About Me –
My family is my focus. Everything I do revolves around them – now that the kids have left home and my grandchildren live far away we try to get together as often as we can and that usually means a road trip. I am recently retired after working for 31 years in state government in the criminal justice system as a forensic chemist. My training is in chemistry and I have taught school, worked in research, in private labs, government labs, and for the last decade I had a quality assurance assignment with the agency.
My hobbies include gardening, woodworking, hiking, camping, and genealogy. And I am an avid reader, averaging about two books a week. I would rather read than watch TV. Of all the places we have lived, we love the Northwest the best and feel blessed to live in such a beautiful area.
Why I Am A Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I was raised in a faithful LDS home. My mother was a convert from Sweden and my father was the missionary who taught her. Their example has always inspired me and continues to do so. As most teenagers, there came a time when I began to question the faith I was raised in. My parents patiently encouraged me to make my questions a matter of prayer and scripture study and my father and I had many discussions. As a result of prayer I received a powerful spiritual confirmation of the truth of what I had been taught. This has sustained me for over fifty years. I learned to love the scriptures and love to teach from them. I served a mission to Sweden, which solidified my convictions and gave me spiritual experiences which helped to mature my faith. The doctrine of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to God’s commandments continues to give me joy, and to challenge me to be better. And the church’s unique doctrine regarding eternal families, the potential for a family to be united for eternity has tremendous appeal to me – I would not be much interested in an eternity without them. That is a powerful motivator for me to try my best to follow the Savior.
How I Live My Faith
The LDS Church offers every member many opportunities to serve. My favorite assignments have been with the Scouting program and the youth. I have been a Scout Master, Varsity Coach, Explorer Adviser, merit badge counselor, District Commissioner, and Scout Committee chair and member. But I also enjoy teaching adults. I enjoy discussing the doctrines of the gospel and teaching from the scriptures. I dedicate a little time each day to read and ponder the scriptures. And Latter-day Saints have a lot of scriptures to enjoy! We love and revere the Bible – I love the richness of the Bible, both the Old and New Testament. And we have that unique scripture, the Book of Mormon, which continues to surprise me with the depth and power of its stories and doctrine. And we have yet additional scripture – the word of God multiplied and expanded and continuing to enlighten and inspire, warn and counsel. I have had some leadership positions, but I am always more comfortable working quietly in the background, out of the limelight. I love serving in the church and doing whatever I can to help. Both my wife and I are avid genealogists, and have helped dozens of people, both church members and others, to research their family history. Perhaps our love of family and the importance of our family connections drives this interest. I came from a very loving family and that love extended to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even to those we never met who lived before us. I have always loved the stories of my ancestors, the challenges they faced in their lives, the good things they did and the troubles they faced and overcame. And I really enjoy passing these stories on to my children and grandchildren.
