Hi, I'm Justin

I'm a music nerd, a theatre enthusiast, and a big brother. I love cheesecake, I'm an aspiring composer, and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in Mesa, AZ, and I am studying choral music education in college. Music is a huge part of who I am – I love singing the most out of anything I do, I think. I do a lot of choir and vocal jazz, and I really love musical theatre. Piano is a large part of my musical self as well, and I’ve done several solo performances as well as professional accompanying for singers and choirs. Playing the piano is also very therapeutic for me, and helps me get out those emotions I can’t express any other way. In addition to singing and piano, I also play cello, alto saxophone, and guitar. I also love composing and arranging my own pieces, and I hope to be a successful composer someday. I really enjoy acting, but it doesn’t have to be musical theatre! I love all aspects of performances, whether I’m on stage or in the audience. Aside from the performing arts, I love reading and hanging out with my friends.
I am the oldest of four children - I have two little brothers, and one little sister. My sister was basically a stillborn, and the doctors said she wouldn't last the night...and here we are almost 18 years later. She has a lot of mental and physical disabilities, but she has such an amazing spirit. I know that she is one of our Heavenly Father's most precious children. I feel truly blessed to have her as a member of my family.

Why I am a Mormon

I grew up in the Church, getting by on the testimonies of my parents until I was able to have some powerful spiritual experiences of my own during my teenage years. Those experiences helped shape my testimony, and when I graduated high school, I was very sure of myself and where I was going. Once I got to college that fall, however, everything seemed to fall apart. I wasn't sure who I was. I didn't know what I believed in or what I wanted anymore. I was faced with some very difficult challenges as well as facts about myself that I was forced to confront, and I didn't know what to do. I felt very lost. I started to try and piece myself together again without much success, and I strayed from God's path for a while, though my faith in Him remained and I never stopped going to church. Before long, I found myself on my knees, begging for an answer from Him as to what was happening and where I needed to go. I felt like I had been torn apart and dismantled, without any clue as to how to reassemble myself. I had a few very special, very intimate spiritual experiences with my Savior that year - He helped to build me back up again. I felt the amazing power of His redeeming love, and felt that I had been forgiven of my sins. I was given a glimpse of true, pure, eternal joy, and it is the sweetest and most wonderful feeling I have ever felt. I know with every fiber of my being that this Gospel is true, that my Heavenly Father knows me personally and loves me. Everyone has to have a conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, regardless of whether they were raised in the Church or not. I finally had to decide if I truly believed in the doctrines that I was raised on, and though my testimony wavered during that first year of college, it's now stronger than it ever has been in my entire life.

Personal Stories

What is hope and what do you hope for?

For a long time, I didn't really know what hope was. I had heard about it, and I sort of believed it, but I didn't really have it. In 2 Nephi 31:20 we read about having a "perfect brightness of hope", and I had no idea what that really meant until recently. I was recently able to perform in Rob Gardner's work "Lamb of God", for orchestra, choir, and soloists. It's a concert work about the last week of Jesus Christ's life, the Atonement, and His Resurrection. Rob Gardner himself directed it, and we performed in Arizona State University's Gammage Auditorium. That experience changed my life and helped me gain a greater faith and love for my Savior. Through that beautiful music, the Lord taught me hope. Rob Gardner really wove a message of hope throughout this work - a hope that will power us through our lives. Knowing that Christ suffered and died for each of us so that we can live again gives me hope. Knowing that I can be cleansed from my sins and gain eternal life through the Atonement gives me hope. Knowing that I will be delivered from the pain, suffering, and trials in my life gives me hope. I love my Savior more than I can possibly express, and I am eternally grateful to Him for His redeeming love in my life.

Why do Mormons go on missions?

Personally, I'm serving a mission because I know it's what my Father in Heaven wants me to do at this time. I prayed about it for a long time, and I finally decided to go forth and serve. My Heavenly Father gave me a confirmation letting me know that this is what His will for me is at this time, and that He has a mission for me to fulfill. I have already received many blessings for serving, as has my family back home. The gospel of Jesus Christ has brought me so much happiness and peace, and I want to share that with as many people as I can so that they can be happy as well and have the chance to return to God. I am so excited to be out serving the Lord, and I am honored and humbled that He has called me to participate in this great work.

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

Our Heavenly Father has given each of us specific and special talents and abilities. He asks us to develop them and seek to become the best we can be in order to bless the lives of others. As we strive to glorify His name and bless His other children through our talents, He blesses us with more talents and helps us to increase the ones we already do have. Some may have a parituclar ability with physical strength or sports, others may have a knack for understanding complicated mathematical formulas. Some might be very socially open or blessed in public speaking, and others may be gifted is music or art. In other kinds of talents, some may have the gift of great faith and trust in the Lord, and others may have the ability to understand the thoughts and emotions of others. There are as many different kinds of talents as there are people on this earth, and no matter what we are blessed with, it's our duty to share our talents and bless others through them. Each of us is incredibly unique, and you are the only person like you - you are the only one who can bring your specific self and your unique talents to the table, so to speak. God needs each of us to do our part in the building up of His Kingdom, and in the blessing of His children.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I am so grateful for prayer and the power it displays in my life. Through prayer, I can communicate with my loving Father in Heaven. I can express the immense and eternal gratitude I have for His many blessings, and I can ask Him to give me the things I so desperately need. I have had countless experiences with prayer in my life that have let me know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and He knows me. I pray every morning and every night, as well as throughout the day, because I know I can't do anything without His help and strength.

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

When we follow the promptings of the Spirit and make righteous choices, we are blessed, and we will be more receptive to spiritual guidance in the future. As we make these good choices and decide how will will act before the situation presents itself, then it will be easier to continue making good choices and to turn away in the face of temptation. For example, I decided early in my life to abstain from drinking alcohol or partaking of any other harmful substances. When I got to college and was invited to go to parties where I knew drinking would be going on, or when a someone offered me a beer at a time when I wasn't expecting it, it was very easy to say "no" since I had already decided to never drink alcohol. The Lord blesses those who follow Him and keep His commandments, and as we make righteous choices, He will help us to continue on the right path.

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

My knowledge and testimony of the Plan of Salvation has shaped my life in such a way that I have gained so much faith and strength as I push through the trials of this life. It helps me to keep the "big picture" in mind and reminds me to make the correct choices each day. I am molding my life and my will to the divine potential within me, and I know that as I find my part in God's plan and continuously strive to draw closer to Him, one day I can live with Him again.

How I live my faith

I am currently devoting every minute of every day to my faith by serving a full-time mission for two years in the Massachusetts Boston mission, speaking Cambodian. The mission covers the area of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, a small part of New York, and the southernmost portions of Vermont and New Hampshire. It's pretty difficult being a missionary, but also incredibly rewarding.
There is always room for improvement and learning in our lives, and I continue to strive to become a better person each and every day. I have many shortcomings and weaknesses, but Jesus Christ strengthens me and helps me to overcome them. Through the Atonement, I am becoming the man, and eventually husband and father, that He wants me to be.
I always do everything I can to help others. I do my best to live my life following Christ's example, sharing His teachings and His love in any way I can. That's why I'm serving a mission - I want others to be able to have a chance to experience the true joy that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for them to be able to feel the amazing power of His love in their lives.
My favorite scripture: "Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." - Romans 8:35, 37

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Justin answered...

No member of the Church is required to serve a mission. All missionaries volunteer to serve and are not paid for their service. Young men may begin service at 19 years old, and young women may begin at 21 years old. Retired senior couples, men, and women may also serve missions. All missionaries, regardless of age, are called of God.
Show more of my answers Show less of my answers One Moment Please
Austin. answered...

No. Every worthy young man is expected to serve a mission, though there is no punishment for not doing so. Also, not every young man is physically or mentally capable, so there are circumstances where a young man may be excused from service. Young women may also serve missions, but are not expected to do so.

Serving a mission means a full-time commitment, leaving family and friends to preach the gospel in a place assigned by the Church.

I served my mission in Los Angeles, California.

What is a “testimony” that Mormons speak of?

Megan! answered...

A testimony is the knowledge that a certain principle is true, right, or good. For example, I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He did truly atone for our sins. In order to gain that knowledge, I have studied, reflected on what I learned in my study, and prayed to have that knowledge confirmed in my heart. As an answer to those prayers, (for there were many--building a testimony is an ongoing process) I have felt the truth in my heart.
We can gain testimonies of many principles. Another way is to put that principle into action, as sort of a test. In order to gain a testimony of prayer, we might try praying. To gain a testimony of the principle of tithing, we might try paying a full tithe. (10% of our income.) As we strive to live these principles, the Holy Ghost will confirm the truthfulness of them to our hearts. We will know that they are right; we will have a testimony of them.

Mormons also talk about "bearing testimony." This simply means to share the testimony we have gained with other people, either in a formal setting (like in church) or in a more informal setting (like in a conversation with a friend.)