Hi, I'm Dave

I grew up in California, and study accounting at a university in Utah. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. When I graduated high school, I moved to Provo, UT to attend Brigham Young University. After my first year of studies, I left to serve as a missionary for the church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I really found myself through that experience and returned home to continue school in Provo. I study accounting and am working on my master's degree. I plan to work as a CPA in public accounting when I graduate. I got married in Utah in 2008 to my best friend and we've been happily married since. I love to music including playing guitar and piano and I really enjoy the outdoors particularly snowboarding, fly fishing, golf, and hiking. I like technology and in my spare time I like improving my computer skills by learning various programs.

Why I am a Mormon

Both of my parents are Mormon so I was raised on those principles. When I was about 15 I really began to question the validity of the church. I would constantly ask myself: Is God really there? Does he care about me? How can I know? What is the purpose of life? Although I had been taught clear answers to these questions growing up, I couldn't just simply take their word, I had to ask for myself. How could I really know? After some serious reflection the idea of faith came to my understanding. I thought to myself that even if I don't know right now, I at least can believe or assume it's true and see the results that follow. In taking that step of faith, I began to act and live as if it were true, I read the scriptures daily especially the Book of Mormon, I prayed, I attended church and served others and I tried to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In doing so, a major transformation occurred. Feelings of doubt and despair were replaced with hope and enthusiasm. I felt in my heart that things I was doing and living were true. I wanted to be a better person and I wanted to know more. That transformation has influenced the rest of my life. To this day, I continue to grow and find faith through the teachings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I would encourage anyone that has similar doubts to exercise faith and find out if what I now believe is true.

Personal Stories

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

The Holy Ghost has helped me to confirm righteous decisions and avoid wrong ones. Having received the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, I have the right to have the Holy Ghost with me always as I keep the promises I made at baptism. I find it very helpful to recognize moments when I don't feel the Holy Ghost rather than when I do feel the Holy Ghost. These experiences allow to me to correct my behavior so I can have that guidance again. I find that when I pray frequently, listen to or sing hymns, read the scriptures or share my testimony with others, I can feel the Holy Ghost. I've also learned that whatever I spend my time doing will influence my thoughts and essentially the influence of the Holy Ghost. Making sacrifices to spend more time thinking about the gospel has proven to be a great blessing in my life as I need the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I have had many moments on a daily basis where I have used the Holy Ghost to avoid unrighteous behavior or to do something I should like helping a friend in need.

What have you done successfully to shield your family from unwanted influences?

My wife and I have really tried to control the media that we allow in our home. We avoid music that is degrading or vulgar. We limit our time on the internet or television and try to replace those influences with other activities. Recently my wife and I have had a lot of fun going on hikes and trying new activities in town.

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

Right now, it's just my wife and me. Over time, we've realized that the only way to keep our family strong and be successful is to build it on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We try to read scriptures together daily and pray as well. On a weekly basis we attend church and we try to go on a date to keep our relationship strong. When we are consistent in doing these things, we are happier as a couple and more unified at home. I also feel like we are better preparing ourselves to raise children in our home as we do these things.

Why/How do you share the gospel with your friends?

When I discover a cool, new product, I immediately tell my friends about it. The gospel is no different, in fact it is the single most important influence in my life. Why not share that with the ones I care about? I believe the gospel to be true and that has blessed my life tremendously which gives me all the reason to share it with others because I believe it can have similar impacts in others lives. To share the gospel with friends I think the most important thing I do is invite them and let them know they are welcome to learn about my beliefs. I want them to share my beliefs with them in hopes that they'll find similar happiness from the truths that I have learned.

How can we develop greater harmony in our homes?

By developing faith in Jesus Christ and studying His gospel. My wife and I try to study the scriptures together each night and we pray together as well. By doing so we are more kind and loving to each other because we try to follow the example of Jesus Christ. We also are united in our belief. We share the things we learn with each other and we grow together. The gospel is an excellent way to unite the family.

Why do Mormons go on missions?

We go on missions because we believe that we have a great message to share with everyone. We believe that Jesus Christ died for us so that through him we can return to live with God after this life. Many people in the world that aren't Mormon also believe this. We are unique in that we claim that the church was restored to a prophet in our modern day. With that restoration came the priesthood authority to baptize and to teach the correct principles of the gospel that existed when Christ was on the earth. If our message is true, it is the greatest message since the angels announced the Savior's birth. Why not share our message? I served a mission because I believed and felt that this message was true and because it was true I had a desire and a duty to share it with everyone that wanted to learn more about it. I have seen many people's lives changed by learning about and accepting the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone can learn about it and the missionaries of the church is the way they learn about it.

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

I know this sounds cliche but God does answer every prayer in his own way and his own time. As I have learned to "listen" to answers to my prayers I've realized how much God really does care about each of us individually. One of the most definitive answers to my prayers I ever received was when I was a serving as a missionary for the church. I was close to finishing my two years in Canada and I had the option to go home honorably 30 days early to make it back before school started. If I didn't take this option I would have to start school a semester later which would delay my education plans. After a few weeks of praying I still felt very conflicted. I personally wanted to go home early because I had always planned to be back for school at that time. Every time I prayed I asked God that I could go home early and that I would feel good about it. I never received a peaceful answer. As the time for my decision grew closer I became more conflicted. I couldn't feel confident in my decision to go home earlier. I decided to ask God that he would let me know what He wanted me to do. A few days later I was sitting in a church meeting and the thought came to me, why don't I serve my full term and take some classes online to catch up when I get home? Immediately, I felt an overwhelming peace, I could finally put the issue to rest and I felt confident that God supported that decision. Many times we have to study out our questions to God, as we are patient and search for God's will, we receive answers to our prayers. Little did I know how critical that answer to prayer was. Had I not stayed the full term I would have never met my wife. God has plans for us that we could not even imagine. If we submit to His will when we pray we will find that God answers every prayer.

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ applies to everyone who lived on the earth even those that have died. Those that die continue to live as spirits in a place we often refer to as the Spirit World. The spirits there can be taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and if they choose, they can accept that gospel much like it is here today. Ordinances like baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost that are essential for salvation can be performed by those that are still living in behalf of those that have died. We do family history work so that we can perform those ordinances on their behalf in our temples across the world. That way if they choose to accept the gospel the ordinance is performed on their behalf as if they accepted the gospel while they were still living. This doctrine is a testimony to me of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I don't believe that some person who was not directed by God could have restored such a comprehensive doctrine that allows everyone who ever lived on the earth to have access to the Atonement.

Please share your feelings/testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel.

The Restoration of the Gospel means a lot to me. I have read the Book of Mormon and have felt the Holy Ghost testify its truth to me every time I read and search its pages for understanding. Because the Book of Mormon is true, I also know that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet in our modern days because he was given power to translate it. Because I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I also know that those who succeeded him as prophet including our prophet today is called and ordained of God. Because of the Restoration, I have a complete understanding of the principles of the gospel, specifically that through faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, I can be cleansed from sin through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I also know because of the Restoration that the priesthood authority of God is restored to perform the ordinance of baptism which is essential for salvation. I believe that God is a God of order in that His doctrines apply to everyone. The Restoration is the means that God clarified His doctrine so that we as His children do not have to doubt what His will is; we have a prophet to guide us as well as scriptures to confirm His teachings. Also, through the Restoration I have a greater knowledge of God's love for us in these modern days. God loves us just as much as he loved the people in ancient times. We have so many witnesses of God's existence and His love for everyone through the restoration.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is an expectation that something good will happen in the future. Ultimately, I have hope in Jesus Christ and that through his sacrifice, I can be able to return to live with God. This hope is a key motivation to me in living gospel principles, attending church, and repenting for my mistakes.

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

I took a Book of Mormon class my first semester of college. It was the first time I really studied the book rather than just read it. There were so many things that came alive to me. I had such a better understanding of God's teachings and His relationship with me. I knew that He cared about me and would bless me for obedience to His teachings just as He blessed the people in the Book of Mormon. I loved to read the stories and then apply them to my life. I found answers to many questions that were specific to my challenges in life as I applied the experiences in the Book of Mormon.

How has attending Church services helped you?

I've gained a lot of strength from other members by attending church services. When we meet as a congregation, we share testimony and experiences that help all of us grow collectively. I feel inspired to live righteously by seeing the example of others. I'm also strengthened by the friendships I develop at church. I hope everyone can see the welcoming and inspiring environment that is available from attending church.

How I live my faith

Given my background in accounting, I've had a lot of recent opportunities to serve the local congregation as a financial clerk. This experience has been a win win because it is a way that I feel like I can serve others and at the same time work on my own skills and abilities. I also have several families that I visit on a monthly basis to share a spiritual message and look after their needs. My wife and I spend some time each day to read scriptures with each other and talk about what we learn.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Dave answered...

The most general definition of a cult is "followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices."
Some people feel that our practices and beliefs are exclusive in that only a select few can participate in our faith. This is completely not true. We invite everyone to participate in our religious beliefs and practices and everyone is allowed given that they meet certain requirements. None is excluded from such practices but there is an order to all things. It is the same idea that you must first complete grade school before entering college. Just because there are prerequisites for some of our religious practices does not mean that they are exclusive.
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Suzanne answered...

I don't know. Quite honestly when labels are used I think this comes from someone's desire to quickly explain away something that they don't understand. If they really took a hard look at the church it would be easy to tell that Mormons do not blindly follow any human being. I think maybe someone who might use that label could look at the level of commitment and obedience found among the members of this church and casually explain this away as blind obedience. They certainly do not see the personal struggles and the effort that maintaining a personal relationship with God requires. Like most Mormons I think, I do what I do out of devotion and love. It may start out as duty and habit, but as I have come to know God and His mercy and love (the big picture) I can't help but want to keep the commandments. I don't follow a person, I follow God and His Son and they help me every step of the way.

What is faith?

Zen answered...

Of all the definitions of faith I have read or heard, I add the simplest and most complete to me, which is the Love of Christ. I cannot think of a better way to describe faith. Love of Christ is the substance of hope in something evident we can not see with earthly eyes. It is the faith in Christ or the love of Christ that enabled Able to make a more perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 11:4). That love is why we believe in Christ, it is why we have grace, it is why we have works, it is why we have belief, it is why we have hope, it is why we have charity, it is the very essence of faith, and faith is the very essence of the Love of Christ

Perfect knowledge is worthless without faith. For instance, most of us have perfect knowledge that applying a pointed pencil to paper will cause a mark. That knowledge will not make a mark if we do not exercise the elements of faith called works (picking up the pencil, applying it to the paper, and making a mark), belief (that doing so will make a mark), and hope (that it actually will make a mark). It is my desire that you would exercise works to find out about Christ and study Him, that you would believe on His words and His life and His sacrifice, and that you would hope that He would have an effect in your life. If you exercise this faith, you will truly come unto Him.