Hi, I'm Ed

I'm a Mormon. I live in China with my wife and three of our children.

About Me

I live in Xiamen, China, with my wife and three of my children. I have six other children who live in Alberta, Singapore and Brisbane, two grandchildren in Brisbane, and one in Singapore. We are originally from Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada and have lived in China for 7 years. We came to China help start a new school, and I continue to work in education and leadership development. I love climbing mountains where I can re-visit my roots as a biologist. Following an LDS mission in Africa, I married my childhood sweetheart, Elise Kern with whom I have shared a busy, adventurous and love-filled life.

Why I am a Mormon

We need living prophets who receive revelation from God today, just as people anciently needed their prophets. What could be more important?

I have come to know that the prophets that lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints are prophets in the same way that Abraham, Moses, Peter and John were prophets, lead by revelations from the Lord.

And, add to that, being a Mormon means that I can be lead by personal revelation from Jesus Christ through the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This is communication from the Christ to the heart of each humble disciple.

Being a Mormon opens a door to communion with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that some may dare not believe possible. But possible it is, and living this gospel is it's own proof of these glorious possibilities.

I am filled with wonder about my good fortune to know what I do about Christ and eternity.

Personal Stories

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

As a young man, I recognized that Joseph Smith's account of revelation from God was potentially the single most important occurrence in modern times. It meant that God was real, that Jesus Christ had in reality lived and risen from the dead and that there was a current link to divine revelation that could lead me to eternal life with God. I felt that learning the truth about Joseph Smith's revelations was the single most important answer that I could find in my life. I set about to learn the truth about it, and soon realized that, if it were true, God would certainly answer a simple prayer about the truth of Joseph Smith's account. So, I read Joseph Smith's testimony of his vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and then set the account on the table in front of me, and simply asked God, "Is Joseph Smith telling the truth or not? Yes or no?" I knew from that moment that his account was true, and that we had contemporary prophets on the earth today. Nothing could be more important than this knowledge.

Since that day I have spent many hours studying in detail the life of Joseph Smith and the scripture, the Book of Mormon, that came to us under his hand. It is so very clear to me, as it is to millions of others who have similarly studied, that Joseph Smith was in very deed, literally, the prophet of God who restored the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. God, Eternal Life, Salvation from sin and an inheritance in Heaven are all real. Divine revelation in our time is real. There is no other course to follow that will fulfill the purpose of our lives.

Which of the Savior’s teachings have influenced you?

As I study the life of Christ in the Bible, I'm impressed that He lived a simple life. He moved among His friends, and associates, in a small area of the world. While He had unusual gifts, He served individuals, generally the needy and less prominent of society. Wealth and the power of the world were not His currency, and while He had some fame, He didn't seek notoriety. He sought to do the will of His Father, however simple or difficult it might be.

I don't have the same gifts as Christ, clearly. However, I do have my own set of unique gifts. One of the ways that I have been influenced by Christ is to understand that I can serve simply, without wealth, power or fame, and very much follow a similar life to His. A Christ-like life is not bigger than life and unattainable. It's a simple path. "Come follow me" is an injunction within the capacity of each of us.

Christ overcame the world and lives as a glorious, resurrected personage by the side of His Father. And, through accepting His atonement and living His teachings, His life - both in this life and the next - can be my life.

How I live my faith

For the first six years that we were in China, we lived in Xi'an, exactly in the center of the country, where I lead a congregation of the Mormon church. We were a small group of expatriates, many of whom worked teaching English. Our family then moved to Xiamen, on the coast of China near Taiwan. While there are special challenges to living in this part of the world, faith in Jesus Christ helps us to meet each day afresh and to feel the peace and security that people all over the world seek, regardless of where they live. I like to do the best I can each day, and then to leave the rest to the Lord. I believe in being the best that you can be, and then being happy and contented with that - not disappointed that you are not something else. The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect for that!

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Ed answered...

No, serving a mission is not a requirement. However, there is certainly a lot of positive encouragement to serve a mission. Mormons serve missions because we have the most important and thrilling things to say about mankind's relationship to God. God speaks to a living prophet today, just as anciently! And He also speaks to you and I through personal prayer and inspiration. We believe in and indeed have an active, divine relationship with God! Wow! We know it and benefit daily. So, serving a mission doesn't have to be a requirement - if a person really knows such a thing, then he or she is going to WANT to tell others.
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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.

Why did your church previously practice plural marriage (polygamy)?

Shannon answered...

Because the Lord commanded it for a period of time. It wasn't easy for those who practiced it. Many, even Brigham Young (the second prophet after the death of Joseph Smith) had difficulty accepting the revelation. It took a great deal of soul searching and personal submission and communion with God for many of those individuals to reconcile themselves to the practice of plural marriage.

Even in ancient times, when the practice was culturally accepted, plural marriage was difficult. Moses, Abraham, and many others who practiced plural marriage because of God's commandment all experienced personal challenges arising from their family situation. But sometimes life is such: God requires difficult things. The difficulties never seem appealing to us, but if we are faithful, we will find that God had reasons for the challenges He gave us.