Hi, I'm Don Arturo

I'm a convert, a divorced father, and a hopeful romantic. I know any trial can be overcome; any obstacle ascended. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up outside Tampa, Florida.

Basketball and tennis were my youthful passions, but football, soccer, baseball, and fishing competed for attention. I played drums in the school band, was in the gifted program, an honor student, a varsity athlete, and worked part time at a grocery store. I danced in a Superbowl halftime show, attended summer bible camps, and worshiped at Baptist and Evangelical congregations.

I joined the LDS Church in college after breaking off a long term relationship with a Mormon girl. I still play sports and get outdoors as often as I am able. I'm back in school again promising myself this time I will see it through! I've started a string of small businesses with a fair mixture of success and failure. Like many young entrepreneurs I often feel full on ideas and empty on capital.

I'm a single father. My little girl is amazing and is twice the overachiever I've ever been. I have a strong testimony of families, and the important commitment of marriage, so being divorced twice has been very, VERY hard on me. I have a strong testimony that it takes two committed people to make a marriage work, and sincerely hope I one day find someone as committed to family as I am.

I can't control the choices that others make, but I can chose my reactions. I know that only I determine my destiny, and that through hard work, faith, and a refusal to give up, I will one day gain every righteous desire in this life and the next!

Why I am a Mormon

In my late teens I dated an LDS girl because she shared my moral standards for dating. She tried her best to introduce me to the gospel during our two year relationship, but I was not interested. One day she gave me her seminary scriptures, personally highlighted and filled with her personal notations and testimony. A few months after we broke off our romance, I found these scriptures on a shelf, read them, felt the Holy Spirit, and was baptized a short time later.

I have been a member of the church for over 10 years now, and it has changed my life in many positive ways. I've been blessed to attend LDS church services in large congregations in Utah, and small congregations in Florida and Alaska. No matter where I end up, the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the same. One of the great blessings of the Mormon faith is the consistency. I know that no matter where I live or travel, on any given Sunday I can enter a church building and feel welcomed. I know I will feel the same Spirit and receive the same lessons and teachings I would have missed from my home congregation.

I am the only Mormon in my large extended family, and am the go-to-guy for "Mormon questions." Because of many prominent Mormons in the news and LDS themes in television shows, movies, and even on Broadway these questions have been coming up more often lately. I enjoy this, and have had the opportunity to learn many details of my faith. Whenever I have a question, I can usually find an answer in the scriptures, and a modern understanding from one of the many articles from righteous men and women that can be found on lds.org.

Mormons are NOT perfect, and I know I am very far from perfect, but the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ IS perfect! Through the Atonement, and because of Christ's Love and Sacrifice, I know that we can become perfected in Him. Because of my faith, I strive every day to become a little bit better.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by clinging to the Gospel no matter what life throws at me. I've dealt with trials in my life, but my faith in Christ gets me through each day. I stay positive through it all.

I was married in the Temple, and blessed with a beautiful daughter. I really felt like I was living the dream with a beautiful family, good job, challenging leadership role in Church, and a nice home. Then, due to infidelity, it all came crashing down around me. Despite my efforts to forgive, our marriage ended. It took lots of work and prayer for me to get over the violations of trust that led to the destruction of our marriage.

I was blessed to meet another young lady, who was smart, kind, and beautiful beyond measure in my eyes. We would build a new life together, and I would get over the feelings of hurt, vulnerability, and mistrust from my first divorce. We built a business, moved our family to a beautiful ski town, traveled frequently, and loved life. I finally started to truly feel safe again, and truly trusting in this relationship. Then one day I got a text message on my cellphone and came home to an empty house. She never said goodbye, and I never saw her again. I learned a really hard lesson in agency (our God given freedom to make our own choices good or bad) on that afternoon.

I started blaming myself, looking for any shortcoming on my part that could explain what went wrong AGAIN. I went to therapy, counselled with Bishops, and reached out to one of the highest leaders in our Church. In the end everyone told me the same thing. No amount of faith or work on my part could take away another's agency no matter how unrighteous those choices are. Families are forever, but only if both partners work diligently towards it.

Faith, Prayer, and Christ's love have helped me through everything. I live a life of hope! The Gospel strengthens me, The Scriptures enlighten me, and Prayer fills my heart with Joy. Only I can determine my ultimate destiny. God Loves Us!

What do Mormons believe about the Holy Ghost? Who is the Holy Ghost?

Don Arturo answered...

The Holy Ghost is the divine comforter and revealer of truth! When we pray we have the ability to receive answers to our prayers through the still small voice of the Spirit.

Because the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit, he is able to "dwell in us." When new members or children are baptized into the LDS faith they receive The Gift of the Holy Ghost. This baptism by water and Spirit is in line with biblical teachings as Jesus received the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove after he was baptized by John the Baptist as recorded in the New Testament.

The Holy Ghost is a divine guide for our lives. Most Mormons approach major life decisions prayerfully and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help them with the choices they must make.
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Are Mormons Christians?

Lily answered...

YES. Yes yes yes. What is a Christian? A Christian is a person that believes in Jesus Christ, and believes that Christ did in fact die for us so that we can repent and return to live with him again. He is our Savior and Redeemer. We pray and we worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith. Jesus Christ is my Savior. He died for me. He loves me. He is my hero, and he is my best friend.