Julie Look Right

 Yesterday Julie spoke in church about the blessings of the Sabbath Day.  She shared an experience she had a month or so ago.  They were driving home from Delta and out the window of the car, there was the Payson Temple.  She looked over to the right and saw it was lit and felt such peace. Then she happened to look left and a car was beside them with a license plate that said, "S8TAN" and as she realized what it meant she felt a bit of the world and the darkness surround her.  Then she looked right again and saw the temple and thought of the Savior and felt peace.  It is so easy, she said, for our minds to turn to the world...to the evil and frustrations and worries around us.  There is darkness all around.  BUT if we can turn our eyes and our minds to the right...Christ is there.  He can and will help us.  He will bring light into our lives.  She also said that some Sundays are beautiful and peaceful and everything goes smoothly.  But with four young children, some Sundays are chaotic and exhausting and challenging.  But what is the same...always...is that Christ is there if you focus on Him and look for Him. Always He is there.

LESSONS LEARNED:  Christ is always there if we look for/to Him.

Look to the right not the left...face Christ, not the world.  

When the world begins to drag you down, focus again on Christ.

MLK Train Richard

 Dear friends of ours, Lilia and Richard, invited us to go on the Heber Creeper railroad with them.  They were having a "I Have a Dream" celebration to commemorate the March for Freedom and Jobs in Washington D.C. 57 years ago.  Alfredo had to work late and Michelle and Ella were going to the high school football game so Gabby came with me.  It was amazing!

The Bonner's Unity Gospel Choir sang a couple of songs..."We Shall Overcome" and another song that was really beautiful.  They had teenagers share stories of a few of the people who were there at the march.  We heard part of the I Have a Dream Speech...and a few poems.

One 18 year old man named David attended the march.  He was on leave from the Air Force.  Just before midnight he boarded a train to head to Washington D.C.  He remembered that most women wore dresses and most men on the train wore ties.  He went because he'd seen freedom marchers being brutalized  Earlier that year, he had been denied service in Texas because of the color of his skin, despite being a soldier who was fighting for freedom in the Cold War.  While at the march, he saw Harry Bellafonte and Marlon Brando.  He was only about 20 feet away from Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Philip Randolph.  He said I was standing in a pivotal moment in history.  I am still moved deeply by the I Have a Dream speech.

Denise was a 15 year old black girl.  She went alone to the march. She lived in DC.  She walked to the monument.  Once there, an interracial group shared food and water with her.  She joined the Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and then the NAACP.  She spent her career working in civil rights.  She is grateful for Dr. King.

We learned about the BSCP...the brotherhood of sleeping car porters.   George Pullman founded the train car company after the Civil War.  He had luxury sleeping cars for travelers.  He hired as many African Americans as he could to be porters.  The hoursEwere terrible...they worked 400 hours per month (100 hours per week) and made 27 cents per hour.  All of these porters were called "George" after Pullman.So they formed the BSCP with help of A. Philip Randolph.  Randolph had tried to form 3 labor unions previously but had been unsuccessful.  But the BSCP was able to rise wages and lowered hours as Roosevelt agreed with Randolph and signed an order.

Interestingly, the March on Washington had been planned for 1941...but when Roosevelt agreed to sign the order limiting hours, the march was cancelled.  It was finally held 22 years later.

Teresa was a 20 year old white girl.  Her father was a union organizer.  She said, "You don't have to be an observer of history.  You can be a maker of history."   She said MLK's speech was mesmerizing.  Many of the phrases stayed with her throughout her life.  She became a machinist and worked in the anti-apartheid movement.  She became a chaplain.  Her son does anti-discrimination law.  This march shaped her life.

We heard the Ballad of Martin Luther King which is beautiful...and painful.  

Part of Langston Hughes' poem Harlem was shared:

"What happens to a dream deferred?

      Does it dry up

      like a raisin in the sun?

      Or fester like a sore—

      And then run?"

And these words of MLK keep ringing in my head this weekend:

"And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

We have come a long way since 1963 but there is still more to be done.  At the end, they gave us each a card and asked us to make a commitment to do our part.  Each of us wrote down what we will do to continue to help see the fulfillment of the dream.  I will do my part...

I will listen to people's stories and when possible record them (in writing).

I will strive to expand my circle and to be kind to all I meet.

I will speak up when I see injustice occurring. 

I will teach my children and my students to treat people fairly and with kindness. 

LESSONS LEARNED:  

Stories are powerful and can shape our attitudes and behaviors.

All of God's children deserve to be free and to be treated fairly.

I have a role to play in helping justice come about.

Unsettled Prompting Act

 I am serving as YW President in my ward.  I love the YW so very much.  It's been an unusual 6 months.  It's 2020 and the world is experiencing a pandemic, COVID 19.  Schools and churches and most businesses shut down in March.  It's been more challenging to contact the YW and so far we've had two in person activities since the middle of March.  We returned to church in July...but only every other week, in smaller groups...and many people have not returned yet.  I have worried about how the YW were fairing in these unusual circumstances and I've prayed for them and reached out to them and dropped off treats and tried to continue to love and serve them and bear testimony of the truth.

I've noticed over the last few weeks that one young woman that usually does respond--at least some of the time--hasn't been responding at all.  Today I felt pretty unsettled when I reached out to her again with no response.  As I went about my tasks this morning, I couldn't get her off my mind and had the thought a couple of times that I should reach out to her mom to see how she was doing.  So after that thought returned for the 3rd time, I sent a text and said I hadn't seen or heard from her for awhile and that I loved her and wondered how she was doing and if she needed anything.  Her mom replied that it meant a lot that I was thinking of her daughter and that she is busy with school (which just started and almost all of the YW went back in person) and work and softball but she's good.  But she also said that I likely won't hear from or see her much as she has decided she needs some space and isn't going to participate in church or in seminary.  Her mom didn't sound too worried about it...that it was a normal teenage thing...but I am concerned.  (And it was a text so maybe I'm misinterpreting her mom's attitude toward it.)  And while I don't have any idea right now how to help her, I'm grateful that Heavenly Father gave me that prompting to reach out to her mom and that I did.  So far the only ideas that have come to help were to share my concerns with our Bishop, fast and pray, and put the young woman's name in the temple.  I'll act on each of those thoughts and continue to pray to be led to know what to do.

LESSONS LEARNED:  In the words of President Monson, "Never postpone a prompting."

Unsettled feelings can be a signal that something needs attention or needs to be adjusted or changed.

Jackie CD birthday

 A couple of years ago, I had this feeling that I should go buy a particular CD for my friend Jackie.  The prompting came as I was driving to work and the store wasn't open yet so I decided to go after work.  I bought the CD but didn't get over to give it to her that day.  The next day was my birthday.  My family and I celebrated and it was a busy and happy day.  But then I felt strongly that I should take the CD down to her.  So I did.  She was okay, but her aunt was in the hospital and it had been a hard day. Did the CD make everything better or solve her aunt's health issues?  Definitely not.  But hopefully it brought her a little cheer to know she was loved and thought of.  AND it helped me recognize that even though I didn't know what was going on, Heavenly Father knew what she was experiencing and allowed me to play a tiny role in helping her to feel better and know He was mindful of her.  I've had this experience enough times to know that even when I don't find out why I receive a particular prompting, it's a good idea to act.  I'm really trying to consistently do that.

LESSONS LEARNED:  Act on promptings.

Heavenly Father often shows His love and concern through others.

Even when I don't know what someone else is experiencing, Heavenly Father does.

Broken Promise Candy

 We had very little money when I was a child.  One day my mom had taken me to a store and while there she purchased a candy bar for me.  That was a special treat and she didn't buy candy bars for my sisters.  She asked me not to tell them that she bought me the candy bar as they would feel bad.  I promised.

Later that day my sisters were being annoying (in my mind) so I gleefully told them that I got a candy bar and they didn't.  My mom heard me.  I don't know if she said anything at all...but I could tell she was disappointed.  She might have said something like "you broke your promise" or she might just have given me a sad look.  But I felt terrible.  All these years later, I remember those feelings of having broken m y promise.  I hated knowing that my mom was disappointed.  I want to make her proud and pleased, not disappointed.  

LESSONS LEARNED:  I've tried to live in a way that would please my  mom (and especially my Heavenly Parents) not disappoint them.

Keep your word.  Be honest.

Dan Jones Prophecy

 Last night we had the opportunity to take a "virtual tour" of Carthage Jail.  The sister missionaries showed us around the jail and spoke about the events that took place there.  One of the stories they shared was that when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were taken to Carthage, they had bodyguards and others that came with them.  One of those men was Dan Jones.  The night before Joseph's martyrdom, Joseph heard shots outside the jail.  Joseph asked Dan if he was afraid to die.  He said, "Has that time come, think you?Engaged in such a cause I do not think that death would have many terrors."  Joseph prophesied that Dan would live and serve a mission to Wales and fulfill his mission on Earth. Dan was sent on an errand the next day and could not return to Carthage and was not there when the mob attacked.  He lived and in 1845, he and his wife served a mission to Wales.  He was a very successful missionary and brought many people to the truth.

LESSONS LEARNED:  

Like Dan Jones, we have individual missions to fulfill.

Prophets are seers and can often reveal future events or prophesy about our lives.

There's no need to fear death if we are engaged in a good and righteous cause...the cause of Christ.

Addie "Can't Get Any Better"

A week ago, I asked the YW to share a lesson they had learned this summer.

Sweet Addie told us that when her parents first moved to the neighborhood, her dad just wasn't sure this was the right place for them.  One evening he was outside and saw dragonflies and just felt so peaceful.  He felt like Heavenly Father was telling him, "It can't get any better than this."

There's a Geico commercial that shows a few guys fishing and they say it can't get any better than this.  When Addie's family went to Palisades recently, her brother caught a fish and her family was reminded of the commercial.  She said they talked about how their family is perfect together..that even though they have challenges, they can help one another and work together to be an eternal family and therefore, "It CAN'T get any better than this!"

Lessons learned:  There is peace in recognizing our blessings.

It can't get any better than having an eternal family!

Courtney Africa Choice

In the same Education Week talk  Hank Smith told a story about a student he had named Courtney.  Courtney was in his seminary class for three years.  Courtney would spend at least two hours every morning getting ready...hair, makeup, clothes.  She always looked perfect.  She was obsessed with looking just right.  With being the prettiest, best dressed, with competing and comparing.  A couple of years after she graduated from high school, Courtney came to visit him and said she was going to Africa.  He asked why and she said it would look good on her application for grad school.  So she packed up and went to Africa.  The flight was long and when she arrived, she was driven for a couple of hours to a town in Zambia.  Her home was tiny and not luxurious.  There was an outdoor toilet with only three walls.  The first night there she cried all night long.  She's not sure why other than she just needed to let stuff out.  But after 3 days she stopped worrying about her hair, makeup or clothes. Hank Smith said it took 20 years for the world to put all those cares and thoughts and comparisons inside her but only 3 days for the Lord to take them out of her.  She began to serve.  She learned how to give vaccines and she cared for orphans.   When it was time for her to come back to the US, several mothers begged her to take their children with her and give them a better life in the US.  She told Hank that she didn't change their lives, solve the poverty or limited medical facilities and it's likely they don't even remember she was there.  But it changed her life.  She said she was given a choice to choose the world or choose the Savior and she chose the Savior.  It changed her.  And she was happier than she had ever been before.

Lessons learned:  Change is possible.  And it can come quickly with the Lord's help.  (Though, of course, it doesn't always come quickly.)

The world wants us to compete and compare and we will never be enough.  The Lord wants us to improve and He will make us enough.

We all have a choice to choose the world or choose the Savior...we should choose the Savior.

Break up with the world.  If you're headed toward Christ, you will automatically move away from the world.  If you move toward the world, you are automatically moving further from Christ.  They are opposed to one another.

2 Nephi 2: 11 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad..."

Violin Never Forgotten

 Today as part of our home church, we watched an Education Week talk given by Hank Smith called The Power of One:  Becoming an Exceptional Teenager.  He talks about breaking up with the world and turning toward Christ.  He says that as we turn toward Christ and move toward Him, we will automatically begin to leave the world behind because they are like two ends of a spectrum...like East and West. You can't face toward both at the same time.

Hank Smith tells the story of a young man who was a very talented violinist.  He had worked hard and received a spot in the symphony or some kind of touring group...a real honor and it had the potential to launch him into a career.  But about the same time his Bishop called him in and told him he had been called to serve a mission.  It meant he'd have to give up his spot.  And the only way to pay for a mission was to sell his prized violin.  One night he stayed up all night long playing his violin.  He played until his eyes could no longer see the music.  Then the next morning he went and sold the violin and served his mission.  He said, "I gave up something I loved for the God I loved most and he has never forgotten me for it."

LESSON LEARNED:  Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. 

Remember God and He will remember you.  

Jenny Discouragement Worth

 
A week ago I was about to go for a walk and noticed my shadow. Look how long and skinny my legs look! I was struggling emotionally already and felt sad that the shadow was so far from accurate in its portrayal of who I am. My thoughts began to spiral a bit into “I wish I was tall and thin. I wish I was...(followed by a long list of things.). And then it occurred to me that just as the shadow was distorted, our earthly view of ourselves and others is as well. We truly see ourselves and others “through a glass, darkly” but if we can take the time to be quiet, to listen to the spirit, we can get a clearer and more accurate picture of who we are and who we are meant to be. I have plenty of failings and weaknesses—we all do—but we also have divinity within. We are sons and daughters of God. We have the potential for great goodness, light, love, faith, hope, wisdom, and charity within us. I am struck by what we learn in 2 Nephi 2. In verse 25 we read “men are that they might have joy” but then in verse 27, we read that the devil “seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” One way he tries to make us miserable is by distorting our view of ourselves and making us doubt our worth. But truly understanding who we are contributes to our feelings of joy. I think we all have days when the glass we see through seems even darker than normal, but I hope we can regularly invite the spirit to bear witness of who we truly are.

Lessons Learned:  The adversary lies to us about who we are and tries to make us miserable. 

We don't always see clearly who we (or others) are.

The Spirit can help clear up the confusion and can testify of our divine nature and worth.

Discouragement and self-doubt are tools of the adversary.

Margaret Remaining Quiet

 Another regret.  When I was in elementary school there was a girl named Margaret.  My family was poor---we lived in a trailer park--and I suspect Margaret was at least as poor as we were.  She often came to school in dirty clothes with stringy, unbrushed hair.  She didn't have any friends.  I remember distinctly that we rode the bus home after school and no one wanted to sit with her.  Sometimes some of the kids would tease her.  I didn't participate in the teasing.  But I also didn't sit with her or ask the other kids to leave her alone or stand up for her.  She was bullied and I did nothing.  She must have been so sad and so lonely...at least at school.  I have no idea how her home life was...maybe it was fine or maybe it was terrible.  But I could have done something to make school better for her and I did nothing.  Nothing.

Have you read the book Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson?  It reminds me so much of Margaret and myself.  I read it to my 3rd graders every year and tell them about Margaret.  I don't remember her last name and it's been 30 or more years since I saw her last so there's no way for me to find her and apologize.  But I wish I could.  And I've tried to be a little more aware of those who may be lonely or sad or hurt or in need of a friend.  I still have room for improvement, but I'm trying to be a friend to others and I'm trying to defend people when I hear others talking negatively about them.  I'm sorry, Margaret.  I wish I could tell you how sorry I am in person.

Lessons Learned:  Never wait to do a kindness for someday soon it may be too late.

Stand up for others when they are being bullied or mistreated or gossiped about.

Look around you...who might need your kindness or love today?

She was a child of God, a girl with divine nature.  But all I saw was someone with unkempt clothes and stringy hair that was unpopular.  Why didn't I recognize her worth?   

Charity Sit Together

 I have seen a lot of people post quotes that in essence say your biggest regrets won't be the mistakes you made but the missed opportunities, the chances you didn't take.  While I think we often do regret missed opportunities, my biggest regrets relate to times I should have treated someone better.  My next couple of posts are going to be related to that.

My daughter had an experience this week that has had me thinking a lot.  She is a senior class officer for her high school this year.  She has lots of great friends, but she runs in a different crowd than the rest of the student body and senior class officers who (minus my daughter and one other girl) are all good friends and hang out both in and out of school.  And that's totally ok.  But this week something was done that may have been innocent (or not) but proved to be hurtful.  It's football season and so they have determined themes for each football game.  Tonight's game was "neon" and all students were encouraged to wear neon clothes--especially the student council officers. The student body officers bought matching shirts for all of the student body and senior class officers...except my daughter and one other girl.  And they passed them out while the senior class officers were all working on a poster.  So (especially at first), my daughter felt very excluded as all the senior class officers were given a shirt except her.    She found out the next day that one of the student body officers wasn't given a shirt either.  So we've had a couple of talks about how she felt, how she might handle it, what she might do next.  I wanted to march in and have a talk with one of the girls who I know well but Michelle didn't want me to.  It's possible that this friend group just decided it would be fun to all match...and I suppose they have that right. Perhaps there was no exclusion or hurt meant.  I want to believe that about these girls.   But I do feel that because the entire friend group is part of student council (so no one outside of student council had one of the matching shirts) and especially because the shirts were given out during a student council activity, whatever the intent, the outcome was that at least one and likely two girls felt excluded and hurt and singled out.  And when Michelle was talking to a couple of these girls about the game, she said something about not knowing what to wear as she didn't really have neon and they just shrugged and said anything was fine.  My first inclination was to tell Michelle that for the next game she and the other student body officer should band together and get something matching...but I don't think that's the right answer either...though I have encouraged her to try to befriend the other girl.  I think the RIGHT answer (though not the easy answer or popular answer) should probably be to buy something for everyone in student council so everyone is included.  And definitely the right answer is to be extra kind to those who hurt her.  Perhaps it was intentional, perhaps it wasn't...but it doesn't really matter because the right thing is always to love and choose kindness.  (She did find something to wear and painted her face and Ella's face before the game.)

I have been thinking of this poem: 

“He drew a circle that shut me out-

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle and took him In!”

Edwin Markham

I have been thinking about things I regret. And a memory came to mind.

Eighth grade was pretty tumultuous for me. We moved (into my grandparents' home), my parents divorced, and it was junior high. It was hard. Despite our move, I finished 8th grade at the same school. But when it was time for me to start high school, I was to attend the high school where we now resided. And I really didn't know anyone. I was a bit shy and lacking confidence and very nervous. On the first day of school, I went to early morning seminary. One of the girls in my seminary class (who happened to be a senior and student body president...and also a really, really wonderful girl) invited me to sit with her and her friends at lunch. I was so grateful because I'd really feared sitting by myself. She told me where she would wait for me at lunch and I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders.

That morning, I had several classes and in my P.E. class, I met a girl named Charity. She also didn't know anyone...she had gone to a private school before starting high school. She seemed really nice and we ended up talking. At the end of PE, she asked if we could sit together at lunch. I apologetically told her that some seniors had invited me to sit with them and would be waiting for me.

Charity and I later became good friends. She is absolutely wonderful and was a good friend throughout school. She once reminded me of that first day of school and how hurtful that had been. Like me, she had been nervous and shy and lacking confidence and I had the chance to make her experience better. And I didn't. Thankfully she forgave me for that and didn't let that prevent a friendship from forming and I think/hope I was a kind and loyal friend other than that incident. But I regret that I was so selfish and so thoughtless.

Charity, Kerie, Kara, Ben...all friends from high school

LESSONS LEARNED: My greatest regrets center on not following the second greatest commandment to love my fellow man.

People around us want to be included and want to be treated kindly.

Simple, small acts can make a big difference (for good or ill) in the way others feel.

While you don't have to be best friends with everyone, you can always choose to be kind and inclusive.

When others make mistakes, forgive them.

Wendy Car Trouble Compassion

One of my student's parents shared this beautiful experience and her reflections on it.  So  grateful that Wendy Babcock was willing to let me record her experience:

I was reflecting back before baby boy was born. I was in the homestretch and appointments were inevitable. I live near downtown, and morning was bustling - the world in their weekday routines.

I got into the line of cars to turn onto State Street from South Temple...then...my car battery died. I sat there for a moment collecting my thoughts, and the car horns started blaring accusingly. I tried to do the kind hand wave, to shuffle them around. That didn’t work. I decided to get out to stop the line of cars being incessant on their horns. As I stepped out, I had forgotten how humorously pregnant I looked until I saw their shocked faces in the car windows. The honking immediately stopped. It was their moment of realization that they were being jerk faces to a feisty pregnant girl and she might very well be having a baby in the middle of the road.

Anyway. I looked across the street and saw men in their nice shirts and ties who were watching this.... And then I saw another face...a dirty, weather-worn, bearded homeless man beelining towards me asking what he could do to help.

No one in their cars got out. No one on the sidewalk came over. Just the homeless man. Eventually, the cars went around and the homeless man and I decided it was best to move the car out of the way. And then another car stopped. It was a woman. A homeless man and a woman helped me that day. I will never forget their kindness. I will never forget those two people who stepped out of their world and entered mine for a moment without hesitation.

I still chuckle remembering those faces of sheer horror that they were being impatient with a very pregnant woman.

More so, I think of that dirty face. His willingness. We are so quick to judge (even I want to judge all those men in their fancy suits that didn’t help). That day I was reminded that compassion comes in many different forms.

I am not perfect. I am full of many mistakes and regrets. I try to remember to not be so swift to judge seeing something at face value and not knowing someone’s full story because you never really know what a person is experiencing and why.

I am grateful for tender mercies like this. It reminds me that we are all on this journey together and we make the best choices we can in the moments we are given. Sometimes it might not be the right choice, but that is where grace comes in. Just loving, accepting and helping people along the path who we know are guaranteed to stumble. It’s our decision whether we are going to extend the hand of mercy or not. It’s our decision if we choose to love them anyway even with all of their imperfections.

LESSONS LEARNED: Compassion comes in many different forms.

Slow down your judgments. Show grace and mercy.

Liv Greatest Cause

A little background.  We had youth conference last week and had a military theme.  One of our youth leaders shared this message as part of youth conference:

 This past week at soccer practice, my coaches brought in a few people from the Marine Corps to hold a training with us. I was very impressed at their discipline and respect for their unit. You could tell by the way that they acted and spoke that they were very proud and honored to be in the unit they were. These soldiers talked about how they had sacrificed so much and worked so hard to be able to be a soldier. They had suffered physical, mental, and emotional pains. I compared this to being a soldier in Christ, and it made me wonder if I was holding the same upmost respect for my unit, and if I was making the same amount of sacrifices. As important as the Marine Corps is, being a soldier in the army of God is so much more important. We have been called by a divine being to serve and support him and his cause. And lucky for us, the fate of our war is predetermined. We already know that our God will win, it’s just up to us how early and how fiercely we will support Him. His cause is greater than anything else going on in our lives.  The Marine Corps goes through an insane amount of training before they go out into the battlefield. Just like how they need to prepare, we need to prepare spiritually to fight in the army of God. We need to fortify our faith in order to survive the temptations of the world. We can do that by doing the small and simple things, such as praying every day and reading our scriptures just like the prophets have asked. Heavenly Father will always help us in our battles. As long as we are doing our best, he will do the rest. We don’t need to fear failure because we know that due to the sacrifice of his son, we can always come back from any mistake. This is the most important battle to ever take place, and we have been asked to fight in it.

LESSONS:  The greatest cause/greatest battle is whether we will choose good and stand with God.  It’s worth any sacrifice or effort.

Sacrifice is required to yield positive results.

Go Johnny signs

 Today as our "Welcome Back" by our district we had the U of U head gymnastics coach, Tom Farden (spelling?, speak to us about determination, creativity and engagement.  He told of running a 100 KM race (62 miles).  He was running near a man named Johnny.  The weekend before the race, Johnny had gone through the race path and put up signs along the race that said, "Go Johnny!"   As Johnny ran, he would see the signs and clap and call out, "Go Johnny!  You can do this!"  Soon Coach Farden was also cheering for Johnny as he ran.  He found that everyone needs those "Go Johnny" signs to encourage and build endurance and perseverance.  He asked what we are doing to inspire and build others.

LESSON:  Give others encouragement and inspiration to help them endure and persevere.  And give the same encouragement to yourself!

3 word journal

 I listened to an incredible podcast today (the podcast is All In and I listen nearly every week).  The episode that I listened to today was Morgan Jones interviewing Randal Wright.  He said a lot of great things but the part that I'm most excited about it the 3 word journal.  He explains it like this: 

"As I thought back, I'd read statements, and I've got a statement here by Harvey Cluff, Utah pioneer. He said, "No intelligent person, in youth or old age, should merely drift along. Look the world squarely in the face, listen, and learn, for there are grand lessons for you every minute." And I thought, "Wow, that's incredible." So then I started looking close, and I started writing those things down, and it didn't have to happen to me. If I observed it, if it was a Morgan Jones story, I would write it down. I didn't care who taught me the lesson. I thought, "This life is a university. We go to a university for a few years, don't learn that much, and then in life, we can learn." So I started recording them, and after a while, I started going backward. I started going back in my past and bringing them forward. Before long, I was just kind of a jumbled mess. I thought, "Ah, I'm getting confused now." And I thought, "I need to record something, I don't have time to record the whole thing." And that's when I came up with what I call "The Three Word Journal," where I just take three words that summarize the experience where I know exactly what it means. I could pass it on to my kids and they would have no idea what it means, but I would know what it meant. So I started doing that. It would take me eight to ten seconds to write it down. So maybe I'm in sacrament meeting—in fact, I remember sitting with Morgan Jones and Ellie Hall in Nauvoo, Illinois after that session of EFY, and said, "Okay, Morgan, there's one." It was very irreverent sacrament meeting because I was trying to teach you to look for those things that are right in front of us. And maybe you already did it, for all I know, but I just made that commitment that we're looking for lessons.

You can call them stories, you can call them whatever. But for example, maybe I'm at a meeting in Orem, Utah, and the speaker, his name is Nolan Butters, and he says that his son, Jared—I think Jared was seven years old at the time—was out playing with his little green turtle, that little small green turtle he bought. Not a big turtle at all, but he was playing with one of his little friends from the neighborhood. And his little friend said, "You sure are lucky to have a turtle." And then the fatherBut  heard a little neighbor boy say, "All I have is a dog and a cat and a horse." And I went, "I love that." Immediately I'm writing that down. I'm going to three-word it, and it's going to be Jared (the son's name), lucky, turtle. I knew exactly what it is. And every time I'm envious, if somebody has a new boat or whatever, you sure are lucky to have a turtle, all I have is—boom. So I took a little story that someone else shared, and all of a sudden it became mine too because all I had to do is insert myself in the story. I was in the Orem Suncrest Stake, and Nolan Butters was giving a talk, and all of a sudden, it's mine, too. He shouldn't have shared it if he didn't want me to learn from it. So I'm just writing them down, and all of a sudden I have more and more."

Of course you can't just record 3 words and expect that months or years later you will remember what those three words mean.  You have to take time at some point to write out the details.   But I love this...and I'm going to really try to record one 3 word story a day.  My own stories.  Other people's stories.  Current happenings.  Past memories. Things shared in church.  I wrote my first one today. I have been thinking for months that to become a better teacher, I need to have stories that help teach lessons, but I just haven't had a good plan for how to accomplish this.  And this seems doable and like it will work...especially if I add labels of the lessons learned so that I can quickly find the stories. I  have been using Instagram mostly to record my family's events but I think that this will be a good place to record these stories.

Brother Wright also said: 

Are you all in on journal keeping? And if you're not, guess what. You can record an entry in 10 seconds. Then what if you recorded one a day? If you recorded one a day, just like we just did here, at the end of the year you have 365 recorded. At the end of 10 years, you have 3650 recorded. What we're looking for is things that taught you a lesson. The other thing that happens, as soon as I read that, and I file them in a little program called Evernote. All I do is type in your name and everything. There's more, but I typed up the experience from the journal and I got the Tyler experience here immediately. I like to put pictures for them, it allows you to do that, but your picture's in there. I wish I had one with Tyler. I don't, but we have that recorded. But what happens also is, then I put them into subjects. So it is self-esteem or something like that, all of those experiences I've already recorded keep flooding back into my mind. And so as soon as I read that, I thought, "Oh, trek." We were out and it was with our stake. Our stake president was walking behind two girls. In our stake at the time, we had eight very wealthy Austin, Texas wards, and three that were not so wealthy. And two of the girls from the wards that didn't have quite as much money as the others were walking, and one of them said to the other, "You know what I love about trek?" And the other friend said, "What?" She said, "That we're all dressed the same way. We all are dressed like pioneers." And then she said, "And nobody knows who the cool kids are." And as soon as I read Tyler's, that experience pops into my mind and I go, "How many Tylers are out there, just wanting to be a part, one week of the year?" So again, you see what I'm doing here. I'm trying to learn the lessons so that I can be a better person with that. So that's why I like stories. I like stories because they change me. They make me want to be better, but it doesn't help if we don't—I'm kidding here—but it doesn't help if we don't record the "Tyler lessons" and keep them. 

LESSON LEARNED:  In just a few minutes I can record my lessons and the lessons I learn from others and have a handy resource for the future...and I can see a way to do it. 

Jackie Meet Needs

 My dear friend Jackie has been wanting to donate to the food bank.  She has been concerned about those who are struggling in this current pandemic.  She has called the food bank a few times to see what specific needs they have and they haven’t been very helpful.  So she noticed a food pantry at a nearby church and wondered if she could help there.  She told me of her plan this morning and this evening she wrote this on Facebook:

"FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

Are you like me, and struggling with ways to help others during this time of physical distancing? It is truly hard to know exactly how to help your neighbors, or your community, when you have little direct contact because of the current pandemic.

I have touched base with a local Christian church that runs a food pantry each week. I wanted to know what specifically I can help with as far as donations, and you know what?? This kind man of God explained to me that he has contacts with local and federal government for food needs, so donations are not needed in that area, but they are desperate for the following:

TOILET PAPER

PAPER TOWELS

TISSUES

FEMININE PRODUCTS

Here's my plan:

I am setting up a donation box tomorrow in front of my home. Most of you know where I live, but PM me if you need the address.

I will collect things from now until Monday August 24th.

You may also donate through my Venmo, (PM for Venmo info) to be used for the above listed items.

Please, if you are able, consider donating to this great cause. So many in our community are struggling to find work and provide for their families. We are so blessed, and as we pay if forward, we will discover the amazing feeling of peace that comes from the blessings of service.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING IF YOU CAN!!!! I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL!"

Lesson: Take (immediate) action on your good ideas/intentions.

Meet the actual needs of those you serve (when possible) and not what you think the needs are.  She expected they maybe needed perishables or protein items but that wasn’t the need at all.

Invite others to participate in service you render when possible.

MASH: Modern Army Serving Heaven

 We had youth conference this week. Our theme was Modern Army Serving Heaven and our scripture was 2 Timothy 2: 3..."Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."  I shared thoughts in our opening devotional.  Here's what I shared:

Our theme for youth conference is MASH...Modern Army Serving Heaven.  Have you ever thought about being part of the army of God?  This may be phrased in a few different ways but we HAVE been taught this principle.   In 2 Timothy 2: 3 we read, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."   I think this is telling us that life is going to contain challenges and struggles...hurdles we must overcome.  But with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as our generals, leading us through the battles of life, we can overcome these challenges.  In a familiar song we sing 

Behold! A royal army, 

With banner, sword, and shield, 

Is marching forth to conquer 

On life’s great battlefield. 

Its ranks are filled with soldiers, 

United, bold, and strong, 

Who follow their Commander 

And sing their joyful song 

Victory, victory, 

Thru him that redeemed us! 

Victory, victory, 

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord! 

This week we will sing about being as the armies of Helaman.  In another hymn, we sing "We are all enlisted till the conflict is o'er." President Nelson has invited us to join the Lord's youth battalion.  The wording may be different but each of these things relates back to us being engaged in a conflict. 

That conflict began long ago, before we came to Earth.  We lived in the premortal world with our Heavenly Parents and with our elder brother, the Savior.  We were taught by them.  We had agency.   The spirits of our Heavenly Parents were gathered together in a Grand Council where Heavenly Father presented the plan of salvation and the need for us to come to Earth.  The adversary, also called Lucifer or Satan or the devil, rebelled against Heavenly Father.  He wanted to rid us of agency and he said, "I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."  (Moses 4:1)  There was a war in heaven and "a third part of the hosts of heaven" (D&C 29:36) followed Satan.   That war that began so long ago continues today, here on Earth.  Satan still wants to "destroy the agency of man" (Moses 4:3) and he "seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27)   There is a war raging all around us, a war over good and evil, right and wrong, freedom and captivity.  The unusual thing about this war is that the end is already known; the Lord will be victorious!  President Benson said, "Each day the forces of evil adn the forces of good enlist new recruits.  Each day we  personally make many decisions showing the cause we support.  The final outcome is certain -the forces of righteousness will win.  But what remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this battle-and how tall we will stand.  Will we be true to our last days and fulfill our foreordained missions?" 

WHEN I was a teenager there was an LDS movie that I watched over and over called Saturday's Warrior.  It was remade a few years ago so maybe some of you have seen it.  In case you haven't...it begins with a family and a few of their friends in the premortal existence.  These family members and friends loved each other and made promises to help one another on Earth.  Now I don't know if that's quite how it worked but Sister Nelson said, "The only thing that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed--even covenanted premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are here on earth.  So, let me ask you a question:  what were you born to do?   How I wish you could watch a 10-minute video of your premortal life on Youtube."  Unfortunately, that is impossible but we do know that we made covenants with our Heavenly Father and that we were sent here at this time to accomplish specific tasks.   

But going back to Saturday's Warriors.  Did you notice the name of the movie?  Warriors.  Most of the movie takes place on Earth and the characters that we met in the premortal life are now here on Earth fighting difficult battles.     Each character faces their own unique challenges...just as we do. One has the gospel but he's not sure he believes it is true and he makes some friends that are a bad influence on him.  It seems--at least for a time--that he may lose the war against sin and become trapped by his poor choices. One has been searching all his life for the truth, but doesn't know where to find it. He is a talented artist and at one point, he is sitting in a park and sings a song about wishing he knew who he was. 

I take some paper on my hand 
And with a pencil draw a man 
The dream of what I'd really, really like to be 
A man with courage in his brow 
Who;'s licked his doubts and fears somehow 
A warrior of great nobility 
But who am I? Just a wandering kid 
A cipher on the wall, not even brave at all! 
And where's my dream like his that I would fight for? 
And where's my cause like his that I would die for? 
And in his eyes he's not a afraid 
Because you see he's got it made 
The dream of what I'd really, really like to be 
A brave and noble, fiery youth 
Who's not afraid to die for truth 
Who's tall and straight, but best of all he's free!  

He wants to know what his cause is that is worth fighting for.  Maybe you do too.   At the end even though he wants to know who he is, he worries that even if he tries, he'll just strike out or fail. 

One of the adversary's greatest attacks is against our feelings of worth.  If he can convince us that we are worthless or that we'll fail or that we have already messed up so badly that we can't fix it, then he can likely get us to fall into sin and despair. 

But here's the thing...we do know who we are. 

In the opening song in Saturday's Warrior it has some of my favorite lyrics ever: 

 
 

Who are these children coming down, Coming down like gentle rain through darkened skies, With glory trailing from their feet as they go, and endless promise in their eyes? Who are these young ones growing tall, growing strong, Like silver trees against the storm? They will not bend with the wind or the change, But stand to fight the world alone. [Chorus:] These are the few, the warriors saved for Saturday. To come the last day of the world, these are they, on Saturday. These are the strong, the warriors rising in their might, to win the battle raging in the hearts of men on Saturday. Strangers from a realm of light who have forgotten all: The memory of their former life, the purpose of their call. And so they must learn why they're here and who they really are. They must learn why they're here and who they are. [Chorus] In their sun-bright armor, they march forth to conquer all And hold their swords ablaze with fire and watch the darkness fall, But first they must learn why they're here and who they really are. They must learn why they're here and who they are. 
 

It keeps referring to Saturday...because we live in the time shortly before Christ comes again.  And YOU are these youth ...the strong, the warriors rising in their might to win the battle raging in the hearts of men on Saturday.  YOu are strangers from a realm of light who have forgotten all...and you must learn (or really remember) who you are and why you're here.   

Fortunately, you don't have to do that alone.  YOu have parents and leaders who can help you to see and learn who you are.   You have received or will receive a patriarchal blessing that will help you understand more of your mission and your unique gifts and talents.  And we have a prophet that has given beautiful teachings to help you know who you are. 

Let me read just a few of the things President Nelson has said about you in the worldwide devotional for youth in June of 2018. 

 

"Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of his most noble spirits--perhaps I might say, His finest team--for this final phase.  Those noble spirits--those finest players, those heroes (or this week we might say...those soldiers)--are you." 

 

"You are the hope of Israel, children of the Promised Day!" 

An interesting fact I just learned last week...Do you know what the name Israel means?   Israel means "one who prevails with God" or "soldier of God"...so when we say we are the children of Israel, we are saying we are the soldiers of God.  When we gather Israel through missionary work or temple and family history work, we are gathering more soldiers...we are helping more people to prevail (win!) with God's help.  Isn't that exciting?  Don't you want to be a part of that? 

"My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel.  There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that.  There is nothing of greater consequence.  Absolutely nothing.  This gathering should mean EVERYTHING to you.  This is the mission for which you were sent to Earth." 

 One thing that helps me to have greater faith now is to realize that I knew and understood these things before when I was in God's presence.  Knowing that I believed and had faith and chose to follow Christ then makes it easier for me to make those same choices now.   

"Gaining a testimony isn’t about learning something new or even finding something that you’ve never known. It’s about understanding your divine identity and remembering the things that you’ve always known to be true."--Kevin Pearson 

How do I know who I am?   How do I remember that when challenges come or when the world tries to make me forget who I am?  One thing that helps me is knowing who the leaders in my battle are.  I know the young women have heard me say this before...but I have spent a lot of time studying the Godhead and learning as much as possible about Heavenly Father, the Savior and the Holy Ghost.  There are a lot of things in life that I don't understand...and I have a lot of questions.  So many questions!  BUt I know that my leaders, my generals can be trusted.  I know that as well as I know ANYTHING.  I know I have loving Heavenly Parents and a loving Elder Brother...and so when I am struggling or uncertain I know I can turn to them.  I know this because I have invested time in studying and prayer. 

 
 

In addition, when I begin to struggle to feel and recognize my own worth, I often turn to my patriarchal blessing. It brings such great comfort and direction to me. 

Another thing that really helps me is that I am not the only soldier on this battlefield.  We are not alone fighting this battle.  Of course, we have help from our generals.  But there are also many good soldiers all around us. You have leaders and parents that want so much to help you fight these battles and gain victory.  If you choose good friends, they will help you to make good choices and when you begin to have self-doubts they will remind you of how brave and strong and good you are.  I am SO very blessed to have friends like that...friends that believe I am even better than I really am...who see the best in me and who encourage me to become even better.   

I bear testimony that you are youth of a noble birthright...you are divine sons and daughters of God.  You ARE courageous and strong and you have a cause that is worth fighting for!   Choose now to always fight on the side of the Savior and then your victory is assured.  You are so deeply loved.