Hi, I'm Mark

I'm a husband. I'm a dad. I'm a lawyer. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have a terrific life.

I've been married for over 30 years to my wonderful wife and I have 5 great children. I work as a patent attorney and really enjoy helping small companies find success.

I've traveled and lived all over the world including Japan, Africa, Alaska, Guam, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Phillipines, Hawaii and many other places. I really enjoy visiting new places and learning more about other people and their culture.

I spent two years in Japan, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of that country. While I learned to speak Japanese and learned a great deal about the Japanese people, the most important lessons I learned were about me and my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a person that became a Mormon by birth, but remained a Mormon throughout my life because of the feelings and experiences that I've had over the years.

In the Mormon Church, I've found a community of strong and caring people that try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I believe that the Mormon church has brought me truth and understanding that I would not have received anywhere else. For that, I am grateful.

Personal Stories

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

In my family, we have to work harder than ever to be strong and faithful. My children are getting older and we even have a few grandchildren now. To keep our family strong, we make sure that we see each other as often as we can.

We have family reunions every year and spend as much time together as we can. Our reunions are focused more on being with each other than spending money and we try to make sure everyone can attend.

We also send out lots of pictures and stories to each other that really help us keep connected. We talk to each other whenever we can.

We also pray together, attend church services together, and do service projects with each other. These activities are especially important because it keeps us thinking about things that are more important than ourselves.

How I live my faith

I think that living my faith is the most important thing I do. My belief is that I should try and be the best person that I can be, helping and serving others. That means taking care of my family, helping my neighbors, and working hard to be a person that can always be trusted.

Sometimes I fail, but my faith helps me try again.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Mark answered...

This is an interesting question. In our faith, we believe that all members should try to share our knowledge and testimony of the Gospel throughout our life. We can accomplish this goal by being good neighbors and following the teachings of Jesus Christ. So, in that regard, every Mormon is serving a mission every day of their life.

In addition to our life-long opportunity to share our faith with others, full-time missionary service is an opportunity that is available for young men and young women as well as older married couples. Full-time missionary service is not "required" of anyone but it is strongly encouraged for young men, particularly in the 19-25 year age range.

I served a mission many years ago and it was a pivotal experience in my life. I was able to strengthen my faith and share it with others. The lessons that I learned during my missionary service have blessed my life every day since.
Nick answered...

"Required" is an interesting word when it comes to faith and religion. In the Mormon Church no one is "required" to serve a mission. Church membership is not revoked for not serving a mission. In this sense, they are not required, yet serving a mission is encouraged at many stages in life and in many different capacities throughout the world.

Missionary service is a tremendous blessing, a challenge, and one of the main focuses of the faith. The life of Jesus Christ was the life of a missionary in many respects. Performing service for one another, preaching the glad message of the gospel, and increasing the faith and dedication of God's children are exemplified in Christ's life and mirrored by those in missionary service.

To dedicate a portion of one's life in service propels those who serve and those who are served into a better life. During my two year mission to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and during my two year service mission with LDS Family Services, I was greatly blessed and strengthened. (I hope those whom I served found some value in my service as well.) That strength has taught me to better navigate this life, has kept my family relations intact, and has been the method of helping others overcome their trials as well.

Spiritually speaking, I don't find value in reflecting on what my life would be like without serving a mission. Instead, I rejoice in knowing that without that time in missionary service my life would be significantly less happy and productive. In my life, serving a mission has taken on many of the characteristics of a "required" act since I can't picture myself progressing very far without having served as a missionary. While not required to be a member of the Mormon church, missionary service has been a critical and welcome part of my life and growth spirituality. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to serve missions, and look forward to serving in many more.

What are Mormon women like? Do Mormons believe in equality of men and women?

Gloria answered...

We believe that men and women are equal in importance, but different in responsibilities and roles. We are two parts of a whole. Women can bear and raise children, men provide and protect. This may seem old-fashioned, but it works! My husband is the President of a company, and I tell him that he is the President at work, and I am the President of my own little corporation at home. I support him in his challenging job, and he supports me in mine. I do believe that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world"! I am caring for, teaching and nurturing children who will go out in the world and fulfill their own great destinies. I feel a huge responsibility to prepare them for what they will face in the future and to make sure that they have the ability/tools to handle whatever challenges life brings them. I have the greatest and most challenging job in the world!