Experience & Interview

We visited the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Institute of Religion in San Jose near San Jose State University:

http://www.ldsces.org/iws1/index.aspx?p=60221

We went to experience an LDS institution to see how it differed from the congregations we visited in class. The institution holds YSA Classes every Wednesday night at 7. We walked around the facility and talked to the person at the front and she said we were free to check it out. The place seemed very similar to any other religious organizations’ institute for youth. There were no men walking around with their 6 wives dressed in ankle length dresses, or people with black ties and white shirts trying to convert us, just ordinary young people gathering to talk about their faith.

Interview

We interviewed Erik Allebest, a current active member of the Los Altos LDS Ward. Erik is 32 years old and served his mission in Costa Rica for 2 years. We met Erik through a friend who attended Pinewood High School in Los Altos, a high school that was founded by a Mormon family and has a predominately Mormon student body. We wanted to ask Erik about life as a Mormon as well as his opinions on a potential Mormon president.

A & D: What do people who find out you are Mormon usually do or say?

Erik: People are usually pretty polite, but act different for sure. Once they get to know me though, they don’t even think about it. It isn’t really that big of a deal but at first people are like, “really?”

A & D: What was the experience of your Mormon mission like?

Erik: It was something that made me grow up a lot. Your in a foreign place, with just you and your companions trying to speak Spanish….it’s just hard to put yourself out there in that situation. I saw some pretty incredible things and people though.

A & D: What was the hardest part?

Erik: Well we weren’t allowed to follow sports, and I am a huge Niners fan, I may have checked a few scores once or twice.

A & D: Do you know that there are two potential Mormon presidential candidates running in 2012?

Erik: I know that Mitt Romney is running, I’m not sure who the other one is.

A & D: Do you think it is possible for them to win?

Erik: I think it is possible, but not likely.

A & D: Why?

Erik: Well I mean, you saw it with Sarah Palin last election, people try to use personal things to try to discourage people from voting for the other candidate. Like, Palin and her kids, and how she was a hick, and I think people will do that with Romney.