The Last Post

Well, this will be the last post on this blog for the next two years at least. I'd first of all just like to say another thank you to everyone who's supporting me. All my friends and family. You guys are great, and I've appreciated all the love and friendship that's been shown me throughout my life. Now I'm about to head out, and I'll lose a little bit of that support, or rather I just won't be as close to it. Please feel free to write, I really would love to hear from anyone that would care to write. Other than that, I honestly don't know what else to say... My testimony is on this blog in a number of posts, so I'll refrain from posting too much of it again. Suffice it to say for now, that the Gospel is true, and I know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I'm willing to serve the Lord, and I know that since it's His work He's more than willing to help me out. Honestly, there's no way anyone would ever be baptized if it was just the missionaries out there on their own. And because of that, though I'm scared, faith outweighs my fear. I'm ready to serve those people in the D.C. area, and God willing, some will be brought to the knowledge of the Gospel. I'll see you in all in two years! Goodbye!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! This has been quite the interesting Christmas for me, it being the last one for me to spend with my family for the next two years, not to mention the fact that my count is down to four days before I head out... There's a lot to say, and I'm not sure how to put it, maybe I'll post once again before I head out, but for now I guess I'll just say Merry Christmas! Christ truly did and does live. He is our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer. His Atonement is the crowning event of all history. It is the power that enables us to do all things, and most importantly to return Home to our Father in Heaven. The Book of Mormon is real, and it is a powerful testament of the reality of our Savior. Joy to the world, the Lord is come to save all men who will believe on His name!

Familia

Click on it and you'll see the animation!

Finals Preparation

Yesiree, it's the last week of classes, and then finals hit. What am I doing right now? Writing a blog post... Why you ask? I'm not quite sure, though procrastination has been shown to be beneficial to student test performance. It boosts adrenaline and forces mental focus, so I guess you could say I'm in the preparation stage for the final stretch of studying before finals? Right, let's go with that.

The Calm

I step outside. The sky is grey and lifeless. There is no wind. Trees stand lifeless, leaves surrounding them, remnants of their past glory. I walk. The Seas of people have disappeared, all that remain are trickles, shuffling forward, eyes downcast, or looking to the sky, waiting for the impending storm. A spirit of nervous fear, apprehension, and anticipation seems to permeate the air. I look back. The mountains are shrouded by clouds, suffocated by the thought of what is coming. Yet despite this, there is a calm. A time of preparation, both for those about to experience the storm, and for the storm itself. The Calm is a blessing, we have time to prepare mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the Storm that lies ahead. Yet the Storm is no doubt still coming, gathering strength. So we hunker down, gather ourselves together, and face what comes. We must prepare while there is a Calm, so that when the Storm comes we will be prepared.

Life comes at ya fast!

39 and 51. Two numbers that as of today are extremely significant. There are currently only 39 days left in the semester, not 39 school days, 39 days, including weekends. That's all that remains of my first semester of College. It's gone by incredibly fast... I can't really describe all the emotions that come with that number 39. It's exciting because it means that school will be over and Christmas break will begin. It's intimidating because that means finals are coming up fast. And it's saddening, because it means that I have only 39 days left with some of the good friends that I've been able to make this semester. It's weird how quickly we can make friends when placed in a situation where we all are in some way forced to rely on each other and to learn to trust one another. I'll miss the new people I've met, my FHE sisters and brothers, as well as those that while I may have known before I've been blessed enough to have the opportunity to get to know better. They've had a profound impact on me, whether they truly understand it or not. I will always be grateful for the friendship, laughs, conversations, and examples they've shown to me this semester. The reason why I have only 39 days left with these individuals is connected with that other number 51, a number that holds even more intense and conflicting emotions. In 51 days I'll be entering the MTC to serve in the Washington D.C. North, Spanish Speaking mission! It's exciting because it means I get to serve a mission, and embark on one of the greatest adventures of my life. It's intimidating because it means I will be charged with seeking out individuals to teach the Gospel and try and bring them to Christ, to change their lives, both her on earth and in the eternities, that's a lot of pressure. It's saddening because it means I have only 51 days left before I won't see my family for two years. I won't get to see my brothers grow in the Priesthood and in the other aspects of their lives; from acting in plays to running in races. I won't get to see my sisters grow as well, whether acting in plays and going to college, or graduating and potentially getting married. I won't get to see my parents for two years, and I'll speak with them only four times during those two years. I will be separated from them by a long distance with no contact beyond emails and letters. I'll be leaving behind the support that I gain from them by their proximity and constant vigilance of my well-being. I'll be leaving friends I've had for the vast majority of my life, brothers that have stood by me throughout our lives. Brothers that I've grown up with, learned with, and bonded with. It's really is sobering. But beyond all that, the excitement, happiness, and joy that will come from serving a mission far outweighs any potential sadness. What greater call, what greater purpose could I have at this time in my life than to serve those who are my brothers and sisters? What greater joy could I have than being an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring them to Christ, and to Eternal Salvation? So while my life is currently a torrent of conflicting emotions, I have Peace in the realization that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, that while it will be difficult it is also possible, that Christ will always stand by me, and that I am on His errand. So while life does indeed come fast, the Lord always seems to make sure that we'll be provided with ample support to meet the challenges ahead. So here we go, life is going to be one crazy ride!

Dreams

We all have those dreams. Those goals that are far distant, something that we think we would love to have happen, something that is to us incredible. For some people it may be owning a farm, for others winning a Nobel prize or a Gold medal. Some people aspire to greatness, to being noticed, others merely to obtaining a decent livelihood. But we all dream. The question then becomes, will we achieve our dreams? Will we reach for the stars, or merely gaze up at them wishing? There is a danger that comes when we reach for the stars. After all, what if we never get there? The stark reality of gravity may bring us hurtling back down to earth, and that is bound to hurt. It's much easier, much safer, to have two feet firmly planted on the ground of "reality" never leaving, only wishing. But how much less rewarding! There's always the chance that when we make that reach, take that leap, that we'll reach the stars, that we'll grasp them and soar farther than even we had imagined. But in order to do so we have to take the risk. We have to be willing to give up something, maybe a lot of things. We have to be willing to experience times of failure, where maybe we do just come crashing back down, and then we have to be willing to get back up and try again. The vast majority of the time this will most likely be the case. But sometimes, in our leap for the stars, we may just grasp one, but perhaps not the one we had originally intended to. It seems to me that in our pursuit for a dream we will often discover a new one, perhaps completely different from the one we had previously imagined, and we may find that we are indeed content with the realization of that heretofore unimagined dream. The man who goes out to become a doctor may discover that he is perhaps meant to be a teacher. Something he had never imagined, but then he loves it, loves it more than he could have ever imagined, and perhaps more than he could have ever loved being a doctor. This new dream becomes his reality. No longer is he standing, merely wishing for what could be. He soars among the stars, discovering things he would have previously never realized, all because he was willing to take the leap and trust what God may give him. After all, we never quite know where the pursuit of our dreams will take us, but one thing is for certain, in order to soar, we must first make the leap.

Jambo!

Jambo wote! In case you hadn't noticed, that's kiswahili! Yep, that's right, me and my roommate Daniel have begun a quest to learn kiswahili! Let me give you a little background on why in the world we would want to learn this language. The fact is, both Daniel and I are slightly obsessed with the idea of going to Africa. For the past week or more, Africa has probably constituted the vast majority of our conversations. Prior to that I'm sure it's dominated our mission thoughts for a few years. With mission calls coming up so quickly it has merely brought those thoughts to the forefront of our minds. After all, we have both dreamed of going to an African country and serving the people there for quite awhile. In all honesty we have no idea why we want to go there. If we were to really think it through you'd think we'd change our minds. Africa is a dangerous, poverty ridden, often genocidal continent. It is a continent of wars, corruption, crime, death, and despair. However, for some reason it contains a definite allure. The culture there is rich, the people often friendly and full of good will. There are stories of success, faith, and hope, that ring forth from the destitute depths of nations. It is not all bad, and while most definitely dangerous, the people there are still children of God. Who else could need the Gospel of Christ more than those that seem to suffer most? Now don't get me wrong, I will not be disappointed if I do not go to Africa. I am fully aware that throughout the world there are many of God's children that need the Gospel as badly as those in Africa. After all, don't we all need to hear that joyous message! And so, wherever I am called to serve the Lord, I know that there will be those who will receive His message and enter into His rest. That is definitely what ultimately matters, and I know that where I am called will be the place where I can best serve, and probably where I can learn the most about myself and what I need to do and become in my life. Plus, how could I be disappointed in a call that was given to me in the premortal realm! A call I have been foreordained to perform! There is power in the concept of foreordination, and I relish in the thought that I perhaps promised one of my brothers that I would find him and bring him the joy I would be privileged enough to have in my life from its beginning! There is honestly nothing else I would rather do at this point in my life, and wherever I am called to serve, there is nowhere else I would rather go, even if it's not Africa. I cannot wait to serve the Lord, to bring His message to people throughout the world, to show them the joy that I have found in the message of The Book of Mormon and in Christ's Atonement! There are few things that can bring greater joy than bringing joy to the life of another, and that is why I am willing to serve. I want people to know what I know, to feel what I feel, to have the spirit in their lives, and to know that they are Children of God with the divine potential to become like God! To know that Christ loves them, that he suffered for them, and that He lives! There is no greater message, and I feel privileged to know that I will be called to bring it to God's children throughout the world. So for now, Kwaheri, Adios, Zai jian, Tschus, and goodybe. We'll see what language I'll serve in, but in reality, it doesn't matter, because I will have been called to serve!

Ode to Chemistry

Chemistry, the stereocenter of my eye? I think not,
For when I think of you, what do I see?
Propyl chains, and methyl groups, endless chemistry.
Carbon chains from floor to ceiling,
Mirror images, right and left, and all these things
Speak death, as well do Cyclo-rings.

And what does it matter, in the end,
If I can tell one type from the other?
For what am I? Merely a humble bio major.
I study life in all its realms, all but its chemistry.
I know the cell, from its end to start,
and of breathing lungs and beating hearts.

For in the end, what does it matter
If one methylene is different from another?
Biology is what governs life,
and not Chemistry with all its strife!
So I end my ode to you, most loathsome Chemistry.
I think I'll go and learn what they call Biology.

Run, Run, Run

This is my first running post on this Running Croft blog of mine in a long time! This was a pretty fun run I did, actually it wasn't all that fun, it was long, hard, and slightly painful. Luckily I was in one of those moods where I was extremely unhappy that I've allowed myself to get out of shape, so that fueled me throughout the run. Plus, I wanted to touch Utah Lake!

New Blog

So I started a new blog, a photo documentary of my college life! Let me know what you think!

By Small and Simple Things

It's strange. I'd never truly thought of some decisions as having eternal significance. For instance, my decision to take AP classes rather than IB classes. Although I did not know it at the time, this decision has the potential to have eternal consequences. It determined how many AP credits I would receive, as well as who I associated with for three years of my life. From there this decision propagates into other decisions, such as what classes I would take my freshman year, further determining my associations for my first year of college. So it seems that a vast majority of our lives can hinge on a relatively small number of decisions. For instance, although not necessarily a small decision, but a singular one, the college we choose to go to. This decision has a large effect on other decisions that have the potential to define our lives. For example, our careers can be defined by the professors we have, and the research opportunities available at a University. Furthermore, more than likely we will choose to marry an individual whom we associate with in our University. The chances of meeting this individual are further defined by small choices that would seem to have little effect on our marital decision. These small choices can be things such as the place where we choose to live, or the major we choose to pursue. These decisions define who we will spend our time with, and consequently who we will have the opportunity to marry in the future. Thus, these little decisions can create, or limit, opportunities that will have lasting eternal consequences. While the original decisions themselves may have had no immediate or apparent eternal significance, by small and simple things we are led to the large decisions, based on our original "small" decisions.

Yet a common thread emerges between these smaller decisions, revealing a bigger picture on our eternal progression and the path of our lives. It is the thread of our associations. In reality it is not these little decisions that determine who or what we will be. Rather these decisions have defined opportunities for us to choose with whom we will associate. Our associations are a large part of what will define us in the future. Our friends, professors, future or current spouses, and family members all have a profound influence on the individual we will become. Consequently, it is up to us to make the decisions that will place us in locations where we will have the opportunity to choose to associate with people who will be able to influence us for the better, and with whom we can hope to establish lasting relationships of true value. These decisions will in turn enable us to become the best we can be, and return to our Father in Heaven in the best condition possible.

So in other words, my ramblings have only managed to elicit the well known adage, "Choose your friends (and associations) wisely". But, going slightly beyond that; choose our circumstances and opportunities wisely, so that we can in turn have the opportunity to choose our friends wisely. For these small and simple things have eternal consequences.

For Mis Padres

So I'm off to college. When I first got here I was kind of lonely, but I knew I'd get over it soon enough, once my classes started. And I did. This past week was a good one, and in all honesty I wasn't homesick at all. Not sure why, maybe because work kept me from seeing you guys all that much during the summer. Nevertheless, when I came home last night I was struck with a little homesickness. I realized that I'd miss playing those games on Sunday nights, the family dinners, the talks after dinner, and seeing you guys every day. I'll miss the anticipation of Dad having a day off from work so we could do family activities, and I'll miss having family night every week, whether it was playing games, having a lesson, or just watching a movie. Just the little things I guess. I guess I'm not as unattached or independent as I would have liked to think, but I guess that's ok too. So I love you guys, and I'll probably be calling home every once in awhile, especially when I'm trying to figure out if food is expensive or not.

Love,
Your newest college kid

No longer the first day

So we've been here for a little while now, five days is all actually. It feels a lot longer than that, mostly because a lot has been happening in those five days! I've pretty much recovered from my wisdom teeth escapade, thankfully! I've also settled into my apartment, attended a new ward, had our first family night, attended two days of college classes, and done some homework. Beyond that, I've also started running again! Finally, I will no longer be in my relatively poor shape! I now also feel less like a Freshman, though it's only been two days of classes, and I feel like I belong at BYU. Though I will say that it's weird to have classes where people are pregnant, just had a kid, engaged, and just married, all in one class. Still, I like it here, it's pretty cool, and the classes are going to be fun, and hopefully extremely challenging!

My apartment extravaganzas have included some video game playing, attempting to cook, eating peanut butter, and relearning how to chew my food. I've also met some pretty cool people, a few guys, and quite a few girls. Actually not that many, but a few. ;) No dates yet though, we'll wait a couple weeks for that one!

I've also realized that food is expensive and that I probably literally did eat my family out of house and home. Every time I even drink a glass of milk I can't help but think, "I'm paying for this" and so the glass becomes a little smaller than it would have been. Nevertheless, I am not starving, so no worries mom and dad, I'll probably just lose a little weight.

So there's the update, enjoy!

First Day

Well, it was the first day of college today. It was cool I guess, it's interesting living on my own and whatnot. NSO was kind of fun, but in all honesty, not that great of a day. It would probably help if my mouth wasn't swollen and I could eat food though. Not wanting to rip the stitches out of my mouth could also help. So yeah, this is my complaining post. I'm sure once I get over my teeth it'll be much better, but yeah, first day, hopefully tomorrow is better.

Summer and work

The summer is coming to a close, so I figured I'd write a brief synopsis of my adventures! This summer has gone by incredibly fast, and at times incredibly slow. The vast majority of my summer has been spent working as a window washer. I started literally the day after graduation, and plunged head first into the new life experience of working a full time job. I was kind of nervous about it all. I've had jobs before, but have never worked a full 40 hours in a week, so I was slightly intimidated by the prospect, and a little dejected because I thought it would put an end to any fun summer plans I'd had. While I did spend the majority of my days at work, this job forced me to learn how to schedule my time more effectively so that I could work, hang out with friends, and spend time with the family. I actually feel like this has been a very productive and fun summer for me! (though I do wish I could've gone camping more) I also managed to make some much needed money for college and a mission, and I learned how to work, a lot. Some weeks were painful, not so much physically, though I did get less sleep in my attempts to have fun and work, but mentally. We've worked 50 hour weeks, and there have been times where in two days we worked over 25 hours! So, this job taught me even more so how to work, and I made it through with minimal emotional scarring ;). This job also helped me partially overcome my fears of heights and spiders; tall ladders and innumerable window wells do wonders! So I'm grateful that I had this job, even if I did tend to complain about it quite a bit...

The fun things I've been able to do this summer go from playing sports and hanging with friends, to our Disneyland trip (which I still need to finish writing about)! My most recent adventure was a little backpacking trip with my good buds Brad and Tanner. We had the eventful experience of getting "lost" in Little Cottonwood Canyon and bushwhacking our way through trees, marshes, and boulder patches to finally find the trail we had originally been on! I also found time for a few dates here and there, and had a good time! The Real Salt Lake game last night was, by the way, extremely fun to go to! I'd definitely recommend that as an activity to do at some point. So all in all it was a good summer, and I look forward to this next week, my final week of work, and the week of my final summer adventure, climbing to the peak of Mount Timpanogos with the fam! Then begins the adventures at Brigham Young University! It'll be sick! :)

Light and Dark

It's easy to think of darkness as an overwhelming force, one that is capable of drowning out light. However, in reality darkness has no power over light. No amount of darkness will ever be able to extinguish a flame, or drown out the light of a bulb. Rather, darkness comes as the natural consequence of a weakening light. Just as darkness does not put out a candle, but rather comes as the candle begins to die, darkness, and the influence of the devil, will enter our lives when we allow the fire of our faith and testimony to die. I've often had the mental image of "fighting off the darkness" of the world around us. However, instead of "fighting" the darkness, we merely need to feed the flame.Thus, darkness has no power to overwhelm or drown out our light unless we allow it to by letting our fires die, or dowsing them with the waters of sin. Luckily, we have been given the means to feed our flames and light them when they've been extinguished. Scriptures, Prayer, Church attendance, all these things enable us to feed our flames and remove darkness from our lives. Furthermore, in the event that our fires are extinguished we have been given the blessing of the Atonement of Christ which can help relight our fire and bring light into our lives. So never give into the darkness, feed the flame, and keep the light.

"This is the desire of our hearts"

What is the desire of our hearts? Our hearts and desires are constantly being pulled in multiple directions by the many things in our lives that demand attention. For instance, do we desire money, fame, family, education? It's not necessarily a bad thing to desire money, or recognition, but we must be careful in the desires of our hearts, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." In the midst of all our desires and aspirations it is important for us to remember where the focus of our hearts must ultimately lie. We must focus on things of true importance, namely our spiritual health and our relationship with Christ. In order to best judge our relationship with Christ, and best determine the true desires of our hearts we can ask ourselves a number of questions. Are we willing to stand as witnesses of Christ in all things and all places? Are we willing to mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort? Are we willing to serve God and keep His commandments? Are we willing to enter into the fold of God? These are the questions asked by the prophet Alma to his people. When asked these questions they responded with joy saying, "This is the desire of our hearts!" And so it should be ours. We must find within ourselves the desire to answer yes to these question, and then act accordingly. This desire and focus will bring joy into our lives as we become friends with Christ and align our lives with the desires of God. And so I add to the words of Alma's people; to stand as a witness of Christ, this is the desire of my heart.

Vacation: Sequoias

The second part of our family vacation began when we woke up the next morning to beautiful mountain air. There is seriously nothing better than that feeling when you wake up in the mountains. After eating a quick cold breakfast we headed out to see some of Sequoia National Park. It truly is an amazing place! Everywhere you look there are gigantic trees, and I mean Gigantic! And they're old too, some are estimated to be over three thousand years old. If you think about, that means they were about 100 years old when Adam died... That's old. Walking through this ancient forest was an amazing experience and I definitely plan to go back there some day and show them the beauty of those ancient, and gigantic, trees.

That's us at the very bottom, the small white specks, it's huge!

Photos are mostly credited to my dad, I was stupid enough to not bring my camera...

After exploring the Sequoias for a few hours we headed off to begin our trip to Disneyland! We still had about a six hour drive to get there, and boy was it a fun six hours... We traveled down many more long and winding roads to reach our destination, crawling along the walls of the canyon. We thought that after getting out of the canyon we'd be on nice straight roads again. But no, that was not the case. Instead we ended up on a wonderful road called Auberry. It wound and wound and wound some more. However, after finally reaching the highway we cruised along, hit some L.A. traffic jams, and finally reached our hotel. Too exhausted to want to go and explore Disneyland we headed off to bed, while dreams of Mickey Mouse danced in our heads.

Vacation: Tonopah, Yosemite, and 15 long hours

This past week me and my family went on a vacation! It was great to get some time off work and spend time just having fun with the fam. So here's the first part of our vacation. We woke up early Monday morning, somewhere around three or four in order to head off to California. Little did we realize how long the drive would be! Normally a drive to Disneyland is only ten hours, but we decided to take the long way around, and amazingly enough, it was more than worth it. The first memorable stop on that 15 hour drive was a small town called Tonopah. Yeah, you've probably never heard of it, pretty sure no one has. Suffice it to say, it was possibly the creepiest town I've ever been in. It was a small town with kind of a weird feel to it. We only saw people who were drunk or smoking, no small children... I wonder why... Beyond the slightly strange population, it had the creepiest building I have ever had the terrible opportunity to witness, THE CLOWN MOTEL! (Appropriate Scary Music)

We ended up staying about an hour in Tonopah, I have no idea how that managed to happen, we think the clowns had something to do with it. From there we continued our drive to possibly the most beautiful place on Earth, Yosemite National Park! We didn't stay long, we mostly just drove through it, but I was in awe for the vast majority of the time. I'm pretty sure I could live there my whole life, it's beautiful!


Those are just a few of the pictures we have, it's an amazing place! We then continued our long drive through long and winding roads, which resulted in a couple bouts of car sickness from members of the family... Eventually we made it to our destination for the night, Sequoia National Park! We set up our tent in the dark, had a close run in with a bear, and then went to bed. I slept for a couple hours under the stars, until it got too cold. The stars were incredibly clear, and I even saw a satellite crawling its way across the sky, and a shooting star. Not a bad night. And since this post is getting a little long, I'll save more for later. And Part 2, is freaking awesome!

Happy 4th of July

First experimentation with some blurred motion photography, it's unedited, just cropped a little.



SOOC fireworks shot






These two are compilations of a couple of fireworks shots, all the individual shots are unedited, but I merged them together. It's kind of crowded though so I'm not sure I like them all that much, but it's fun to mess with the shots!

Extremes

The devil is a smart, if not particularly wise individual. He recognizes the fact that contention is one of his greatest tools, and consequently he does everything within his power to create the opportunity for contention. One of the means by which he creates these opportunities is through encouraging the creation of divisions, factions, and extremes. The devil clearly recognizes that we are beings of agency, that we have the ability to choose. However, one of his greatest goals is to limit and control that agency. In order to do this he creates opportunities for us to use our agency to the point where he can ensnare us through our unwitting, but perhaps willing consent. For example, our two party system of government. We are presented with two choices, or factions, both of which have some good aspects. Who doesn't want to help the poor, and who doesn't want to preserve the Constitution? However, in the mess of these two choices, we can easily become lost. Our focus is detracted from the things that truly matter, and we are caught up in the battle between the two parties. Compromise and teamwork can become undesirable, and the opposing party is seen as the enemy. Consequently, Satan has created the opportunity for us to limit our own agency. Contention emerges between the two parties, and consequently our minds are clouded and we are unable to clearly see the detriments and benefits of each party's position. Rather, we are presented with what is seemingly only two choices, and we are pushed closer to extremes, whether they be fascist or communistic. There is a danger in being overzealous, in being too willing to fight, and too resistant to compromise. There is a reason why the founding fathers were against political parties. They can be utilized to limit our freedom to choose, and they prevent us from viewing the clear picture. So be wary of extremes, and the contention they can create, they can quickly become traps meant to ensnare and limit our choices and points of view.

Little kid

One of my favorite pictures from the ward party
SOOC

Some of the first pictures I've taken in a long time...

Same subject, different frames. I couldn't decide which one I preferred... These are some of many which I took at our Ward party today, I'll hopefully post more soon. Both are SOOC

Becoming as a little child

Throughout the scriptures there seems to be a theme of "becoming as a little child". It's mentioned in the New Testament as well as the Book of Mormon, and probably somewhere in the Old Testament as well. It's kind of an interesting concept, becoming like a little kid. What's that supposed to mean? Are we supposed to throw fits when we don't get what we want, refuse to eat our vegetables, or other childish behavior? Yeah, that's probably not exactly what it means. It's something that I've wanted to understand more, and what do you know, the Lord provided a way. This past year I've been involved in Special Needs Mutual. I'm not entirely sure if I've mentioned it on my blog before, but I'll just give a quick rundown of what Special Needs Mutual is all about. Mutual is a youth group program organized by the Church. Special Needs Mutual is that same program with a focus on the needs of Special Needs individuals. We do scouting activities, working towards getting them their Eagles, and the girls work towards the equivalent award for young women. Each of the Special Needs buddies is a assigned a youth councilor. We become their buddies. It's really been an amazing experience! My buddy is Keith. He's a pretty awesome guy! He's a little bit older, and he has some of the same mannerisms that are characteristic of the older generation, but at the same time he's just like a little kid. Which brings me to my point.

These special needs individuals in many ways epitomize what the Savior meant when he commanded us to become as little children. For instance, the moment you see them you can tell that they are amazingly happy people! They will almost always have a smile on, and they are in general just excited for life. I believe this happiness is one of the major characteristics that we all need to acquire in order to become as a little child. Furthermore, one of the things that I have come to believe is one of the most important aspects of becoming as a little child, is their simple faith. They all have such simple, undeniable, and innocent faith. They never seem to doubt, but just accept God and Christ, and the roles they have in their lives, simply as a matter of fact. They bear such simple but powerful testimonies of the reality of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. One special needs individual made a simple statement that held within it a deep understanding of God and prayer. She simply said "I talked with God today". It's amazing to me how their faith is so simple, and so well placed, that they have no doubt. Furthermore, they are some of the most trusting and accepting individuals I have ever met. While they each do have their quirks and undeniable mannerisms, they are in general willing to accept the direction and help of others. This is epitomized in their acceptance of their life condition. Just about every single Special Needs individual recognizes that they are indeed different, that they may not be able to do everything that an individual without a mental handicap could do. Nevertheless, they acknowledge God's hand in their lives, and they are willing to submit to the fact that they are indeed different. It's a lesson I know I need to take in my own life. I have frequently wished that I had been blessed with an additional gift or blessing, rather than being content and recognizing that which the Lord has all ready given me. Truly, humility and acceptance of God's will are necessary traits to obtain before becoming like a little child.

There's a lot more I could say about these special needs individuals. They have been a blessing in my life. They have granted me new perspective, and they can always bring the spirit into my life. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity I've had to get to know them, especially my buddy Keith, and if any of you that read this blog happen to get the chance to work with Special Needs, take it. You will never regret the time you spend with these people. They will change your life and allow you to see the Love of the Savior in all that they do. Hats off to my buddy Keith for his testimony and all that he does!

My Bud Keith!

Long time no post...

Wow, it's definitely been awhile since I last posted. I guess life has just been a little crazy recently. I finished up a season of testing, only four tests, not as much as my IB buddies, but definitely enough for me. I'm finally free of the stress of school!
I've finished my high school running career... I don't think that fact has quite hit me yet. I was able to run at the state track meet, and we qualified for the finals in the medley. We finished above our original seed, which I was pretty happy with. I ran a PR at the Region meet, so it turned out to be an all around pretty decent season.
Life in general has also just been pretty good. We'll be graduating in just about a week, and then my high school career will be completely over. I'll be moving on to BYU in the fall after a summer that is hopefully epic in its proportions! I'll also hopefully be working a ton in order to save up for college and a mission.
Life's pretty good! I'm afraid I don't have anything to say that's of any importance though... Maybe next post :)

Spring and then some

With the change in the weather it seems like spring may have finally arrived! Spring is a time of change, a change of seasons, and the beginning of some very important changes in my life; namely, the beginning of the final quarter of my high school career, and the beginning of my path towards college and "real life". I admit I have mixed feelings about these changes. I'm quite excited about what is essentially the beginning of my independent life; however, it also feels me with intense apprehension. I'll be leaving behind many of the comfortable barriers that have cushioned me from the true blows of life. I'll be moving on to college, moving out of my house, and living away from my parents and family. I'll be missing friends that I have had for years, and who have helped and supported me throughout my school years. In the words of Marty Mcfly, this is heavy stuff. However, more nerve wracking, as well as more exciting, is the fact that I could conceivably be sending in my mission papers in only six months, and leaving on a mission in only nine. The idea is frankly kind of terrifying. I could be going to a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, knowing literally no one, and then living for the next two years without seeing my family or friends. Fortunately it's all well worth it. The flip side of it is, I could be living in a foreign country, learning a new language, getting to know and love the people of that country, and preaching and spreading the joy of the Gospel of Christ for two years. Not a bad trade off. It'll be an amazing experience, and in truth I can't wait! There's nothing that I'd rather be doing with my life at this time than preaching the Gospel. I've witnessed the joy it brings into people's lives, and that witness has only made me more eager to go forth and tell the world of the wondrous news of Christ's atonement and resurrection! Though I may not feel quite ready for the changes that lie ahead, I trust that "He whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." With the Lord's help nothing is impossible. So bring on the change.

The Power of Prayer

The subject of personal prayer is one which I feel very strongly about. Prayer is one of the biggest blessings in my life. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I couldn't talk with my Father in Heaven. Whenever I am in need of help, or when I'm going through a particularly difficult trial, I know that I can always turn to my Father in Heaven. He never fails to listen, and I have found that He truly does care for me. He speaks peace to my soul in times of need, and I have often felt His arms encircling me in Love. He is always there to give me strength when I need it, and through His strength I have been able to accomplish things I would have been incapable of doing otherwise. These blessings are in a large part due to the blessing of prayer. I sincerely believe that our Father in Heaven is constantly waiting to give us blessings; however, many times these blessings will come only when we ask for them, and in order to do this we have been given the blessing of prayer. And not only will He give us blessings and strength in our times of need, He is the best listener you'll ever meet. Sometimes you don't need anything more than to talk something out, and to express the feelings that can only be expressed through the heart. To truly pour out your soul to God is an incredible experience. There are few times when you will ever feel more loved, and closer to our Heavenly Father than when you express to Him the deepest feelings and desires of your heart. That is the power of prayer. It enables to transcend to a higher spiritual plane. It allows us to find peace when we believe that only chaos can exist. It allows us to see from the eternal perspective, and to see the purpose behind the trials of the day. Above all, it allows us the opportunity to communicate with our Father in Heaven, and through Him find acceptance, peace, hope, joy, and love. So when you feel overwhelmed, when the powers of darkness and the chaos of the world are threatening to overwhelm you, humbly kneel, and turn to God.

Who Am I?

Our lives are complex. Every one of us is defined by our many hobbies, interests, personality quirks, desires, and values. However, there is a single universal definition that supersedes all these things. We are all Children of God. It is a simple statement that carries with it profound significance. With the realization of this single definition, many of the conflicts within the world, and within ourselves would simply disappear. Conflicts in the Middle East and throughout the world would cease, and we would discover that perhaps we're not too bad ourselves. Too often we berate and degrade ourselves over small insignificant details. Yes, we do all have flaws, imperfections, and challenges; but, these in no way diminish the utter reality that we are Children of the Most High. That God is our literal Father. By realizing this simple fact, our lives will be changed. We will realize the Love that our Father has for us, and that he is indeed there as a Parent is there for their child. However, it is not enough for us to just hear these facts, we must come to know them for ourselves. I know I am a Son of God, a child of the Most High, I am a son of my Father on Earth and in Heaven, and I am a disciple of Christ, and I bear His name. Now it's your turn. Who Are You?

It's My Life?

This has a little bit to do with the post before, sorry for the repetition.

It's my life. It's a statement that we constantly hear. From the song by Bon Jovi, to the classical statement of "It's my life, I can do what I want!" Fortunately, that's not the entire truth. It's not really our life. We tend to ignore the simple and profound fact that our lives belong to God. Yes, we have been granted agency, but to believe that we should use our agency solely for our benefit, for our life, is to ignore the true purpose for our agency. The greatest purpose we can have in life is to serve others; whether that is our family and friends, or the people suffering in Haiti. Each day we should seek out God's will, and then proceed to do it. If we are asked to serve at times of inconvenience, we must be willing to accept the call and serve. By doing so, we will find that the days are better, that our lives proceed more smoothly, and that we are happier. We will become better people, and we will become more capable of serving those within our sphere of influence. So is it really our life? It's our life in that we can indeed choose to do what we will, we have been given agency. However, we should utilize our agency in order to give our lives to God.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for [God's] sake shall find it." Matthew 16:25

A Tool

The hammer hits the nail every time. Strike after strike it slowly builds the work of the Master. Nail after nail is pieced together. The hammer, intent on his work, is unable to see the bigger picture. He is aware of only two things, the nail, and the Master's hand. He moves on, unaware of what lies ahead, of when the job will be finished. Occasionally, after the continuous pounding, the continuous work, the head begins to crack and the metal begins to fail. The Master, recognizing the strain, places his tool into the fires of the furnace, and reshapes, remakes it until it is better, more capable to continue its work. And so the work goes on under the capable and understanding hands of the master. The tool is still unable to completely understand the work he is engaged in, but through previous experience he begins to understand in a small manner what he is a part of. The work takes shape, and the tool moves on; from nail to nail, from place to place, always working, always in the Master's hand. At times he questions. He questions the strain, the strain with seemingly little reward. But what he fails to realize is that through the constant refinement, cracks, and strain he has grown. He has grown more than he could have ever done without the constant strain under the Master's hand. And it has moved the work forward. Perhaps in only a small way, a nail here, a nail there; the work is stronger. And what more, it has brought Joy, indescribable Joy. And he serves the purpose for which he was created, and what a glorious purpose it is. To be a tool in the Master's hand.

Soda Bottles

Found a picture in my archives. SOOC

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

This is a post I've been thinking about writing for a while now, I'd appreciate it if you took the time to read it, though if you don't I understand.

As the title suggests, this post will deal chiefly with The Book of Mormon, my testimony of it, and particularly my testimony that it is in fact another testament of Jesus Christ. For those that are unaware of the history of The Book of Mormon I will give it here briefly. The Book of Mormon is a history of a number of civilizations that lived on the American continent covering from approximately 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. This record was written by prophets that were called of God to write this history, similar to the prophets of the Old and New Testament. Their record was preserved by the hand of God and brought forth through the modern day prophet Joseph Smith. The crowning event of The Book of Mormon consists of Christ's visit to the American continent as our resurrected Lord and Savior.

The purpose of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is concisely stated in both the title and introduction of The Book of Mormon, as well as throughout the book itself; namely for the purpose of "convincing the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God" (italics added). Thus The Book of Mormon is in every way Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It not only contains within it a record of Christ coming to the Americas as the ressurected Lord; and thus contains the testimonies of thousands who witnessed and bore record that Christ lives, that he threw off the bonds of death, and became the living Christ, but it bears testimony in every chapter, on every page, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of all the world, and through Him are all people able to be saved. The Book of Mormon thus consistently bears testimony of this powerful truth. That is its purpose. Its purpose is to add another testament to the world that Christ is indeed the Savior of the world, and that He lives!

Many would argue that The Book of Mormon serves to discredit the Bible and diminish its importance. However, rather than serving to diminish the Bible it serves to srenghten it by further bearing testimony of Christ, his divine work and heritage, and his ressurection. It again bears testimony that Jesus is the Christ. It testifies that Christ truly cares for and manifests himself to all nations, and provides clear evidence for Christ's statement in John 10:16 where He states "other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice". Thus, it testifies that Christ desires for all people to know of Him and of the hope He brings for all mankind. It further testifies of the vital importance of His mission and of the fact that He lives by providing us with further knowledge on His atoning sacrifice. Furthermore, through the very fact that we have this book it testifies of modern day revelation and that God truly still speaks to man, and that they desire for us, for you, for me, to know of their eternal plan for us. It is thus an expression for God's love for us as it serves to give the world further proof that Christ is the living Savior of the world!

I bear testimony that I know that The Book of Mormon is in every way the word of God. That it was in truth brought forth through the power of God and through his prophet Joseph Smith. I testify that it is more than stories and fables, it is a true history, and the events that are recorded in The Book of Mormon are in every way real. I testify that it truly bears record of the power and divinity of Jesus as the Christ, the literal Son of God. I bear testimony that it was brought forth upon this earth for the purpose of bringing happiness to all mankind. I know and have felt of its power in my life, and I know that it contains within it the words of God which are meant to bring happiness to our lives. I further bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ, that through Him we can all be saved, and that through Him we can return to a Father in Heaven that loves us. He loves us truly as a parent loves us, for such he is, and his love for us is more powerful and pure than we can possibly comprehend. I have felt that love for me and for everyone burn within my soul throughout my life. I know it to be real and true. I further testify that the Atonement of Christ is a reality. It is not an imagined story or a false hope. It is real. His atoning sacrifice, freely given, provides us with the way to return to our Heavenly Home. Jesus is the Christ, and The Book of Mormon is his word. Of these things I solemnly bear testimony in the name of our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.

A New Year

With the coming of the new year I've been struck by how much quickly time has passed. Looking back at the past years I realized that the Salt Lake Winter Olympics were held 8 years ago, John Stockton retired in 2003, and in the year 2000 I was only 8 years old... It doesn't seem nearly that long ago. Now with the upcoming year I'm struck with new horizons which I thought would never come. In only nine months I'll be entering college as a freshman, hopefully at BYU, and in only a year I'll be old enough to serve a mission. In a year and a half I could be in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, knowing nobody, and attempting to communicate with them something I hold close a. It's a scary prospect, but one I look forward to with hope and confidence. However, the fact that it lies only a year and a half a way is daunting. I am struck with the fact that I face what is essentially the beginning of my life. The past 18 years have been merely preparation for what is about to come, beginning my life away from home... It's scary to think how far I've come, and scarier yet to look at how far I have to go. Yet, I'm positive that the new year will bring a plethora of exciting new experiences which will only continue to prepare me for my life to come. So I look forward to the future a little apprehensive but with hope, excitement, and confidence.

My House At Christmastime