Hi, I'm Mike Kapel

I grew up in Ohio and moved to Arizona when I was a young man. I am a machinist by trade and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have have been a machinist for 40 years. The last 15 years as a cnc programer in the engineering department. We make components for jet engines.
My wife and I enjoy spending time with our children and grandchildren.

Why I am a Mormon

I joined the church after reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it.
I felt the Holy Spitit witness to me that it was true. Then, I said to myself, If the Spirit will witness to me that this book is true, will it also with the Holy Bible? So, I prayed about that and I received the same witness. I know that The Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ. I know that by following the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the Book of Mormon, we can draw closer to God and be like Jesus Christ.
The teachings of Jesus Christ help me get through the trials of this life, and are a source of great joy.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

When my wife and I were married, we became a family of 5. She had 3 daughters from a previous marriage. We knew that we needed all the help we could get to make our family successful. We decided, toegether with the 3 girls that we would do a few things to help us have joy and happiness.
1) We started every day with personal and family prayer. That meant all of us praying at 5:00 AM
2) We had prayer or "gave thanks" before every meal.
3) We had a family meal together every day.
4) We had scripture study/reading every day.
5) We had family prayer every night before we went to bed.
6) We had a family evening of fun every week, usually on Mondays.
As a result of these things, we have been blessed to be great friends. My wife and I continue doing these
things, even though we are now "empty nesters" and our daughters have moved on, in their adult lives.
The Holy Spirit filled our home and still does.

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon from ancient metal plates that contain a history of the dealing of Jesus Christ with the inhabitants of the
western hemisphere. I know that Joseph Smith was the servant of God to restore the true church on the
earth in these, the latter days.

How I live my faith

I try to think, say and do what Jesus Christ would want me to. I am an only child. Growing up without siblings, I alway wanted to have brothers and sisters. I have discovered that I have many millions of brothers and sisters, and a Heavenly Father who loves us all.
I have been blessed with a wife and children who love me, and we have learned the value of drawing closer to God by reading the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible together everyday.
This has been a source of great happiness in my life.
I try to help other people at work and in my neighborhood to have less stress and contention in our lives.
I know that Heavenly Father loves all of us and wants us to have joy.

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

Mike Kapel answered...

One of the greatest reasons for being here on earth is to "have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Personal prayer, scripture study, and attending church helps us better understand that the best way to find joy and happiness in this life is to know about Our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to strive to keep God's "law" (Proverbs 29:18). Families are an essential part of God's Plan and much of how we live focuses on our families. We want to share the happiness we enjoy with everyone we can through service, missionary work, and contributing to society.
I discovered a way of life that truly has brought me a great deal of happiness.
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Serge answered...

Family is everything to us. Our family spends lots of our free time together because we like each other. Life gets crazy with teenagers, dance practice, after school academic decathlon, usually with a toddler in tow, but no matter what, every Monday night is Family Night.

The kids know that every Monday we spend time together and nothing gets in the way of it. It's our commitment to each other. We bake cookies, have lessons about the Savior, work on personal goals, go to the park, go geocaching, play board games or just go out for ice cream.

We do lots of things together. The point is that at least once a week we spend an hour or two together, just for the sake of being together, just because we love being together as a family. It's not as perfect as it may sound, with all the poking and "she's in my spot," and all the other crazy things family members do to each other when scrambling for a spot in the living room, but we try real hard. It takes effort to make sure we don't miss, but it's worth it.

I'm not sure the kids will remember all the games we played, the places we went or what we did, but I hope they always remember that we loved each other enough to dedicate one night a week to be with each other. And that we spent every Monday night together for as many Mondays as they can remember because family is everything to us, and every member of our family is important.

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

Nate answered...

The fundamental principle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the faith in, reliance upon, and relationship with Jesus Christ. We regard Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. Everyone on the earth today has made mistakes. All of us have come short of the perfect example that Christ set for us. The problem is the laws of God state that “no unclean person…hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:5) Because of these laws, we needed a way to be cleansed from these sins and mistakes. God knew that we would fall short of perfection and by His grace he provided us a Savior, Jesus Christ. Being a perfect soul without blemish, Jesus was capable and willing to take upon Himself our sins. Because He paid the penalty for our sins, the atonement, we must take upon ourselves His name to reap the blessings of forgiveness. We do this by having faith in Christ, admitting and repenting of our sins, and being baptized in the true and restored church of Jesus Christ.