Hi, I'm Ben

I'm a nerd, a goof and a friend. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am currently serving a two year mission in parts of Florida and Alabama. Before my mission I enjoyed video games, reading and writing fictional stories, wood sword fighting, hanging out with my friends, soccer, ultimate frisbee and just about anything outdoors. I fully plan on enjoying these things just as much when I get home, but for now I've chosen to put them up on the shelf and serve the Lord. When I get home I'll also finish going to college for my Mechanical Engineering Degree, get married, and enjoy provideing for a family. I hope that the things I learn on my Mission and in the Gosple will help me to be the best husband and father that I can be.

I guess by my interests I'd be classified as a nerd or geek, but that's cool. A non-conformist by nature I like to stand out. This sometimes takes alot of creativity. I'm a cheerful and warm hearted guy, and a goof. I like to make people laugh. If you have a problem, whether you are my friend or a stranger, I'll listen to you and try to do my very best to help out. That's why I'm serving a Mission. I know this Gosple brings happiness and I want to share that with other people.

Why I am a Mormon

Just because I was born a member of the Church and baptised at the age of 8 doesn't mean I didn't have to find out for myself if this is true. Growing up, I didn't question the Church. The fact that the Book of Mormon was true was to me as unquestioned as the fact that gravity makes stuff fall. But as I got older, I realized that not everyone was a Mormon. I'm not from Utah, and in fact most of my friends at School were not members. People I relied on to tell me what was right lost faith. Still I had no reason to think the Church was not true or the Book of Mormon a fraud. Then at school some evidence contrary to what was set forth in the Book of Mormon popped up. Horses. It may seem like something small to others, but it was big to me. I realized that the history textbooks claimed that the Spanis brought the first horses to the America's, yet the Book of Mormon mentions them being used repeatedly by the people in it who lived on this continent long before the first European ships landed. Research and deep consideration of the subject did little to help my flagging faith. I reached out to friends, family and religious leaders, asking them to help me find an explination to justify the historical correctness of the scriptures against other historical facts that seemed not to correlate. No one had an answer that saticfied me. Some urged me to pray, as we are promised in the Book of Mormon that God will answer us if we ask in faith. I'd felt the Holy Ghost before. A warm peacful feeling. But I hadn't felt it in a while. I prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true and didn't get anything. Terrified at the fact that I may have been living a lie all my life I tried again. This time though, I read first. Then I promised God that if he just answered me this one time, I'd always remember it, never forget it and never deny it. I prayed sincerely again and felt the peaceful feeling of the Holy Ghost in my chest, telling me that the Book of Mormon WAS true. I decided to just beleive that the contradiction would be answered in time. And it was, several years later in a college classroom where I learned that there was evidence of horses found in South America that dated back to before the Spanish arrived. But you see I did not come across this information untill after the trial of my faith. In the time since I've had the chance to reaffirm that testimony with prayer. I've also prayed about the doctrines of other Churches, for how could I ask people to pray about my Church if I wasn't willing to do the same. I know the Book of Mormon to be true. And I will not deny. I felt the Holy Ghost telling me it's true.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons go on missions?

The Prophet has ask that all worthy young men (19-26) in the Church serve a mission. Not all are able to, and they arn't ostrisiced or shuned if they don't, that would be un-Christlike. Young women and retired couples are also allowed to serve missions.

I personally am serving for a number of reasons.
~The fifth reason is that it's the thing to do. Most of my friends and cousins my age are serving, I want to join in.
~The fourth reason is that I know that I will grow and mature immensely from the experiance. I've only been out 6 months and I feel like I've learned more about being a better person than I would have in a whole year or two of life at home or at college.
~The third reason is because I know how important me serving a mission is to someone very close to my heart.
~The second reason is because knowing and living this Gosple has brought immense joy to my life. I find myself to be happy so much more often when I'm living according to Christ's teachings than when I'm not. And the knowledge of the "Plan of Salvation" which answers the great questions of "who I am" "where did I come from" "why am I here" and "where am I going when I die" brings comfort and peace. I want to share this peace and happiness with all that I can. Already on my mission I've seen it turn several people's lives around and fill them with joy. That alone has made the whole thing worthwhile.
~As great as all these reasons are, they arn't the number one reason. The main reason I'm serving a mission is because God has, through his prophet, ask me to serve a mission, and I want to do all I can to follow and obay Him, because I love Him.

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

Well as I said I'm on a mission right now. I guess some people arn't quite sure what to think of us missionaries; always wearing church cloaths, riding around on bikes and knocking on peoples doors.

First off, when we knock on your door or meet with you, we recognize that it's your home. We're not here to intrude or force anything on you, just share the message of God's Church. Then if you feel that what we say is good or true, you can invite us back and we'll teach more. That's pretty much it.

I'll admit we arn't the most perfect teachers, but we do the best that we can, and try to bring with us the warm, peacefull feeling that we recognize as the Holy Spirit.

How I live my faith

One of the neat things I got to do before my mission was DJ a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Nerd themed dance. I did it because I figured it would be fun, but also because I was unconfortable with some of the raunchy music I was hearing at other dances. My friends, both male and female were also uncomfortable with the music and we didn't have as much fun dancing. So when I set up this dance, I picked all clean, fun music and everyone had a blast. I can't wait to do it again after I get back from my mission. I live the Gosple of Jesus Christ as best as I can, always trying to be a better, more Christlike person. I help others out as often as I can and try to follow God's commandments. It isn't easy, but by coming closer to Christ through scripture study and prayer, I am strengthened and made more capable of being the Christlike person I want to be. Best of all, I get the opportunity to spend two years of my life completely dedicated to sharing the happiness of Christ's Gosple with others. It certainly is a large sacrifice, but seeing happiness replace unhappiness in the lives of those I've helped bring into the Church makes it all worthwhile. This gospel truely is a source of joy, and strength, and makes a difference in the lives of those who embrace it. I'm so privilaged to have the chance to witness that firsthand.

Why don’t women hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? How do Mormon women lead in the Church?

Ben answered...

This question was very important to one woman I met. We discussed it for a long time before we arrived at understanding.

First off, men and women are different. No surprise there. Neither is greater than the other, but they are different and have different roles. One of the roles of men is to hold the Preisthood and use it to serve others. Literally SERVE. A Preisthood holder cannot use it to bless himself, only to bless and help others. The Preisthood does not signify glory or presteige in the Mormon Church the way it does in the Catholic Church. It does not make one better than another.

Women in the Church do hold leadership callings just like the men. Some are the same, some are different. Leadership also, like the Preisthood does not signify glory or presteige, it's just a calling to volintarily help the Church operate.
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Madelyn answered...

I feel that men and women both have different but equally important roles in getting us back to God. In God's eternal plan we were spirits in His presence before this life. To progress we needed to get bodies on this earth, then perform specific ordinances (eg baptism, marriage) to return to God after this life. Women were given the godly power to bring spirits into this world and give them bodies, then nurture and raise these children with God's inspiration and guidance. The men were assigned the responsibility (through the God's Priesthood power) to serve others and administer the ordinances that will bring God's children back to His presence after this life. Both roles are necessary and equally important to God's plan for us.
I don't think women need the Priesthood to be powerful influences and to do God's work in their homes and in the church. I see men grow spiritually, and their characters become more godly when they act in God's name through using the Priesthood.
I have never felt the need to hold the Priesthood myself. I can still receive all the blessings offered by the Priesthood, my prayers can be just as powerful, and I still have access to the inspiration of God in my life.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

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.