Hi I'm Jacob

During my sophomore year of high school in the Las Vegas area, I slowly began to realize the importance of gaining and maintaining your faith against the buffetings of the world. I had many challenging high school courses, but the one that challenged me the most intellectually was my World History class. The goal of the class was to get you to see the events and records of our world in an unbiased light, basing your analysis of events on facts and evidence. Though this is an important factor in understanding past events, many of our discussions came to contradict many things that I had before-hand held as absolute truths (including many questions about my own faith). For a time, many of the events I uncovered and the things I read left doubt in me about the truth of the Mormon faith. Was it really truth? Why did so many doctrines and teachings seem to clash? It was slowly over time that I came to realize that faith of any kind seems to not match what history tells us. FAITH CANNOT BE PROVEN NOR DIS-PROVEN. And after much soul searching, I realized that truth can only be recognized through the witness of the Spirit, and the feeling of peace that comes with understanding your faith. It has, and will always be that way. And after spending many hours in study and prayer, and experiencing many things that are too personal to mention here, I know that there is a Supreme Father in the heavens, who knows and loves each of his children. That his son did Atone for all our infirmities, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed restored again to the earth in its fullness. This is his church. I know it. I've felt it. And, to use the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "I [cannot] deny it."

We are taught in the New Testament that faith without works is dead; and to me, that means living the commandments of our God to our fullest. As a member of multiple wards that I've belonged to in my lifetime, I've served many positions in my local priesthood groups, which enabled me to help look after the sick or afflicted, overseeing the general welfare of the members in my area, and participating actively in ordinances pivotal to our weekly Sunday meeting as saints. But being a Christian means that we live the example that Jesus Christ gave us to follow every day, every minute of our lives. Participating in your community through service and other events has been an important part of my life as far back as I can remember. I have worked countless hours as an Eagle Scout, NHS member, and with other smaller youth organizations that are a benefit to the American community. And it is possible that I will be taking up a position in the ranks of our armed forces after my mission for my church, and after earning my four-year degree in college. My duty has always been to serving my God and country in whatever capacity I have. I also enjoy extended amounts of study of the Bible and Book of Mormon in seminary, in preparation to attend our temple and serve as a missionary, and on my own to further solidify my testimony of Christ's work and the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Through my study and diligence in following the example of the Savior, I have come to know him personally.