Hi, I'm Paul

I was raised in NJ. Currently I live in Malaysia. I'm a convert to the Church and proud to be a Mormon.

About Me

I am the oldest of three children. We were all raised Catholic by two really great parents. I was even an alter boy through high school and a member of the Catholic Choir at West Point.

After a pretty tragic incident that ended my military career, I turned away from the Catholic church. For a while I denied the very existance of God. Eventually I found Buddhism through a martial arts sensei. I found the LDS Church when I returned to college, and have been very happy with my decision to follow Christ.

I have a love of all things Irish. My wife and I spent a month backpacking around the Emerald Isle a few years ago.

I'm also an avid technologist and love "the cloud". I'm currently getting a Masters in Business Information Technology at a school in Malaysia. While I'm not a dad yet, I'm pretty excited to start having kids with my sweetheart. For now we love to take care of our "furry children", a dog named Jack and a kitten named Tigger.

Why I am a Mormon

Wow... why am I a Mormon... huh.

Well that's a good question. I guess it all comes down to happiness.

When I was in college I was an avid partier and all around "fun dude". Right before graduation I met a girl who had served a mission in Japan and we got talking about Buddhism, which is something that I had studied for several years. Over time I started to ask some pretty solid questions about her church.

Just as my questions were starting to get more "sophisticated", I spent Thanksgiving weekend with a friend of mine from Idaho who was also LDS. His dad had just been called to be a ward bishop, which is sort of like a priest in a Catholic parish at least that is how I saw it. He and I stayed up late every night that holiday weekend as he answered every question I could come up with. After about 15 hours total of Q&A time, I had gotten my intellectual fill. He gave me a Book of Mormon and a copy of the Gospel Principles book a Sunday school guide book. I thanked him and told him that if I was ever going to return to Christianity, I would be Mormon, but I was just fine the way I was.

However, the harmony of his family and the way you could just tell how much they loved each other really stuck with me. Now I come from a really affectionate family, but there is something different about a family that truly believes they will be together forever, like my friend's family did. The fact that they prayed together every night also really stuck with me. There was just a peacefulness that really connected with me. When I went home to my family for Christmas, I started to notice that void. The peacefulness just wasn't there. And while we loved each other, the idea that we would be together forever wasn't something that the Catholic church really believed.

I decided to meet with the missionaries as soon as I returned to college after the break. My conversion wasn't easy, as I had a lot of worldly habits that weren't exactly in line with the Church, but it's been worth it.

That girl I was dating eventually became my wife. We got married by our Bishop and then later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. I'm grateful for her and for my friends in Idaho that showed me a better way. I'm truly happier for it.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized when I was 27 years old by a friend of mine from college. I can remember that I was so excited about the whole process. When my buddy pulled me out of the water I remember feeling like I did when I was just a lad going for my first holy communion in the Catholic church... just really close to God.

What is incredible about the whole experience is that I feel that way all of the time now. Maybe not jumping up and down excited like I was when I got baptized, but every time I make choices in line with the Gospel, or take the sacrament, or share my testimony of Jesus Christ, I get that same "close to God" feeling, like I am doing something that He is really proud of. And that is cool.

How I live my faith

I'm currently serving as the Young Men's President in my branch. It's been a pretty big adjustment for me, as I wasn't raised in the church. I can remember me joking with my parents who are not members of the Church about the calling. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Yep, I was asked to be Young Men's President."
Parents: "Wow. So what does that mean?"
Me: "I have no idea. I know that it involves young men and me leading them? "

In all seriousness I have really enjoyed the opportunity to serve the lads in our little branch. I get to teach them Sunday school, we go camping, have movie nights and pool parties overall it just a good time. It hasn't always been easy having a calling like that and pursuing a masters degree full time, but I have really come to understand how Christ helps us to meet the challenges we are faced with.

Why are only some Mormons allowed into temples? Is there something secret going on in Mormon Temples? What goes on in Mormon Temples?

Paul answered...

That's a question I had to answer for my parents when my wife and I got married (or sealed) in the Salt Lake Temple. Since they weren't members they weren't able to be there in the room when the marriage was performed.

However, there's nothing secret about the Temples. In fact there will be a temple open house in Philadelphia which is near my parents, which I want them to go to. An open house happens after a temple is built, just before it is "dedicated" or blessed. During this window, anyone of any faith can go into that temple.

Before the building is dedicated, its just another nice building. However, once it is dedicated, we believe that the temple is a sacred place, were man can be closer to Heaven than any other place on Earth. As such, once a temple is dedicated and becomes sacred, we believe that only those people who live their lives in line with God's commandments are permitted to enter.

The great thing is that all of us are able to live our lives like that. What's even better is that not only do we get to go to the temple, but we are blessed in the process of living our lives in harmony with the way Christ wants us to live.
Don answered...

Recently I taught a Sunday School lesson about the Apostle Paul who was cast into jail because of being falsely accused of taking non-jews into the holy parts of the ancient temple. The penalty for doing so was death. It caused me to think of the sacredness of the temple, and that people throughout history have gone through a preparation process in order to approach God through temple worship.

In our time, both members of the church and non-members who have not prepared are turned away from the sacred parts of the temple not because of secrets, but rather due to the sacred nature of the temple and the preparation required to go there. Anyone can go to the temple, given they prepare themselves and demonstrate that preparation in a visit with those responsible for qualifying persons for entrance to the temple.

I love the peace that comes from being in the temple, having prepared myself to approach the Lord in His house. I feel His Spirit there. I am grateful that others who are there have prepared themselves in the same way.

Anyone who wants to know more about the nature of the temples can ask any missionary what it takes to qualify to go there. My personal experience and witness is that it is worth qualifying oneself and experiencing the beauty and peace that is constantly there.

What is done with the tithing that Mormons pay?

April answered...

Tithing is paid in faith. I know these funds will not be misused. I pay tithing because it is a commandment, and because I love God and want to give Him back a small porion of what He has given me, to futher build up His church. These funds go to build and maintain church buildings and temples and other like expenses. Our clergy is not paid. There is no collection plate. We simply pay our tithing, our fast offerings, we share what we have gladly. This is God's way. For this is God's church.