October Conference Thoughts

I said I’d take little longer to post my thoughts on this year’s October conference addresses.  Now I’m ready.  There were several talks that hit home for me, so I’m going to focus on them in this post.  I’ve also decided to use a different format than I did in April.  If I like it, I think I’ll use it as my permanent way of presenting my conference thoughts (unless something better comes along later J).

“Which Way Do You Face?” – Elder Lynn G. Robbins:  This talk affected me because I could see myself in it.  There have been times in my life when I have inverted the first and second commandments and found myself trying “to please others before pleasing God.”  None of those situations have worked out well for me—they always come back and bite me in a way I hadn’t expected.  Elder Robbins was very straightforward with this subject.  He pulled no punches and I liked that.  In this day and age when so many people are trying to convince those of us with religious convictions that we are out of step with mainstream thinking and ought to modify our views, by compromising and trying “to save face with men, [we] can unwittingly lose face with God.”  I came away from this talk with a greater desire to do what I can to stay true to Father by keeping myself pointed and focused toward Him and not to the teachings of the world.  (full talk here)

“The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul” – Cheryl A. Esplin:  On the heels of Elder Robbins’ talk came this address from Sister Esplin.  Whereas Elder Robbins talk had made me squirm in a way that hopefully will bring about proper change in my character, Sister Esplin reminded me that the way for me to overcome my “natural man” tendencies is through the partaking of the sacrament: “The sacrament becomes a spiritually strengthening experience when we listen to the sacrament prayers and recommit to our covenants.”  Another part that was exciting for me was her take on the Aaronic Priesthood brethren and what they are doing for ward members when they bless and pass the sacrament emblems to the congregation each week: “Aaronic Priesthood holders represent the Savior when they prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament. As a priesthood holder extends his arm to offer us the sacred emblems, it is as if the Savior Himself were extending His arm of mercy, inviting each one of us to partake of the precious gifts of love made available through His atoning sacrifice—gifts of repentance, forgiveness, comfort, and hope.”  The reason I loved this comment the moment I heard it was because I knew immediately that I had to find a way to include it in my Aaronic Priesthood lessons.  I am trying to incorporate women’s voices into them when possible.  So far, I’ve been able to do so in the final lesson, but now I’ll be able to pull this quote into the lesson on the sacrament prayers.  I very much appreciated her words.  (full talk here)

“Free Forever, to Act for Themselves” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson:  A wonderful talk about the relationship of moral agency with justice and mercy.  Also, however, I liked how Elder Christofferson made it plain that we can’t just sit back and do nothing when it comes to receiving God’s grace: “God intends that His children should act according to the moral agency He has given them … It is His plan and His will that we have the principal decision-making role in our own life’s drama. God will not live our lives for us nor control us as if we were His puppets”.  He explained that justice is “an essential attribute of God” and we cannot expect Him to paper over our sins, pat us on the head, and let us into His kingdom without making proper changes in our character: “Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His grace, our failures to live the celestial law perfectly … Justice demands, however, that none of this happen without our willing agreement and participation.”  Our ability to make choices gives us the capacity to grow, but it does not give us the ability to wipe away or alter God’s truths just because we don’t like or agree with them: “To those who believe anything or everything could be true, the declaration of objective, fixed, and universal truth feels like coercion … But that does not change reality. Resenting the law of gravity won’t keep a person from falling if he steps off a cliff. The same is true for eternal law and justice. Freedom comes not from resisting it but from applying it. … If it were not for the reality of fixed and immutable truths, the gift of agency would be meaningless since we would never be able to foresee and intend the consequences of our actions.”  Good stuff.  (full talk here)

“Joseph Smith” – Elder Neil L. Andersen:  This one touched me because of the way Elder Andersen testified of the prophet.  In recent years, social media appears to have become the court of quick and “definitive” opinion.  Once something (a quote, a video, a blog post) goes viral, people seem to go from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds to make their opinion known on the said subject.  No matter how hard we may try to challenge every cyber-space misquote or half-truth maligning the character and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we may sometimes feel as if we’re bailing water from a boat with a teaspoon.  Elder Andersen reminds “the sincere inquirer that Internet information does not have a ‘truth’ filter. Some information, no matter how convincing, is simply not true.”  I liked his answer to the question: “Why does the Lord allow the evil speaking to chase after the good? One reason is that opposition against the things of God sends seekers of truth to their knees for answers.”  Honestly, the only way a person can truly receive answers about the prophet is by going to his knees and sincerely asking the Source.  I have done so, and the spiritual blessings that have come into my life because of my testimony of Joseph Smith and the work he started continue to enhance my life.  (full talk here)

“Come and See” – Elder David A. Bednar:  There are people who wonder why it is that we send missionaries out to Christians as well as people who are not Christian.  Elder Bednar’s explanation for our focus on missionary work: “When we invite you to attend church with us or to learn with the full-time missionaries, we … are inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true.”  We have something that fills us with joy and brings us peace (at least it should).  It is human nature to share something like that with others.  But for members of the Church, our reason for sharing the gospel is deeper than that: “Our desire to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with you is a reflection of how important these truths are to us.”  The story Elder Bednar shared about his boys was wonderful and emphasized this point very effectively. (full talk here)

Random Thoughts:  The new wrinkle of allowing foreign language speakers to give their conference addresses in their native language was interesting.  I think it would have been better though, if either the sound of the speaker’s voice was muted more to allow better hearing of the translator or subtitles be employed.  I don’t know.  Maybe I’ll be more used to this new practice next time and it won’t matter as much.  Elder Scott gave a great talk, as usual, but he seemed to be suffering from a cold which was causing him breathing problems.  The timing of his breathing coupled with the look on his face made me wonder if he was thinking: “I’ve told you all these things before, why won’t you listen?”  I know this was not the case, but that was the random thought that popped into my head at the time.  Until six months from now … J

Meet the Mormons

Back in August during his address at Campus Education Week at BYU, Elder David A. Bednar extended to members the invitation to “to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood” (check out the talk here).  I’ve said in two other posts that I wasn’t sure why I was writing this blog, but, after watching the video replay of Elder Bednar’s address, perhaps I’ve been a part of the “little trickle” he referenced (very little, I suppose).  By continuing with my efforts, I hope my little trickle can join the “big flood.”  One way or another, as I've said before, I’ve decided to hitch my wagon to this horse, so I’ll keep at it. J

Anyway, Elder Bednar offered several examples of ways the Church and its members have used social media as a way to disseminate the gospel message.  The final example he referenced was a feature film, called Meet the Mormons.  Originally, it had been approved to be played in the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and selected visitor’s centers.  Elder Bednar announced that the movie would be released “in select theaters in the United States and then, later, in visitors’ centers and on television, Internet movie channels, and social media channels.”  Yesterday, the movie was released nation-wide in theaters and one of our local movies houses decided to offer it.  Today, we went to see it.

The movie profiles six members of the church.  One of the aspects of the film that made it interesting for me was that only one person actually lived in the Utah area.  The bishop (now the stake president of his stake from what I understand), Jermaine Sullivan, lives in Atlanta, Georgia; the coach, Ken Niumatalolo, who is the head coach for the Navy football team, lives in the Washington D. C. area; the fighter, Carolina Muñoz Marin, lives in Costa Rica; the candy bomber, Gail Halvorsen, now lives in Arizona; the humanitarian, Bishnu Adhikari, lives in Nepal, and the missionary mom, Dawn Armstrong, lives in the greater Salt Lake area.  I liked this aspect because it helps to show that Latter-day Saints not just concentrated in Utah (although they are J).

The first impression I had as I watched the film was that each segment felt like an expanded “I’m a Mormon” spot.  All of them did a good job of showcasing the highlighted person, but in some cases I was left wanting more.  For example, the first segment on the Atlanta bishop was fascinating.  I was very interested in how the film showed him interacting with his ward, his family and his extended family.  It’s hard for me to put my finger on it as I write my reaction, but as we talked about the film afterward, I expressed how I wanted to know more about him.  I suppose this is a testament to how well the filmmakers did with the movie: leave them wanting more, J but I liked the insights into his life and how the movie showed that a “Mormon” bishop is just a normal person trying to do his best in life.

I think my favorite segment was about the man from Nepal, Bishnu Adhikari.  First of all, I found it so amazing to find out there is a branch of the Church in Nepal!  I have to admit, a part of me wanted to know more about the members of that branch and what it is like for them to be members of the church in Nepal.  But, this desire was overshadowed by Bishnu.  What a fascinating person.  To see how he is trying to help the people of Nepal by helping them to build schools and obtain water for their towns was very cool.  One of his daughters and his wife was interviewed, but I would have like to know a little more about his family.  I was interested to see the interaction he had with his father.  But the thing I liked the most was the comment he made at the end of his segment.  He said, “I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect in trying.”  That comment really hit home for me because that sums me up completely.  I am confronted constantly with the fact that I am not perfect, but I’m trying and I know that is what Heavenly Father wants of me.

The film gave me more background on the candy bomber, Gail Halvorsen.  I had heard parts of his story over the last couple of years.  His segment took those parts, along with other unknown details, and wrapped them into a nice package.  It was a reminder to me how small and simple things (what might seem to be tiny acts of service) can make a huge impact (see Alma 37:6).  The lady kick boxer from Costa Rica was a different twist.  The aspect of her story that I liked was that even though she was good enough to be a professional, she wanted her focus to be on her children and helping her husband train other people in the sport.

With Ben’s desire to serve a mission, the final segment about the missionary mom, Dawn Armstrong, was very poignant.  Even without that personal connection, her story was very powerful; another one of those situations to show how involved our Heavenly Father is in our lives whether we realize it or not.

All in all I thought the time was very well spent.  I’ve read a couple of reviews where the reviewer slammed the film for not being some “hard hitting” documentary about the Church, its views, its warts and son on.  These criticisms ignore the fact that this film is designed to be shown in Church visitor centers.  It only became a widely released film because the leadership of the Church felt that it should be released as such to begin.  All that aside, I liked it and we hope to obtain a copy when it is released by the Church for home distribution.

More Playing Time and Significant Progress

Because Isaac plays on the JV football team, his games begin a 4 p.m. in the afternoon.  This earlier start time has made it impractical for me to go to his away games (except for the game in Big Bear which was on a Saturday and the final game against Excelsior charter school which will be local).  This bugs me a little bit because my parents were in the bleachers for almost all of my games.  As I think about it, about the only games they didn’t attend was the yearly basketball away trip to Baggs and Encampment, Wyoming—yes, the town’s name is Baggs; I’m not making it up.  I can get off work and hour or so earlier for home games and get up the hill, usually close to on time.  Thankfully, Isaac appreciates the fact that I’ve done my best to make the starts of his home games—an interesting prospect given the idiosyncrasies of Southern California traffic.

I found myself a bit on the peeved side (I’m cleaning up my usual word) as I headed up the hill for today’s game.  Traffic had worked in my favor, even for a Friday, and I had made good time.  When I pulled off the exit to make the final 6 or so miles to the school, I looked at the clock on my dashboard and realized I had a good chance of getting into the stands by kickoff.  I would have made it to this last home game on time, but I guess the refs started it five minutes earlier than advertised.  Upon arrival, I saw the game was in progress!  Jennifer told me Isaac had been on the field for the kickoff.  I missed it!  I will admit; I wasn’t very happy.  Fortunately, Isaac got more chances during the game to come on the field for extra points and kickoffs and this time, I remembered to ask Jennifer to bring the video camera.  I was able to get pictures of him during his other times on the field.

The JV squad lost the game (they slept-walked through the 1st half and were down 3 touchdowns before they finally woke up and scored twice, but the deficit was too large to overcome).  I guess I could say that Isaac is “paying his dues” as a freshman.  Being that this is his first year of playing tackle football, he is learning the ropes.  It seems as though he is improving, but with players who are better than he is ahead of him, he spends most of his time on the sidelines.  I totally get it.  While Cokeville didn’t have a JV team, I spent most of my time on the sidelines my freshman year as well—and rightfully so.  I’m grateful for the opportunities Isaac has had to play.

Ben was down on the field during the game.  Jennifer told me he had been asked to run the scoreboard.  At first, I couldn’t figure out how he could be running the scoreboard walking along the sidelines of the football field as he was.  Jennifer pointed out a device in Ben’s hand and told me he was controlling the scoreboard with it.  I was impressed.  I watched as he followed the teams along the sidelines.  He would always remain in sight of the head referee in order to see the different hand signals telling him to start or stop the clock.  At halftime, Ben showed me the scoreboard controller.  At one point, during a lull in the action, the head referee and he had a conversation.  Ben told me later the ref had told him he was doing a good job and they had a conversation about Ben’s plans after high school.  He was hoping to be able to run the clock during the varsity game, but was told only an adult can do so.  He was disappointed, but rules are rules.

The thing that amazed me even more than Ben controlling the scoreboard with a handheld device was watching him walking and interacting with people along the sidelines.  Ben completed his pain management program last week.  I wrote a post about our Family Day visit to the program and how impressed I was with the people involved and the time they were taking with Ben.  Now that he is finished with the program, the progress he has made during these last eight weeks has been amazing.  I am reminded of our vacation and of Ben’s stay in the hospital.  During our vacation, he had wraps around his left wrist, right ankle and left knee.  He sometimes had trouble standing and walking.  During a picture taking session, with Sandra's family, I had to stand next to Ben in order to help him remain standing.  By the time he had his appendix removed, he had wraps around both ankles and wrists with all the other problems previously mentioned.

Today, as I watched him walk the sidelines, I noticed he had a bit of a limp because of his knee (which is now in a brace), but he was walking without his cane because he wanted to see if he could go without it for a prolonged period (he told me later he was feeling the effects of not having his cane by the time the varsity game ended).   The ankle and knee wraps are gone.  He is walking better and has moments when he doesn’t need his cane.  A couple of weeks ago, as I watched him break the bread for sacrament, I realized he wasn’t grimacing because his wrists weren’t bothering him.  I wrote this post about the “process” he had been going through in order to accomplish this priesthood ordinance on a weekly basis.  Now, that processes has been replaced with a return to a more normal routine.  As parents, Jen and I are very happy with the results we have seen.  We know we were led to this program by a loving Father in Heaven.

Ben isn’t pain free; he and pain will be companions the rest of his life.  However, with the techniques he has learned; the strategies he was been given; and the exercises he’s been taught, Ben has discovered how to keep the pain at a lower level and how to pace himself in order to not become overwhelmed.  This has been a tremendous blessing.  Ben has also fully recovered from his appendicitis.  When I think of all the prayers and fasting and good wishes he received from family, ward members, and friends over the last several months, I find myself very grateful for everything done in his behalf.  One of the fringe benefits of his newfound confidence is that he has been given the chance to play the part of Jonathan in his drama class’ presentation of Arsenic and Old Lace.  I believe this will be in November.  I am very much looking forward to it.

Now THIS Is Ironic

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about the upcoming Cokeville miracle movie and I started it with a paragraph about how Alanis Morissette has ruined the definition of irony for a generation of people.  Well, last night as we walked out of the church building after the missionary farewell fireside, I came face to face with a sign that hovers closer to the realm of irony than coincidence.    I didn’t want to lump this in with yesterday’s post because it would have taken away from the spirit of what I was writing, but it’s too good to not mention.

We were some of the last members to leave the chapel yesterday because of the three missionaries we ended up talking to and because we saw Elder Keller, who is now an AP.  When we saw him as we were headed toward the foyer, we had to stop and talk to him as well.  As we exited the building, a red, neon sign across the street to the northwest of the church building caught my eye.  I looked ... and looked again.  What I saw was this:

The irony of the sign made me laugh and point it out to my family.  On one lot stands a church building housing adherents who practice not drinking coffee and keeping our language clean and across the street is this coffee shop named Bad Ass Coffee!  The ultimate in irony would be for members of the wards who meet in this building to immediately patronize this coffee shop after hearing sermons preached against such conduct, but the situational irony was enough for me. J

Missionary Farewell Fireside

We did something different for the Sunday morning session of Conference by inviting people over to the house for breakfast.  Well, actually, Jennifer did the inviting and I volunteered to make the breakfast; Sunday is my normal cooking day.  The catalyst for this new wrinkle in our Conference watching routine was the fact that Elder Stephens is going home tomorrow and if we wanted to have him in our home one more time before he leaves, we would need to have the missionaries over for breakfast.  Jennifer also invited the Ward family and Amanda, Lilly and Amanda’s boyfriend, Bobby as well.  Unfortunately, Amanda, Lily and Bobby weren’t able to make it, but we had a good time was still had with our slightly smaller numbers.

I was quite happy with my kitchen performance. J  Should have listened to the tickle in the back of my head last night urging me to prepare the green peppers and onions for one of the scrambled egg batches—my idea had been to have one batch with and one without (you’d think by now I learn that whenever I think, “Nah, I can do that tomorrow” inevitably “tomorrow” never works out like I plan).  Nevertheless, the cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes turned out well and everyone was satisfied (at least, no one keeled over half-way through the session J).  I’ll write about my Conference thoughts in a later post.

Elder Hurst serves as Elder Stephens' arms.

I haven’t really written about the missionaries I’ve worked with over the 15 months I’ve served as the ward mission leader.  That is an omission on my part that I should try to correct.  We’ve had great young men assigned to our ward and I don’t see any reason why it won’t continue.  The progression over the last year or so has been interesting to observe.  Missionary work in the ward started slowly when I began this calling, but I’ve seen it build each month.  It’s been great to watch the priesthood brethren step up to fulfill their team-up assignments and to learn that both the brothers and sisters in our ward are helping out by going to lessons or having those lessons in their homes without being assigned.  I’m confident that one of the reasons we’ve been having the success we’ve enjoyed is because we’ve showed Father in Heaven that we are willing to step up and help out the new converts become part of the ward family in whatever way we can.

Another picture; just more "normal"

Elder Stephens has been a great force for good while he has served in our ward.  One of the things I’ve appreciated about him is his desire to finish strong.  I don’t know if I hadn’t heard (it wouldn’t be the first time I wasn’t paying attention), but I didn’t know he was close to going home until a few weeks ago.  Sometimes it’s too easy to begin to coast as the end of the mission approaches.  I saw it when I was in the field and I’ve seen it in missionaries since I’ve been home.  With Elder Stephens, I didn’t have to worry him “taking a play off” (as I’ve heard sports announcers say) or even a series.  He has struck me as someone who was constantly trying to do his best all the time.  Because of my appreciation of his desire to work hard and the impact he has made on my family (Isaac nicknamed him “Smiling Man” because he always seemed to have a smile—at least when we saw him) and the ward, we wanted to go to the farewell fireside to show our support for him before he left to return home.

Turns out, we had more reasons than Elder Stephens to be there tonight.  Elder Hurst, another missionary who had served in our ward (Isaac called him “Big Man”), was also preparing to go home.  As an extra bonus, Jennifer had a tender mercy extended to her when she learned of a sister missionary who was also participating in the fireside.  Roughly 18 months ago (where does the time go? J), Jennifer went to a meeting at the Stake center (I honestly don’t recall whether I was there or not; Jen says I wasn’t) and met Sister Heine at the end of the meeting.  Sister Heine was, at the time, a convert of a year and a half who had come out on her mission.  She was new to the mission (2 weeks at the most) and was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  To help her, Heavenly Father put Jennifer in her path.  The two of them made an immediate connection and Jennifer was able to tell Sister Heine her conversion story and told her about the impact two missionaries she had never met before were able to make on her just by being at the right place at the right time.

Jennifer and Sister Heine

Jennifer’s only regret about her meeting with Sister Heine was her failure to get a picture taken with her (Sister Heine was serving in a ward that didn’t meet in our building) and she was never able to make a connection with her again—until tonight.  That “chance” encounter (I don’t believe in coincidence anymore when it comes to these types of things) stuck with Sister Heine throughout her mission.  When we walked into the chapel, she immediately recognized Jennifer.  We sat near the front on the right side of the room to allow Ben to be able to stretch out his legs.  At the end of the fireside, as the Elders and Sisters left the chapel to go to the cultural hall, Sister Heine and Jennifer waved to each other excitedly.  Not only were they able to exchange information, but Jennifer was finally able to get her picture taken with Sister Heine to fulfill the desire she had 18 months ago.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with the Elders who have been assigned to our ward during the time I have served as ward mission leader.  I have seen how having these good young men in our home has helped Ben and Isaac in their desire to serve a mission.  I’ve seen Isaac open up with them to the point where he gives them nicknames and playfully messes with them.  Jennifer and I have been able to assist them in teaching lessons and to be the member support they’ve needed in many different ways and that has been good for us also.  Frankly, if not for the opportunity to serve with the missionaries and to help out with the investigators and new converts, I probably would have imploded due to some of the stress Ben’s situation has brought at times, but the chance to look outward and not inward has made a huge difference to me. J