Hi, I'm Shawn

I'm a husband. I'm a father. I'm a nurse. I'm a rocker. I'm a Mormon

About Me

I am married with one child (my little 1yr old girl). I am a MALE NURSE working in a Neuro/Trauma unit in Phoenix. In my ward I am the Young Men's President, which basically means I get to play teenager and have fun with the scouts (it is the best job ever). I love to play guitar and I wish I was in a band now, though it's tough to find the time. I am a jack of all trades and I always have 1000 projects that are always half done!

Why I am a Mormon

I was raised in the church my whole life. When I was 12 years old I had a crush on a girl who was also a member of the church (we are still great friends). She made me want to be a better person. From her example I read the Book of Mormon all by myself for the first time. A teacher in church challenged me to pray about the gospel to know if it is true. I took that challenge and prayed. I didn't have any miraculous voice from heaven or anything, but I just felt it was right. I was determined, though, to have a "voice from heaven" experience and I kept praying about it every night for a long time. After a few months of this, one night I was feeling down because I didn't feel I had my answer. I prayed very hard and long that night. It was as though words entered my mind, "Why are you still asking for an answer? You already know it's true". I laughed. It was true. I had already known! That small seed of a testimony preserved me through some very trying times as a teenager.
On my mission to England, I once talked to a man that forever changed my life. He made me take a deep look at myself. On my mission, I asked people every day to read a book and pray about it, and then to change their entire life based on the answer to that prayer. I honestly didn't know if I could do that in my own life. I asked myself over and over, "If God answered my prayer by telling me another religion was the true and I was wrong, would I have the honesty and courage to leave everything I've ever known?" After months of searching my own soul I determined I would follow God, no matter where He would take me. I know God answers prayers to those who will listen! It's an answer you must receive yourself. I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth. I got my answer and I continue to have that answer renewed.

Personal Stories

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

Mormons believe in what we call the Law of Consecration. We feel that everything we have in life is a blessing from God, and if God required it, we should be willing to give it all back (that's the very short version!).
I have been blessed by learning to be a handyman from my dad, and I share my knowledge with the young men in my ward teaching them to be self-sufficient.
I have been blessed with an education in nursing, and I volunteer my time to tutor a woman in my ward who is in the nursing program right now.
I have been blessed with a good job, a home, decent income, and I give generously to church welfare programs to help bless the lives of others.
I used to think I had nothing to offer and determined that if nothing else I have time (a precious commodity) so I always try to show up!

How I live my faith

I am the Young Men's President in my ward. The boys are involved in Boy Scouts of America and we do a lot through the scouting organization for activities. I try to give the boys opportunity to learn new things, and of course have a lot of fun. We try to apply what we learn by serving our community. For example, we will learn the basics of home repairs and then go to a older widow's home in our neighborhood and fix things for her she can't do herself. Religion isn't only what you believe, it's what you do, and we always link these life skills to the gospel of Christ. It is my goal that each of the boys I serve become men. Real men who love God, are honest, kind, hard working, and balanced. The world is sadly lacking real men. I am so inspired by these boys! They give me hope for a better future. I met a police officer once who told me he got into Boy Scouts in order to see the good in youth after being jaded by his job. I feel my faith renewed by the young men and I love being a part of it!

Do you really believe there is a prophet like Moses alive today?

Kimberly answered...

Absolutely! Heavenly Father loves us, His children. He loves us so much that He listens to our prayers. He also loves us so much that He has given prophets throughout history to lead us, teach us, and guide us.

We have a living prophet on earth today, Thomas S. Monson, who speaks on behalf of God. We have lots of opportunities today to listen to the words of the living prophets. I invite you to visit http://www.lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today
Ryan X Allred answered...

Absolutely. If God loved his children in ancient times enough to send them, does He love us any less?

Prophets serve at least 2 purposes.

In the past, Christ Jesus personally called prophets, apostles, evangelists, teachers, deacons, etc, according to the Apostle Paul. He uses such leaders to help move His great work forward, because it is through selfless service that we develop Christ-like qualities and allow us to be one with Him so that we may be One with the Father. Having a living prophet allows the Father to teach hitherto new principles or doctrine to all His children. We can always interpret scripture to meet our intimate needs through personal revelation via prayer and communion with the Holy Ghost. But the greatest acts of service are always done through the synergistic power of communities, whether they are a family or a nation. Our Father in Heaven understands this and he communes with his living prophet, Thomas S Monson, in order to bless the lives of all His children regardless of their circumstances or creeds.

Why is family so important to Mormons?

Ben answered...

Because family is so important to God. Why do you think God intoduces Christ as His "only begotten SON in whom I am well pleased" and not something more formal like my servant, the Christ? Why in the scriptures is God referred to as "The Father" more than any other title? why is it that naturally we come into this life into a family, whether functional or not? Families are ordained of God. Agency and human nature is what may cause us to believe other wise.
Family ought to be our foundation of education in this life. I've moved around a lot. I've attended many different schools and one thing I've learned is that it is hard to focus on my goals if I don't have a social network providing acceptance and unity. A support group I can lean on and be there to be leaned on at school. It's a miracle that God has provided that support group for the important lessons in life.
If our families aren't what they could be, we can choose individually to be an example and a friend to them as far as possible. practice the principles of repentence and forgiveness. Understanding that our families are meant to be eternal helps us to not allow the small things to obstruct our relationships.