Hi, I'm Wolfgang

I'm from Germany. I'm married and have 4 kids. I love to work with wood and to ride my motorcycle. I'm a Mormon!

About Me

I am from Germany and moved with my family here to Minnesota in 1996. I am a self-employed cabinetmaker/woodworker by trade and love what I do. My wife and I have four great kids, ages from 21 to 16, going to college and high school, living at home and far away at the same time. I love to ride my custom motorcycle as much as I can together with my wive, who rides her own.

Why I am a Mormon

I joint the church together with my wife in Germany, 24 years ago, though a friend of mine, who introduced us to the Gospel shortly after we got married.
As we had the opportunity to listen to the messages of the missionaries I received many answers to doctrinal questions I had for many years. I listened to their testimonies and was touched by their sincerity. I believed in these things but wanted to know for myself.
The invitation to learn more about the Gospel and to pray and ask Heavenly Father in faith about the truthfulness of these teachings led my to continue to meet with the missionaries. The promise that I could receive an answer for myself was something I did not know before.
As I learned more about the Gospel and applied the principles taught by the missionaries, I felt and recognized the Spirit the first time in my life.
Through the Holy Ghost I received a witness that Joseph Smith, jun. was called as a prophet in our time, that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ had been restored.
I wanted to become a member of the Church and was baptized shortly thereafter. The newly gained understanding of who I was and what I could become changed my whole perception of life and added a new perspective and a future beyond this mortal life.

Personal Stories

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

The knowledge that we can be together forever as a family has strengthened my marriage. We work together as a couple and we talk more about the things that matter.
As a family we love and respect one another and we are more willing to forgive each other the things that can happen and can get in the way.

Why do Mormons go on missions?

I'm grateful for the missionaries of the church, that go out into the world to declare the gospel and invite all those willing to listen to learn more about the Savior Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Without their courage, dedication, and help, I would not have had the chance to hear about the restored gospel. My friend, who invited us to listen to the missionaries, was a returned missionary himself, and he continued sharing the good news after he came home because he knows that it is true. What a great opportunity to give and offer such selfless service for a period of two years to anyone they can reach, to come to know and love them, to teach them about their divine potential and help them find answers and a way to overcome the struggles we all face.
The power of their testimonies of the Savior touches hearts and motivates individuals to change their ways and follow him.
This has been my personal experience.

How I live my faith

As my wife and I joint the Church in a very small congregation in Southern Germany, we had many opportunities to help and serve in the Church. These church callings provided great spiritual experiences that strengthened my personal testimony of the reality of the Gospel of Christ. As I had many opportunities to teach gospel principles to others in many settings, my own understanding grew and has helped me to learn more about the love the Savior has for all of us regardless of our circumstances.
I have learned most about the Gospel through service in the Church and I'm grateful that my contributions, as little as they may be, can make a difference in someones live.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Adam answered...

Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ. The word grace, as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

Everyone on earth experiences physical death. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, all will be resurrected and will live forever.

Because of personal choices, everyone also experiences the effects of sin. These effects are called spiritual death. No one can return to the presence of God without divine grace. Through the Atonement, we all can be forgiven of our sins; we can become clean before God. To receive this enabling power, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives.

The grace of God helps us every day. It strengthens us to do good works we could not do on our own. The Lord promised that if we humble ourselves before Him and have faith in Him, His grace will help us overcome all our personal weaknesses.
Matt Gibson answered...

We believe in grace 100 percent . No one can be saved, except by grace. There is nothing we ourselves can do to earn eternal life. But, we do believe that we will NOT receive grace unless we live our lives in accordance with what Christ has taught. When Christ ransomed us, became the author of our salvation, and also the perscriber of the conditions of repentance. He's told us that we need to have faith in him, repent, and be baptized for the remissions of sins, so that we may be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. He also told us that we need to endure to the end, meaning continue to strive to live by his teachings, otherwise we cannot be saved by grace. There are many today who teach that baptism is not necessary because it is a "work". We know that Christ set the example to make it perfectly clear. He also said in John chapter 3 verse 5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
You might be thinking now, "what about those who never got a chance to be baptized?", well Heavenly Father is perfectly fair, and that opportunity will be provided for everyone to make that decision, whether in this life or in the next. The point of Baptism is making covenants. Without making these covenants Christ cannot give us grace.
Hence the doctrine of grace, and doctrine of works, coinside with each other. One cannot be without the other.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Michael Johnston answered...

Because we believe in continuing revelation through Prophets as in the days of old, i.e. Moses, Abraham, this is uncomfortable for some people because media has made our Prophets seem like evil men leading people astray, when they are just trying to teach us correct principles so that one day we all may return to live with our Father in Heaven.

Another reason is because we believe in the sacred nature of temples, meaning only worthy members may enter the Temple so people think that evil rituals are performed. However, in reality the nature of the temple is uplifting and beautiful and gives us clarity to what the purpose of life is, the plan of salvation, and other topics such as life, death, and the atonement of Christ. The temple is not "secret, but it is sacred. However, we encourage all to live so that they may one day enter the temple.

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