Back In The Field

My time as a missionary in New England was paramount in my life. Serving my Savior every moment, representing Him, was the most special, invigorating, and humbling experience of my life. I literally gave my mission all of my heart. Oh, what a special time in my life! Now I also absolutely loved my time at Brigham Young University. I wouldn’t change my time there for the world.

Even so, I am amazed to find that I’m growing in ways never thought possible by being back in the mission field. A year ago I would have laughed at anyone who told me I would be in Williamsburg, Virginia right now. But around Thanksgiving 2009, I felt like I should apply to the College of William & Mary, not even knowing which state the school resides in. To my continual amazement, I find a reason almost daily of why I am supposed to be here.

One major blessing of being here is the opportunities for missionary work. We’ve had a baptism in our little branch of 30 or 40 every few weeks. It’s amazing! I want to share the story of just one of them.

Walter Finley is one of the sweetest young men I know. He has a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a chronic illness that continuously reduces his muscle power, lending him helpless without his electronic wheelchair. As illustrated in the picture below, he never ceases to smile. He comes from a rough home background, he has limitations in his future options, and he will never live a normal life on this earth. Yet, he smiles. He smiles every time I see him. What a powerful lesson.

The first night I met Walter, I was at a branch dance. A member of our congregation had brought Walter. I was so intrigued by his beaming smile juxtaposed to his virtually-immobile body. I gave him a quick tour of our building, something I used to absolutely love to do as a full-time missionary. The Spirit was so strong as we looked at and talked about various pictures on the walls. He gave me some great insights as we viewed the paintings.

While inside the dance, I watched as sweet young women would in turn walk up to Walter during the beginning of each slow song, rest their hand on his shoulder, grab his left hand to hold it up and dance with him. Watching that does something to you. It almost brings me to tears just thinking about it.

In the following weeks, Walter quickly felt like he was a part of something. He felt loved. He felt his true self worth. Most importantly, he felt the Spirit as he read from the Book of Mormon, attended church, and prayed. To our delight, he chose to be baptized!

It took three of us to baptize Walter. I'll never forget the experience of watching him come up out of the water! I am so blessed to know Walter.

Last Sunday he was able to pass the sacrament. Barely able to lift up his hand to grasp the tray, Walter reverently guided his chair through his assignment and performed his duty with great dignity. I was deeply touched by this special moment. I believe Walter has a special knowledge of what the sacrament means. He has great faith! We can all learn much from our brother Walter Finley.

Back In The "Swing" of Things

When I was about 13, my older brother Jaron taught me about the basics of swing dancing. I would watch in amazement as he lifted, twirled, spun, and whirled a young woman while miraculously earning a smile on her face. I decided that I wanted to become good at dancing someday. I don’t pretend that ballroom dancing has been my greatest passion in life but it has been one of my favorite hobbies when time permits.

This year at school I joined the ballroom dance club and have absolutely loved getting back into the “swing” of things. It’s a great break from the studies for me. I’ve been able to meet some of the kindest, driven, down-to-earth folks through the club.

This last month we had our first competition. It was held at the University of Maryland, just above D.C. I had a partner for Standard and for Rhythm. I was very humbled at the competition : ) Waltz, Cha Cha, and Swing (all of which I’ve known and performed for years) didn’t yield callbacks. Haha. But, somehow we got fourth place in both Rumba and Mambo and got callbacks in Quickstep, all of which I had just learned this year. Lesson: performance is often best when you have an I-have-nothing-to-lose attitude and just do your best.

What a fun time!

Fall Road Trip

I was standing among the very walls where the voices of the Founders rang over 200 years ago. This is the very place the signers of the Declaration of Independence and those of the Constitution tapped heaven to create the best union of history. You really can learn a lot about what happened in a historical event by feeling the spirit that accompanies the location of the event. I'm so grateful to have felt that spirit from it's home, strengthening my resolve to do all I can to ensure that spirit never dies in our country. It's the spirit of liberty and agency, which is the Spirit of Christ.

Independence Hall was the first stop on our Fall Break road trip up the east coast. Jeff Taylor, my friend, and I were both looking at grad schools and enjoying the historical sights along the way. It was so awesome! We started in D.C. early Monday morning and then headed to Philadelphia. Of course we did Independence Hall (as discussed above), and saw the Liberty Bell and Franklin's grave. We then checked out University of Pennsylvania and were very impressed with the collegiate feeling there. The buildings are beautiful! Jeff looked into the PhD program at the famous Wharton School of Business there while I took a look at the law school. And of course we couldn't leave the city without eating Philly cheese stakes. Man, that was a good sandwich! We enjoyed the city.

Next, we were on our way to New Haven, CT. We got there late afternoon, with a little daylight left. Yale is so incredible. It has an enchanting ambiance on the campus. They have a bell tower like at BYU (rather, BYU has one like at Yale, haha), and I caught them playing the timeless "Tale As Old As Time" from Beauty And The Beast. It was very nostalgic.

I got to go visit the law school there which must be the most extravagant law building in the country. It has a Gothic architecture with a heaven-reaching tower, vaulted ceilings, and very ornate wooden crown molding in the halls. The small-town feeling of Yale was a nice refreshment from the high-strung Philly scene.

After Yale, we headed yet further up the coast to Boston, where we stayed with a friend. The next morning we went to Cambridge and visited Harvard. It really is a beautiful campus, complete with an Ivy-League makeover. I only stopped by the famous business school to drop off Jeff, but I got to have some time at the law school. Quite the place! It'a fun to just dream and ponder at all of these schools.

Next we went to MIT, took a peak at the Boston Harbor (see below), and then headed to the Freedom Trail. I think Boston is one of my favorite big cities. I love the parks, the cleanliness, the history, the education, and even the weather (well compared to Maine, it's not too bad). It's probably mostly because it reminds me of my mission.

The Freedom Trail starts in Boston Commons (where the city's first settlers began) and then moves through Park Street Church (first place "My Country 'tis of Thee" was sung), then continues on to the resting place of several Founders: Samuel Adams (the instigator of the Boston Tea Party and leader of the Sons of Liberty), James Otis (who coined "taxation without representation is tyranny", and who died from lightening bolt), Paul Revere, and the famous signer and first Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, John Hancock. It is such a treat to learn about their lives from the tour guides. Following the graveyard, we went to the grammar school of Benjamin Franklin, saw the spot of the Boston Massacre, and then finish up with Faneuil Hall. Everyone in this country needs to do the Freedom Trail. It is awesome!

Well, after Boston, we headed back to Virginia, eating our year's-worth of fast-food along the way including several Wendy's Frosties and Wawa subs. Good times! In all, it was just a fantastic trip. I am so happy and grateful to be able to have these opportunities!

Shenandoah National Park

The trees blanket the soft sloping hills all around; it's as if hundreds of Paul Bunyan's children are hiding under fluffy blankets in every direction. The snap of cool air kisses the foliage bringing sweet blushes of reds, oranges, and yellows. Sunbeams pierce the few openings in the forest while illuminating the remaining green leaves in the trees. It's Fall in Virginia! No wonder Virginia is for lovers ;)

I had the chance to go up to Shenandoah National Park a week ago. My friends camped out but I couldn't because school was a little too intense that weekend. But I got to go on a great hike that led to a lovely waterfall (see below). The green moss looks electric against the shimmering black slate in the water's trail. It is beautiful! It reminds me a lot of a place in Utah called Provo Falls.

On our way up to the park, we passed Charlottesville (home of UVA) and Monticello (which is still on the to-do list!). Man, I really like this place. I'm so grateful to experience the beauty of another part of the world, even though it's only for a few months.

8/28 Restoring Honor Rally

The words, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America" meant more to me that day than just about ever. Standing, hand over heart, I got to pledge my allegiance to this country with half a million others. Where else can you do that with that many people? It was a powerful punch of pathos for all present. To sum up my impressions on the entire event, one word comes to mind: Hope.

I stayed the night the night before the Restoring Honor Rally near D.C. with a couple of my best friends. We woke up early Saturday morning and took the metro into D.C. One of the most impressionable elements of the whole experience was the travel time inside the train. I was surrounded by hundreds, thousands of good people. Everywhere I looked was the epitome of kindness, courtesy, respectability. If I could earn a dollar for each smile I saw, I'd be rich. Men were gentlemen, women were ladylike. I heard "pardon me", "after you", "would you like my seat", and "thank you" so many times. Clean language, clean dress, clean people! I felt like I could trust anyone around me, even with a child. It was very impressive and reassuring. Seeing this mix of people was a testimony to me that this event was a good thing. Look at the fruits. And, seeing this mix of people reminded me that there are many good people in this country and in the world.

Well, the metro dropped us off right outside George Washington University. Even though the bottlenecking of the station exit produced horrific heat and congestion, I never heard an angry expletive escape anyone. Good people.

My friends and I walked to the Mall where we joined around 500,000 supporters of restoring honor to our country. The massive crowds, though, didn't produce a feeling like an overgrown concert or anything rowdy at all. Plus, there were no demonstrations against the rally, only a couple of low-budget signs mocking Glenn Beck and venerating MLK. Ironically, the majority of those who spoke were African American, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s own neice, Dr. Alveda King.

Glenn Beck's simple call for our nation to return to Faith, Hope, and Charity was so powerful. But in order to appeal to so many, the rally included several interest groups that diluted that beautifully simple message. Nonetheless, I really think the rally was a great thing for our country. I think it gave courage to those seeking good in our country. I think it gave clout to the movement for a moral, small-yet-dignified American government. I'm so glad I was able to be a small part of the rally.

America has great hope!

Ragnar Relay

It's the peak of the afternoon sun, 90+ degrees, in beautiful-hilly Maryland, and it's my turn. Troy is coming in strong and he hands off the team wrist band. I steadily gallop away on a nice downhill slope, feeling great! Then, the 1,000 foot climb in under three miles faces me. After barely making it up alive, my team cheers me on. I never felt so much like Jason Bourne before in my life.

At about 2 a.m. it's my turn again. This time, the sun is gone. There is even a little breeze. The coolness invigorates me. We are now in farming country of lower Maryland. The moon is so bright you could get a moon burn. Endless wheat fields and slumbering livestock are exposed in the white glow. It's so peaceful. I am so distracted from all of it that the reality of running in the middle of the night does not sink in.

About twelve hours later, it's my last leg! I'm tired but excited! I start running through a familiar park in Kensington, Maryland. Melting and pretty tired, I turn a bend to see the LDS D.C. Temple and wow!

What a special experience for me. I can't describe it very well except that it touched me. I really feel it was a tender mercy that I got the one stretch of the 200 mile relay race to see the Temple. Wow! It was just one of those special times. I had been to this temple a few times before but it was just really awesome and it motivated me so much. Here is a picture I took on my leg:

So, I'll cut to the chase and let everyone know about what I am talking about. Some new friends over here invited me on this relay race (called the Ragnar Relay) from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington D.C. It's about 200 miles and there are 12 runners per team. Your team runs non-stop starting Friday morning and finishes during the afternoon or evening on Saturday. Each runner gets three legs of 3-11 miles each. So everyone runs a total of about 17 miles. It's a hairy beast and I wasn't really prepared for it but the blessings of youth were on my side :) It was an incredible experience. I think a smaller version would be so much fun to do as a family. It's quite the bonding experience to say the least.

We rented these giant vans and the girls wrote all over them. It's a costume event so teams wore things like tutus, kilts, wings, etc. People there went all out. We were villains and superheros and had on gaudy patches with our respective villain/hero. Who was I, you ask? They gave me Captain America!

Like most, I've always loved the outdoors, seeing new places (especially beautiful places), and trying to be active so this was such a great experience for me. Besides the smelly vans, lack of sleep, and insects, it was amazing! To give you a little taste of how beautiful it was, look at this picture I took on one of my legs:

To top it off, we ended the race right on the National Harbor. I took this just before our anchor runner came in. It was a beautiful evening:

Jamestown

I drove on a beautiful pebble-paved road that softly slices through the relentless foliage of Virginia. The sun burst through the leaves as it glided slowly toward the west horizon. Any sunlight remaining illuminated the smooth meadows, exposing the families of deer as they ate the grass. Geese flew in formation while gliding reverently across the James River. This is where it all began for our country (well, Roanoke was actually before but those settlers all vanished so we don't know the full story of that venture). Wow!

Though it was conceived for the sole purpose of profit, and although it failed once, and although its redeeming venture involved the source of the first lung cancer in America, this place represents the fibers of ingenuity and adventure deeply woven in our nation.

I went back with some friends and we sailed a ship (well, kind of), visited a fabulous museum full of interactive exhibits of 17th-century Britain, the Powhatan people, Christopher Newport (the main Captain on the voyage to Jamestown), the voyage of Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, the Virginia Company Charter, and of course John Rolfe, John Smith, and Pocahontas. It was so much fun!

Next, we went into the three ship replicas. One of the most interesting things I learned here was that the ship wheel wasn't even conceived until around 1700. So all those big ships were steered by a long beam that was attached to the shaft for the rudder. I never knew.

They had several cannons on these ships. I learned that they didn't just use the conventional cannon ball, but they used ammo with a chain connecting two pieces and even ones with wooden cases full of shrapnel. Paul and I couldn't subdue our inner little-boy so we played around with these big guns:

Man, they really had small men back then :)

We also used oyster shells to help carve a canoe like the Powhatan people did. Here's the finished product: