Hi, I'm Jeff

I grew up in Utah, but have lived in Washington for 24 years. I'm an Engineer, husband, father, and volunteer. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a proud husband and father of 5 - 2 girls and 3 boys. I grew up in Logan Utah, a community filled with LDS church members. I moved to Washington state's Puget Sound area after a church mission and college to work and have more opportunities to share the gospel. I loved participating in sports, music, and many social activities growing up and now get to experience lots of those opportunities again with my children. I am a Structures Design Engineer, working on commercial and military aircraft, and enjoy working as a Lead engineer, directing design solutions and working with people.

I spend almost all of my time away from work attending to home, family, and church responsibilities. We are highly involved in our children's sports, music, school, and extra-curricular activities and volunteering in the community and in the church.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a Mormon because I have experienced over and over and over again that by applying the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, I find success, happiness, and eternal perspective that helps me make it through life's challenges, while also recognizing the source of the blessings in the abundant life I enjoy.

I was blessed to be raised in the church and in a community influenced heavily by Mormons. While none were perfect, I saw the gospel of Jesus Christ exemplified in many different ways in the lives of my family, my friends, my coaches, my teachers, my leaders, and in the community. I also had friends who were not members of the church that were great people and enjoyed the wholesomeness of the community we lived in.

As I grew, I applied the gospel principles that I saw exemplified in those I admired and found that they worked for me too. The Spirit has witnessed to me many times as I have studied and learned about eternal truths and experienced the blessings promised as I have tried to apply them. I served a mission for the church in the Missouri/Illinois area and grew immensely from that experience, devoting my life to the service of others.

When I share what I have experienced, or what I have learned in the gospel, the Spirit testifies to me time and time again that the work I am engaged in is true. Jesus Christ leads the church through a prophet, apostles, and leaders called by Him to direct His work here on earth.

Personal Stories

Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith was a prophet called in these latter days to restore Christ's original teachings and church back to the earth. As a young 14-year old boy in 1820 he was praying to know which church he should join when he was visited by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He was later directed by Heavenly messengers to a book of scripture, written on plates of gold by prophets who lived in the ancient Americas. Through the gift and power of God, Joseph Smith translated a segment of what was on those plates into English in what we have today as the Book of Mormon.

Joseph's experiences and the Book of Mormon have been matters of personal study and prayer that I have taken to the Lord. The witness of the Holy Ghost has been clear to me that he did in reality see the Father and the Son; that he truly was called of God to restore the fulness of the gospel to the earth. As I share the Joseph Smith story with others, the Spirit always testifies to me that what his story is authentic. Reading and applying the teachings of the Book of Mormon has brought me closer to Christ than anything else. This further witnesses to me that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

I have been to that sacred grove where the visit of the Father and Son occured. I have walked the streets where Joseph walked and have pondered over his grave. The Spirit has spoken to me over and over again, that he truly was called of God.

Many mistakenly think that we worship Joseph Smith. We certainly revere what he did to bring the fulness of Christ's gospel back to earth. We believe he continues to play a role in the heavens, as do other prophets in helping the gospel fill the earth and bless people's lives. I am personally eternally grateful for the sacrifices, persecution, and trials Joseph endured to give me the gift of the gospel I have today.

I testify that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, seer, and revelator, that he saw God and Jesus Christ and restored the gospel in it's fulness.

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

Church missions have always been a part of the Lord's kingdom on earth. Jesus sent His apostles out to preach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to rescue the lost sheep.

Missionary work is an integral part of the the overarching mission of the Church, to bring souls to Christ. Our prophets have asked that all worthy and able young men, when 19 or older, serve a full-time mission for the church. Young women can also serve if they choose to do so, but are not under the same mandate as the young men.

I was able to serve a mission in Missouri and Illinois during during 1981-1983. This allowed me to devote my full time and attention to serving the Lord, attempting to serve my fellow men and teach them about the restored gospel of Christ. I had great experiences seeing individuals and families change their lives for the Savior. As a side benefit, I was changed myself. I grew immensely from that experience in knowledge, faith, testimony, and love for God's children.

My wife also served a mission in Houston, Texas and I have appreciated sharing that common experience with her. We in turn have wanted our children to give back to the Lord by participating in missionary work. Our oldest daughter recently returned from Arizona, where she spent 18 months teaching the Latino people in their native Spanish language, the gospel of Jesus Christ and had many rich and fulfilling experiences. Our oldest son has accepted a call to serve in Brazil for the next 2 years and just recently participated in the baptism of one of his good friends prior to his departure to the mission field. Our other children try to be missionaries by sharing their faith and testimonies and invite their friends to participate with them in their church activities, social events, camps and conferences. We look forward to our younger boys serving full-time missions when they turn 19. We have been blessed beyond measure by seeing others accept the message of the gospel.

How I live my faith

In my youth and as an adult, I have served in many capacities in the church. Each experience has built my faith and testimony of the truths of the gospel. I was called to serve voluntarily for 5 years as the Bishop of our congregation and witnessed more intimately as a leader, counselor and confidant of the members of my congregation how the gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ work in many peoples lives. I also saw that when God's commandments were broken or when principles were ignored, consequences followed that made life more difficult.

I have worked with the youth in various administrative capacities and enjoy watching them develop testimonies of the gospel as they participate and get involved in service and social activities together. I have directed and helped with youth conferences, service projects, dances, camps, music productions, pioneer treks, scouting activities, choirs, and early morning seminary classes. Each experience strengthens my faith and testimony.

My family tries to live our faith by attending church services each Sunday and trying to keep the Sabbath day holy. As asked by our prophets, we try to devote every Monday evening to our family by participating in an activity or learning gospel principles together and sharing talents and enjoying a treat. We attend and participate in weekly church youth activities and social events and support each other in the various assignments we have each been asked to serve in.

My son and I visit a few families each month that we have been assigned by our church leaders to watch over. When all of us work together to teach, help, and strengthen each other, an organization that is built solely by voluntary service and a lay ministry functions amazingly well. We feel that if we fail to follow through on these assignments, people's needs might be overlooked and they might become less active or lost.

Jesus' teaching to cast your bread upon the water and it will come back to you is so true.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Jeff answered...

As true Christians, we believe that without the grace of Christ, none of us can be saved. We must put ourselves in a position to make His grace effective for us. Through faith and good works, we show the Lord the true intent of our hearts. When our hearts are pure and we are doing all we can do to exercise faith, to repent, and follow Him, the Lord's grace then cleanses us and enables us to be redeemed.

No one can cleanse themselves from sin. Only the Savior's atonement can do that for us. We have to apply His atonement in our lives through repentance, showing the Lord our humility and reliance on Him by doing all that we can do by following His commandments and acting as instruments in His hands to do His work on earth. His grace then cleanses us, provides everlasting forgiveness, and enables us to be in tune with Him and His Spirit. His grace provides the gift of the resurrection; His grace caused Him to suffer for our sins and will cleanse us if we will but give them to Him; His grace lifts us to live with him forever if we do everything in our finite power to allow His grace to fill in the vast chasm separating us from Him and our Heavenly Father due to our human frailties and weaknesses. His grace - or His unconditional love or charity for all mankind enables everlasting life.

Qualifying for His saving grace is an ongoing process, not a one-time experience. As we continue our imperfect lives, we must rely on His grace to lift us, cleanse us, and redeem us.
Andy answered...

It is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Grace is the only way that we can have eternal happiness. To acess that grace, we need to do the things that He has asked us to do: have faith in Him, repent, be baptized by someone holding His authority, recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, and follow Him and keep His commandments throughout our lives.

What is being a Mormon like?

Rebecca answered...

My membership in Church has been very rewarding. Here are some of the reasons why:
- It helps me focus on the things that will matter most in the long run, such as building my relationship with my husband, teaching and making memories with my girls, and serving others.
- It provides a rich social environment, but at the same time motivates me to reach out in my community and carve out time for personal reflection and meditation.
- It helped me prioritize my education when I was a teenager and young adult.
- It has helped me develop management and leadership skills. I've had numerous opportunities to lead meetings, plan and execute events, teach classes, mentor individuals, and speak to groups.
- It has consistently enabled me to build relationships with individuals from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. I have a vested interest in the future of people in a variety of circumstances, facing a range of challenges.
- It encourages me in healthy living -- exercising, eating right, and avoiding addictive habits.
- It's given me a vision for what I want to do when I reach retirement age: my husband and I plan to serve a mission, which could entail doing humanitarian service in a developing country, or teaching people closer to home about Jesus Christ.
- It has helped me understand that the purpose of my life is to try to be like Jesus Christ and to serve him, and that after I die I can live in His presence.