Hi, I'm Wayne

I grew up in southern California. I taught school for 39 years and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a retired middle school teacher, and my wife and I are parents of 4 children and 6 grandchildren. I love to read SciFi, Mystery, Biographies, and Juvenile and adult classics. I used to backpack and play tennis and my wife and I still enjoy walks on the beach or in parks.

Why I am a Mormon

I was introduced to the LDS faith at 16, but did not join until I was 18 after careful study and prayer. It took me over a year and a half to really pray sincerely. That first time I fervently prayed, I felt the en-wrapping arms of God's love, and understood in a way of which I had never conceived. I learned of the reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith.

This experience lead to joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to many other experiences that have transformed my life for good.

Personal Stories

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

When I was 21 and in graduate school my mom died. I returned home and it was the first time I'd seen a dead body. I remember being impressed by the cosmetic work that had been done, but her spirit was not present and I wept bitter tears. It was certainly her body, but without her spirit, it just wasn't the mom I knew and loved.

My mom had been in poor health and she and my dad had grown especially close in her last few year. She was only in her 40's and my dad was devastated. My family was pretty non-religious, and I had been a member of the Church for less than 4 years. I made a phone call and the local LDS bishop, a lay-pastor, came over. Together we planned the funeral.and I delivered the eulogy.

At the time I had little experience with speaking. The Lord blessed me with comfort, strength and understanding of the Plan of Salvation. I grieved, and to some extent, continue to grieve over that separation. However, I had received a God-given assurance of life after death, God's love for us, and our place in eternity.

Since then I've had many more experiences with deaths. I'm currently serving as a bishop and frequently give comfort to terminally ill individuals and their families. I organize and conduct funerals. Such times are tender, but not particularly sad for me anymore.

Birth and death are a natural part of earth-life and our Heavenly Father's great Plan of Happiness. We are on this earth to gain a physical body and learn how to correctly use it. Here we walk by faith, and are tried and tested in all things. Birth is the gate into this mortal sphere and death is the gate into the spirit world. The family associations formed here will continue into eternity if we choose to live our lives according to God's Plan. The Holy Ghost has often borne witness to me of these precious truths. And, I look forward to continuing my relationship with my mom and dad and other friends and family on the other side of the gate we call death.

Can you think of a specific challenge in your family that Gospel Principles helped overcome?

We have 4 children. The oldest two, twin girls, served full-time missions, married in the temple and are very active in the Church. My younger two children have experienced some unusual challenges in their lives and are currently less-active in the Church although quite close to us emotionally. How do my wife and I deal with the challenge of less-active children who are not living some of our core values?

The principles of the gospel guide us. First, we rejoice in their many fine qualities. There was never any question about rejecting them as individuals. They will always be our children, and we will always love them. Parenthood is not transient. Secondly, we recognize and respect their moral agency. We try to relate to them as counseled in Doctrine and Covenants 121 -- with gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned. We ask real questions and try to listen with love and understanding. We do share gospel perspectives, doctrine, and testimony with them from time to time, but we try to be careful of timing and avoid being overbearing.

While it is true that without the gospel we probably wouldn't be concerned about their inactivity in the Church, we would also be less able to deal with their rejection of other core expectations we had. The Gospel provides guidance, perspective and the comfort of the Spirit in being parents of adult children.

How I live my faith

I home teach 6 families in our ward congregation. They are regular people. Some actively attend and participate in the ward and others are less active. Some have challenges with their health, employment, finances, shyness, and/or loneliness. I try to talk to them regularly at church or by phone and visit them monthly. I listen and try to help them, teach brief lessons and pray with them. I’ve been visiting one of my Home Teaching families for over 15 years on this basis and another one I started visiting only this year. All active men in the LDS faith do Home Teaching.

I’ve had the privilege of serving as the Bishop, a lay-pastor, in our ward congregation for the last 4 years. I get to work with and teach the teenagers regularly and they keep me young. I have the responsibility to reach out to and help the poor and the needy and have seen my compassion for my brothers and sisters grow. I could not fulfill my calling as Bishop without the strengthening and inspiration of the Holy Ghost AND without the willing support and help of the others who serve with me in our ward. Someday in the next few years, I will be released as Bishop and another member of our ward will have the blessings of the calling. I might then be called to work with the Scouts or teach Sunday School.

Why is family so important to Mormons?

Wayne answered...

We believe that families have the potential to be eternal. We are part of our Heavenly Father's Family and He wants our earthly families to become worthy to be united together, generation following generation, in His presence. The Gospel was restored in these latter-days "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers," least the whole earth be smitten with a curse.

Families are the most important growth environment during this mortal life. "In our families we love, serve, teach and learn from each other. We share our joys and support each other in our sorrows. Family ties may bring us challenges, but they also give us strength and some our greatest happiness."

Strong families are vital to any society that expects to endure.
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Matt answered...

We believe that family relationships are the sources of life's greatest joys. We also believe that families can be together forever.

Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?

Alan answered...

No. "Worship" is reserved for members of the Godhead: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Worship means giving absolute devotion, adoration, and submission to someone, and only God is worthy of receiving true worship. God said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)" So what do we think about Joseph Smith? He was a mortal man called by God to serve as a prophet, and he was a great prophet. We love Joseph Smith, we study his teachings, and we are grateful for the work he did. But we do not worship him any more than we worship Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Peter, or any other prophet. We worship God.