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Monday, April 27, 2009

Another Random Missionary Moment

Ah, the good old days. If only I could make the screen go fuzzy and make a sound like glass tinkling then the mood would be set to flash back to my mission.

I was serving in a little town in the middle of nowhere. A friend of mine called it the butt-crack of the world, we just called it Aplao. Anyway, one day we had to bus in all the way to Arequipa, a three hour trip. We had some regional missionary conference that we had to go to. I don't remember a lot about the conference, except we had to sleep in the office, and while we were there we found a VHS tape of the last general conference. None of us had seen conference since before our missions so it was a real treat.

Anyway, when the conference was over I purchased the Book of Mormon on tape. We got on the bus to make our way back home and as it would happen this bus didn't have a TV or radio; All it had was a cassette player, and nobody had a cassette. Well, except a single missionary, me.

That was the time I had a bus-load of passengers listen to the Book of Mormon from the beginning to 1 Nephi 17. My companion and I debated for a while whether or not we could have counted all the people on the bus as contacts when we put together our report for the week. In the end we counted them all.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Past...

One of these days I will have to sit down and explain the complex system that is my in-laws. Suffice it to say that Days of our Lives, could be pulling out story lines out of my in-laws for another couple of decades. I wish I was exaggerating.

Anyway since I'm on the topic of family. My in-laws recently invited me to join a website that is one half social network and one half genealogy with a pinch of 'Huh?' thrown in for good measure. The website is www.genoom.com and I've been goofing around with it for a day or so. It's really kinda cool. My Dad was/and is a big genealogy freek. He has traced at least 4 lines back to Adam -you think I'm kidding but I'm not-. Anyway as it turns out this little website is a lot more fun and visual than that old PAF program. I used the PAF program but what PAF really needed was something like Facebook were you just get the itching to add to it, and this program seems to have that kind of feel to it. My only complaint so far is that it doesn't have a Facebook add-on.

So I guess in a way I am finally doing a little more with my Family History, looks like I am due some blessings or at least some forgiveness. I would like the forgiveness.

Every time I start looking into my family history I am always surprised with how little I know about the family on my Dad's side. Every little once and a while someone lets something out at is always surprises me. The fact of the matter is that my Dad really didn't like his family, I could go into it but it would take me as long or longer to explain my in-laws. Since my Dad doesn't like his family he's been very, very reluctant to expound on it. I think I've heard him mention that he will take his secrets to the grave. Last year when my aunt put together a book on the subject of the family he refused to have anything to do with it. He said he glaceed though the book and stated the it doesn't tell the story of my Dad or my grandfather right. I told him to correct it so that at least in the copy I have it tells the right story, but he refuses. As I go though this book I am surprised to find cousins that I never knew I had. Sometimes I feel like I am trampling on a history that my father would rather I not look into until he's passed on, but it is my past too.

Well, at least maybe I'll get some family history done.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Mixed Messages

One of the worst parts of being a Mormon is that God doesn't feel the need to tell you everything. In the Doctrine and Covenants it says as much. I don't mean as far as reveling how everything works, but more along the lines of how you should live you life right down to the letter. Often times you just have to play it by ear and make your best judgement. Sometimes you find out later that it wasn't the best decision, sometimes it's just a learning experience, sometimes I thing it makes no difference whatsoever.

The big problem is that while God knows when to keep his mouth shut, others don't. There is an innumerable amount of members that have no problem pitching in their two-cents whether or not you are asking for it. The problem that I see more than anywhere else is at the University.

Okay, okay I know these profs are our teachers and they do deserve an amount of respect and they are supposedly the intellectual elite. The problem is when they don't seem to be all on the same page as far as the suggestions they are giving out about life lessons. Just the other day I had one prof say as much as you shouldn't have kids until you finish your schooling while I had another one say that kids are the most important thing you will ever do.

Now, I really don't have room to talk about giving advice. I try not to hand it out on this blog, or in general, but often times I don't remember the stuff I spew out. Usually I just try to share my thoughts and experiences with those that ask for it or come to this blog.

I just don't think that as teachers and profs your should expound on anything outside the class. Feels like an abuse of authority because most of these guys that I go to school with are still trying to figure out what they are going to do in life and if it's one of those choices that you just have to figure out for yourself then teachers should butt out, or at least state that it is a matter of opinion.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

I love General Conference

I am not a stalwart Mormon. I commit more sins then I care to admit, and more that I have just gotten used to. Nevertheless when Conference time comes around it feels like my eyes have been opened.

I mean sometimes when you are going on with your life from day to day your morals get a little withered away. Well that's how I feel. I mean you feel a little less bad about skipping you scripture study, you don't think twice about just rolling into bed at the end of a long day. Sure you felt bad when you began down this path of iniquity, but over time you think less and less about it. Sure, you have the Sunday meetings; it's just you can't seem to get past how the Gospel Doctrine teacher is practically reading from the manual and doesn't even bother following along when someone is called on the read the scripture.

Don't get me started on Elders Quorum. Well, since you asked; every time the Elders Quorum teacher for the week gets up there you know he picked the manual up for the first time this morning, looked it over, though about reading it, then gave up. If it just so happens that you get a guy that has prepared you start counting the seconds before some tangent it skewered the whole lesson.

I know, I know, I shouldn't be so hard on these guys. Most of them are trying their best but from a sinner's point of view like mine; it's very distracting.

But, when Conference come around, it's suddenly light outside. You come to the realization that Oh, yeah I really should be working a little harder on that. I can do it! I can be a better person! Sure, I'm a slacker that can't seem to keep his head on straight and who's sin list is longer than most Nascar race tracks. Now, suddenly the Spirit that you've slowly let slip away comes back with a vengeance that only a woman scorned can muster.