Viva Perú!

On January 30th, I enter the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center). I will become proficient but not fluent in the Spanish language in three weeks, then, in all likelihood I will be flown to the Perú MTC to finish in a total of 8 weeks learning what will change people’s lives for eternity in the Perú Lima North Mission.

It’s going to be a long four months of looking up things like, the average height of a man in Peru is 5’ 4.5”. What’s even cooler, the women are 4’ 11.5”!!! I will have a giant Peruvian flag on my wall:

And I have already started trying to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I can’t wait!
Just a few more pictures of the country:

Looks a little like Southern California, no?

Alpaca, like llamas...but Perúviano!

The City of Lima.

Why I'm Serving a Mission

Mark Zuckerberg was at BYU last year I think. As I anticipate my mission call, I can’t help but think his words to the BYU students at his forum are truly applicable to the Gospel—even if he didn’t mean them to be that way:

“You have to really love and believe in what you’re doing. I think that’s the most important thing. If you start to build something … it’s hard and you encounter a lot of challenges. If you don’t completely love and believe in what you’re doing, it actually ends up being the rational thing for you to stop doing it or succumb to some of the challenges, because there will be huge challenges that you face.... Most people have something that they’re super passionate about, and I would just encourage you guys to find that thing.”

When applied to the Gospel I don’t think I could ever not serve a mission. It’s just too important to me not to share it with people I know I will come to love.

I wrote an application paper on why I want to go on a mission for mission prep. It’s supposed to be written to a non-member audience. I’m going to post it below just so it might reach somebody looking for truth.

          Application Paper #1

Going on a mission is one goal that I’ve had since I was very small. I knew back then that it was the right thing to do because the prophet said to. Specifically, President Spencer W. Kimball (prophet from 1973 – 1985) said,

“Certainly every male member of the Church should fill a mission, like he should pay his tithing, like he should attend his meetings, like he should keep his life clean and free from the ugliness of the world.”

It’s important to listen to the admonition of the modern-day prophets because they are the Lord’s mouthpiece here on Earth. We know this through modern revelation found in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of scripture written by God through his prophets in the early days of the restoration of the church. In D&C Section 1, verse 38, (commonly denoted D&C 1:38) we read,

“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (emphasis added.)

This means that whether I hear the voice of God Himself, or a prophet gave me the charge to go on a mission, it is the same thing, or it should have the same effect on me. This same reason to go is usually the most base reason given by young men of the church for their choice to submit the necessary paperwork. It is their obligation to go as holders of the priesthood. Beyond this basic explanation, the desire to serve a mission comes from a love for the Gospel, a desire to spread its happy message, and a respect for the infinite power of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

As I have grown older and matured in the gospel, I have recognized that the decision to serve a mission should come from those reasons, rather than a sense of duty, if I am to become an effective missionary. I know that this is the one true Church upon the earth today. I know this because the spirit testifies it to me when I hear the truth spoken in meetings, when I sit in the baptistery at the temple, and when I read the scriptures. The spirit is described in D&C 9:8,

“But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”

 This is not to say that the spirit always manifests itself as physical warmth. The spirit is felt in different ways to different people. I feel sudden inspiration enter into my thoughts, while others say that they feel a general idea of what is the right thing. However the spirit is felt, it always testifies of the truth when truth is given.

 The Gospel holds so much joy and happiness in its different doctrines. For those mourning the loss of a loved one, the Gospel includes the belief that families are sealed for time here on earth as well as all eternity afterward. For those who feel they have sinned or transgressed the laws of God, the prophets teach that no sin falls outside the repentance process.

 The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which I will spend my mission preaching, includes five key components: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Confirmation, and Endurance to the end. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I believe that faith precedes miracles. In other words, one must believe in Christ and his Atonement for our all of our pain and sins before the miracle of true conversion can occur. The second principle, repentance, relies on the desire of members to progress towards a Christ-like perfect life, free from sin or transgression. Repentance is the process by which we use the Savior’s Atonement to cleanse ourselves of our human flaws. Baptism is the first ordinance that a convert to the church receives. The first part is baptism by water, in which the convert is completely immersed in a font of water by a worthy priesthood holder, and then brought forth, having been washed of all their sins. It is important now to note, that baptism comes after the first two, faith and repentance. Next comes the second part of baptism, the baptism by fire, or confirmation. The term baptism by fire doesn’t refer literally to fire, but it refers to the spirit that it invokes. The confirmation gives the convert the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost if he or she lives worthily to keep it with him or her. All the member then has to do within the Gospel to receive exaltation is to continue to progress, or endure to the end.

It’s really that simple, and the most important part is that Jesus Christ himself has invited all of his spirit brothers and sisters (us!) to partake of the blessings associated with coming into his fold. In Matthew 11:28-30 we read,

“(28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
(30) For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 As I have prepared my mission application and delved deeper into the scriptures as well as the words of the living prophets, the Gospel light has begun to burn within me. I feel the desire to teach the Gospel to those that I haven’t before considered. I know that the happiness and peace it will bring into their lives is exactly what they are looking for. Walking out of the Stake President’s office after completing me final interview I wanted to start right then and there. The Gospel has such an incredible power to change us for the better and I want that for all of God’s children here on earth.

 Christ lived a perfect life and died for every individual person who ever lived and ever will live on the earth, that’s what it means when I say it is an infinite Atonement. The leadership of the church has published a testimony of Christ, called The Living Christ, which in part reads,

“We offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice…He gave his life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.”

His atonement, which includes the suffering in Gethsemane and the subsequent trial and crucifixion upon the cross of Calvary’s Hill, encompasses all of human error, discomfort, and suffering. It is personal in that He suffered for each of us individually, to satisfy the eternal law of justice with his mercy. His gift makes it so that all of mankind has the potential to enter heaven with visages “as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18.) It is that power that I want to let the world know about, that it is accessible by all and He stands ready to receive all who come unto him.

I know that this Gospel is true. I know my Savior gave his Atonement for me personally, and that without it all of the earth would be in a sad state. I know that the scriptures bear the truth, and all who read them will feel the Holy Spirit testify of the truth to them. I know that the Gospel has power to change people for the better and that it brings lasting joy into the lives of those who accept it. I know that Joseph Smith Jr. was the instrument by which Christ restored his Gospel to the earth in these latter days and that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet who carries that work forward today, under the direction of the Father and the Son.

This, my testimony, is the greatest reason that I have for going on a mission. With this knowledge, I cannot keep the message to myself. It demands to be seen in the “eyes of all the nations” (1 Nephi 22:11.) I will willingly give two years of my life to the Lord for the perpetuating of His work because I know it is true.

Perspective is Everywhere

College has a way of making things occur to you in powerful ways. Prime example: I haven't read for more than 8 hours of a day for years, especially textbooks. That's college, friends, lots and lots of reading. And I love it! The books that are assigned are textbooks, but they're written with the intent of educating the reader; they want to make you better for reading their book. Perspective is everything. In my first week here, a talk was given by the BYUSA president. He quoted from a poem written by Carol Tuttle that goes like this:

HOW I FINALLY TAUGHT THE BIG GUY A LESSON

I did not provoke the fight so I feel no remorse for what I was
forced to do. We were arguing, and seeing that I was right and he
was wrong, he decided to fight to cover for his stupidity.

He swang at me first, but being in the top of condition, I was able
to act quickly and block the punch neatly with my head.

Whereupon I jumped to the ground knocking him down on top of me.
Then I placed my ear in his mouth and poked his finger several times
with my eye.

His teeth hurt from the strength of my ear, and he became irrate and
tried to kick me, but I cleverly blocked the onslaught with my ribs
and face.

I scrambled to my feet and ran to my car in hopes that I would get
away and save this man from my deadly hands. Before I could start
the car he pulled me from the still open door. I then proceeded to
swing at him, but only managed to hit myself in the head. I
said: "Whats this? Two against one?" That was the final straw-I
lost all control. There will be no mercy!

Taking him in my death grip, I pounded him in the knee with my
stomach-then I hit him two or three times hard in the fist with my
teeth! He had had it! I could tell. After that he didn't even try
to pick me up off the ground. He was too chicken!

I love the perspective Tuttle introduces to our lives simply from looking at the situation from another angle. What if everyone had that kind of unbeatable attitude? This poem actually reminded me of the Captain America movie that came out last spring. I watched it last night with a group of friends (moving outside after visiting hours were over of course!). The message of the movie is so much different from what the world wants us to believe about ourselves. It's empowering to know that there are still believers out there, people who know that being a hero isn't about being strong, or having special powers. Being a hero is all about knowing who you are inside, knowing what's right and standing up for it.

In church today, I noticed that the girl sitting next to me was writing quotes in sacrament/testimony meeting. Things people had said inspired her enough to be written down. The first one came from a man in my ward, recently returned from his mission. He has cerebral palsy and has a hard time controlling his physical body, including speech. He came up first to the pulpit and bore his testimony so strongly that I couldn't help being reminded of the love for Christ that many with disabilities have. He said that trials are a blessing, and that he always looks on his major trials that we all can see as a blessing in his life. She wrote down that quote, and I commented on it after sacrament meeting. I've always wanted to be the person that writes notes in church, but I couldn't do it consistantly enough. Here's for another attempt after being so inspired as she was.

It occured to me at church that no other church on earth, to my knowledge, has such a dedicated corps of young adults. We wake up in time to go to church at 8:30 AM on a Sunday. We go to church and actually participate. We run our ward because it is a YSA ward. And we fill the chapel with the same Spirit that all of us feel in our home wards. Next to our chapel, we can hear the other ward singing their hymns offset from ours so that the sweet Spirit that music brings is present throughout the whole meeting. I love this Gospel and the joy it brings to all who partake in it.

I know this post seems a little random and kind of long, I just suppose there was a lot on my mind today :)

At College

I'm at college now.  Yep, it's a little strange, especially because I don't post life events on this here blog, but I had to. I find it strange to think that this place honestly picked about seven thousand 18-ish year-olds and then said to them, "You're basically on your own...make all of the decisions you want and then live with the consequences."

The gravity of that doesn't even begin to hit you until they say it to you.  It's kind of like telling people you'll meet them for lunch, and it totally works because nobody else was there to interrupt plans. It's total and absolute freedom to either sail above the clouds or quickly crash and burn.

On top of that, they give you all kind of fun statistics that make you feel great about your academic standing - like even being Salutatorian is kind of average here: great!

Anyhow, I'm alive and excited to plan things out. I hope I won't starve cooking for myself, so any simple cooking blog links would be appreciated. I'm starting classes Monday, and last night I had this incredibly spiritual experience that led me to change my major.  BYU is seriously a special place and I hope that I can get out of it what they put into my being here.

1 AM

I have a problem…and college is probably only going to make it worse. I pretty regularly stay up until midnight or 1. And the post a week ago was a slight mix of falsehood and truth. The Olympics were keeping me up and with my family past when I usually go to bed. However, it’s fair to mention that going to bed has a slightly different meaning to me:

Going to bed: verb/preposition/noun A near-ritual involving prayers, scriptures study, reading, playing apps on my iPod, adding music to my iTunes library, watching movies, watching TV shows, and other miscellaneous tasks (reading my friend’s blogs) that escape me because I’m running on 4 hours of sleep 

That's me...but all three activities at once and in my bed

Actually, what’s happening is really just anything but sleep. Terrible, I know.  What’s worse is that it’s probably contagious. My friend Rachael says she might be becoming a night owl. Mixed feelings on that one. She’s the last person alive that loves falling asleep at 9. And I’m kind of jealous. I must have ruined my circadian rhythm long ago, while pursuing the completion of a procrastinated project perhaps?

Whole groups of people get together – albeit usually on weekends – just to participate in this same kind of rebellion against the body’s natural need to recharge and rejuvenate.  Now, when I go off to college, I just hope that there are just a few in 30,000+ that want to try an experimental sleep deprivation detox. 

Thank You Notes

I read a suggestion the other day that completely caught me by surprise. It was on a business blog that I lost the link for, which is probably why I was surprised. It said to write a thank you note every day, to someone who doesn’t expect it.

Sure, that’ll take you far in business because it shows you are appreciative and a people-person, but it will take you even farther in life in general.

An example:

There’s a guy in my ward that my family has carefully deduced does something we all find incredible. After church, or even right there in sacrament meeting, he takes the time to write a short note of encouragement/thanks for each speaker. It’s always on a card with some kind of silly comic on the front, kind of like the ones in the back of the New Era, but a little more like a sketch.

This guy makes every speaker feel so special and edified because he takes two minutes out of his day to write a note. Mind you, this is not an old man; he has 4 kids under the age of 10, including two 6 year-old twin boys! His example is monumental to me, and I hope there are people out there who do the same for him when he speaks.

Second story/anecdote:

I don’t remember my mom often crying in frustration, at least not in recent memory. But the few times I know of it’s been because being a mom can be one of the most thankless jobs, usually with a thanks here or there, but by no means plentiful.

She had a tough day and mentioned that I didn’t thank her for the laundry or the ride home from school (3+ years ago I suppose) and just looked so downhearted about what she was called to do. Since then I’ve made it a personal point to try to say thank you for something she does for me at least once daily, if not more.

Most people keep mementos of thank-yous in a box or any number of other safe places. I have a couple of shoeboxes I keep, full of things that I can read if I’m feeling down. Compliment sheets from seminary, birthday cards from grandma, notes from a good friend; the best cards from my Eagle court of honor and graduation, letters from my parents from Scout Camp or Aaronic priesthood encampment.

Thank-yous make people feel important, special, loved. Whether it’s a short text, a letter, a scrap of paper note, or a phone call, try to give thanks every day, it makes a bigger difference than you think!

If life were a book I’m finishing a chapter…

These past few days have been a little strange. I’m being forced to consider the possibility that I won’t see my steam clouds coming out of the condenser at close range ever again. My work friends might fall away or I could keep in touch, but I don’t know if I will ever see some of these people again.

I know that’s supposed to be what I say at the end of high school, but really Energy Northwest has been my senior year. I didn’t feel nearly as attached to the rest of the senior class as I do to my team here at work. My countdown started over the weekend when I realized that there are only seven more days. I feel torn; my life here has been comfortable and I don’t mind getting paid more than minimum wage. Then again, BYU awaits and what will feel like so much free time will be welcome.

The new WBLs come in soon, mine tomorrow today. Shelby is unexpectedly here today, so this post must be cut short!