Hi, I'm John

I'm a certified English EIL teacher, violinist, student, programmer, entrepreneur, and Mormon missionary serving in Mongolia.

About Me

While in high school I played violin classically in a nationally ranked orchestra and bluegrass in festivals, pioneer treks and concert. In my senior year of high school I soloed with the Chamber Orchestra playing the first movement of Summer - Vivaldi's Four Seasons. While upon leaving high school I have not had much opportunity to play many such technical pieces, I deeply enjoy playing religious music.

While in high school I earned 11 college credits through 'concurrent enrollment' aka 'dual enrollment' and 34 AP credits focusing on math and science. I have since started my college studies, Electrical Engineering and Entrepreneurship, for a year before serving a mission.

I enjoy programming. My mother's work helping individuals learn how to wisely invest in the various markets, such as the stock market, Forex, options and others. Because of this, my family has had the opportunity to recieve training from her employer. As a result of his diifficulty with human error in this endeavor (psychology of fear and risk that causes uncertainty in the markets), my father found a program that would let you script a trading style.

Though I know longer use this weird flavor of C++ I have since taught myself VB.Net, VBA, C#.Net, XML, [ took college C++ class (easiest class ever)], PHP, HTML (including XHTML and much of HTML5), JavaScript, JQuery, MySQL, Unix and dabbled in Ruby (in that order).

I now serve the Lord and people in Mongolia, teaching English and the Gospel.

Why I am a Mormon

I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon! I admire the Christian who believes in Christ with only the Bible as evidence, and applaud those willing to devote their life to studying it!!! I am one who thrives in evidence, and, as wonderful as the Bible is, what it has become over time is easy to believe only a story meant to keep men under control, and convince them of the wrath of God if they do not repent.

The Book of Mormon is, for me, the *most* convincing evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God, who gives us prophets and commandments that we may be happy, and know from what source we may seek a remission of our sins!

I have read the Book of Mormon many times in my life. I know that if one reads it and follows the promise found in Moroni 10:3-5, that is to ponder the words in one's heart and take them to the Lord and ask him in faith, believing he will receive an answer, then God will manifest unto him that they are the word of Christ, and they are true by the power of the Holy Ghost!

Because of the great convincing power of the Book of Mormon that Jesus is the Christ, and by the manifestations of it's truthfulness unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost, I know that Joseph was called to be a prophet of God! For "by their fruits ye shall know them" Matthew 7:20.

There is much empirical evidence concerning the Book of Mormon's truthfulness and that it came from God, but none more powerful than the impressions that come from the Holy Ghost. To the Christian who is concerned about this great book, I would ask you to "hearken unto these words [...] for they are the words of Christ" (2 Nephi 33:10). Judge ye this for yourselves.

I'm grateful there is a God in heaven who loves me for he is my father. He speaks to man today through a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Of this I testify, even in the sacred name of our Savior and Redeemer, the Living Son of the Living God, even Jesus Christ Amen.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

I am serving a mission because:
1) I have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of his Gospel.
2) His Gospel is not meant for a few, it is for all willing to come unto him.
3) I have been richly blessed by a knowledge of him.
4) God loves all of his children and greatly desires to bless them.
5) I feel duty-bound to share his love with the rest of his children.

Which of the Savior’s teachings have influenced you?

I daresay all of them have influenced me. If I had to pick perhaps the most profound it is his message concerning love. Charity is often referred to as the pure love of Christ, it envieth not, is not puffed up and many other things. Indeed scholars sometimes debate on which characteristic Christ exemplified most, was it obedience or was it love?

My parents have taught me from a young age the principle Jesus taught "If you love me, keep my commandments". Surely Jesus Christ, the Living Son of the Living God, was the most obedient, for he submitted his will to the Father. Yea, he also surely was filled with the greatest love of all man: for greater love have no man than this, that he lay down his life for his brother.

My parents have always asked me if I love them before asking me to do something, much as Peter was asked "Do you love me?", "Yea Lord, thou knowest I love you.", "Feed my sheep.".

There are many reasons to obey, or follow the instructions of someone else. You may obey because you fear the consequence of disobedience from authority, you my obey out of a sense of duty and moral resolve, or you can obey because you love the master, and you love your fellow bretheren.

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith was a man of incredible faith. Despite all the confusion in the Christian world around him he sought guidance from above and prayed to know where God's true church was to be found. He had the faith necessary in his desire to know this answer to see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Joseph learned that God knew him by name, that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two seperate and destinct beings with bodies of flesh and bone, that the true church of Christ was taken from the earth and that he would soon be the instrument by which God would restore it to the earth.

The prophet Joseph faced much opposition in his desires to filfill the Lord's will, but he endured them well, and received strength to complete his work. I believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God because lived like a prophet.

He talked like a prophet: making the claim that prophets had always made, namely that Jesus of Nazareth is the very Son of God, that he had seen him and talked with him; that he lives and wants all to repent and come unto him.

He did many superhuman tasks that could not be done save by the power of God, one being the translation of the Book of Mormon. Some may not accept this, but having read it, and believing in Christ because of it, and having studied it, I can not conceive a group of the most intelligent men of our day composing such a book in only a little over two months without source material or education while in their youth.

You can only argue this book is of God or the Devil if they exist. If they exist, and seeing that it has convinced me to believe in Christ, I can not comprehend one claiming it is of the Devil if they believe in the Bible. Jesus taught that a kindom divided against itself must fall (See Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22-28).

As Jesus taught, by their fruits ye shall know them. The Book of Mormon is the fruit. I have tasted of it, and I know it is good. Taste of it and judge for yourself, is my plea, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

One of my favorite scriptures Moroni 7:48 states "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

We hope for many things: a hope in Jesus Christ, that our life has purpose and meaning beyond our mortal experience; a hope in love, that those we trust reciprocate that love; a hope that we may be purified, through following the doctrine of Christ; a hope that we can always be with those we love.

Faith and hope interwine greatly, for if one has faith he must needs have hope, and if one has faith he has hope for things which are not seen but felt through the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

I hope that I can exmplify the life of the Master as I strive to follow his teachings; I have a long ways to go, but with him as my guide I can have this hope, that I can love others as he would.

How I live my faith

In my youth I served as an adviser in my local teachers quorom, which is a service organization in the Church comprising one of the largest groups of young men ages 14 - 16, and priests quorum (the same only for ages 16 - ~19).

I'm currently serving as a missionairy preparing to preach the Gospel in Mongolia. A significant amount of my time there will also be spent teaching English.

Why do you have 12 Apostles? They were just meant to be around for the time of Jesus Christ, not to be replaced with new apostles.

John answered...

We believe that God visited the americas and established the same organization there as he did in Jerusalem, calling 12 Apostles. Thus the Book of Mormon gives further evidence of their importance.

Even after Christ's death new apostles continued to be called, such as Steven and Paul. This to me is an indication that apostles were intended to be continued. Only after the apostles were killed did there cease to be any on the earth.
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Mark answered...

The principle of a perpetuating body of twelve special witnesses of Christ comes in ancient times from the fact that the eleven survivors of the death of the Savior chose a twelfth to replace Judas Iscariot (see Acts of the Apostles 1:15-26) Two were considered worthy to take his place, but only one was chosen. When the apostles cast their lots, the inspired choice fell upon Matthias.

In modern times, the Church's organization has been one of gradual building. As the needs of the Church have continued to grow, the prophet of the Lord has been directed to add not only the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, but other supporting quorums of the Seventy as well. The structure of the local organization of wards and stakes has been given by revelation to complete it. But as the needs of the Church continue to evolve so will the structure which supports it. Christ remains the chief cornerstone and the Apostles as the foundation with Him. (see Ephesians 2:19-20 also Ephesians 4:11-14)

Why do Mormons perform proxy baptisms in their temples?

Patty answered...

Proxy baptisms are Heavenly Father's solution to the conflict between the need to be baptized in order to obtain eternal life, and the fact that not everyone gets the opportunity to be baptized in this life. We preform baptisms on the behalf of our ancestors, and then our deceased ancestors, in the spirit world, are given the opportunity to choose whether or not they want this baptism to be valid for them.