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Hi, I'm Reuben Dunn
I'm a husband, a father of three, a Dodgers fan, and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California.
About Me
I am a convert of over 30 years I joined the Church when I was 18.
I've been in the military, in fact I was home for two weeks after boot camp when I was baptised into the LDS Church.
After my discharge from the military, I had the opportunity to serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I am the father of three children, two boys and a lovely girl.
I enjoy reading about history, politics, and enjoy reading about the history of the LDS Church. I have a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why I am a Mormon
In 1978, while a high school student, I became involved with a youth choir at a local LDS congregation. This came about because I overheard some friends of mine at school comment that they were looking for some guys to join the choir.
I had no church/religious connection for some time and the girls were a bit concerned that I might not fit in.
I went, participated in singing in the choir, and came to understood about the Restoration of the Gospel in these last days.
The members were very helpful in teaching me about the LDS church, why they believed that there were prophets and apostles on the earth today.
Prior to my leaving for military service, one of the choir members gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon and challenged me to read it before I came home on leave.
In basic training time is heavily scheduled, there's no time to read a 530 page book, given the demands in our time from 5 am to 11 pm.
Somehow I had the time to read the book. It affected me in a way that no other book has. It felt familiar to me. I thrilled at the conversion of a king named Lamoni and his wife. I was moved by the example of humility that a prophet named Enos showed, as he prayed to God for forgiveness.
I knew that this book, the Book of Mormon, was special.
I took the challenge of Moroni to heart when he said that we should, after reciveving these things, ask God, with a sincere heart and with real intent, if these things were not true.
I prayed, and asked, and got my answer.
I returned home for 13 days after completing my basic and advanced training in the Army.
I ended up having the missionary discussions in 5 days and was baptised on the 7th day.
I can truly testify that there lving Prophets and Apostles on the earth today.
The Book of Momon is the word of God, it is another wittness of Jesus Christ, and, as Joseph Smith once said, a person can become closer to God by abiding by the precepts of that book than by any other.
Personal Stories
How has The Book of Mormon helped you understand the purpose of life?
The Book of Mormon, for myself and my children, has taken the bitter sting of death away, as they have had to deal with the passing away of their mother.
The Book of Mormon contains many, many words of eternal hope; that there is more to this life, that although all will, at some time or another, die, all will become alive through the gift of the Resurrection that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to the world.
A wise, compassionate Prophet of God, teaching his son about what happens after we die said the following: “Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life...And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. -Book of Mormon, Alma 40:11-12.
The Book of Mormon teaches that there is a purpose and a reason for our being here on earth, that, in addition to the Resurrection, we get a clear view of what lays ahead in our eternal journey to live with God.
My family has found great comfort, not only in the words of Alma, but by many, many other Prophets of God who, in the Book of Mormon, have provided to us a clear view of our journey, a road map, if you will. This clarity of sight makes our journey that much easier to navigate, and takes away that bitter, bitter sting that we all feel when a loved one passes away.
How has attending Church services helped you?
When I was in the military, when we went on field training exersises, we were under near wartime conditions. After about a week or so of this, parts of our unit would be rotated back to garrison for a few hours of rest, a shower, and a hot meal. It refreshed us and improved morale. We went back energized and ready to carry out our duties and responsiblities.
I look at my church attendance in the same light. For six days I'm on the front line, dealing with lifes everyday stresses, worries, challenges, and triumphs. Once a week I get to go back to garrison, so to speak, to relax, to partake of the sacrament of the Lord's supper and to get instruction on how to be better protected against the challenges that await us. For three hours I am fed and cleansed and prepared for the coming week.
I am able to meet with friends whose testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ has, on many occassions, fortified and strengthened me.
I am able to recall the feelings and testimony that brought me into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the first place.
Attending Church services reminds me that there is an eternal perspective that needs to be given more attention to than I might otherwise do.
Attending Church services is a calming refuge from whatever challenges life might be throwing at me at the moment.
Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.
I marvel that a young man in his early 20s, with little more than 3 years of any formal education, was able to, in the space of 80 non-consecutive days, translate a written record into English without any help, other than that which the Lord gave to him.
I've read about the life of Joseph Smith. I've read what he himself wrote about his "First Vision" experience in the grove of trees on that spring day in 1820, and I've seen what fruit has been produced since that vistiation of both the Father and the Son, over the past 170+ years.
I can testify to you that the heavens are not sealed and that we have a God in heaven who is actively concerned about us, His Children.
Through Jospeh Smith, in a little less than 20 years, God has restored His Son's Church on the earth, fulifilling Biblical prophecy.
The Lord, through Joseph Smith, restored the necessary priesthood authority to the earth that would allow a man and a wife to be united in a marriage that would last for time and all eternity, and not "till death us do part."
Joseph Smith is a very special man to me, and to the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We revere him as the instrument in Gods hands that ushered in the Restoration of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?
The late President Spencer W. Kimball, a former Prophet, once taught that the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was three fold, Proclaim the Gospel, Perfect the Saints, and Redeem the Dead through vicarious ordinance work.
Over the three decades of my membership in the Church I have had the wonderful opportunity to actively particapate in these three areas. Let me give a few examples of what I mean, from two of these areas.
Proclaim the Gospel. I have have the privilidge of seriving a full time mission after my discharge from the United States Military. While on my mission, I was able to meet, teach and help many families come to a better knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how that knowledge can unite that family forever.
Since my return from my mission, I have had similar opportunities as I have taught non-members alongside of the full time missionaries.
Perfect the Saints. I have been able to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in formal settings, as an instructor in our congregations, as well as a local leader. I have also been able to visit the homes of our members as a "home teacher". These visits provide contact with members and allows the local leadership to provide any assitance that might be needed, e.g., help with the home repairs, and, on occasion, providing food and other needed commodities.
We belive in service, to those who need it, whether they be members of the LDS faith or not.
We believe that by doing this service we are able to assit our brothers and sisters in their journey towards the Kingdom of God.
How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?
One of the hardest trials that we all have to face is the loss of a loved one. As a nine and a half year old boy, I experienced that loss as my mother passed away. At that time in my life I didn't know about the gospel and only knew that I no longer was with my mother.
Later, several years later, when I read the Book of Mormon for the first time, I read about a talk that a prophet who was named Alma, had with one of his sons. They were talking about the Resurrection and going into greater detail than is found in the New Testament. That talk that Alma had with one of his sons, as well as the other portions of the Book of Mormon that dealt with the plan of salvation, or the Plan of Salvation, provide me with long saught after answers.
Athough there is still a sense of sorrow, and a sense of loss, even after all these years, I am comforted in the knowledge that this seperation is brief, and, thanks to the blessings of the temple, there will be a continuation of the family past the grave.
Without the Restoration of the Gospel, as brought about by the Prophet Joseph Smith, this knowledge would remain hidden from the world, and the sorrow, and grief would perhaps be greater than it is at the moment.
Familes can be together forever.
The Plan of Salvation/Happiness teaches us all that.
Please share your feelings/testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel.
My testimony about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encompasses several different areas that it’s almost impossible to put them all into the space provided here.
I was eighteen years old when I became acquainted with the LDS Church. I was given a Book of Mormon prior to my entering into the military.
I have read that volume of scripture many, many times over the past three decades of my membership in the Church. Each time that I re-read this sacred book, I learn new things that will help my life and the lives of my family.
I have a knowledge or a testimony that Lord Jesus Christ lives and speaks to living Prophets and Apostles today.
I marvel that an unschooled young man, Joseph Smith, was the instrument that the Lord used to bring about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Over a 20 year period, the Lord, through Joseph Smith restored to the world the concept of the eternal family, the restoration of proper priesthood authority, the method and manner approved by the Lord Jesus Christ, of how baptisms should be performed. The Restoration has brought to the whole world the comforting knowledge that the heavens are not shut, that God the Eternal Father lives, and has an active interest in the lives of His Children. He, Heavenly Father, loves us so much that He has not only given us His Son Jesus Christ, but has also put into motion, through Joseph Smith, the means that will make it possible for the Family to be together forever.
My testimony is that the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an ongoing event. We have fifteen men who are living Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, the Lord’s senior Apostle, Thomas S. Monson, presides over our Church, and, as did Joseph Smith, along with those other men who succeeded him, will guide all of Heavenly Fathers children back to live with him forever.
How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?
Since reading the Book of Mormon for the first time as an 18 year old, in 1979, I have become closer to my understanding of the role that God plays in my life, as well as the role that I need to play in His.
The Book of Mormon brings both myself and my family closer to God because of the teachings that it contains. Within its pages we can better learn about faith; not only what it is, but how to apply this key component in our daily lives.
The Book of Mormon brings both myself and my family closer to God by explaining to us what happens to us after we die. We learn about the gift of the resurrection that Jesus Christ provided for all the world.
This sacred record brings us closer to God by giving examples of great men of God, who stood firm in their beliefs concerning Jesus Christ. In todays shifting world of values, I think that it's important to stand firm on one's beliefs. The example of men and women in the Book of Mormon who do just that, is inspiring to read.
These few examples are barely the tip of the ice burg of how the Book of Mormon has brought my family and I closer to God.
I sincerely hope that you will both read and pray about this sacred scripture.
This book of scripture will bring you closer to God. We have His promise.
Could you talk about your baptism?
I was baptized in 1979. I had been home on leave from the Army, and was baptized after meeting with the missionraries.
That service was special to me as my friends who had introduced me to the Restored Gospel were there to share in the moment with me.
If I had to come up with a three word discription of my baptism it would be this: " I felt Clean".
Baptism is done by immersion, as it was done in the New Testament. The Elder who baptized me had the authority from God, which made all the diference.
Baptism is for the remission of sin. We go down into the waters of baptism, dressed in white, which symbolizes purity and cleanleness. However we are "stained" with the burdens of our sin.
The words "Having been commission of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.." are powrful ones. That Elder who baptized me was standing in place of the Savior of the world.
When I came out of the waters of baptism, I felt clean inside. Those stains were no longer in my soul and I was as pure and clean as the baptismal clothing that I was wearing.
It was a special moment.
Each Sunday as I partake of the Sacrament of the Lords' Supper, I am renewing my covenants that I made at my baptism; to take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember him, to keep His commandments.
Baptism for me was not the end. It was not the beginning of the end. It was the end of the beginning for me and my progression to the Kingdom of God.
How I live my faith
I try to live my faith by the way I conduct myself at work, and have had some nice informal discussions with my colleagues as they have commented on the picture I had of my son, who was serving a mission at the time in West Africa.
From time to time, I have the opportunity of teaching Sunday School. This allows me the chance to share my wittness of the divine eternal mission of Jesus Christ. It allows me the priviledge of hearing others in my congregation express their feelings about the gospel of Jesus Christ, as we study the scriptures together.
Once a month my son and I will visit with a family in the ward to do what is known as "Home Teaching". This is a time for us to bring a gospel message to the family, as well as to see if there is anything that we could do for them, e.g., perhaps assist with some repair work around the house etc. We look after each others needs, both from a spiritual and from a secular level.
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What is done with the tithing that Mormons pay?
Reuben Dunn answered...
- Show more of my answers Show less of my answers One Moment Please
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April answered...
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Why do you have 12 Apostles? They were just meant to be around for the time of Jesus Christ, not to be replaced with new apostles.
Scott Jackson answered...
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The happiest marriages and families are those grounded on the principles Christ taught—unselfishness, honesty and loyalty.
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Joseph Smith
As is the case throughout history God has communicated to His children through prophets. God used a humble man as a prophet to restore His Church on earth who ultimately died defending His faith.
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