Hi, I'm Chase

I'm a student. I'm a swim teacher. I like to think I'm a writer. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in Michigan. As a matter of fact, I loved it. I remember when I was growing up and all my friends said they would rather live anywhere else. My thought was, "I wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life." Somehow they're all still there and I'm not. I went to Utah for school, and right now I'm serving an LDS mission for two years. My service began June 16th, 2010.
I'm drawn to writing. Trying to impart thoughts or feelings or sensations without any of the physical senses is an exciting challenge. Each word has a meaning. Each combination of words can change the meaning. People can - and I have seen this - talk for hours just saying the same thing different ways. That's probably what this is right here. My answers to each of these questions are my own way of saying the same thing every other faithful Latter Day Saint feels.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a Mormon because the gospel is everything. The gospel is the way that I can be with my family forever. I don't need money or stuff. I like it as much as the next person, but it's really easy to give up on it. There isn't an object that really feels like it's going to be around forever. Cars die. Computers get slow. Clothing wears out. My youngest brother was born when I was nine, and the only physical possession I think I still have from that time is my Book of Mormon. My family is alive, and it endures, and I love it. Heaven wouldn't be worth anything without my family. And love in families is one way that we can learn more about our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Most families aren't perfect, and some are very broken, but in a loving household the children know their parents love them. They know their parents want the best for them. Even in times of chastisement, everything is always for the benefit of the child. That's how our Heavenly Father is with us. And when we're not strong enough to do something on our own, Jesus Christ is there as our example and our aid.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

The gospel is true. That's what it all boils down to. Each missionary has a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and they want to share it. It's a message of happiness to all the world.
There are a lot of reasons for missionaries to go. They may feel it's what God wants from them. It's what their parents expect. They want to be able to bless their families or be examples to siblings. Any reason that gets a missionary to do the work is a good reason. But the testimony is what makes it wonderful.
Missions are often described as the best two years of one's life, up to that point. That's because missions bring missionaries closer to Christ. They've been entrusted with a sacred work: that of teaching Heavenly Father's children and inviting them to come unto Christ through Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. To assist them in this work, they are blessed to see more fully the love God has for each person they teach. Seeing how much Heavenly Father loves others makes it hard to be proud. But it also makes it easy to see just how much Heavenly Father loves you, too. Missionaries serve missions because they love Jesus Christ. They're happy to do it because they know He loves them.

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

How do I share the gospel with my friends? I'm not sure. There's one thing I know I try to do differently than a lot of people, and I'm sure it makes all the difference. A lot of my friends in the church would make it known that, "We can't do this," and "We can't do that." When time is limited, every word counts. "We can't do this," sounds negative. Next thing you know, our church is "the strict church." Mormons are the "people who can't do anything."
Commandments are a blessing from God for his children. They need to be viewed that way. It's not, for example, "We can't smoke," so much as it is, "We don't smoke." We don't do it because we don't want to. We don't want to because we know the Lord doesn't want us to. We know He doesn't want us to because He loves us. Moroni 7:6-8 says, "For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift, wherefore he is counted evil before God." The attitude of "can't" is the attitude that we wish we could. We do not want people to believe that we grudgingly obey the commandments, because ours should be an example of cheerfully doing the will of the Lord. In Moroni 7:13 it says, "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." The gospel makes us happy. Commandments teach us to love God. That's the message we want to share.
Why do I share the gospel with my friends? If I really love them, there's no greater gift I can give. The gospel is the ultimate source of joy.

How can we develop greater harmony in our homes?

I'd like to answer this question because I love my family. That's not to say I've experience perfect harmony, but I appreciate the things I've learned from my family. I'm grateful for the strong relationships I have with everyone. My family has set a superb example for me.
Of course, sometimes, when things are difficult, my mom will say, "All I wanted was a normal family. I thought I knew what I needed to do to make that happen. I don't know what I'm missing sometimes." I think a lot of people feel that way. Sometimes else, I don't remember who, said, "Agency seems like a good idea until your children want to use it." I think that might be one of the answers to anyone who's ever asked the same question as my mom.
Sometimes parents, children, or siblings do everything they can to have a perfectly loving atmosphere in the home and things still get messy. That's normal. You can't always control what everyone is going to do. But you can have strong relationships anyway. You can make it clear that no matter what, you are there for your family. Your love is unconditional.
That's one thing I believe my mom has done very well. Patience is one of the greatest demonstrations of love that leads to harmony in the home. That can mean patience in the small moments when you want to get mad, or patience over long periods of time. Anger can create rifts in seconds. Patience, especially longsuffering, creates enough trust for family members to eventually work together to sort out their differences. You can't control what everyone in your family does, but you can control yourself.
Growing up my mom always said, "You are going to be with your brothers forever. You must learn to get along with them." I usually heard that after I had failed to get along with them. But when I finally started taking that to heart, my relationship with them changed. Where before they hated to have me around, now they write me very faithfully on my mission. That didn't happen immediately. It was a slow enough process that I was surprised at how excited they were when I called from school for the first time. My mom is probably the better example here than I am. Patience and love. In spite of anything.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by striving to be obedient. Although I often fall short, and although it is often difficult, I always do this with a good attitude. That's why I'm serving a mission. Every commandment we have is for our well being. They make us free and happy. Commandments give us a layout of those things which really are important, or really are worth our time. My faith has given me joy. It's more than just happiness, it's a sense of purpose. It's a feeling of liberty. It's hopeful. I believe in charity: the pure love of Christ. This is something I strive to share with others. I know that it will bring them the same joy it has brought me.

How can I find someone to talk with, in person, about the Mormon religion?

Chase answered...

If you want to learn more about the church, that's super easy. There are a million different resources for just that purpose. One of the easiest is probably Mormon.org. It has answers to a lot of your questions. You can also ask to meet with the missionaries in person. They're all over the place, and that's exactly what they're doing there. If you know members, they're a wonderful resource. They can answer questions. They can refer you to missionaries. They can help you get to church. Don't be shy. My best advice is to seek information that actually comes from the church. It will be the most accurate and easy to understand.
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Stephanie answered...

One of the best ways to learn about basic tenants of our religion is by checking resources like this website, chatting with the missionaries, and have them send you some resources (like a Book of Mormon, videos, etc.) and then try finding the closest LDS chapel in your area by looking in the phone book or online. They can have missionaries come to your home and teach you if you wish. Another good way is to go to church with a friend or an acquaintance of yours who is LDS, and they can also connect you with the missionaries. If you don't have any of those resources nearby, chat with the missionaries and they will find a way to have someone connect with you. There's probably more Mormons around than you think.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Mark answered...

The most direct answer to the question is a group of six men who signed their names to a founding document on April 6, 1830. The room was filled with believers, but six signed to fulfill New York state law. Preeminent among them was Joseph Smith, Jr. who was designated the first elder and apostle by revelation. It is Joseph Smith, Jr. who is most often referred to as the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Joseph, as a young man of eighteen years of age, was visited by an angel, the one mentioned in Revelation 14:6, who told him where an ancient record was buried which contained a history of a group of ancient, American Christians, and which also contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This record was translated by the gift and power of God by the young man with the aid of others as scribes and witnesses of the translation.

During translation they learned of the need of further organization, and this tiny group sought out God who sent additional angelic messengers which conferred authority from God to organize His Church again upon the earth, as it was in Biblical times. This group and those who believed their stories of miraculous events met in a farmhouse on April 6, 1830 in upstate New York to create an officially recognized organization that could hold the copyrights to the record that was translated as the Book of Mormon as well as other rights granted to religious societies.

It is called the Mormon church because of the book revealed from heaven, which is unique from all other Christian churches.