Hi, I'm Austin

I'm a huband, a father and a friend. I'm proud to be a police officer... and a Mormon.

About Me

I've been married for seven years to a great wife and we have four young children under 6 years old.
I love being a cop and having the chance to bring justice to bad people while also helping good people who just made a bad decision to possibly change their lives. When I have time I like to play Xbox with friends. Oh... and I look forward to August each year... fantasy football!

Why I am a Mormon

I was a good kid... raised by great parents who taught me to live right. I didn't grow up as an active member of any particular church but I knew of God and was raised a christian. When I met my wife I knew she was "one of those Mormons" but I knew nothing about her beliefs. Before too long she had a decision to make... introduce me to the Gospel or... dump me. I'm glad she chose the first. I started going with her just to help out in Nursery but it didn't take me long to know that I wanted to keep going back to learn more about the Gospel. I started talking to the missionaries and a few months later I was baptized.

Personal Stories

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized on December 21, 2002 by Elder A. Phillips.

I had been attending church and meeting with the missionaries for quiet sometime. I knew that the Gospel and the principles that I had learned were true, but it was hard for me to "take the leap" since none of my family were members of the Church. After lots of prayer and scripture study I finally came to know that I needed to be baptized. Despite fears of disapproval, I had full support from my and almost everybody showed up to my baptism.

That was a Saturday, Elder Phillips flew home that Monday as he had served his 2 years. That was part of the deal for me and why I chose that date... I thought it was pretty cool that I could be his last missionary act before he went home.

How I live my faith

In my first years in the church I was called to work in the Nursery and Primary. It was so great to see the sweet spirits of the young children. They live to learn about Jesus and they love to do what will make him happy.

Right now I serve my ward as the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Assistant, as well as a Hometeacher. Being a police officer with an irregular work schedule makes it hard to get to church all the time, but it also lends itself towards a calling such as Emergency Prep.

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

Austin answered...

The Word of Wisdom is a simple concept... as Mormons we abstain from consuming alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea and illegal drugs. Fortunately for me this was easy to adjust to when I began investigating the church since I was never really a drinker or a smoker.

The Word of Wisdom was revealed to Joseph Smith in 1833... almost two centuries later science has proven just how harmful these substances can be to our bodies. God promises blessings of health and wellness if we make the simple choice to avoid those things that we know can do us harm.

I know of the truth of this principle as I see the effects of drugs and alcohol in my job every night. I see many lives ruined, and often times cut short, because of these substances and the choices people make to consume them.
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Mark answered...

The word of wisdom is the Lord's law of health. We abstain from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and are encouraged to eat wholesome food and grains, and not eat excessive meat. I am asked all of the time by my fellow residents at the hospital why I don't drink coffee, and how I can stay awake all night on call without it. I don't consider it a sacrifice, though, and am as awake and perform as well as any. It is true that the body will be more healthy when following the word of wisdom, the but the main benefit is spiritual. The knowledge that you are in line with the the Lord's teaching is the most important thing.