Hi, I'm Br Gary

I am a Latter-Day Saint or Mormon since 1993.

About Me

I am the oldest of 4 children and the only son. I was born, raised and spent most of my life in South Carolina. I enjoy a variety of music but Michael Buble' happens to be 1 of my favorite artists. I also enjoy travel. I have been to 43 of the 50 states in the United States (Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington & Wisconsin being the 7 states I have not yet visited).

I served in the United States Navy back in the 1980s.

Why I am a Mormon

Back in 1993 when I first met 2 Sister Missionaries, I told them I was not interested in leaving the church I was affiliated with. During their 1st visit with me, I honestly was not really paying any attention to what the Sisters had to say until they began to share Joseph Smith Jr.'s account of his vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ while praying and seeking truth and direction.

I can say that my conversion was SOLELY achieved by reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and praying to find out if this was indeed TRULY Another Testament of Jesus Christ. When the Spirit of God confirmed to me that the Book of Mormon was true, I met again with the missionaries and told them that I wanted to be baptized. And...that was just the start of this great journey as a Latter-Day Saint.

I invite you to read more. You may scroll down the page. There is a section where I have responded to some Frequently Asked Questions.

Personal Stories

How has attending Church services helped you?

As I attend church services, I am able to continue to grow spiritually. I am able to learn as well as share with others. I have been blessed to hear men and women, old and young teach by giving talks. I have been blessed to see how the Gospel has blessed the lives of my fellow Church members.

On a very personal note...

I have seen and been blessed by the fact that members of the Church truly care not just for fellow members but for everyone. This I know from personal experience.

In 2001, one of my sister's 7 week old son died. My sister and her son's father were not members of any church. I asked my sister if she would like for my Bishop to conduct the funeral as they did not have a minister to do so. She agreed. The young women of my ward wanted to reach out to my niece who's brother had died. My niece is a member but her mother is not. The Young Women sang a very beautiful song at the funeral. The dear women in my Ward's Relief Society stepped in to provide a nice meal the day of the funeral. Many members of the Church offered kind words of support and condolence to my family, most who are not members of the Church. This really touched the hearts of some of my family members.

Attending church services has strengthened my testimony and my desire to serve both God and my fellow man.

How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?

By realizing that our Savior Jesus Christ wanted to share His message not just with those who lived in the areas in which the Bible tell us of (Jerusalem and the surrounding area) but that Heavenly Father directed Jesus to share His message with all the world. When I first read of how Jesus visited the people in ancient America after His death and resurrection...I realized that God truly is a loving, fair and just God. That He truly loves ALL His children not just SOME who lived in the geographical regions discussed in the Bible.

There are so many great faith-building stories throughout the Book of Mormon that have inspired me since I join the Church in 1993. By studying both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, my knowledge and understanding of God, of Jesus, of many Gospel Principles has increased.

I know for a fact that I am a much better person (not perfect but better) that I was before I joined the Church and before I came to know that the Book of Mormon is true.

Why/How do you share the gospel with your friends?

WHY do I share or try to share the Gospel with family and friends? Well, I have come to learn that Christ is like unto the Tree of Life that offers us great blessings in this life and in the life to come. I have seen the beauty of how the Gospel has changed my life and the lives of many fellow Latter-Day Saints or Mormons and I want for those I know to experience this great gift.

HOW do I share the Gospel? Well, I respect the beliefs of everyone as we are counseled to do. I do not PUSH my faith or try to FORCE my faith on anyone. However, if someone I know will allow me to share my beliefs and my faith with them, I am happy to do so. I share the Gospel by bearing my testimony. I share my faith by offering my family, friends or associates a Bible and a Book of Mormon if they are interested in receiving these gifts. I share the Gospel by inviting family or friends into my home, perhaps for a meal and a chance to meet with some of our missionaries who have been called to proclaim the Gospel.

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

I want to start off by saying that I worship God our Heavenly Father and that I and all people are ONLY able to come unto the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Neither I or any other member of the Church worships Joseph Smith. I do believe he was a man of great faith, a beloved brother who God chose to carry out a great work.

Joseph Smith was a man like me really or rather, a person just like you. He had his struggles as we all do. He was not perfect. We do not believe that men who have been called to serve God as His chosen Prophet was infallible or without error.

I know that Brother Joseph and his actual brother Hyrum Smith not only lived their faith as best they could but in the end, they both sealed their testimonies with their own blood. They refused to deny Christ or give into those who would and did seek to harm Joseph and other members of the Church. Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were assassinated or actually martyred for their faith. Living and dying strong in the service of our God.

I do not worship Brother Joseph oh but how thankful I am for the wonderful service he rendered to God and his fellow man.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

In 2008, one of my nephews who I was very close to and who had lived with me suddenly passed away. I had helped others over the years in their great times of need but my nephew's death so shocked me and put me in a great state of depression. While my faith and my prayers did not remove all the pain of this great loss, prayer helped me deal with his death. I could feel the warmth and love my God in the moments in which I was feeling at my lowest.

Prayer has helped me in other ways as well. There have been instances where I needed some guidance to help me make a decision. Heavenly Father has helped me make the right decision when I have gone to Him in prayer.

There have been times when I wanted to offer either words of support or offer some type of service to someone who might have need of support or service. By asking in prayer for ways to help...I have received inspiration sufficient for each situation.

Most importantly thought...it was by praying to seek wisdom and truth that brought me to a knowledge and gained me a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And prayer provides me a means in which I can thank Heavenly Father for the blessings in my life as well as tell Heavenly Father when I am upset, angry, confused, hurt or whatever is on my mind.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

I am a convert to the Church and never served a full-time mission. I do not know the exact number but I know we have over 50,000 missionaries serving throughout the world in more than 300 different missions. I have assisted in missionary work by accompanying missionaries to visit and teach non-members. I have assisted in missionary work by inviting friends of family into my home to meet with missionaries. Missionaries have been called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who will listen. It has been my privilege and a true blessing to assist many missionaries in sharing the Gospel. Sometimes, I have been asked if I would help teach. Other times, the missionaries do the teaching but ask if I will share my thoughts on something that they have just discussed. Other times, I have shared my conversion process and my testimony with those we have visited.

How I live my faith

There has only been one perfect man who ever walked this Earth. That was our Savior, Jesus the Christ. So, I'm not perfect nor is ANYONE in the Church. However, I make a determined effort to serve the Lord to the best of my ability.

I have had a great love of missionary work although, I have served in a variety of callings over the years since I joined the Church. The full-time missionaries are called to serve the Lord by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to ALL who will listen. It has been my privilege to assist many missionaries over the course of time in sharing the Gospel.

I have always accepted each calling or assignment to serve in the Church. When members of the Church are extended an opportunity to serve, it is completely a voluntary thing. Each member has the right to accept or decline an opportunity to serve. There is NO pressure to serve however, it is a great blessing when we do serve the Lord by accepting opportunities to serve.

I have learned and tried to live by a great Gospel principle that when we serve our fellow man, we are serving God also. I try to start of my days with prayer and some Scripture reading. As stated above, I'm not perfect and there have been days where I over slept and didn't start off my day with prayer or Scripture study. On such days, I can attest that my days were usually more problematic. I find great joy in communing with our Heavenly Father through prayer and reading the Scriptures. This is a great and awesome way for us to receive guidance and inspiration needed in our daily lives.

Do Mormons only help Mormons?

Br Gary answered...

Absolutely not! Members of the Church have reached out to people around the world, member or non-member. If there is a crisis or natural disaster, members of the Church have offered physical assistance, emotional support, financial assistance and other forms of humanitarian aid such as food, water, clothing.
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Jeff answered...

As a local Bishop in the Church, I can assure you that we do not limit our help to members. We perform numerous acts of service to our friends in the local community, and we do it gladly because we know service brings us and them great blessings of happiness and satisfaction. Our world wide disaster relief program brings food, clothing, water, sanitations kits and medications to our nonmember brothers and sisters around the world, quickly and effeciently. As Mormons, we know we are fellow citizens of the world and that all peoples are part of our Heavenly Father's family, and we try hard to act accordingy.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Joseph answered...

I went on a bicycle ride one day with a friend of another faith. He was a believing Christian but told me as we rode that he believed churches and organized religion are unnecessary and that the best way to find truth is to look everywhere. He bought into the notion that there are "many ways to the top of a mountain."

I think there's truth in that view, too. I believe that God wants us to find truth everywhere we can get it. And yet something nagged at me about his view. As we hit the steeper part of our ride, I said, "I think that's a cop out." (We have a pretty comfortable relationship - we talk pretty bluntly with each other). "If there is a God, don't you think He'd have an opinion about what's right and what's wrong? And don't you think He would have a plan for His children? And finally, don't you think He'd want us to know the truth about that plan? If so, how can you believe He would not create some credible and organized way to help us figure out what is true?"

Throughout history that way has been to reveal the truth through prophets. As my friend and I spoke he saw more clearly that there was no reasonable argument for why God would say, "2000 years ago prophets were a really good idea. But today I changed my mind."

Joseph Smith did what prophets always do. He revealed new scripture that confirms all that we had before. He restored God's full Gospel. And he pointed us to Christ. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. And now my friend does, too.