CHRISTmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Hopefully you're all celebrating with family or friends or both. Hopefully Santa Claus visited your home and everyone is enjoying themselves.

I just wanted to tell you all what I've been thinking about lately. We all know that worldly possessions won't be able to go with us into the next life, right? You could make millions of dollars, but that's not going with you into heaven.

I've been thinking a lot about people. People can be incredible, inspirational or amazing. They can also be annoying or rude. One of Kaylee's favorite things to do is "people watch." People do the strangest things, but in their head, it probably makes sense.

I've been thinking about how people are everything. Creating relationships is more worthwhile than making money. Knowing those people, especially who we have constant contact with, is essential to life. 

Kaylee's family.

I understand that sometimes we can't stand people, just drive in Salt Lake at any time of the day and you'll be frustrated out of your mind. I know I am. But, when you have a chance to meet people, get to know them. Find interest in people. It's obviously more comfortable to just sit in our little corner and shy away from others, but I promise that your life will be fuller if you just come out of your shell a bit and meet someone new.

The most important people though, is your family members. Don't fight or argue with them. They will hopefully be there by your side forever. That is the ultimate goal. We don't ever want a single life to be lost (in this life, but especially the next) because every life and soul is important.

 My dad's side of the family.

 My mom's side of the family.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, but remember at this time that Christ came to this world not to save just you. He came to save everyone!

"Shall cleave to his wife"

It wouldn't be right of me to end with just stories of my mission, especially with the life I currently have.

God has prepared a way that we can live together forever in our families. I can't think of a greater blessing than this.

I'll never forget the day that I married Kaylee. It was a whirlwind of a day, but it was perfect.

A week before we actually got married, Kaylee was able to go through the temple to get her endowments. This means that it was her first time through the temple (besides baptisms for the dead). I was there and seeing her in all white, made me and my heart happy. She radiated beauty as she entered the Celestial room for the first time.

Prior to the wedding day, we picked Gail Ockey to do our sealing. He was the patriarch that gave me my patriarchal blessing. 

I don't remember a lot of what he said by Patriarch Ockey, but I remember how I felt as I looked across the altar into the eyes of my wife. She looked happy. Don't ask why, it was only me.

I wish I could've taken a snapshot of the entire room though and the people that were there. So many happy faces of family and friends. 

Kaylee and I were sealed for "time and all eternity" together. That means that we will not be separated after this life. We are not married "till death" only, but forever. I recommend that blessing to everyone, but not just anyone can seal someone for all eternity. The proper authority must be held by that sealer. Because we are sealed together, our children, starting with our baby girl, will also be sealed to us.

 

Living together forever is something that I would wish that everyone could enjoy. These moments, especially within the walls of the temple, are moments that mean more than anything in the world. The Spirit is so strong in the temple, and being able to go to the temple with the one you love most is incredible.

"My soul delighteth in the song of the heart"

Have you ever heard a song, especially around Christmas time, that just seems to cut right through you? This has happened many times for me. 

This seems to happen to me more often lately. I don't know if it's because I've seen my family less this year since my mission or what, but I've had songs cut through me on multiple occasions this year.

This has proven to me that the Spirit can be there in daily activities.

While growing up and even now, my mom always makes up songs whether it was to wake her kids up, or to calm the grandchildren down. She has always loved music. I think I got that from her, but not the creativity of making up songs on the spot.

My siblings and I were all told to sing our favorite hymn or primary song if we were ever scared or afraid of something. If you've never tried this, it works.

Music is incredible. It can make someone get up and dance or sing. It can make you feel the Spirit or it can drive the Spirit away. There are so many different songs and styles of music. The lyrics of songs can be so inspiring or so degrading.

It seems every year around Christmas time, I find a different song that I fall in love with. One of the biggest times of this that I remember was in Strasbourg, France. We sang the First Noel in church and I was absolutely punched by the Spirit as we sang it. I couldn't help but tear up (no tears fell, so it's ok).

Typically, I don't love Christmas music. The radio plays the same songs over and over and it gets old fast. One of the few songs that I usually like is "I'll Be Home For Christmas." When it comes to Christmas music though, I'd rather listen to older artists than any recent takes on the classic songs. I love listening to Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Dean Martin. 

For whatever reason, this year, I've loved most versions I've heard of "Silent Night." The lyrics of that song have struck me down. The last verse has been the one that does the trick:

Silent night, Holy night,
Son of God, Love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Next time you're listening to music, make sure you pay attention to the lyrics. The background music and beats aren't as important as what's being said. Listen to and think about the lyrics of Christmas music, because they usually give you something more than just a fun song. 

Here is one of my favorite songs because of the lyrics:

Even with songs that aren't Christmas related, you can find the Spirit being invited. I hope that you will start seeking out wholesome music, because it can make or break each day.

"They taught with power and authority of God"

Guess what! I'm on my last mission story of this group of blog posts. You made it! If you've ever served an LDS mission, you might also remember that sometimes there are lessons that are just incredible. This is one of those stories.

This has proved to me that through the power and gift of the Holy Ghost, lives can change to find Christ and His teachings. I also learned that God prepares people to hear His Gospel, especially through the help of members.

I probably taught the first lesson (Joseph Smith story) more often than any other lesson while in France. I loved teaching that lesson. I love quoting the story: "I saw a pillar of light, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other -- this is my Beloved Son, hear him!"

 One of my favorite paintings of the First Vision.

I once read or heard a talk by someone (that I can't find anywhere) that said something like, "When the Joseph Smith story is told, lives change. It doesn't matter what language it's in and whether or not you understand it." I agree with that statement 100 percent.

 In my last area, St. Brieuc, we had quite a few English members in the branch. One of the English members met another English couple and offered to help because they were struggling with money. Eventually, we were able to teach the guy, Jim. His wife was already a member, although not active. Jim is a gruff, brute of a man from Scotland. He is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen.

The moment we started teaching, I knew this was going to be good. He hung upon every word we said. He loved the scriptures that we shared, although he never said anything. I could tell he loved it by the twinkle in his eye. It seemed to grow.

We got to the First Vision part of the lesson and it was weird teaching it in English. My companion and I didn't have it memorized in English, so we read it. His eyes watered and then giant tears fell from his face. He got up and walked away. The Spirit was so strong. We didn't move. He came back a few minutes later and told us he wasn't expecting this.

We finished the lesson and he couldn't wait to start the next one. He was one of our best investigators. I wish I could tell you that this ended super well, but I can't. He moved back to England before we could finish teaching him.

Jim's story showed me that anyone can and will accept the Gospel, but no one will if the Lord hasn't prepared them to do so. A lot of the time, members, not missionaries, are the best at finding those who are prepared. Lives can and do change.

Found on quotesgram.com.

"In His strength I can do all things"

Not long after the last experience, in my first area of my LDS mission, I found that Christ is the perfect example.

That's right, another story from my first area of my mission. I learned a lot in that first area. It was a hard area and my first experience as a missionary. It was one of the smallest areas in the mission, and we had little to no work as my first transfer came to a close. The last week of each transfer, we had deep cleaning day. This is where the story begins as I was stuck in the apartment cleaning.

My mind slowly turned to my family as I was alone and didn’t have any source of communication for a while and wasn’t reading.

‘I miss them so much. I wonder what they are doing right now,’ I thought. My mind began coming up with scenarios of what we would be doing all together if I was there. I was beginning to get homesick, but I couldn’t stop myself.

‘What about the work here?’ I thought,trying to focus my mind onto the work we had in Alençon. ‘Who am I kidding, we have nothing here. The branch is tiny, there hasn’t been a baptism in over a year. The most recently scheduled one went down in terrible flames.’

Tears formed in my eyes and I couldn’t help but return to what my family was doing and how I missed them so much. I held the tears back as best I could, but slowly couldn’t see well, so I washed my hands and wiped my tears away. I walked out into the main room and grabbed my scriptures.

I went into the bedroom and opened my scriptures which seemed to fall open to Alma 26. It was a chapter about the sons of Mosiah and their work among the Lamanites. Ammon glories in God in having the opportunity to convert so many.

One of my favorite scriptures. I just threw this graphic together.

“3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.

5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted...

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land for which we will praise his name forever.

13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?”

I looked up from my scriptures and out into the hallway. Just outside on the wall, a painting of Jesus Christ hung on the wall. It was the painting with him like it was a portrait in the red robe and white clothing underneath.

This is the painting that was hanging outside in the hallway. I love this painting of Christ.

‘He was away from His Father for 33 years, and I’m whining about two years,’ I thought to myself. My tears were now gone. ‘He and His Father knew that He was going to His death, but still both agreed to let the process be done. I can do this. I will see my parents in two years, it isn’t that long. “For in His strength, I can do all things.”’

This proves to me that the Lord is always aware of us individually again. I also found that Christ did everything in His life because of and for us. He lived for us; He died for us. He is the example that everyone should be striving to become.

"He hath attended to...my prayer"

Fast-forward a few years to my time at the MTC. Not that I didn't have any special experiences in high school, but I chose to skip over them. I considered writing about the Pioneer Trek, but I must have repressed those memories a bit.

This time, I found that God answers prayers immediately when He feels it is necessary. I also learned His plan is perfect.

The Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah is basically a religious school/prison. Don't get me wrong, the MTC is a great place to begin to learn a language and learn more of what you'll be teaching for two years on a mission, but you're basically trapped in that place.

I was at the MTC before the Church reduced the time missionaries need to spend there, so I was there for two whole months. About three weeks in, I was finally settling in and enjoying my district of 11 other missionaries when I got a letter from my dad.

I looked forward to letters from my dad because he always kept me updated in sports. This letter was different though. In this particular letter, he told me that Rick Ence had passed away. My dad shared this because they are the same age. He told me because I went to high school with one of his sons.

Justin Ence was the football star in high school. I thought for sure that kid was going to go big in football, but I think playing quarterback and safety hurt his chances even though he could've been a star safety in college (think Eric Weddle-type player).

Justin wasn't a close friend, but everyone knew who he was because of football. He was popular in high school, but is one of the most down-to-earth people you'll meet. He is always nice to me and everyone he ever came in contact with.

Here is Justin on his wedding day with his mother. He married his high school sweetheart, Jesslin. I stole this picture from her Facebook page.

When Rick passed away, Justin was serving his mission in Brazil. I read the letter and my heart sank. The world seemed to dim.

At the end of the letter, my dad told me Justin got to talk with his family and was told that Rick wouldn't have wanted him to come home for this. His brother's told him to finish his mission, which he did.

That night, at the MTC, I prayed one of the most fervent prayers I have ever given in my life. I don't remember everything that I said, but I remember asking for the Ence family to be comforted and that they all would understand His plan. I also asked that I may understand His plan and why these things happen at times like this. I felt the most calm feeling come upon me at that time.

I felt like I received an answer almost immediately that the Lord knows what He is doing and that He needed Rick for work on the other side. I still can remember this feeling over 7 years later. I don't think I'll ever forget it. 

Here is a picture of Rick Ence. He was 49 when he passed away. He would've turned 57 two weeks ago.

This is an example of how the Lord has a plan at all times, even if it hurts our finite, mortal minds here. He also answers prayers immediately when necessary. I didn't really ever meet Rick, but I will never forget him and his family because of this special moment.

"So shall I keep the testimony..."

Continuing through my little snippets of life and proofs that God and Christ live, comes the next time I remember feeling the Spirit stronger than on normal occasions.

This one proves that God answers questions that you didn't even know you had. He also answers it in ways that speaks to individuals and probably not crowds of people at a time.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we do a testimony meeting every first Sunday of each month. This is a chance for members to come out of the congregation and share their testimonies. Other weeks at church, we have members that have been asked to speak to the congregation, generally from that specific ward.

I don't remember if this happened during testimony meeting or during a talk, but I just remember my dad was up at the pulpit speaking. I'm 14 years old at this point and just reveling in the fact that my dad was up at the pulpit. At 14 years old, I hadn't learned a ton about the Gospel, and didn't really fully have a testimony, so I was subconsciously looking for one, even if I didn't know I was.

A little background about my dad before I continue. My dad is not the type of person that likes attention, so bearing his testimony during testimony meeting would be quite the feat, which would make this even more impressive if it was just testimony meeting. 

Here is my dad and I at my white coat ceremony earlier this year.

Jumping back to my dad at the pulpit, he was talking about the prophet Joseph Smith. Typically at the end of talks, people bear their testimony, so my dad was finishing up in the same fashion.

Here is what I remember him saying (not verbatim probably): "...To think that Joseph Smith was only 14 years old when he experienced the First Vision and saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, is incredible. 14 years old! I can't help but think that's my son's age now. Wow...."

Prior to this point, I don't remember him bearing his testimony or sharing many spiritual moments with me or anyone else really. That doesn't mean he didn't, but that I never really listened/heard it.

It was at this point that I felt like I needed to search things out, especially about Joseph Smith. Within the LDS Church, everything leans on whether Joseph Smith was a prophet and inspired or not. This is the furthest back that I can track where I started to seek out Joseph's teachings and have fallen in love with the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This has proved that the Lord answers prayers that people didn't even know they have. It also shows that he speaks to us individually through others. What my dad said was probably just words to some people, but it helped me in numberless ways.

"By small and simple things..."

With a week left before Christmas, I wanted to find something that I could share that would help bring about the Spirit of Christ.

I was sitting at a Christmas party when this memory came back strong, so I thought I would share it along with a number of others that I remember when I felt the Spirit strong in my life. These few stories are just a small glimpse into why I know that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are real.

This first story proves that not only does God answer prayers, but that he is aware of each of us.

While living in warm, sunny St. George, Utah, people could do anything outdoors most days of the year. When I was younger (probably about 12 years old), my family's house faced towards a cul-de-sac where some kids had made a ramp for when they skateboarded.

The kids that skateboarded were actually pretty good at it and were a year older than me, so I didn't really hang out with them. Every once in awhile we could see them skateboarding and they were fun to watch.

One day, I was hanging out with my friend, Austin Baird, and we were heading to the movies or something, but waiting for someone to pick us up. We stepped outside for just a moment to see if whoever it was picking us up was there, but they weren't.

Here is Austin now. I stole this from his and his wife's Facebook page.

Down the street in the cul-de-sac, Tyler Cozzens fell from his skateboard and immediately started writhing on the ground. Even from the distance Austin and I were from them, we knew he had hit his head and was having a seizure. His friends and family started scrambling, making immediate decisions.

"What should we do?" I asked Austin as we both seemed breathless and terrified of what we just witnessed.

"We could say a prayer," Austin offered as we stepped inside the house and as we did so, the driver pulled up to pick us up.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," I replied, still in shock about what was just seen.

"Ok, do you want to say it?" He asked, obviously not as distressed as I felt.

"No. You should say it," I responded.

Austin said a prayer, asking that Tyler would be ok. I immediately felt a calm wash over me.

We stepped outside and saw Tyler getting up from his seizure. He was fine. I was even more relieved than I was from Austin's prayer. We went wherever we were headed and thought no more of it. Tyler was fine after some slight recovering I believe.

LDS ad from lds.org.

Looking back on this now, I realize the power of prayer. We were two punk kids that luckily had been brought up well to the point that we thought prayer was an appropriate response to a critical moment. Maybe our prayer didn't have any effect on the outcome of the seizure, but it wasn't as much about that as it was about the Spirit of Christ that was felt and recognized that day.

As for the Lord being aware of each of us, the Lord knew that this could be a teaching/defining moment in our lives, so he prepared us to have the opportunity to say the prayer.

The Five People I'll Meet In Heaven: Part 5

If you missed part one and all the reasons why I'm writing this, click here.
If you missed part two, click here.
For part three, click here.
And part four, here.

Many of you might know this already, but I was fortunate enough to serve my LDS mission in Paris, France. I loved my mission and look forward to the day that I can revisit some areas from my mission. I also look forward to the day that I can serve another mission with the companion of my choice, Kaylee.

I arrived in France just before Christmas on December 21, 2010. My first couple of days were a struggle because it was Christmas time, and I was stuck in a different country where people don't speak much English. I was excited, but jet lag didn't allow me to show that.

I got to meet some of the most amazing people in France. This story takes place in my very first area though. It was the end of the year in Alençon, France, which is in the Normandy region of France. I was still very 'bleu' in the mission, which meant I was new (our mission's version of greeny). I didn't dare talk in French because I knew I was going to make mistakes.

Alençon is a very small city. In fact, it is one of (if not the) smallest city in the mission. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the city had already had contact with the missionaries because of the size of the city.

This is the Halle au ble. This building is what I always think of when I imagine the city of Alençon.

One bitter cold night in Alençon during my first couple of weeks, somewhere between Christmas and New Year's, my companion, Elder McQuay, and I were out knocking on doors. In France, we called this porting because 'la porte' is 'the door.'

We knocked on a door and a man answered. Elder McQuay went through his opening lines. Elder McQuay generally spoke because I didn't dare, so he introduced us and the Book of Mormon to the guy.

“Non, ça ne m’interesse pas (No, that doesn't interest me),” the man responded. He didn’t move to shut the door like everyone else did though. He just stood there looking at us. I stood there awkwardly not knowing what to say.

Elder McQuay offered him a Book of Mormon, which he reluctantly reached for. I hadn't spoken during a contact up to this point because I didn't usually understand what was being said. This man just looked at us with a sad face. I seemed to follow the conversation a little better this time, so I decided this was my chance to speak.

“Monsieur,” I stammered. “Je sais que le Livre de Mormon est la parole de Dieu (I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God).

I continued by telling him I knew that by reading the Book of Mormon, he could come closer to God. It was broken French, I’m sure, but it was definitely by the power of the Spirit. The man didn't say anything. He just stood there staring at me. His eyes started to water as he blinked more and more. I didn't know what else to say, so I stood there watching him intently. He started weeping with no noise. His eyes were sad and I knew there was a story behind them that would explain everything.

"If you want, we could talk more about this book now," Elder McQuay took over the conversation in French.

"No," he responded simply. "I can't."

"We could come back another time and talk about it also, if that works better," Elder McQuay said.

"No," he responded again. He again chose not to back away and leave us, so we just stood there quietly for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I need to go," he said, breaking the silence. He turned to walk inside and close the door.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, here is our card with our number," Elder McQuay said, finishing the conversation and giving him a pass-along card.

We never saw or spoke to this man again. I couldn't even tell you exactly what he looked like. Sometimes people help shape your life without you even knowing who they are. This was the night I realized what my purpose was as a missionary and that I could speak in French. I'll always remember that man and the feeling I felt that day.

Well, there you have it. It took longer than I anticipated, but that is the end of my exhaustive accounts of five people who have helped shape my life to be the person I am today. Thank you for reading. 

It wasn't easy to narrow it down to five people, just know that chances are that if you know me personally, you've probably had an impact on my life also.

The Five People I'll Meet In Heaven: Part 4

If you missed part one and all the reasons why I'm writing this, click here.
If you missed part two, click here.
For part three, click here.

From the fourth person, I learned the meaning of hard work and professionalism.

My first job was at the Washington City Community Center as a lifeguard. I enjoyed being a lifeguard, but as I quit, I told myself I would never go back to work there.

Upon returning home from my mission in the France, Paris mission, I got a job at Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) as a Night Patrol Specialist. That meant, I drove around at night and took pictures of broken or unlit signs. The job was a lot of fun and I still can't drive passed a sign without noticing what's wrong with it. The only issue with the job was the amount of work I could do. I could obviously only do the job at night, so I had more hours in winter than I did in the summer.

Next, I picked up a freelancing job at The Spectrum & Daily News thanks to my sports editor, Shelby, at Dixie State while I wrote for the Dixie Sun News. This, I did while also working for YESCO.

Then, I got engaged to Kaylee. It was then, that I knew I needed another job that wasn't so random with the hours. It was then that I went back to the Washington City Community Center.

Here is the pool and play structure at the WCCC. 

I got the job as the Aquatic Rental Supervisor. I was in charge of the rentals and I was basically jumping into a brand new title. The only remaining person from when I was a lifeguard was Skyler Howes. He was in charge of the lifeguards now. My boss was going to be Benjamin Rae. I stayed in this job until we moved North for pharmacy school.

I lived in Cedar City and commuted to St. George because I loved working with the people I worked with and especially Ben. He taught me a ton about how to work. He was the type of person who would work all day to get something done if needed.

One of the most admirable things about Ben and his work ethic was how many menial tasks he would do. He doesn't just ask someone to do something, he goes out and helps do that task. The worst tasks weren't exempt either. He was always there to help with moving the basketball hoops and water rollers, even though everyone hated moving those. On top of that, he would do his own work of making sure everything ran smoothly and well.  

I don't know how, but he went back to school to finish his master's degree while also working full time at the community center and after getting the job as head coach of the Dixie State women's swim team. He has three kids and is also the Elder's quorum president in his ward.

"I don't think God intended us to have free time," Ben told me one day when I asked how he planned on doing all of this.

Even though I don't necessarily agree, he did it. He should be finished with his master's degree now. Hopefully, for his sake, he is no longer the Elder's Quorum president. He's still coaching the DSU swim team. He must have so much time on his hands now.

Here are the some of the people I was privileged to work with at the WCCC. From right to left: Barry Blake, Wendi Bulkley, Dustin Halterman and Ben Rae.

I also learned a ton about how to be professional. While I was working, we had a guy come train us on customer service over a period of a few weeks. Living in Cedar City, I didn't catch all of the trainings, but even when I did, Ben explained them much better than I understood them.

Thanks to Ben for showing me how to be the best professional, worker, person and individual I can be.