Month: July 2005

  • "It's time to say enough is enough, you would be so better off. You love him, but tough, because it's not coming back from him. You can't win . . ."

    36 Days left.

    I have added a countdown clock to my site. Check it out.

    Random Research on my Mission:
    This is a picture of a ward building in Arcadia (technically Burbank):

    Compare it to this picture of a ward building in Uruguay: (borrowed from sonarbison)

    Doesn't that make you, as an American, feel disgustingly rich?

    Even the ward building in Arcadia is very much above the standard. In the earlier days of the Church ward buildings and stake centers were built with the local funds gathered by ward members. This is how stake centers in nice areas like Arcadia and Willmette (IL) turned out so beautiful and unique. Other areas, however, were not able to build nice churches. To rectify this, the Church stopped letting local wards build their own buildings and began standardizing the churches and building them with tithing funds. This is why most LDS churches look the same no matter where you go.

    You may be familiar with a church like one of these:

    The fact that Arcadia has such a beautiful building means that it is a nice area and an old area. It has to have a long history to have buildings that go back to the older church policies.

    ". . . Stop expecting change, he's just a lost cause that you're waiting on. Take a look around, you could have anyone, So leave undeserving him" (The Starting Line).

  • On a random note, San Bernadino was founded as a Mormon Colony. Apparently a lot of places in California were. (I'm doing research on So. Cal)

    I read something interesting in the Ensign today. D&C 42:22 says, "Thou shalt love thy wife with all they heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else." President Spencer W. Kimball descibed "none else" very completely. The commitment between spouses should be stronger than any other commitment, including children, friends, careers, hobbies, and Church callings. Theodore Hesburgh, president of the University of Notre Dame, said, "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

    I have always believed that you should love your spouse more than your children, but a lot of people disagree with me. What do you think?

  • I swear every time I read this article, The Grandeur of God, I cry. Every time I read it I gain some new incite and a greater understanding of our Heavenly Father and the nature of our God. It is perhaps the most profound talk I have ever heard or read. I still don't think I have a complete grasp of the magnitude of love that our God has for us, but every time I read this speech I get closer to realizing it in wonder and awe.

    "Of course the centuries-long drift away from belief in such a perfect and caring Father hasn't been helped any by the man-made creeds of erring generations which describe God variously as unknown and unknowable, formless, passionless, elusive, ethereal, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at all. Certainly that does not describe the Being we behold through the eyes of these prophets. Nor does it match the living, breathing, embodied Jesus of Nazareth who was and is in "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his [Father]."

    In that sense Jesus did not come to improve God's view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man's view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know until Christ came." (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Grandeur of God,” Ensign, Nov. 2003, 70).

    I will never forget the power of that speech when I listened to it for the first time in general conference. I heard it in the Prows' basement where our families were crowed around the TV watching conference. It hit me with a power I can't describe.

    It's the summer. I know you have lots of free time. Read it. Read about The Grandeur of God, or better yet listen to it.. Then tell me what you think.

  • "Cause you gave me the best mixtape I have, and even all the sad songs ain't so sad. I only wish there was more than that about me and you" (Butch Walker).

    Today went great.

    Since my parents were in Iowa for the severance trial, I played the role of parent for the day. I was woken up at one in the morning because Megan came into my bed to sleep. I was woken up again by Jonathan at 6:30 in the morning because apparently he considers that time to start the day. So my day began at 7, and I just want to say that I make a darn good mom. Darn good. Listen to the day's accomplishments:

    • Made a pancake breakfast
    • Got Margot ready for her 8:30 bus
    • Did the dishes and tidied the kitchen
    • Showered and shaved
    • Got Megan to school on time
    • Watched the news
    • Entertained Jonathan (I taught him how to snap)
    • Rescheduled the day based on new information
    • Got James off to work on time
    • Transferred Margot from school to Piano at 11:10
    • Picked up Megan at 11:15
    • Switched Margot for Karen at Piano at 11:40 (all this scheduling and driving is really an art)
    • Had Family Prayer
    • Cooked homemade Chinese food for lunch (over cooked only slightly)
    • Read Scriptures as a family
    • Did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen again
    • Took a brief nap as the children watched a TV program
    • Took the kids to Great America for a few hours
    • Fed the children dinner at Culver's
    • Brought everyone home and to bed
    And I did all of these things with a smile on my face, a lack of sleep, and without the support of a spouse. Amazing, right? Nothing less. Obviously I make a great mom. Speaking of mom's, she can never ever say that I wouldn't be able to trade shoes with her, because I just did, and I just did it amazingly. I mean like artfully.

    As far as the trial went, it looks promising. We got a grumpy, control-freak of a judge, but my mom made her cry during her testimony. Our lawyer had asked her what possible reward she could get from a seventh child. My mom told two stories about my siblings overcoming challenges and how the satisfaction of their accomplishments was the reward of the parent. She said that she expected Jonathan to overcome his challenges and give her the same satisfaction. (obviously I'm summarizing).

    Our Lawyer wrote my dad a note during mom's testimony that reads, "You are so lucky to be married to someone like this woman. I have never seen this judge well up with tears over anything!" Apparently I learned my good mother skills from one of the best. (Although I want to know how come no one ever cooks me three meals a day- it wasn't that hard).

    Just as a clarifying aside, I do not aspire to be a mother in the future, nor do I have any question about my gender identity. I look forward to being a good father, I just had to be mom for the day to prove that I could do it and that men are not inferior in terms of parenthood.

    "So lately, been wondering who will be there to take my place when I'm gone . . . If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all, then between the sand and stone could you make it on your own? If I could, then I would- I'll go wherever you will go" (the Calling).

  • Keep our family in your prayers over the next few days, please. We will be in court attempting to sever the father's rights of my little brother. Right now my parents are his permanent guardians, but we would like to adopt him fully. In order to do this we must sever the rights of his birth father. If we do, then we can have my brother sealed to my family in the Temple for time and all eternity. Thanks.

  • "America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!"

    I love independence day. I love America. I love America's history- our heritage of freedom, law, and heroic founding. I believe our independence was won because of divine plan. I hate, however, the fourth of July. It never seems to work out for me.

    That's why I wasn't really upset when the hurricane hit Lincolnshire. It almost made it really fun. We (the fam) ran from the throng huddled under the tent that was about to collapse and rode our bikes home through walls of water and horizontal winds with lightning and hail. Our shirts shrunk 3 sizes and then became plastered to our skin. One of the trees in our front lawn lost a branch the size of three cars. Another tree took out the neighbors chimney, and another one knocked down their bushes like dominoes. It was an adventure. (I hope everyone else made it home safe, there were lots of car accidents).

    "Look around your world, pretty baby. Is it everything you hoped it’d be? The wrong guy, the wrong situation. The right time to roll to me" (Del Amitri).

  • What are the mission rules?

    Mission rules vary from mission to mission. Essentially the rules include the basic lifestyle guidelines practiced by all faithful members of the Church as well as some additional rules designed for productive missionary service. Like other Latter-day Saints, missionaries don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea. They don't smoke. They don't swear. They live the law of chastity. They dress modestly, and they strive to live good lives.

    Missionaries don't date or pursue personal interests like careers or education during the 2 years. Their purpose is to serve the Lord and the people of their mission. They do get one day a week called "p-day" or personal day. This is a day spent doing laundry, writing letters, exercising, catching up in housework and in study, etc.

    Missionaries don't watch TV, surf the Internet, listen to music that is not inspiring or spiritual, etc. This keeps them focused, and besides, they don't have time. Missionary service is a full-time commitment.

    Missionaries go in pairs. A missionary is never alone, but is instead always with a companion. They keep specified dress and grooming standards that essentially include a suit, conservative hairstyles, and a name tag.

    There are also rules that limit contact with family and friends. These rules keep missionaries focused on their work for the Lord and for the people. It is a time of growth and development as well as a time of separation from childhood. Missionaries don't visit family or friends, nor do they call home frequently. They may e-mail family, and they may snail-mail friends. Though two years is a long time to be away from home, the bonds between family and friends will grow through letters and the personal sacrifice of full time service.

    Learn More about Missionaries at www.mormon.org

  • What do LDS missionaries do?

    There are several different types of missionaries in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are Humanitarian Aid Missionaries who provide relief to third world countries, those suffering from disasters, etc. There are Family History missionaries who work with genealogy and help people trace their roots. There are Temple missionaries who work in LDS Temples to further work within the Church and work by proxy. And there are Proselytizing Missionaries. I am a proselytizing missionary.

    Proselytizing missionaries go world wide to serve the people of their mission. The mission president sets an amount of hours weekly that is spent in community service. Missionaries also respond to natural disasters. The Church recently was given an award by the American Red Cross for the work done by missionaries in South East Asia after the Tsunami there. In Southern California missionaries help with forest fire relief and things like that.

    In addition to community service, missionaries will teach less-active members of the Church and encourage them to participate more. They often lead programs to help people stop smoking or drinking. Some times they teach Sunday school classes, meet with troubled youth, help Church leadership, etc. They also, of course, teach people who are investigating the Church ("investigators"). The purpose of a mission like mine is to convince people to change. It is to find investigators, teach them, and ideally baptize them so that they can become active members of the Church. The Missionary Training Guide, Preach my Gospel, instructs, "You are called to teach the restored gospel to as many people as will receive you. Teaching is central to everything you do. You develop Christlike attributes, study the missionary lessons, improve your ability to speak . . ., and rely on the Spirit in order to teach with convincing power."

    Most investigators don't come from door to door tracting, though missionaries do find success in tracting. Most investigators come from what we call referrals- members of the Church who recommend friends, or people who come to websites, Church History locations and visitors centers, etc. and ask for more information. Missionaries visit these people to answer questions they have and to teach them about the Restoration of the Gospel, the Book of Mormon, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

    Learn More about Missionaries at www.mormon.org

  • I am creating a kick-butt website for my mission with these images I made. Be excited.


  • "I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve. I have a history of loosing my shirt" (Bare Naked Ladies).

    Yesterday's Post did not make subscription e-mails. This morning before work I went to Great America for a few hours with my dad and siblings (except for James who is suddenly too cool for us. stupid girlfriend). It was a lot of fun.
    Here we are on the way:

    It's Scooby-Doo!

    Believe it or not we all squished into one row.

    Did you notice how incredibly tan I am? Be jealous.

    Yippee, roller coaster. Well. Not really. Don't worry, I'll have them on Superman in no time.

    My little siblings are cuter than your little siblings! Nah-na-nah-na-boo-boo! *sticks tongue out*

    No really, they are.

    I'm running out of caption ideas.

    I love my family! I love how fashionable Megan is- how much she cares about the colors and styles of her clothes and the way they fit together (especially when they don't fit together and she thinks they do). I love Margot's jokes in the car. Knock Knock. Who's there? Pizza. Pizza who? Pizza. Pizza who? Banana! Haha! Aren't you glad I didn't say pizza! I love Karen and her comments no matter how snide. I love Andrew cause he's always helping. I love Jonathan because he makes us complete and completely insane all at once, and being insane is what makes us keep going from day to day. I love my family.
    "Maybe I'll just think about it" (Anna Nalick).