since my mission I have been a student, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in the exercise and nutritional sciences. My fields of study have taught me much about the marvels of God's creations.

I am a husband and a father. My family means everything to me. Despite the challenges of marriage and fatherhood, I can say that many of my greatest joys in life have come from being a member of a loving, Christ-centered family.

My primary hobby is reading. I read mainly nonfiction, especially items of historical interest, but I have recently rediscovered fiction.

Why I am a Mormon

At some point in the life of every child born to active Mormon parents the child must choose for him or herself whether to accept or reject his or her parents' faith. I am one of those children; despite being raised in an active Mormon family, I had to decide for myself that Mormonism was the thing for me.

Growing up, I never had any reason to doubt the truthfulness of the Gospel or the account of the Prophet Joseph Smith or the veracity of the Book of Mormon. Yet, it wasn't until I was 16 years old that I began to vigorously pursue an understanding of my Mormon faith, with its doctrine and history.

This search for a personal testimony of the truth was inspired in large part through my association with good friends at school--many of them fellow Mormons--and the invitation by a loving seminary teacher to read the entire Book of Mormon before a certain date.

I committed to finish the Book of Mormon, but the night before the due date I still had 65 chapters left to read: 3 Nephi 1 through Moroni 10! Instead of going to sleep that night I sat up in my bed and finished--for the very first time--the Book of Mormon.

At that time I didn't hear choirs of angels, but I didn't need to. I was at peace. I had kept my committment and I had a conviction that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Since then I have reread the Book of Mormon many times. Its guiding influence has blessed my life in countless ways, not the least of which has been the centering of my faith on the Savior Jesus Christ.

I am a Mormon who chooses to remain Mormon because of my own personal experiences, and not merely because I was born to Mormon parents.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

My prayers have been answered in many different ways. On a few occasions I have had quite immediate, powerful answers to prayers. In hindsight, I probably received such quick answers because I was ready for them and needed to have them right then.

For instance, near the end of my mission to the Samoan islands, I knelt down to pray and had no sooner begun than I received the very distinct impression that I needed to begin school at the university just as soon as I returned to the United States. I obeyed that impression and have seen many, many blessings come into my life as a result, including the choicest of friends, job opportunities, and important life experiences that I very likely wouldn't have had if I hadn't obeyed.

Other prayers have taken a long time to be answered, probably so I'd be ready to receive the Lord's answer. For example, I wanted to get married relatively soon after my mission. For me, in addition to a college education, marriage was the thing I wanted most.

However, it took four years after my mission for my prayers to be answered. In the interim, I learned a lot about myself that helped me better prepare for married life. I learned more about patience. I learned how to better trust in the Lord's timetable. I learned to enjoy my time as a single guy and that I didn't need to define myself by my marital status.

In every case, I have known without a doubt that the answers I was receiving to my prayers were from a loving Heavenly Father who knows exactly what I need and when I need it. Sometimes the answer to my prayers comes as a 'still, small voice' that is more felt than heard. Other times, I have felt that a course of action I've settled on is not something I should actually pursue. Most often, however, I feel peace, joy, happiness, and other fruits of the spirit that are mentioned in the New Testament in Galatians 5:22-23.

I am grateful for the power of prayer in my life.

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

I served a two year full-time mission for the Church in the Samoan islands. I learned to love the people, the language, culture, and food. Those two years were a tremendous blessing in my life and I'll always be grateful to Heavenly Father that experience.

For the past few years I've been able to spend a lot of time with the local Samoan community. I've been able to use my language skills God blessed me with to teach the gospel in Samoan and encourage the Samoan people to remember their heritage--to teach it to their children--because there is much in their beautiful, traditional way of life that can draw them closer to the Savior Jesus Christ.

How I live my faith

Right now my responsibility in our congregation is to spearhead our members' efforts to share the gospel with family and friends. I work closely with the full-time missionaries, frequently making visits to members of our congregation as well as people not of our faith to teach them more about the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The best part of my responsibilities is being able to talk about how the gospel has changed and blessed my life. Though I was born to active Mormon parents, I had to figure out things for myself. My decisions to pursue a personal testimony and live up to God's commandments has brought me more joy and happiness than I can describe. I'm always grateful to share my feelings about the gospel with those who are willing to listen and know more.

In addition to my duties with missionary work in our congregation, I recently helped out for a few months with Sunday lessons with the 12 to 13 year old boys. Sometimes they could be a handful, but I saw in them so much strength and potential for doing great good in the world. I think I learned as much from them as they learned from me. Instead of getting into trouble with friends or drugs or whatever, these young men faithfully do their duty within their congregation and community. They are a constant reminder that there is much good in the rising generation.

Do Mormons only help Mormons?

Nate answered...

Not too long ago, I joined with two other men from our local Mormon congregation and the two full-time missionaries to help a non-Mormon family move all their belongings to a new house across town. We had a fun time getting to know this family and they were grateful to have such support from people that they hadn't really met until the day of the move.

Mormons are always willing to lend a hand to help in any way they can. We are known for being able to organize quickly at the "grass roots" level and respond to community needs, be it disaster cleanup, restocking a food bank, or helping a neighbor who is not of our faith to move across town.
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Robert answered...

Absolutely not! I grew up in the church and I'd say the number of people that I've helped in the church is significantly smaller than the number of people I've assisted out side the church. This is not to say I don't help my fellow church members. We believe that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. And by that reasoning we are all brothers and sisters. I take that to heart and when I see someone in need I try to help to the best of my ability and training. Organized service projects aside, I've helped several stranded motorists on the side of the road. I give food to people I've seen that appear to be hungry on the side of the road. And for a long time, when I was growing up, my dad and I would do Meals on Wheels for those in need. I've volunteered at soup kitchens more recently. And during times of widely known hurricanes, I've volunteered on clean up crews multiple times. There is a song we have in our church called "Because I Have Been Given Much." I don't want to post the entire lyrics here, but they are available on a popular search engine. That song is very poignant to me and has always been near and dear to my heart. Also being a former Boy Scout, I have tried to uphold both the Scout Law and Oath to this day. I love my Heavenly Father, and I love my fellow man and want to do all I can to help others in any way I can.

What are Mormon Temples used for?

Bonnie. answered...

They are peaceful, pure places, where only those who have committed to live the most discipled lives can go to ponder and pray. They are places where we learn about God's plan for all of humanity, and where we promise to do all in our power to help all of His children, and receive promises that we can be with Him as well. We wear white clothing that is simple, and remove our watches and bling, to demonstrate a willingness to let go of our day-to-day concerns to focus on the real things: people, and their worth to God.