Hi, I'm Jason

I'm a Mormon who grew up and currently lives in Central California. I enjoy the outdoors and spending time with family.

About Me

I'm a married, college graduate with four children who enjoys doing outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, shooting, scuba diving, surfing and fishing although these days with a job and family I don't get to do all that fun stuff nearly as often as I would like. I also enjoy reading, collecting rocks, studying military history, and doing scouting. I started in cub scouts when I was 8 years old and stayed in it until I was 18, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. These days I am a cub master for a local cub scout troop and enjoy it greatly. My family has been in California since the late 1850s.

Why I am a Mormon

My mother joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Mormons when I was a boy. I essentially grew up in the faith from that point on attending the church's Sunday programs for kids and teens. My father is not a member of the faith but has been supportive of my siblings and me because of the good things the gospel has done in helping us to become who we are today.

Even growing up from a young age in the faith, there came a point in my life where I had to make a decision to find out for myself if this was what I wanted and if the gospel of Jesus Christ was really found in this church. Like many of my peers, I struggled in High School with all the various challenges, problems, and temptations.

Towards my late teens I found that no matter how appealing the things my friends were doing seemed to be, they just left me feeling empty and lost. One of my friends died in a car accident three days before graduation which should have been a wake up call but I just became even more self destructive. The choices I was making did not make me happy.

I didn't do anything criminally wrong that would put me in jail but the decisions I was making were in contrast to the teachings I had received from my faith. I knew I had been happy before but now I was not. It was a tough time in my life. Things seemed so hopeless and I felt like I had no purpose. The world and even the universe seemed so big and I felt so insignificant. Bad things were happening all over the world and I just felt buried in the idea of how horrible life was and how pointless it all seemed.

I finally got my life together when I was reminded of how I used to feel and how I saw the world when I was an active member of the church. I threw myself into the faith I had been raised in, found out for myself that the Savior of the world was real, that He loved me, and that there was a plan. No longer was I just going through the motions but I became a part of it and it became a part of me. I found real purpose and meaning in my life. I knew who I was, why I was here, and what I could become. I knew that God loved and had a plan for me. That I was born for a reason and that he had provide a Savior for me so that I could be forgiven for my mistakes.

The hopelessness faded away and I felt like I was a new person. The Savior Jesus Christ and His Church became an anchor for me in this stormy world. All my problems didn't just go away. My life wasn't suddenly free from trials and challenges but now I could face them. I wasn't alone anymore and had God's strength to carry me through.

I have been faced with many other challenges in life and the Lord has seen me through. Every obstacle that is overcome with him at my side has made me stronger. I have done things that I did not think I could do and overcome challenges that felt overwhelming because I knew who I was. I am a son of God and He is with me. That is why I am a Mormon.

Personal Stories

How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?

We live in a world of uncertainty. There is so much going on that it can seem overwhelming at times. There are wars, natural disasters, horrible crimes, corruption, broken families, and so many other bad things that sometimes it is easy to get depressed when watching the news or seeing what is going on in our own neighborhoods. Sometimes life just seems so pointless at best. It is easy to ask yourself why I even matter or is life even worth living.

The Plan of Happiness reminds me of my purpose in life. Because of the Plan of Happiness I know who I am, why I am here on this earth, why God seems to allow bad things to happen, where I am going, and who I can become.

Life without the Plan is like being lost on a tiny boat on a stormy ocean without a way to steer. When we have the Plan of Happiness it’s as if someone suddenly gives us an objective, a map, compass, sails, and a rudder. Now instead of just being thrown around I know where I’m headed, have a means to get there, and the tools needed to make that journey. And I have those tools not just for me but for my family as well.

Life isn’t easy but with the tools that the Plan of Happiness brings to my life I know what to do. I know who I am, that I’m a son of my Heavenly Father, and I know my purpose in life. I know where I’m going and how to get there. With those tools, all the bad things in the world become noise and distractions. While there are still challenges to overcome having those tools makes doing that so much easier.

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

There are so many distractions in life, things that would focus our attention on things other than our families. Television, the internet, MP3 players, and a host of other media are all competing for our attention. While all of these things can have a good purpose, too often they isolate us from the most important things in our lives such as our relationships with our families and also with God.

Is it no wonder then that when we do have interactions with members of our family we sometimes don’t do them very well. When our conversations with our children and spouse become lists of chores, harping about behavior, assignments to do more activities, and criticism for things that don’t meet our expectations between television commercials, the results are tension and discord. Spouses and children need more from us they need our time and our attention. They need to feel loved and safe in our homes. They need to feel connected to us and to each other.

Relationships take time but can be destroyed quickly by inattention. I can take years for a tree to grow and produce tasty fruit but only a few missed times turning on the water to stunt its growth or even kill it. So it is with family relations. Mormons believe that the family is central to our Heavenly Father’s plan and that we can be together forever thus there is a tremendous emphasis in our faith in building these relationships.

The programs of the church are designed around the family and are created to support it. There are no church activities on Mondays to allow families to spend time together. Families are encouraged to use this time to learn about the gospel, play games, and do other family activities. Families are encouraged to pray and read from the scriptures together every day. Families attend church on Sunday and other religious activities together. Other social activities are held at church for families to do as a unit. Church activities that exclude family or compete with precious family time are rare and often discouraged by church leaders.

When we spend time together, we can build relationships with each other that will help increase the peace and harmony in our home. Home is more than a place to eat and sleep, it is a place where families can come together to grow and love one another. But we have to spend that time together getting to know each other. We have to unplug from the various forms of media and work as a family to bring this about. It’s not easy but it makes all the difference.

How I live my faith

How do I live my faith? One of the things that I learned when I became an adult and found out for myself about the Savior Jesus Christ was that it wasn't enough to just go to church on Sunday. Real change and faith require action. I had to live my beliefs in order for them to really work in my life and make me a better person. I couldn't just be a Mormon on Sunday and be someone else the rest of the week. This was especially true once I had children. They needed me to be a good example of the Savior and I couldn't do that by being one way on Sunday and different the rest of the week.

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives me a chance to help be a part of this great work. I have had the wonderful experience and opportunity to serve in various jobs or what is referred to as "callings" in the church. I have taught children and teens Sunday School, served as a leader in the church's men's organization for our congregation, served as a member of the faith's Priesthood in religious worship and ceremonies, and many other capacities. Currently, as a member of the church’s Priesthood, I serve as the Executive Secretary for our congregation's Bishop and his counsel of leaders. It is a very challenging yet unique experience.

Members of our faith do not get paid for the time spent serving in the various jobs or callings in the congregation although at times it can seem like a second job. I also have a regular job in my family's farm equipment business and farming operation. There have been times I have been faced with ethical dilemmas where making the right decision was not easy but guided by the principles of my faith, I made the right decisions. I have told the people that worked for me to always be honest in their dealings, even though sometimes this has cost our business money and lost sales on occasion. I know that it is not worth it to gain the whole world but lose my soul in the process.

Members of our faith generally also do other activities outside of our normal church service. For me the guiding principles of being a Mormon lead me to a greater desire to be involved in my community. I am a member of the local Masonic Lodge and have been an officer in that fraternal organization. Our local Sheriff has a Community Oriented Policing program that I have trained for and been involved in.

My faith encourages us to be prepared for emergencies and disasters which seem like a pretty good idea with all the earthquakes and other things going on in the world. I'm on our congregation's Emergency Preparedness Committee and have taken several FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency training classes to help with that. I have also taken First Aid and CPR training to “Be Prepared”, a concept I learned as a Boy Scout which is emphasized greatly by my church. This training is also good for helping in the community should a disaster strike.

This training in emergency preparedness and a desire to be ready if a disaster happened, got me interested in Ham Radio and licensed so I could communicate in a natural disaster when other forms of communication fail. I am also a Cub master for the Cub Scout pack that is sponsored by our congregation. Cub Scouting brings me in contact with members of the community and gives me an opportunity to give back to a wonderful program that gave me so much when I was growing up.

Being a disciple of Christ is an active role and my faith allows me to live the gospel teachings in various ways in my community and in my occupation. The gospel of Jesus Christ requires us to be active on the field of life and not just spectators on the sidelines. I believe that by actively living the teachings of Jesus Christ we show our love and devotion for the Savior of the world.

I think one of the best ways we get to serve in the church is through the home and visiting teaching programs. Every member of our faith is assigned another member and family who watches over them and helps them when they are in need. No one forces me to do this I do it because I want to. I think it is a great way to emulate the example set for by our Savior Jesus Christ.

I currently have four families that I watch over. Each month I visit these families accompanied by another member of our faith and see what their needs are and deliver a gospel message. I have had many opportunities to help these families and have grown from it. These families have become more than just an assignment or a responsibility, they have become my friends. There are also church members assigned to visit my own family. It is nice knowing that I am not alone, and that if I do need help that I can call on someone for help. In this way we emulate the Savior by going out and serving those in need.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just Sunday worship. It is a call to action in each of our lives. We learn and grow to be more like our Savior by doing. As the Savior said, "In as much as ye have done it until the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." I believe this verse symbolizes the zeal we have as Mormons to live our faith.

What is the Mormon lifestyle like? How do Mormons live?

Jason answered...

I once worked with a guy from England who, when I told him I was Mormon, didn’t believe me at first. In his mind, Mormons were folks that rode in buggies, wore home made clothes, and lived without television or electricity. I informed him he was getting Mormons mixed up with the Amish and then proceeded to explain to him that we lived our lives very similar to how most people do throughout America.

Chances are that you come into contact with Mormons all the time and don’t even know it. Why? Because we look a lot like everyone else and live our lives like most folks. We dress in modern clothing although we try and avoid extreme styles that might be too revealing. We work in regular jobs, live in regular neighborhoods, and have regular families. I constantly meet new people who are Mormons in my career, online, and traveling throughout the country. They are found in every state and nearly every country of the world. Just regular folks trying to live their lives, earn a living, and raise their children.

Mormons tend to be very active in their families, in their church, and even in the community. They take their kids to sports practices and music lessons. They attend church services on Sundays and give service during the week. Some are even involved in serving their community, state, or country in elected positions for both major political parties.

Our day to day lives are very similar to most people. We get up and go to work, school, etc just like everyone else. But when we get home we try and spend time with our families or serve as a volunteer in our local congregation. Since Mormons do not have a paid, professional clergy we get to take turns doing the various jobs that need to be done in our congregations. Some of our free time is spent doing these jobs or in visiting other members of the congregation which may be different than how people not of our faith spend their free time.

Our time with our families is spent doing normal family things. We might watch a movie together, visit a theme park, go camping, or spend some time swimming in the pool just like everyone else. But we do some things that are unique with our families. Each day we come together and pray together as a family. Monday nights are reserved for something called Family Home Evening where families come together to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, play games together, and grow together as a family. The church does not schedule activities on Monday nights to support families in making the decision to spend time together each week.

The focus on the family helps strengthen relationships with our children and spouses. Our service in our congregations helps us strengthen the sense of community and family in our church congregation. Aside from those minor day to day differences, we are pretty much like everyone else. I also explained much of this to my English friend and now he knows the difference between how Mormons live and the Amish. Hopefully you do too!
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What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ? Do Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Nathan answered...

I go to college in what many people consider the "bible belt" of America. Many people assume I'm not a christian or that I don't believe in Jesus Christ as the literal Son of God. Most people don't realize just how christian our faith is and they're usually surprised at how similar many of our beliefs are. The truth is Jesus Christ is the Son of God and there is no other name by which people can be saved. Jesus Christ is my savior and the Savior of the world. His goodness is available to all and brings happiness to anyone who reaches out to Him.