What Are You Thinking

A few months ago in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission, we were blessed to hear from Elder W. Craig Zwick. Last General Conference we were able to hear from him again in a talk titled What Are You Thinking?. The story he told about his young family helps illuminate our knowledge on forgiveness and understanding.

Forty-one years ago I climbed into the driver’s seat of an 18-wheel semitruck with my beautiful wife, Jan, and our infant son, Scotty. We were taking a heavy load of construction materials across several states. In those days there were no seat-belt restrictions or infant car seats. My wife held our precious son in her arms. Her comment “We sure are high off the ground” should have given me a clue about her feelings of apprehension.
As we made our descent over historic Donner Pass, a steep section of highway, the cab of the semi suddenly and unexpectedly filled with thick smoke. It was difficult to see, and we could hardly breathe.
With a heavy rig, brakes alone are not enough to rapidly decrease speed. Using the engine brakes and gearing down, I frantically attempted to stop.
Just as I was pulling to the side of the road, but before we had come to a full stop, my wife opened the door of the cab and jumped out with our baby in her arms. I watched helplessly as they tumbled in the dirt.
As soon as I had the semi stopped, I bolted from the smoking cab. With adrenaline pumping, I ran through the rocks and weeds and held them in my arms. Jan’s forearms and elbows were battered and bleeding, but thankfully she and our son were both breathing. I just held them close as the dust settled there on the side of the highway.
As my heartbeat normalized and I caught my breath, I blurted out, “What in the world were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!”
She looked back at me, with tears running down her smoke-smudged cheeks, and said something that pierced my heart and still rings in my ears: “I was just trying to save our son.”
I realized in that moment she thought the engine was on fire, fearing the truck would explode and we would die. I, however, knew it was an electrical failure—hazardous but not fatal. I looked at my precious wife, softly rubbing the head of our infant son, and wondered what kind of woman would do something so courageous.
This situation could have been as emotionally hazardous as our literal engine failure. Gratefully, after enduring the silent treatment for a reasonable amount of time, each of us believing the other person was at fault, we finally expressed the emotions that were churning beneath our heated outbursts. Shared feelings of love and fear for the other’s safety kept the hazardous incident from proving fatal to our cherished marriage.

How often in our lives do we find ourselves in arguments fueled by misunderstanding? With hundreds and hundreds of different cultures all around the world it is easy to see why there is so much contention. We read from the writings of Paul "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." If we all make a conscious effort to understand where one another is coming from, imagine where the world would be.

New Teacher

The experiences I have had thus far on my mission truly humble me.

This week I would like to talk about Daniel, one of the Haitian investigators Elder Gardner and I get to work with. Daniel lives at the end of a dead end street here in Lumberton, NC. On any given trip down Daniel's street chances are you would see many more Haitian refugees outside their homes talking and laughing. Daniel stands at roughly 6 foot 4 inches I would guess and always wears a smile ear to ear. The rest of his family still lives back in Haiti but he hopes to have them with him soon.

This past week two areas in Lumberton were consolidated leaving me with many investigators that other missionaries had been working with, most of which are Haitian. This process of meeting these new people is a normal thing in missionary work and usually comes with quite a bit of work. The tendency is that most investigators take some time to get used to the new missionary and their might even be some apprehension at first. To my surprise this was not the case at all with Daniel and many others.

It was my first day working with Elder Gardner and I was nervous because I hadn't learned much Creole yet. We drove down Daniel's street and pulled up to his house. Moments after we knocked on his door it swung open, he looked at me with his big smile and said, "NEW TEACHER!" He invited us in and smiled as he listened to the message we shared that day. Daniel showed so much love for me.

From house to house the love of these humble people has been the same. Though their earthly possessions are few, it always seems like they are trying to give you everything they have. I have never seen a happier group of people in my life. I am excited for the many more adventures to come!

Mother's Day

Many times on my mission my companion and I have been invited over to families homes for dinner. I love the opportunity we have to meet with all of these people. Not too long ago, we had the opportunity to go over to yet another families home.

We all sat together and talked as usual and enjoyed the evening. As missionaries, at the end of the dinner we usually share a brief spiritual message to show our gratitude to those who were kind enough to let us in. When we were sharing a message about prayer the mother just broke down in tears. Choking on her tears, she told us how her son (who was gone that night) hadn't talked to her all weekend and wouldn't eat. She was so worried about her son. You could see the distress and love in her eyes. We promised her that all would be well.

Fast forward to that night I did a lot of contemplating. I had never really come to see a mother's love in that light until that evening. What makes the bond between a mother and her child so deep? The divine love that mothers have is no doubt inspired.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed. -The Family a Proclamation to the World

It made me look back on my life and realize how much my mother has always loved me. My heart breaks to know that at one time or another, just like the mother we talked to, my mom probably shed a tear or two worrying about me. My mom has always been patient with my siblings for all my life. I am thankful that God has given me such a great family and the example that my parents have set for me!

Happy Mothers Day!
(AKA Missionaries get to talk to their family day)

Because of Him

North Carolina is absolutely beautiful in the spring time. Flowers of just about every color appear on the trees and greenery around us. I cannot think of a better and more beautiful time to celebrate Easter. The life around us begins to spring up again after a dark and dreary winter.

The video above, titled Because of Him, tells the story of how Christ conquered death that we might all have a brighter hope and in turn a brighter future. The potential that we all have remains endless because of Him. I know that the capabilities and accomplishments of mankind are great and marvelous, but Christ's resurrection is even greater and more marvelous.

My question to all of you readers out there is: How has your life changed Because of Him?
Please leave your comments below

Mysterious Ways

This week I was taught the lesson that the Lord works in mysterious ways. My companion, Elder Firmage, and I had another miracle moment. The missionary work here in Lumberton has been going fantastic lately but we have had a lot of appointments fall through last minute. That was the same story as always last Tuesday. We were excited to go back and meet with an amazing family that we had been talking to with a member of our ward. We got an oh so familiar phone call that our meet would be cancelled. Our ride picked us up later that day. So instead of visiting the family we had planned on, we decided to go talk to a lady named Deborah that a friend of ours told us we should go visit.

After knocking on the door a lady in her 40's dressed in scrubs answered the door. We asked her if she was the Deborah we were looking for. She then told us that her name was Robin and that Deborah was inside on the chair but that she was Debora's care taker. Just like at the beginning of any lesson, we began with a word of prayer. We began speaking to Deborah asking about her faith and how it has helped her. She, being an older lady, answered our questions politely and simply but didn't really seem to be getting a whole lot out of the words we were saying. Soon, the spirit directed my companion and I to the other side of the room. There sat Robin the caretaker, listening intently to the conversation. After asking one question that was directed to her she just completely opened up. She told us of many struggles that she has been going through and that she knows that God is exactly what she needs right now in her life. With tears in her eyes, her words obviously indicated that she was feeling the spirit.

It intrigues me how often instances like that happen on my mission. Here was Elder Firmage and I expecting to teach a family, plans changed to seeing Deborah, then lastly the Lord put Robin, her caretaker, into our path. There is no doubt in my mind that it was not a mistake. A lot of miracles in this life come from unexpected instances.

Boot Camp

This morning I was thinking of one of the more embarrassing parts of my mission and some of the lessons I have learned from it. Please allow me to embarrass myself and hopefully help display the moral of the story.

The story begins back in my last area in Wake Forest when autumn was in full swing. North Carolina's trees were turning all sorts of vibrant colors and the weather was pleasant. That day, one of our friends my companion and I were teaching was talking to us after a lesson. We sat in a small circle of chairs in a gym that he owns with medicine balls and weights scattered around the room. The man then invited us to come to one of his boot camp classes in a week or so to see what it was like. My companion and I were excited and quickly said yes. Our friend then said, "Okay" with a smirk that said "You two have no idea what you are getting yourselves into, do you?"

The week leading up to our boot camp was filled with little to no preparation. Back home I played sports with my friends and was on the swim team. Needless to say, I consider myself decently fit. My companion and I ate what we wanted and did what we wanted. We went on with normal missionary activities for the week and continued to do half-hearted morning exercise routines. Finally, the morning of the workout, I did probably the worst thing I could have done; I skipped breakfast, thinking nothing of it. 

During the drive to the gym, my companion and I talked and laughed about how little we prepared. When we walked into the room we see the instructor and probably 10 or so women ranging in age from late 20's to late 60's. I distinctly remember thinking to myself, "if they can do it, I can do it." Boy, was I wrong. The work out started out great! I remember doing the routines that were prescribed with ease. I felt great and rotated through each station following the exerciser in front of me. We got through the majority of the exercises and things were still going extremely well. Then we got to the sled. The sled was a metal framed box with skis on it plus the desired amount of weights on it. I got low to the ground and pushed the sled back and forth across the gym time after time to see how many times I could get it across before time was out. I don't remember exactly how many times I pushed it but when I stood up I felt all the blood rush out of my head. I still pushed forward to the next station and attempted to do the next exercise because the boot camp was almost finished anyways. I felt absolutely awful. The instructor looked at my face turning more ghostly white by the second and asked if I was feeling okay. Next thing I know, I was taken to the side away from everything and sat there drinking some cold water. I was not prepared. 

Despite the embarrassment of having to quit in front of my companion and a bunch of middle-aged women, we are able to draw a few lessons from my unfortunate story. If I only would have prepared a little more. Whether or not the events in or future are physical, emotional, or spiritual, we must prepare. Feeding our spirits by going to church, praying, or reading the scriptures is the key. The act of preparation never really ever makes the event, in this case boot camp, any easier of a task. Rather, it gives us the strength to endure. Trials will come in each of our lives and it is up to us if we will be ready or not. It is my prayer that we will be ready and not have to sit this one out.

Little Elephant

About a month ago my mom sent me a Valentine's Day package. In it there was a little elephant that bobs his ears and trunk up and down whenever the sun hits the panel on his back. For the past few weeks the elephant has lived on the dash of our car soaking in the sun, bobbing up and down, as happy as can be. 

Days went by and I barely even noticed it anymore. The sun has hid behind the clouds for quite a few days here in North Carolina. Missionary work continued to be hard as it tends to be and plans kept following through. The dreary scene soon began to get me a little down. I began wondering why the past few days hadn't turned out how I initially had hoped.

My companion, Elder Firmage and I were sitting in the car when we noticed a little reminder that all is well. Despite it being dark and rainy out side, the little elephant in the dash of our car continued to bob his little ears. It is always the little things that teach us the most isn't it? Whatever light was shinning through the clouds at that moment might not have been much, but it was enough. Life is hard and, from time to time, it's hard to be happy. It reminds me of an encouraging quote from Elder Holland "Don’t give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead . . . You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

I know that there is always good things to come.

Walks of Life

In this wonderful world that we live in, it is easy to see the differences between each and every one of us that call Earth home. Diversity is found on a broad scale whether it be diversity in culture, religion, nationality, or race. Although we all differ in many instances, I would like to suggest that we all have a major commonality and that is that we all have faith.

Now, before you challenge that statement, hear me out. On my mission, I have had the wonderful chance to meet people from all over the world with all different walks of life. With that, I have been able to talk to people of many different religious backgrounds. Some of these include Muslims, Non-denominational Christians, atheists, baptists,  agnostics and yes a few Mormons too! The amazing thing is that each of them has faith in something no mater what it may be. A scholar has faith in his research, just as a Christian has faith in Christ. A scientist has faith in his theories, just as an agnostic has a faith in a greater power. In the book of Hebrews we learn from the words, "now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If you ask me, there are many things we hope for. 

Many of us hope for a better world. We might hope for a bright future for our family or children. In fact, little tasks like setting an alarm for the next day exercises faith. We hope that we will see another day, so we might set that alarm and even make plans for the next day, even though the next day is never a guarantee. In a very real sense then, faith is what fuels us.

Faith is the light that allows us to see. The exact opposite of the darkness that comes from fear. Real growth comes from an increase of our faith. In the wise words of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn't matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel . . . The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come."

I know that we all have faith and as we exercise faith, God will bless us. Faith is the first stepping stone on the path to happiness, no matter what walk of life we come from. I know this because in the times that I let my fears conquer my faith I have always fallen. There is a brighter future and I know that as President Uchtdorf said, "the light will come."

Free at Last

First of all I just wanted to say sorry for not posting the last two Tuesdays. I have been super busy! I just got transferred to a new area: Lumberton, North Carolina! I love it so far here and look forward to meeting many amazing people. Every Tuesday from now on I promise!

How come some people in this world are born with disabilities while others are not? When our loved ones are bogged down with this how do we help them? These are all common questions that many of us might have had throughout our lives. I wanted to take this post to talk about an experience that I had a while ago on my mission that meant a lot to me.

There are definitely more and more people being diagnosed with some sort of mental chemical unbalances of some sorts these days.While we don't necessarily know exactly why all of the time, we have been blessed with a lot of guidance on the subject. The following video has had such an impact on my life. I remember exactly where I was and what I was thinking my first time watching it. My companion and I had just had a lesson the previous night with somebody in our area who was having serious struggles with his health. Many doctors met with him and could never really pinpoint exactly what the diagnosis was. The man we were meeting with was doing everything he possibly could to turn his life to God. Despite his constant discipleship, he was still faced with this difficult challenge in his life. We shared a brief message about prayer and how that if he sincerely asked God what he should do, God would answer. You could feel the spirit so strong as my companion and I promised him this and happiness to come, despite his health.

The next day we were watching General Conference, where two times a year church leaders prepare talks to give us all guidance. The video is one of those talks that we saw. With the pains of our friend and many of my loved ones who suffer from disabilities still weighing on my mind, this talk brought a whole new understanding to the questions I mentioned previously. Half way through the talk we got a text message that said "I got an answer to my prayer."

I know that God is mindful of our challenges from anxiety to depression to physical problems. I know that one day we will all be able to live with our families free from our shortcomings at last. As Elder Holland puts it "Free at last."

Missionary Life in a Nutshell

Obedience is the price

Faith is the power

Love is the motive

The Spirit is the key

Christ is the reason

The Man Behind the Cash Register

The story this week is an undeniable miracle that happened to my companion and I. Due to a few unexpected expenses, my companion has been a little tight on money this past month. Along with grocery money, he had set aside money for a camera at Walmart he has been looking at. We also had to make an unexpected trip to the bike shop to fix his bike. After going to the bike shop and finding out that repairs would cost $60, he knew he would have to dip into the camera fund and that he might not be able to get it.

Trying to salvage any good cheer at all, we decided to go to Five Guys (they are few and far between out here and one happened to be in Raleigh by the bike shop). Walking in I immediately caught the eye of the man behind the cash register. You see, it is easy to tell in one's eyes if they are familiar with missionaries and I definitely had that feeling. Sure enough, we went up to the counter he said, "Where are you from, Idaho or Utah?" I was slightly taken off guard because I really was from Idaho but we laughed and I said Idaho. He gave us the look that said "Ha! I knew it!" Anyway, we got our food and decided to sit outside because we felt for whatever reason we should (yes, outside in January, you can do that here in NC). We blessed the food with a prayer as usual and when I opened my eyes I caught the eyes of the man behind the cash register once again. I quickly looked away and we began eating our food. Not long after that, another man came up to us and told us how much he looks up to Mormon Missionaries. He said his name was Doc and thanked us for serving and taking time away from our families. As I shook his hand and over Doc's shoulder I once again caught the eyes of the man behind the cash register through the store window. Not a minute went by before the man came out from behind the counter and came to talk to us. His name was Bill. He told us that he, just like Doc, had a respect for missionaries but wasn't a member. He praised us for serving the Lord and told us about a time when the missionaries taught his family. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of plastic. One was a $25 dollar gift card to a pizza place nearby and one was $25 dollars to Walmart, exactly where my companion wanted to buy his camera from. He said "I want you to have these." Shook our hands and left just as quickly and silently as Doc did. Without saying but a few words after he left we both bowed our heads and prayed a prayer of thanks to God. He now had just enough money to buy the camera he wanted from Walmart and pay for the bike repair. My companions prayer was answered by and angel disguised as the man behind the cash register.

The Young Little Kite

The Young Little Kite

As the young little kite began his first flight

the breeze blew softly until the string was tight

Gently he was lifted just a few feet more

"Surely, I'm higher than I've ever been before."

Soon a wind replaced the soft breeze

Until the young little kite was above all the trees.

His very first glide had turned to a soar.

"Surely, I'm higher than I've ever been before."

The winds sped up and the clouds turned grey

He was beaten and tossed in every which way.

And all he could feel was the string's tension pulling down

So he let go of his string and soon crashed to the ground.

The poor little kite was lying broken in the dirt

When the Master picked him up and wrapped him up in his shirt.

He cradled him tight as he took the kite in.

Then fixed every hole and glued every limb.

The kite was now fixed and felt good as new.

As the breeze came alive he began flight two.

Little did he know was that the string "pulling down,"

Was the only sole thing keeping him off of the ground.

Soon the wind replaced the soft breeze

Until the young little kite was above all the trees.

Once again, his glide turned to a soar.

"Surely, I'm higher than I've ever been before."

There is always somebody who is there for us. God has surrounded us with people and things that he knows will help us. They can be in the forms of friends, family, church members, and even strangers. A lot of times when we hit trials in our lives the easy thing to do is to let go of all our support and think we can do it ourselves. Just like this kite we need to hold on to the things that make us happy, especially when the storms get rough. I know that when we crash down that there is always a way to get back up!

Someone to Lean On

This week's blog post will be short and sweet.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

One of the best parts about the Christmas season for me is definitely the Christmas songs that are so familiar to all of us. Usually, they just remind me of fond memories of past Christmas seasons but the verse to "Away in a Manger" was particularly touching to me the other day. It hit me when we were singing it at a fireside. Sitting beside me was a rather large man we have been teaching for about a month now. As he sung the verse with his low, grumbling voice I could nearly feel the the ground shake beneath my feet. What's more than that was that I could feel his spirit. The words touched me "I ask thee to stay close by me forever, love me, I pray."

We all need help, no matter how much we think we can take everything on head on. Let's face it, this world we live in is full of pain and heartache. I really have come to find out, that is why God gave us families and friends. We need that support sometimes to get through the rough patches. What's more is that God gave his Son for us. When life gets hard we can lean on Him. 

The lesson I learned from our friend at the fireside is that we all got struggles that, to us, are extremely hard. To others on the outside it may not seem like they are that big of deal but they are big. We simply cannot do it alone. 

A Missionary's Motive

As missionaries we get the chance to meet so many amazing people. As a natural consequence, we get asked a few "get to know you questions" on a regular basis from our new friends. One of the most popular questions we get asked is: What made you decide to serve a mission? Often times I am only able to answer the question briefly so I want to take this opportunity to explain more fully why I decided to serve a mission.

Some might wonder why anyone in their right mind would choose to leave their lives of schooling, dating, sporting, working, and playing to stay somewhere far away with a population of strangers. Hopefully by taking my personal experiences, I will be able to shed a little light on it.

First of all, growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints I, naturally, have always felt that it is part of my duty to serve a mission, but there is a lot more that I believe has to happen. If it were only a sense of duty, I often wonder if I would be where I am. In fact, there have been many moments in my life where I have had doubts. The key for me was becoming converted to the gospel that I now teach. One day it kind of hit me, how amazing the message we share as missionaries is. It kind of just made me want to share it with everyone. The last and key step that made me want to go on a mission initially was that I had wonderful examples in my life, especially my older brother. We never always got along, as most brothers, but nothing meant more to me than seeing him go out and serve the Lord and hearing his amazing experiences in letters home. He is currently serving in the Albuquerque, New Mexico Mission. I don't know what I would have done without him.

The most amazing thing about it all is that since I have been out, I have discovered so many more amazing reasons why I am here on a mission. The first is that I love the people here in North Carolina. When you love someone, it is so easy to share a message that will make them happy. We never force religion on anyone but rather invite them to see and learn for themselves. The next reason is because I have never been happier in my life. In the fun times we smile and in the hard times we grow. Among many more reasons I know I am where I need to be is that Jesus Christ lives. I know it. I love Christ and the sacrifice he gave for all of us. There is nothing in the world more satisfying or exciting than seeing one of my brothers or sisters have their burdens lifted from their lives. Nothing in the world could compare to the feeling that they feel when they choose to follow Christ. It is through His grace and love that we can find true joy and happiness in this life.

God lives. Miracles happen everyday. I know that because I see them everyday. There is absolutely no way that the miracles we are privileged to see are all coincidences. I am lucky to be a missionary.

In all honesty, those are the reasons why I am serving a mission.

What Are YOU Thankful For?

Today people all over the world have the wonderful opportunity to take a step back and realize what they are thankful for. What a fantastic day to have my first post on my blog!

This day has been filled with countless miracles and blessings. My companion and I went to an activity put on by the local church members called the Turkey Bowl this morning. We played football and were able to get to know both members of the church and their friends a lot better, and have a blast doing it!

The rest of our Thanksgiving was filled with three (yes, three) Thanksgiving gatherings with great families. I loved each dinner for their own special reasons. One of the dinners was with a man we have been teaching and his family. One of the most heart-warming things was the prayer he humbly gave at the close. He told God everything he was thankful for and you could feel the spirit in the room. Then at the close of his prayer he stood up and hugged his wife. That is one of the most amazing things about being a missionary.

I just wanted to tell y'all real quick what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my Savior and the fact that through Him, I can be saved. I am so blessed to be a missionary and to see people from all backgrounds and watch the Spirit change them. I am thankful for my family and friends back home and their constant support for me. I am thankful for good health. I am thankful for this country we live in and the men and women who fight for our freedom. I am incredibly thankful for all the modern conveniences we have. But most of all, I am grateful for my Heavenly father who gives me all these things... even though I KNOW I deserve none of it. He loves us more than we can imagine.

I would love to hear what things y'all are thankful for. So,
What are you thankful for?