Hi, I'm Jeff Johnston

I grew up in Snowflake, Arizona. I have 21 brothers and sisters and 35 nieces and nephews. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am 20 years old and starting my Junior year in college. I love music, singing, dancing, sports, chess, basically everything. I plan on soon serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were I can bring others to the knowledge and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why I am a Mormon

In my eyes the Mormon church has a strong focus on families. Family is the most important thing in the world. Cultures, nations, and civilizations are all based on the families there-in. When I become a father I want to raise my kids to love family, friends, and God. The Mormon church brings people to this kind of love.

How I live my faith

I strive to bring those who are low higher. Then believe and depend on my redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is higher than all, to stoop down and lift me higher.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Jeff Johnston answered...

I am 20 years old and have not yet left on my mission, but I will go. This is "good enough" in our church. As long as we strive to do what the Lord asks of us through his living prophet.
Taylor answered...

Quite simply, no. The young men of the church have been strongly encouraged to serve a mission at age 19, and the sisters are able to serve at age 21, but no one is required to serve. We do it because we want to! Who in their right mind would give up two years and pay that's right, missionaries pay their own way to go somewhere they had never been and do all that they do? We serve missions becuase we know that Jesus is the Christ, and we want the happiness that knowledge bring to be available to everyone! So no, Mormons are not required to serve a mission. It's a personal choice to share the happiness and joy they've received from the Gospel.

What is the Mormon lifestyle like? How do Mormons live?

Serge answered...

Family is everything to us. Our family spends lots of our free time together because we like each other. Life gets crazy with teenagers, dance practice, after school academic decathlon, usually with a toddler in tow, but no matter what, every Monday night is Family Night.

The kids know that every Monday we spend time together and nothing gets in the way of it. It's our commitment to each other. We bake cookies, have lessons about the Savior, work on personal goals, go to the park, go geocaching, play board games or just go out for ice cream.

We do lots of things together. The point is that at least once a week we spend an hour or two together, just for the sake of being together, just because we love being together as a family. It's not as perfect as it may sound, with all the poking and "she's in my spot," and all the other crazy things family members do to each other when scrambling for a spot in the living room, but we try real hard. It takes effort to make sure we don't miss, but it's worth it.

I'm not sure the kids will remember all the games we played, the places we went or what we did, but I hope they always remember that we loved each other enough to dedicate one night a week to be with each other. And that we spent every Monday night together for as many Mondays as they can remember because family is everything to us, and every member of our family is important.