Hi, I'm Joe Dee Kay

I'm a Mormon. I just finished a PhD from the University of Washington in Mechanical Engineering and live in Seattle.

About Me

I just finished a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. I am currently teaching part-time at Shoreline Community College while I search for a full-time job and help my brother fix up his house. I'm an uncle of 27 nieces and nephews. I like swimming, West Coast Swing, singing and choir directing, woodworking, and ultimate Frisbee.

Why I am a Mormon

Why I'm a Mormon is hard to explain. It's kind of like trying to explain why you are a human being. I'm Mormon because I am. There are several moments of decision in my life where I could have gone another way. Ultimately, in the process of considering, it came down to what I felt in my heart and who I felt that I was. And that answer was and is that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a Mormon.

Personal Stories

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

In the church we speak of different missions of the church. The different missions are part of the bigger picture of loving and serving God's children and giving them the opportunity to repent and return to God both in this life and the next. My role in the missions of the church has come as I've accepted callings from church leaders, shared my testimony of the gospel, and served others in a variety of personal, church and community projects. There are two specific examples I'd like to share.

First is my role as a home teacher. I love home teaching. Home teaching (for men) and Visiting teaching (for women) are assignments given to members to visit other members of the church and their families to provide help and comfort and fellowship. It's awesome. I think I get more out of it than those I visit. When I get someone new added to my list there's always the awkward stage of getting to know a new person. But over time the relationships that have developed as I've talked and share my love of God with them are some of the strongest I have.

Second is as a choir director for my ward. It's a small thing. The world isn't going to change overnight because we had a great musical number. The choir is made up of amateur singers with a very amateur director (me) and we sing once a month with very little practice. But the little service we provide as a choir does lift the spirit of the meetings. I really do believe that small things make a difference.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

A couple of years ago I was riding the bus in Seattle, writing in my journal, and feeling rather hopeless. I tried to look forward in my life and find something to hope for. I wrote in my journal that the only thing I felt I could hope for was that I might be able to find hope. Since then I've discovered that hope doesn't have to be placed in the future. We can hope that something right now is true. For me I have hope that I am never alone, that God is always with me. I remind myself of this hope and it comforts me.

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

The beginning of my answer applies to everyone. Malachi said that in the last days God would send Elijah the prophet to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:5-6). In quite moments of reflection many people feel a yearning to know where they came from. In the church we often refer to this yearning as the spirit of Elijah because of this scripture in Malachi. If you act on this yearning and begin to do a little research into your parents, grand parents and beyond, you will find an excitement that you'd never expect to have. The further you go back the more exciting it becomes as you discover ancestors who lived during historical time periods, migrated from far away places, and who lived, worked, and raised families. You begin to feel a connection to these long dead ancestors.

In the church we teach that all of God's children are organized into families and that this family organization can continue in the next life. Through genealogy and the work we do in the temple we provide the opportunity for each member of this large and historic family organization to stay connected with each other and with God throughout eternity.

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

I'll share 2 examples.

#1 When I was 8 years old in the winter months in northern Utah I had a marvelous answer to prayer. I was given a ride by some neighbors to peewee basketball practice in a town several miles from my home. After practice I was supposed to get a ride with them back home but was unable to find them. I knew more or less the direction I should go to get back home but I wasn't sure if I could do it on my own. I knelt and prayed on the grass that I would be able to find my way home and not get lost. I then crossed the street and began walking. After a couple of hours following a course which was to the best of my knowledge the way back home my dad came driving down the street and found me. I had not gotten lost. I had been able to stay on the right path for two hours even though I had only made the trip a few times. It was a miracle. Little did I know at the time that I still had several more miles to go. My dad coming when he did probably saved me from frost bite as I had been playing in the icy puddles and my feet had gotten wet.

#2 My entire life my parents have encouraged me to ask God about the church and to obtain my own witness of its truthfulness. At 10 years old I felt like I had procrastinated asking long enough. One night I decided I would pray. We were living in Missouri. It was a hot summer night and the only air conditioner was in my mothers room. All 5 of us kids had brought sleeping bags and blankets into my parents room and were sleeping on the floor to escape the heat. I knelt in my makeshift bed and prayed silently. I asked if the church were true. I had no idea what was supposed to happen so I went to bed. The next morning my mother woke me and read a scripture that assured me that God would answer my prayers if I would ask. In that moment I felt the love of my father in heaven and the assurance that God had heard my prayer and that the church was indeed the true church.

How I live my faith

I'm definitely not perfect. Living my faith is a hard thing for me. The best answer I can give is that I'm striving to be better. I don't accept that anything in my life is outside of my control. Though many of the answers elude me I keep striving and hope that I can get there.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Tan. answered...

We believe 100% that we are saved by grace. Absolutely. Period. No person can be saved by his or her works, no matter how great he or she is, and how many good things he or she did. In order to qualify for Christ's grace, however, we must live righteously, repent, and humble ourselves before the Lord.
Nadja answered...

How could we ever hope for anything if it weren't for the grace offered by our Saviour Jesus Christ?

God is just - which means His laws are just. They are eternal. This means that His dealings towards us will always be just, but it also means that He exacts justice from us, His children. Regardless of the commandment or law, justice demands a recompense for obedience, but also a punishment (or consequence) for disobedience.

Jesus Christ has paid for these trespasses, and He willingly extends that payment to each one who earns or deserves it. This grace is awarded based on our repentance, a change of heart so profound, we abandon the desire to repeat the offense.

That is grace: forgiveness (meaning: not having to suffer ourselves for our own mistakes and disobedience) which follows sincere repentance. What an incredible gift!

What are some things that tell to you there is a God?

Scott answered...

Everything in nature tells me that there is a God. The universe is so ordered, so perfectly in harmony. If you really study our wonderful little planet, you'll learn that it is so amazingly unique to be able to sustain life, that there is just no way the earth and its inhabitants were merely created by chance.
The most important reason I know there is a God, though, is because I have felt his presence in my life. Through prayer, I have built a relationship with him, and as such, I love him and know that he loves me.