As May 19th approached which was my date to enter boot camp I started to have more and more conversations with my Nana about Christ and his gospel.(remember her from my whyIamamormon blog) She was absolutely thrilled about my new found walk with Christ and we had conversations at least once or twice a week about every gospel topic under the sun. I suggested to her that she might want to meet with a few of my friends(aka the elders) who might be able to answer some her questions better than I could. I explained that all they did was study and preach the gospel so they knew a lot more than I did. So she accepted this invitation to hear the gospel and I called the mission office there in Texas and got the phone number to the missionaries in her area. I called them up on the phone and preceded to give them all the information about my Nana. Within a few days they had taught her one lesson and set an appointment for the next one.
My Nana called me through the next few weeks with many questions. Where things really started to get cool was when Nana came out for my graduation from community college. Well I decided I wanted to go out to Texas with my Nana and visit some of my family out there before I went to boot camp so went back to Texas with Nana. She had been meeting with the missionaries since I had sent them her way and on the way out to Texas between Sheena and I we talked a lot with Nana about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and by the time we arrived in Texas I had committed Nana to get baptized while I was there.
Well Nana called the missionaries and told them that she wanted to be baptized and that she wanted to be baptized before I left for boot camp. Well the missionaries made it happen and I baptized Nana that May there at the ranch by Coleman Texas. Nana was baptized in the pond down by the house in a wonderful little baptismal service where the spirit was bountiful.
After Nana was baptized I only had a few days before it was time for me to leave for boot camp. We drove out to Colorado to meet my mother and Larry at their cabin near Dolores, Colorado. I spent my last few days of civilian life there with my mother and then left to go back to Utah to meet Staff Sergent Keach and leave for boot camp.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission Part VII
So there I was without a clue as to what I was going to say when I gave Marco a blessing. All that Rob and Trevor would tell me was to just say whatever the spirit told me to say. Well the next few minutes flew by and it was time to go downstairs to Marco's room. When I got down there I noticed my buddy Jeff who was baptized a few weeks after me was also there (he had been ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood at the same time as me) and he said he was supposed to anoint Marco's head with oil. Well Jeff valiantly stepped behind Marco and asked Marco his full name and proceeded to put oil oil that had been set apart for the healing of the sick and afflicted on the top of Marco's head. He then called Macro by his full name and having the power and authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood anointed him.
It was then my turn. I figured that Jeff had gotten off easy. I wished that I could have done what he did that seemed a lot easier than figuring out what to say. Well it was time to man up so I went and laid my hands on Marco's head and called him by name and said that I sealed Jeff's anointing (because that's what you're supposed to say) by the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ. Then one of the most miraculous things happened. As I started to worry about what to say words all of the sudden were spoken to my mind and spirit. I felt that someone had such amazing love for Marco and all of the sudden I just started to speak and the words were there. I wasn't simply just making up things to say or coming up with random platitudes but was relaying thoughts and feelings that were not my own. I can't tell you what I said because I don't remember. It wasn't for me to remember but what I do remember is this. That the words were not mine. They came from my Father in Heaven and I was simply acting as a voice.
However on this subject of priesthood blessing there was a lesson that I learned several years afterwards. I was visiting a family in North Carolina. It was a family that the missionaries before me had found and we were checking up on them. When we arrived in the trailer park they lived in we found two young boys playing catch with football in the front yard. We asked them if there mother or father were home and they said that they both were inside. We then went and knocked on the trailer's door and the mother answered. We explained who we were and that we would like to share a message with her about Jesus Christ. She said that her daddy was a minister and she would welcome anyone into her home who spoke of Jesus and that her husband was interested in different beliefs. Well that sounded good to us and it wasn't a slammed door.
We went inside and found the husband laying on one of the couches with an IV tube stuck in his arm leading up to an IV bag. After some getting to know you talk we finally asked why he had an IV and he explained the he had an accident at work where he was using a metal drill bit and drilling into a sheet of steal and something went wrong and the bit exploded and sent metal splinters into his arm and hand and that they hadn't been able get all the splinters out and some had become infected and they were worried about the smaller ones getting into his blood stream.
We shared the first lesson with them and left a Book of Mormon with them and Mark(the father) seemed very excited to read it. We set up a return appointment to come back in two days so that we could talk to him about what he read. He said he would read it and have questions for us.
Well two days passed by and we returned to Mark's house to follow up on his reading and see where he was. He seemed a little worse off today than he was a few days back and seemed a little disheartened. We asked him if he had read and he said he was only able to get through the title page and introduction and started on third Nephi Chp 11. He asked us some questions about Joseph Smith and how the book of Mormon was found and then asked if Christ really did visit America and we responded that he had. About halfway through our explanation of Christ's visit to the Americas Mark excused himself and went quickly into the back room and we heard some coughing and hacking coming from the bathroom. His wife quickly got up and went into the bathroom. She came back out five awkward minutes later and asked us if we could come back that evening that Mark wasn't doing to well. I got a feeling that I should ask her or him if he wanted a blessing but I decided that I shouldn't and suppressed this feeling.
Well we came back that evening and Mark's wife answered the door and invited us in. We asked how Mark was and she told us Mark was in the bedroom and wasn't feeling to well but that she said she would listen to what we had to teach and share it all with Mark. Well that sounded okay to us so we taught part of the second lesson and four or five times our lesson was interrupted because she had to get up and check on Mark when we heard a really bad set of coughing. Each time she got up I got this little feeling that I should mention Priesthood blessings and that I should offer to give Mark a blessing. But each time I didn't listen to it. I was worried about if she would think we were weird or that we some kind of cult. I was also worried about what if we gave him a blessing and he didn't get better or he got worse. I was also worried about losing this family as investigators if somehow our blessing failed. So each time I got a feeling to give Mark a blessing or ask if we could I silenced that feeling and buried it deep inside me. We ended up only getting through about half the second lesson and it was time to go. We said our good byes and walked out the door. As we were walking out the front door I received a very strong impression to give mark a blessing but I walked out the door anyway. As got in the car and my companion started to drive away I received an impression to ask my companion to turn the car around and for us to knock on Mark's door and give him a blessing. However just like all the other times that day I ignored it and let my companion drive because I was afraid to give him a blessing.
We stopped by Mark's house the next day to check and see how he was doing only to find his wife crying on the front steps. Concerned we went up and asked what was wrong. She told us that Mark had gotten worse after we left and that a few hours after we left he started to get real sick and she called 911 and that Mark had died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Well the first thing I thought of was the feelings and impressions I had from the previous day to give him a blessing. I felt about as low as a man can feel but I sucked it up and asked her if she we could share one of the happiest things that we knew about. She said any ray of light would be a good appreciated.
Well we then started to explain to her about the eternal nature of families and how husbands and wives can be together forever. We explained about temples and we finished the rest of the plan of salvation lesson. She asked how it was that marriage could be forever because she had always been taught that there was no marriage in heaven. We then explained the sealing power of the priesthood and how what was sealed on Earth by this power was also sealed in Heaven. We also explained the differences between a civil marriage till Death do we part and a celestial marriage where you are sealed for time and all eternity.
She then asked us about this sealing power and the priesthood. My companion then went into all the different things that the priesthood can do and all men in the church who are in good standing can hold the Priesthood. Now comes one of the worst times in my life. She asked if we had the priesthood. My companion said that we did and all during this talk about the priesthood my heart kept getting lower and lower. She then asked if we could heal the sick with the priesthood just like Jesus did. My companion responded that we could. She then asked a question that would haunt me for many months to come. She asked, "Then why didn't you heal my husband with this power and make him better?"
Well I had thought that my heart had gotten about as low as it could get and that I couldn't get any lower but with that last question it was all I could do not to break down into tears and beg for her and my Heavenly Father's forgiveness. I felt like the lowest of the low and that I wasn't even worthy to crawl on my stomach let alone stand and be counted as one of the privileged few in these latter-days who has the blessing of being a holder of the priesthood with the ability and privilege to bless God's children. I just wanted to sit there and cry and tell her how sorry I was that I didn't ask because I was too afraid.
I didn't have anything to say and I just buried my face in my hands and tried not to cry. My companion said something that I don't remember and I didn't say anything and we left and never got to meet with Mark's family again because she moved back to Tennessee to live with her parents.
For months afterwards I was haunted with feelings of guilt and inadequacy over not giving Mark a blessing and often wondered if I would have given him a blessing if he would have gotten better and lived. However as I prayed and sought the counsel of my Father in Heaven I came to understand the lesson that I had learned. I have the power of God to bless his children. Its not something that we make up but a reality and I had it. I had the same power that caused the world to be organized out of chaos. I had the power that Christ had to heal the sick and the afflicted to cause the blind to see and the lame to walk. I wasn't given this power to simply sit their dormant but I was to use it when presented with opportunities to do so. I wasn't to seek out such opportunities but when I was presented with them I should act with faith as did my master Jesus Christ and call upon the powers of heaven to heal the sick and afflicted and bless them however my Father in Heaven directed me to.
The lesson I learned was to use the priesthood when I had an opportunity and not to be afraid of what might happen but to set into the darkness and have faith in my Savior Jesus Christ that he would light the way before me that it would no longer be darkness but light. After I realized the lesson I had learned I always listened to that voice and prompting to at least ask if someone wants a blessing from God. If they say no then its on their head but at least I have done all that I can. Since that day with Mark I have never failed to simply ask.
It was then my turn. I figured that Jeff had gotten off easy. I wished that I could have done what he did that seemed a lot easier than figuring out what to say. Well it was time to man up so I went and laid my hands on Marco's head and called him by name and said that I sealed Jeff's anointing (because that's what you're supposed to say) by the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ. Then one of the most miraculous things happened. As I started to worry about what to say words all of the sudden were spoken to my mind and spirit. I felt that someone had such amazing love for Marco and all of the sudden I just started to speak and the words were there. I wasn't simply just making up things to say or coming up with random platitudes but was relaying thoughts and feelings that were not my own. I can't tell you what I said because I don't remember. It wasn't for me to remember but what I do remember is this. That the words were not mine. They came from my Father in Heaven and I was simply acting as a voice.
However on this subject of priesthood blessing there was a lesson that I learned several years afterwards. I was visiting a family in North Carolina. It was a family that the missionaries before me had found and we were checking up on them. When we arrived in the trailer park they lived in we found two young boys playing catch with football in the front yard. We asked them if there mother or father were home and they said that they both were inside. We then went and knocked on the trailer's door and the mother answered. We explained who we were and that we would like to share a message with her about Jesus Christ. She said that her daddy was a minister and she would welcome anyone into her home who spoke of Jesus and that her husband was interested in different beliefs. Well that sounded good to us and it wasn't a slammed door.
We went inside and found the husband laying on one of the couches with an IV tube stuck in his arm leading up to an IV bag. After some getting to know you talk we finally asked why he had an IV and he explained the he had an accident at work where he was using a metal drill bit and drilling into a sheet of steal and something went wrong and the bit exploded and sent metal splinters into his arm and hand and that they hadn't been able get all the splinters out and some had become infected and they were worried about the smaller ones getting into his blood stream.
We shared the first lesson with them and left a Book of Mormon with them and Mark(the father) seemed very excited to read it. We set up a return appointment to come back in two days so that we could talk to him about what he read. He said he would read it and have questions for us.
Well two days passed by and we returned to Mark's house to follow up on his reading and see where he was. He seemed a little worse off today than he was a few days back and seemed a little disheartened. We asked him if he had read and he said he was only able to get through the title page and introduction and started on third Nephi Chp 11. He asked us some questions about Joseph Smith and how the book of Mormon was found and then asked if Christ really did visit America and we responded that he had. About halfway through our explanation of Christ's visit to the Americas Mark excused himself and went quickly into the back room and we heard some coughing and hacking coming from the bathroom. His wife quickly got up and went into the bathroom. She came back out five awkward minutes later and asked us if we could come back that evening that Mark wasn't doing to well. I got a feeling that I should ask her or him if he wanted a blessing but I decided that I shouldn't and suppressed this feeling.
Well we came back that evening and Mark's wife answered the door and invited us in. We asked how Mark was and she told us Mark was in the bedroom and wasn't feeling to well but that she said she would listen to what we had to teach and share it all with Mark. Well that sounded okay to us so we taught part of the second lesson and four or five times our lesson was interrupted because she had to get up and check on Mark when we heard a really bad set of coughing. Each time she got up I got this little feeling that I should mention Priesthood blessings and that I should offer to give Mark a blessing. But each time I didn't listen to it. I was worried about if she would think we were weird or that we some kind of cult. I was also worried about what if we gave him a blessing and he didn't get better or he got worse. I was also worried about losing this family as investigators if somehow our blessing failed. So each time I got a feeling to give Mark a blessing or ask if we could I silenced that feeling and buried it deep inside me. We ended up only getting through about half the second lesson and it was time to go. We said our good byes and walked out the door. As we were walking out the front door I received a very strong impression to give mark a blessing but I walked out the door anyway. As got in the car and my companion started to drive away I received an impression to ask my companion to turn the car around and for us to knock on Mark's door and give him a blessing. However just like all the other times that day I ignored it and let my companion drive because I was afraid to give him a blessing.
We stopped by Mark's house the next day to check and see how he was doing only to find his wife crying on the front steps. Concerned we went up and asked what was wrong. She told us that Mark had gotten worse after we left and that a few hours after we left he started to get real sick and she called 911 and that Mark had died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Well the first thing I thought of was the feelings and impressions I had from the previous day to give him a blessing. I felt about as low as a man can feel but I sucked it up and asked her if she we could share one of the happiest things that we knew about. She said any ray of light would be a good appreciated.
Well we then started to explain to her about the eternal nature of families and how husbands and wives can be together forever. We explained about temples and we finished the rest of the plan of salvation lesson. She asked how it was that marriage could be forever because she had always been taught that there was no marriage in heaven. We then explained the sealing power of the priesthood and how what was sealed on Earth by this power was also sealed in Heaven. We also explained the differences between a civil marriage till Death do we part and a celestial marriage where you are sealed for time and all eternity.
She then asked us about this sealing power and the priesthood. My companion then went into all the different things that the priesthood can do and all men in the church who are in good standing can hold the Priesthood. Now comes one of the worst times in my life. She asked if we had the priesthood. My companion said that we did and all during this talk about the priesthood my heart kept getting lower and lower. She then asked if we could heal the sick with the priesthood just like Jesus did. My companion responded that we could. She then asked a question that would haunt me for many months to come. She asked, "Then why didn't you heal my husband with this power and make him better?"
Well I had thought that my heart had gotten about as low as it could get and that I couldn't get any lower but with that last question it was all I could do not to break down into tears and beg for her and my Heavenly Father's forgiveness. I felt like the lowest of the low and that I wasn't even worthy to crawl on my stomach let alone stand and be counted as one of the privileged few in these latter-days who has the blessing of being a holder of the priesthood with the ability and privilege to bless God's children. I just wanted to sit there and cry and tell her how sorry I was that I didn't ask because I was too afraid.
I didn't have anything to say and I just buried my face in my hands and tried not to cry. My companion said something that I don't remember and I didn't say anything and we left and never got to meet with Mark's family again because she moved back to Tennessee to live with her parents.
For months afterwards I was haunted with feelings of guilt and inadequacy over not giving Mark a blessing and often wondered if I would have given him a blessing if he would have gotten better and lived. However as I prayed and sought the counsel of my Father in Heaven I came to understand the lesson that I had learned. I have the power of God to bless his children. Its not something that we make up but a reality and I had it. I had the same power that caused the world to be organized out of chaos. I had the power that Christ had to heal the sick and the afflicted to cause the blind to see and the lame to walk. I wasn't given this power to simply sit their dormant but I was to use it when presented with opportunities to do so. I wasn't to seek out such opportunities but when I was presented with them I should act with faith as did my master Jesus Christ and call upon the powers of heaven to heal the sick and afflicted and bless them however my Father in Heaven directed me to.
The lesson I learned was to use the priesthood when I had an opportunity and not to be afraid of what might happen but to set into the darkness and have faith in my Savior Jesus Christ that he would light the way before me that it would no longer be darkness but light. After I realized the lesson I had learned I always listened to that voice and prompting to at least ask if someone wants a blessing from God. If they say no then its on their head but at least I have done all that I can. Since that day with Mark I have never failed to simply ask.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission part VI
As the spring semster pressed on I continued to go to church and go to institute as well as all the other activities that I never new existed like Faimily Home Evening(FHE), the Instittute Men's Association (IMA), prayer meetings on Sunday nights and Friday devotionals and going to the temple to do baptisms. sIt was an amazing new experince for me and I continuted to learn and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One of the neatest new expeinces was taking more insititute classes than just the Book of Mormon class that I had taken that fall from President Clark. I signed up for a Doctrine and Covenants Class from Brother John Cardon who is simply amazing and helped introduce me both to Church History and revelations for our day that give us guidence as well as firmer foundation on which to understand the gospel in these latter days. Brother Cardon was a stud and he helped me also as another person that I could go to when I had gospel questions and concerns. I also took a New Testament class from Brother Morgan who had a teaching style that quickly captivated and held you attention. These great men helped to suppy the water and nutrients so that my roots could sink deep down into the ground and that I would contuinue to grow in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am eternanlly greatful to these men for doing what they do. Institute was a place I could go to increase my knowledge of the restored gospel and also learn at the feet of men who knew so much more than me.
Finally stake confrence appraoched and I was interviewed by Bishop Donaldson and by President Cox to see if I was worthy and prepared to recieve the Melchizdec Priesthood. I guess I passed because I was ordained an Elder in the Melchizdec Preisthood by Stephen W. Clark(the same guy who baptised me) that confrence. Jeff Spears was also ordained an Elder as was T.J.
That evening after Stake Confrence the sisters came and knocked on my door and asked me if I would give Marco Biavia who was an international student from Itatly a blessing. My mouth about hit the ground. I told the sisters I would and they told me to meet them at Marco's apartment in twenty minutes however I felt very scared. I didn't know what a blessing was. Well, okay I knew what a blessing was but I didn't know how to give one. I mean what do you say? How do you say it? What if you say the wrong thing? These thoughts and others raced through my mind. When President Cox interviewed me he explained to me that one of the duties required of someone who holds the Melkisidec Priesthood is that they must be ready and worthy to give a blessing whenever and whereever they are asked. Well I really wanted to honor the Priesthood that I had just been ordained to but I didn't know how to give a blessing.
Since time was short and it was Sunday I couldn't exactly go over to the institute and ask Borther Cardon or President Clark what to do. I figured Bishop D was busy so I went over across the hall and asked Rob one of my friends who was an RM what to do. Rob was awesome and Trever Alvold who ordained me to the Arronic Preisthood was also there and they went over the basic wording that I needed to have in the Blessing. They told me I needed to call the Person by their full name and say that I was blessing him by the Power of the Melikisidec Priesthood that I held and to do so in the Name of Jesus Christ and close in the Name of Jesus Christ. However it was the inbetween part that frightened me. I didn't know what to do there still so I asked, "So, I understand how to start and end but what do I say in the middle, are there phrases that everyone uses or things that I need to say. What are the things you are supposed to say?" Rob and Trevor just looked at eachother and said "Whatever the Lord tells you to say". Well that didn't answear my question at all and put me back where I started. I didn't know what to say.
One of the neatest new expeinces was taking more insititute classes than just the Book of Mormon class that I had taken that fall from President Clark. I signed up for a Doctrine and Covenants Class from Brother John Cardon who is simply amazing and helped introduce me both to Church History and revelations for our day that give us guidence as well as firmer foundation on which to understand the gospel in these latter days. Brother Cardon was a stud and he helped me also as another person that I could go to when I had gospel questions and concerns. I also took a New Testament class from Brother Morgan who had a teaching style that quickly captivated and held you attention. These great men helped to suppy the water and nutrients so that my roots could sink deep down into the ground and that I would contuinue to grow in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am eternanlly greatful to these men for doing what they do. Institute was a place I could go to increase my knowledge of the restored gospel and also learn at the feet of men who knew so much more than me.
Finally stake confrence appraoched and I was interviewed by Bishop Donaldson and by President Cox to see if I was worthy and prepared to recieve the Melchizdec Priesthood. I guess I passed because I was ordained an Elder in the Melchizdec Preisthood by Stephen W. Clark(the same guy who baptised me) that confrence. Jeff Spears was also ordained an Elder as was T.J.
That evening after Stake Confrence the sisters came and knocked on my door and asked me if I would give Marco Biavia who was an international student from Itatly a blessing. My mouth about hit the ground. I told the sisters I would and they told me to meet them at Marco's apartment in twenty minutes however I felt very scared. I didn't know what a blessing was. Well, okay I knew what a blessing was but I didn't know how to give one. I mean what do you say? How do you say it? What if you say the wrong thing? These thoughts and others raced through my mind. When President Cox interviewed me he explained to me that one of the duties required of someone who holds the Melkisidec Priesthood is that they must be ready and worthy to give a blessing whenever and whereever they are asked. Well I really wanted to honor the Priesthood that I had just been ordained to but I didn't know how to give a blessing.
Since time was short and it was Sunday I couldn't exactly go over to the institute and ask Borther Cardon or President Clark what to do. I figured Bishop D was busy so I went over across the hall and asked Rob one of my friends who was an RM what to do. Rob was awesome and Trever Alvold who ordained me to the Arronic Preisthood was also there and they went over the basic wording that I needed to have in the Blessing. They told me I needed to call the Person by their full name and say that I was blessing him by the Power of the Melikisidec Priesthood that I held and to do so in the Name of Jesus Christ and close in the Name of Jesus Christ. However it was the inbetween part that frightened me. I didn't know what to do there still so I asked, "So, I understand how to start and end but what do I say in the middle, are there phrases that everyone uses or things that I need to say. What are the things you are supposed to say?" Rob and Trevor just looked at eachother and said "Whatever the Lord tells you to say". Well that didn't answear my question at all and put me back where I started. I didn't know what to say.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission Part V
As I stepped into President Clark's office so that I could talk to him about getting ordained to the higher priesthood I felt like I was climbing a ladder rung by rung. I knocked on the door to President Clark's office and he called for me to enter and we shook hands and he asked me to sit down. "Well JD, what can I do for you today?" he asked. "Well, President Clark I really want to get the Melchizedek Priesthood and Bishop Donaldson told me to come and talk to you about it." He then explained something to me that deflated me a little. "JD, what can you tell me about the Melchizedek Priesthood?" Well I really didn't know anything about it other than it was above the Arronic Priesthood and that's what I told him. "JD why do you want the Melchizedek Priesthood?" he asked. I felt like I had just been knocked off my ladder. "Well the only reason I really want it is so that I can do stuff in the temple, take the next step in the Gospel and it just seems so much better than something called the lesser priesthood." I told President Clark that and then he opened up to the Doctrine and Covenants and read me something about some oath and covenant of the priesthood. However as I listened to the words he read I started to get some understanding of just how serious this whole thing might be. He then gave me a homework assignment and told me to come back and talk to him about the verses and chapters he assigned me and to tell him what I thought and we would talk some more about the priesthood. Since Christmas break was coming up I decided I would have plenty of time to read these assigned chapters. Well I really don't remember to much about that Christmas other than I paid a little bit more attention to the reason for the season this year than I had in years before. As I read about the oath and covenant of the priesthood I was amazed by the promised blessings but didn't pay attention to what I had needed to do to obtain those blessings. Well when January finally arrived I started institute again and college and took the second part of the Book of Mormon Class from President Clark and also a Doctrine and Covenants class from Brother John Cardon and a New Testament class. I remember that first day of class with President Clark. He was teaching about accountability and he pointed to one of the young ladies in the room and asked if sister so and so committed X sin and so did JD who would be more accountable. Sister so and so (so and so because I don't remember her name) said she would because I was a new convert and she knew more than I did. President Clark then said something that has stuck with me to this day. He said, "While you may have been a member longer than JD and certainly know more about the Gospel than JD does he has the Arronic Priesthood and he is held to a higher standard." President Clark then went on to explain how as we progress in the gospel and as we gain more light and knowledge we become more accountable for our actions. He explained that when someone receives the Melchizedek Priesthood they become more accountable then someone who hold the Arronic Priesthood and someone who goes to the temple become even more accountable and receives even greater blessing but also receives greater condemnation if they fail to live up to their covenants. Well that got me thinking about if I really wanted to have the Melchizedek Priesthood. It didn't seem like a wise thing to put myself into a position where my chances of damnation only got higher. However as I thought about this class ended and as I walked out President Clark who always waited at the door leading out of the classroom so he could shake every ones hand( I still kinda thought the Mormon handshaking was a bit excessive and weird) as I shook his hand he asked if I had a few minutes to meet with him in his office. I told him I did and we walked over to his office which wasn't far from the classroom. Once in there he asked me how my Christmas break went. I told him my father gave me a hard time about joining the church and that he told me I was brainwashed and part of a cult. President Clark then explained to me that my father simply loved me and was watching out for me like any good father should and to love my father and not argue with him but at the same time stay strong in the faith(talk about a huge order). President Clark then asked me if I had read what he asked me to. I replied that I had but had some questions. We went over my questions and I don't really remember what they were but he answered them. He then asked me how I felt about receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. I answered that honestly I was scared it seemed like something that required a lot of dedication. He smiled back at me and simply answered, "Well JD, it does. Do you know what the full name of the Melchizedek Priesthood is?" I responded, "No." He then told me to open my scriptures to D&C 107:3-4 and asked me to read what it said. I read, "Before his [Melchizedek's] day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood." I then asked him what the responsibilities of the Melchizedek priesthood were and if he thought I could handle them (thinking about being more accountable for my actions had given me some humility). He explained what the Melchizedek Priesthood was by having me read some verses in the Doctrine and Covenants and then he told me something that made my heart swell with joy. He said if I did a good job at magnifying the Arronic priesthood that I now held and blessed or passed the sacrament every Sunday and did my home teaching that he saw no reason that I might not be able to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood at Stake Conference in the Spring. I was excited about this and even more so because once I received the Melchizedek priesthood I could help baptise people in the temple and do other things there as well or at least so I thought. Well weeks passed by and I continued to read my scriptures and go to church and institute. I blessed or passed the sacrament every Sunday and I found it very easy to do my home teaching because the people I was supposed to visit lived across the hallway from me and one of them was Sheena so I had no problem getting one visit in a month since I was there every day. However during these early Spring months I was saddened to learn that once you are baptized the Sisters stopped visiting you very often. However I still could go to institute and ask questions and I also took up a lot of Bishop Donaldson's time with my questions and concerns.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission Part IV
As that conference approached I was looking forward to speaking what the Lord would have me speak. I remember walking over to the stake center which was over past the wave pool. It was a building that I had never been to. I got to the stake center about thirty minutes early because we were supposed to have a prayer before hand. As I walked into the chapel in the stake center I felt my courage depart out the door. There were chairs that filled up both the overflow and the gym. I then thought. . . well they are just planning for a lot of people not that many people will come.
I found the room where President Clark and some of the other speakers were waiting and we said a prayer asking God to help us speak what he would have us say. Well that was fine with me I had been asking that for the last few weeks. We then left the room to go to the chapel and wait for Stake Conference to start. Well as I sat there on the stand and listened to the prelude music I saw the chapel start to fill up. I then saw the overflow fill up and I then watched the gym start to fill up and I just sat there dumb founded at the number of people that were there. It seemed like everyone had come and brought a friend. Now I had been on the debate team and was used to speaking before people but I had never spoken before a group this large before. To be honest it was all I could do not to feign some kind of sudden sickness, however I didn't and once the meeting started I began to regain some of my courage despite the feeling of inadequacy that I had when I looked at the few scribbles I had written down compared to the pages of printed material that the others seemed to have. As the first speaker spoke I began to search frantically through the scriptures for more to talk about. I had learned a few minutes before the first speaker got up that I was supposed to talk for fifteen minutes and I knew that I only had about five minutes worth of talking to do. As the speaker spoke that wonderful calm comfort that only comes from the Holy Ghost spoke to me and I quickly found some more scriptures to share.
The first speaker sat down and I knew it was my turn to speak so I stood up. My knees weren't shaking to bad but I had to put my hands on the pulpit so that they wouldn't shake to badly. I then started to read the little thing I had written. I read a scripture that talked about the fruits of the spirit and talked about how the Holy Ghost made me feel. I then talked about the fruits of the spirit and how I knew that the book of Mormon was true. I then bore a quick testimony of God and Jesus Christ and sat down. It took all of about 5 minutes. (Looking back on that now I feel really sorry for the next few speakers who had to make up for my short talk. Overall it was a wonderful experience that helped to strengthen my faith and it helped to give me courage in sharing what I now believed in and why I believed in it.)
One of the things that really bugged me about the church that I learned in these weeks after stake Conference was that I didn't get visiting teachers. I thought this was crap. I mean I really wanted to girls to come over and visit me and it would be even better if it could have been Sheena since I was her home teacher. But alas I learned much to my dismay that guys don't get visiting teachers. Go figure.
With Stake Conference now over the only thing that really frightened me was the upcoming Christmas break where I would have to go home and see how my parents really felt about me becoming a Mormon. However before Christmas I decided that I really wanted the Melchizedek Priesthood but was saddened by what President Clark told me.
I found the room where President Clark and some of the other speakers were waiting and we said a prayer asking God to help us speak what he would have us say. Well that was fine with me I had been asking that for the last few weeks. We then left the room to go to the chapel and wait for Stake Conference to start. Well as I sat there on the stand and listened to the prelude music I saw the chapel start to fill up. I then saw the overflow fill up and I then watched the gym start to fill up and I just sat there dumb founded at the number of people that were there. It seemed like everyone had come and brought a friend. Now I had been on the debate team and was used to speaking before people but I had never spoken before a group this large before. To be honest it was all I could do not to feign some kind of sudden sickness, however I didn't and once the meeting started I began to regain some of my courage despite the feeling of inadequacy that I had when I looked at the few scribbles I had written down compared to the pages of printed material that the others seemed to have. As the first speaker spoke I began to search frantically through the scriptures for more to talk about. I had learned a few minutes before the first speaker got up that I was supposed to talk for fifteen minutes and I knew that I only had about five minutes worth of talking to do. As the speaker spoke that wonderful calm comfort that only comes from the Holy Ghost spoke to me and I quickly found some more scriptures to share.
The first speaker sat down and I knew it was my turn to speak so I stood up. My knees weren't shaking to bad but I had to put my hands on the pulpit so that they wouldn't shake to badly. I then started to read the little thing I had written. I read a scripture that talked about the fruits of the spirit and talked about how the Holy Ghost made me feel. I then talked about the fruits of the spirit and how I knew that the book of Mormon was true. I then bore a quick testimony of God and Jesus Christ and sat down. It took all of about 5 minutes. (Looking back on that now I feel really sorry for the next few speakers who had to make up for my short talk. Overall it was a wonderful experience that helped to strengthen my faith and it helped to give me courage in sharing what I now believed in and why I believed in it.)
One of the things that really bugged me about the church that I learned in these weeks after stake Conference was that I didn't get visiting teachers. I thought this was crap. I mean I really wanted to girls to come over and visit me and it would be even better if it could have been Sheena since I was her home teacher. But alas I learned much to my dismay that guys don't get visiting teachers. Go figure.
With Stake Conference now over the only thing that really frightened me was the upcoming Christmas break where I would have to go home and see how my parents really felt about me becoming a Mormon. However before Christmas I decided that I really wanted the Melchizedek Priesthood but was saddened by what President Clark told me.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission Part III
One of the things that really bugged me about the church that I learned in these weeks leading up to something called stake conference was that I didn't get visiting teachers. I thought this was crap. I mean I really wanted to girls to come over and visit me and it would be even better if it could have been Sheena since I was her home teacher. But alas I learned much to my dismay that guys don't get visiting teachers. Go figure.
Well about a two weeks before stake conference President Clark called me into his office again. "JD, would you do something for me?" he asked. "Sure President Clark, what do you need?" "Well we would like you to give a talk at stake conference." At this time in my life I really didn't realize how big a thing stake conference was and if you remember I was the same guy who thought a stake dinner was really a steak dinner and was pretty upset to find only casseroles and jello when I hadn't ate all day in preparation for an awesome dinner. I told President Clark "Sure, no problem." I only thought it would be a lot like sacrament meeting with maybe a few more people. I then pulled out my trusty five star notebook that I still wrote down questions in and asked my newest questions from my reading to President Clark. Only this time he did something a little different than just give me the answer or show me where to find it or discuss it with me. He showed me something that was called the index that sat in the middle of my standard works. He showed me how I could find all the scriptures that related to a topic and learn for myself what the Lord had said. So we opened up to the subject of one of my questions and lo and behold right there on that page was my answer. It was the sixth or seventh verse listed under that topic but it answered my question.
President Clark had given me a whole new world of discovery and innovation that led me learn more than I ever thought possible. I truly started to learn precept upon precept and line upon line.
However as Stake Conference loomed closer I was presented with a feeling of gloom and despair. I didn't know if I really wanted to talk at conference I was scared and wondered if I would mess up and if everyone would make fun of me or even worse if I really messed up and they told me I couldn't come back to church ever.
I called Bishop Donaldson one night and asked him if he could meet with me because I had some things I needed to talk about. We set a meeting for later on that night around nine or ten.
Bishop Donaldson truly is an amazing man. He helped me overcome obsticles and wade through tribulation. I am truly greatful that he was there for me to help me in my times of need and with Stake Confrence just around the corner I needed his help.
I arrived at Bishop Donaldson office at the old institute building about ten minutes early so I sat down outside his office and waited. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Bishop D finished with whoever was in his office and they came out and he invited me in.
"What can I do for you JD?" Bishop D asked. I looked up at him and said, "I'm scared. I really don't know what to do about talking at stake confrence. I want to say the right things Bishop and I don't want to get in trouble by saying the wrong things." "What do you mean by wrong things JD?" "Well . . . I don't want to say something thats wrong and get kicked out of the church or to say something wrong and make someone mad." (you have to remember that the first time I bore my testimony I called Jesus Christ a stud and Joseph Smith a freaking awesome guy) He looked at me as only a Bishop can and with loving eyes that bespoke that everything would be allright he said, "JD, if you will speak from your heart and listen to the Holy Ghost you will have nothing to worry about." "Bishop, I just don't want to sound dumb or stupid either. There are just so many people who know so much more than I do and can do a better job at this then me." He told me there was not a thing for me to worry about and that if I listened to the Holy Ghost and studied my scriptures I would know what to say and how to say it. I was still afraid but I felt that what Bishop had told me to do was right.
I left Bishop D's office and started to walk home thinking about what to say. I was still scared but it was no longer an overwhelming feeling. When I got back to my apartment and sat down in my bedroom and opened up my scriptures and started to study.
As confrence weekend finnaly arrived I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I looked forward to confrence even though I had only been baptized about a month or so now.
Well about a two weeks before stake conference President Clark called me into his office again. "JD, would you do something for me?" he asked. "Sure President Clark, what do you need?" "Well we would like you to give a talk at stake conference." At this time in my life I really didn't realize how big a thing stake conference was and if you remember I was the same guy who thought a stake dinner was really a steak dinner and was pretty upset to find only casseroles and jello when I hadn't ate all day in preparation for an awesome dinner. I told President Clark "Sure, no problem." I only thought it would be a lot like sacrament meeting with maybe a few more people. I then pulled out my trusty five star notebook that I still wrote down questions in and asked my newest questions from my reading to President Clark. Only this time he did something a little different than just give me the answer or show me where to find it or discuss it with me. He showed me something that was called the index that sat in the middle of my standard works. He showed me how I could find all the scriptures that related to a topic and learn for myself what the Lord had said. So we opened up to the subject of one of my questions and lo and behold right there on that page was my answer. It was the sixth or seventh verse listed under that topic but it answered my question.
President Clark had given me a whole new world of discovery and innovation that led me learn more than I ever thought possible. I truly started to learn precept upon precept and line upon line.
However as Stake Conference loomed closer I was presented with a feeling of gloom and despair. I didn't know if I really wanted to talk at conference I was scared and wondered if I would mess up and if everyone would make fun of me or even worse if I really messed up and they told me I couldn't come back to church ever.
I called Bishop Donaldson one night and asked him if he could meet with me because I had some things I needed to talk about. We set a meeting for later on that night around nine or ten.
Bishop Donaldson truly is an amazing man. He helped me overcome obsticles and wade through tribulation. I am truly greatful that he was there for me to help me in my times of need and with Stake Confrence just around the corner I needed his help.
I arrived at Bishop Donaldson office at the old institute building about ten minutes early so I sat down outside his office and waited. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Bishop D finished with whoever was in his office and they came out and he invited me in.
"What can I do for you JD?" Bishop D asked. I looked up at him and said, "I'm scared. I really don't know what to do about talking at stake confrence. I want to say the right things Bishop and I don't want to get in trouble by saying the wrong things." "What do you mean by wrong things JD?" "Well . . . I don't want to say something thats wrong and get kicked out of the church or to say something wrong and make someone mad." (you have to remember that the first time I bore my testimony I called Jesus Christ a stud and Joseph Smith a freaking awesome guy) He looked at me as only a Bishop can and with loving eyes that bespoke that everything would be allright he said, "JD, if you will speak from your heart and listen to the Holy Ghost you will have nothing to worry about." "Bishop, I just don't want to sound dumb or stupid either. There are just so many people who know so much more than I do and can do a better job at this then me." He told me there was not a thing for me to worry about and that if I listened to the Holy Ghost and studied my scriptures I would know what to say and how to say it. I was still afraid but I felt that what Bishop had told me to do was right.
I left Bishop D's office and started to walk home thinking about what to say. I was still scared but it was no longer an overwhelming feeling. When I got back to my apartment and sat down in my bedroom and opened up my scriptures and started to study.
As confrence weekend finnaly arrived I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I looked forward to confrence even though I had only been baptized about a month or so now.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Why I served a Mormon Mission part II
As it got into about mid November and I decided that after blessing the sacrament for a few weeks now I pretty much understood what this priesthood thing was about I decided I needed to go to the temple. During my trip in October to General Conference we had walked around temple square and I had often heard people talk about how wonderful and great the temple was. Most of the LDS people I knew said they wanted to get married in the temple or had been married in the Temple. When I was up at temple square I was informed that I couldn't enter the temple unless I was a member of the Church.
Well guess what? Now I was a member of the church and very much planned on entering the temple to see what was so great about it and why it had to be kept a secret from the rest of the world. So I went to my good friend Bishop Donaldson and asked him if I could a recommend(that's what I was told I had to get to be allowed inside the temple) to go to the temple. He then told me that I couldn't go to the temple until I had been a member a year. This upset me pretty bad. I asked Bishop why I couldn't go... I was a member now and had been baptized and made clean wasn't I worthy enough to enter the temple. Bishop Donaldson told me that it was church policy that new converts had to wait a year to enter the temple. Well that just didn't cut it for me as far as an explanation went. However Bishop Donaldson being the inspired and wonderful man that he is then mention to me why I might not be able to go to every part of the temple right now there was something that I could do.
Guess what... that night I received my first temple recommend so that I could go and do baptisms for the dead.( I was happy and relieved to know that we weren't going to go and dig up graves so that we could baptise people but I still wondered how the whole thing worked.) That weekend I went up to Vernal to meet more of Sheena's family I had met her Father, Mother, and two of her sisters at the Miss Carbon Pageant but there were still some brothers and sisters I hadn't met. But what I was really looking forward to was the opportunity to go to the Vernal Temple.
When we arrived at the Vernal temple we went to a door that seemed to lead down to the basement. However when we opened the door I saw a medium sized shelf with many pairs of shoes on it. The elderly gentlemen then asked me to take off my shoes because I was standing on holy ground. I quickly took off my shoes and put them with the others and went into the rest of the temple following the cute old man.
Participating in the saving ordinances for those who didn't have the chance to be baptized in this life or to receive the Holy Ghost is one of the most amazing experiences a person can have in this life. To know that you are helping a fellow brother or sister do something that they didn't have the opportunity to receive is wonderful. It made sense to me then and now that if God requires that men be baptized to enter into the Kingdom of God what happens to those who never get baptized or those who don't even get to learn about Christ. It didn't seem like a loving or merciful God in Heaven who would damn over half his children when they didn't even get a fair swing at being a part of his kingdom. So baptisms for the dead made sense to me as it provided those who didn't get to be baptized in this life and opportunity to get it done in the next.
Going into the temple of the Lord is like floating above the ground. It is a place where the cares of the world simply washed away from me as I entered onto that holy ground. When I feel the spirit strongly I can't help but smile and throughout my time doing baptisms there in the Vernal temple I couldn't stop smiling and being filled with joy. It truly was a house of God and I am glad that I went to it so soon.
Going to the temple helped me to understand more of what the Gospel was about and why somethings that happen in the temple are so sacred and wonderful that it almost makes them somehow less special to talk about them outside of those holy walls.
After going to the temple my desire to go was somewhat lessened because I had felt why the temple was important and amazing. If you can't tell by now I like to experience the gospel first hand and don't like taking someone else's word for how amazing something is when I can learn for myself why it is so wonderful.
In early December as we prepared for final exams I decided that I really needed to have the Melkzidech Priesthood. I felt like the gospel was something to sucked up and once I had sucked up everything that I had I simply wanted more. I had developed an appetite for gospel knowledge that was unwavering. It seemed the more I learned and gained the more I desired. As I learned line upon line I only wanted to have more lines. I didn't want this light and truth to suddenly dry up without me getting all that I could. The more I learned about the temple the more often I wanted to go and do baptisms. When I was informed one day at the temple that I didn't have the right priesthood to perform ordinances in the temple I made it a personal mission to obtain that priesthood so that I might more fully understand the temple and it blessings.
Well guess what? Now I was a member of the church and very much planned on entering the temple to see what was so great about it and why it had to be kept a secret from the rest of the world. So I went to my good friend Bishop Donaldson and asked him if I could a recommend(that's what I was told I had to get to be allowed inside the temple) to go to the temple. He then told me that I couldn't go to the temple until I had been a member a year. This upset me pretty bad. I asked Bishop why I couldn't go... I was a member now and had been baptized and made clean wasn't I worthy enough to enter the temple. Bishop Donaldson told me that it was church policy that new converts had to wait a year to enter the temple. Well that just didn't cut it for me as far as an explanation went. However Bishop Donaldson being the inspired and wonderful man that he is then mention to me why I might not be able to go to every part of the temple right now there was something that I could do.
Guess what... that night I received my first temple recommend so that I could go and do baptisms for the dead.( I was happy and relieved to know that we weren't going to go and dig up graves so that we could baptise people but I still wondered how the whole thing worked.) That weekend I went up to Vernal to meet more of Sheena's family I had met her Father, Mother, and two of her sisters at the Miss Carbon Pageant but there were still some brothers and sisters I hadn't met. But what I was really looking forward to was the opportunity to go to the Vernal Temple.
When we arrived at the Vernal temple we went to a door that seemed to lead down to the basement. However when we opened the door I saw a medium sized shelf with many pairs of shoes on it. The elderly gentlemen then asked me to take off my shoes because I was standing on holy ground. I quickly took off my shoes and put them with the others and went into the rest of the temple following the cute old man.
Participating in the saving ordinances for those who didn't have the chance to be baptized in this life or to receive the Holy Ghost is one of the most amazing experiences a person can have in this life. To know that you are helping a fellow brother or sister do something that they didn't have the opportunity to receive is wonderful. It made sense to me then and now that if God requires that men be baptized to enter into the Kingdom of God what happens to those who never get baptized or those who don't even get to learn about Christ. It didn't seem like a loving or merciful God in Heaven who would damn over half his children when they didn't even get a fair swing at being a part of his kingdom. So baptisms for the dead made sense to me as it provided those who didn't get to be baptized in this life and opportunity to get it done in the next.
Going into the temple of the Lord is like floating above the ground. It is a place where the cares of the world simply washed away from me as I entered onto that holy ground. When I feel the spirit strongly I can't help but smile and throughout my time doing baptisms there in the Vernal temple I couldn't stop smiling and being filled with joy. It truly was a house of God and I am glad that I went to it so soon.
Going to the temple helped me to understand more of what the Gospel was about and why somethings that happen in the temple are so sacred and wonderful that it almost makes them somehow less special to talk about them outside of those holy walls.
After going to the temple my desire to go was somewhat lessened because I had felt why the temple was important and amazing. If you can't tell by now I like to experience the gospel first hand and don't like taking someone else's word for how amazing something is when I can learn for myself why it is so wonderful.
In early December as we prepared for final exams I decided that I really needed to have the Melkzidech Priesthood. I felt like the gospel was something to sucked up and once I had sucked up everything that I had I simply wanted more. I had developed an appetite for gospel knowledge that was unwavering. It seemed the more I learned and gained the more I desired. As I learned line upon line I only wanted to have more lines. I didn't want this light and truth to suddenly dry up without me getting all that I could. The more I learned about the temple the more often I wanted to go and do baptisms. When I was informed one day at the temple that I didn't have the right priesthood to perform ordinances in the temple I made it a personal mission to obtain that priesthood so that I might more fully understand the temple and it blessings.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Why I served a mission Part 1
When I was baptized at twenty years old, the man who baptized me asked me if I had thought about serving a mission as we got dressed in the dressing room. I told him that I wasn't planning on serving a mission and had other plans. I had already enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and that was where I planned to serve any kind of mission. When I was received the gift of the Holy Ghost I was blessed to serve a mission and I thought I was being coerced into it with the priesthood and that pushed me even further away from it.
It seems at times when we are pushed towards doing something that we become as stubborn as mules but when we decide something on our own that almost nothing can dissuade us from following our new course and so it was with me.
About a week after I was baptized I decided that I needed to have the Arronic Priesthood. So I asked Bishop D what I needed to do to get it and he said come to church, be active, and worthy. "Well," I responded, "I am doing all those things, so when can I get it." So two weeks after I was baptized I received the Arronic Priesthood from Trevor Alvold.( I think his names spelled wrong there) I then had the opportunity to pass, prepare, and bless the sacrament along with the obligation to start something called Home Teaching. The Sunday after I received the Arronic Priesthood I was called upon to pass the sacrament which was a pretty scary thing for me but I did it and didn't drop either of the trays with the bread and water despite my hands shaking.
The very next week I was asked to bless the sacrament. Now this was beyond scary. How was I going to memorize the prayer over the bread and water in a little under 15 minutes.(I didn't know they had printed copies of the prayer up at the table) So I sat in a chair behind the table and waited for what was quickly becoming a very scary but awesome event. The person at the table with me(I think his name was Ryan) asked me which I wanted to bless. I said I would bless the bread so I could go ahead and get it out of the way. I dropped to one knee and started to read the prayer. As I started to speak it felt like a golden pillar of light was coming down from heaven giving sanction to the ordinance I was performing. I had never felt such power and love in my life. However despite this outpouring of love and power from God I was afraid I was going to mess up what I had to say. My fear was confirmed when I looked up to see Bishop D motion for me to bless the bread again. I felt so embarrassed. What did I do wrong? So I got back down and read the prayer again with a little more apprehension this time. Once again when I was finished Bishop D motioned for me to try again a third time(apparently the prayer had to be said exactly verbatim without any changes. See how little I knew.) This time when I finished Bishop D didn't tell me to it again so we gave the bread to the guys who were passing it to the congregation. However I was still shaking both from embarrassment as well as the giant spiritual step I had just taken.
Around three or four weeks after I was baptized I received my patriarchal blessing. When I first heard about patriarchal blessing I asked the young lady who showed hers to me if a patriarch was some kind of Mormon fortune teller. She was rather apprehensive in sharing her blessing with me for I was not yet baptized and she was afraid she might be casting her pearls before swine. Even though at that point in my life I didn't believe in God or anything like that I knew that she felt that her blessing from some old Mormon gypsy was important to her so I didn't belittle it or make fun of it. It talked of her attributes she had and the ones she should develop as well as paths in life that she should take and what kind of life she could have. I still thought it was weird and asked her if the patriarch had a glass ball of some kind or if he tossed bones in the air or read cat guts to learn this stuff. She tried to explain blessing to me but I still didn't buy it.
But getting back to three or four weeks after I was baptized I had decided I wanted to visit the Mormon fortune teller and get my fortune. I bothered Bishop Donaldson until he finally interviewed me and decided that I should get my patriarchal blessing. I was really excited about going to get my blessing. Part of me wanted to know what my future had in store for me and other part of me wanted to see if this guy was for real.
Well I asked my father and step mother to come up for my blessing I also asked Bishop Donaldson to be there because I looked at him like a second father and I asked Sheena my girl friend at the time to come as well.
Well we all showed up to the patriarch's house that night and to my surprise it wasn't in some shack surrounded by goats and he wasn't a gypsy. He was a cute little old guy who had this special look to him. There was just an aura radiating about him that seemed different from anyone else that I had ever met before in my life.
After we made small talk for about five minutes he asked me if I was ready for my blessing. I responded that I was. He then had me sit in a chair that was in the middle of the room and he placed his hands upon my head.
A feeling of peace and happiness entered into my body from the top of my head and swirled down towards my feet. The patriarch then began to speak. My eyes were open at this time, I didn't know if I was supposed to close my eyes or keep them open during blessings. Everyone eyes were shut tight so I decided to shut my eyes and listen to what this old man told me. He talked about many things but one of the things was how I would serve a mission and preach the gospel. I got kind of upset at him talking about me serving a mission. I had already told President Clark that I wasn't going to serve a mission and I was going into Boot Camp May 15th of 2003. I wondered why President Clark didn't tell this old guy that there was no way no how that I was going to serve a mission. Even if I wanted to I was already committed to something else. So he continued on spending around fifteen minutes talking about me and preaching the restored gospel. I just kind of wrote that part of what he said off.
When I got into the car with my father after it was all done and you have to remember that my father isn't to favorable disposed toward Mormonism he asked me if I was going to go on that mission thing. I responded that I couldn't because I had already joined the Marine Corps. He then told me the only reason that the patriarch told me to go on a mission was because my dad wore a nice bola tie and had nice cowboy boots on.
As the next week drug on and I started to think more about what he had said about me serving a mission I decided he wasn't talking about me serving a mission as a young man but rather as a senior citizen. That the part of blessing regarding me preaching the gospel was talking about me many many years into the future.
Several times during the months preceding me entering boot camp the idea of me serving a mission crept in from many places. Bishop D mentioned it a few times. Sheena mentioned it. President Clark advised it. The misisonaries bore testimony about how great serving a mission was and many others would try to convince me serving a mission was the right thing to do. However I had stood of my own free will and volition and swore before God and witnesses that I would enter the Marine Corps and that I would defend the constitution from all enemies both foreign and domestic. I saw no wiggle room I could not serve a mission and retain my honor. I had given my word that I would do something and I wasn't about to go back on my word.
It seems at times when we are pushed towards doing something that we become as stubborn as mules but when we decide something on our own that almost nothing can dissuade us from following our new course and so it was with me.
About a week after I was baptized I decided that I needed to have the Arronic Priesthood. So I asked Bishop D what I needed to do to get it and he said come to church, be active, and worthy. "Well," I responded, "I am doing all those things, so when can I get it." So two weeks after I was baptized I received the Arronic Priesthood from Trevor Alvold.( I think his names spelled wrong there) I then had the opportunity to pass, prepare, and bless the sacrament along with the obligation to start something called Home Teaching. The Sunday after I received the Arronic Priesthood I was called upon to pass the sacrament which was a pretty scary thing for me but I did it and didn't drop either of the trays with the bread and water despite my hands shaking.
The very next week I was asked to bless the sacrament. Now this was beyond scary. How was I going to memorize the prayer over the bread and water in a little under 15 minutes.(I didn't know they had printed copies of the prayer up at the table) So I sat in a chair behind the table and waited for what was quickly becoming a very scary but awesome event. The person at the table with me(I think his name was Ryan) asked me which I wanted to bless. I said I would bless the bread so I could go ahead and get it out of the way. I dropped to one knee and started to read the prayer. As I started to speak it felt like a golden pillar of light was coming down from heaven giving sanction to the ordinance I was performing. I had never felt such power and love in my life. However despite this outpouring of love and power from God I was afraid I was going to mess up what I had to say. My fear was confirmed when I looked up to see Bishop D motion for me to bless the bread again. I felt so embarrassed. What did I do wrong? So I got back down and read the prayer again with a little more apprehension this time. Once again when I was finished Bishop D motioned for me to try again a third time(apparently the prayer had to be said exactly verbatim without any changes. See how little I knew.) This time when I finished Bishop D didn't tell me to it again so we gave the bread to the guys who were passing it to the congregation. However I was still shaking both from embarrassment as well as the giant spiritual step I had just taken.
Around three or four weeks after I was baptized I received my patriarchal blessing. When I first heard about patriarchal blessing I asked the young lady who showed hers to me if a patriarch was some kind of Mormon fortune teller. She was rather apprehensive in sharing her blessing with me for I was not yet baptized and she was afraid she might be casting her pearls before swine. Even though at that point in my life I didn't believe in God or anything like that I knew that she felt that her blessing from some old Mormon gypsy was important to her so I didn't belittle it or make fun of it. It talked of her attributes she had and the ones she should develop as well as paths in life that she should take and what kind of life she could have. I still thought it was weird and asked her if the patriarch had a glass ball of some kind or if he tossed bones in the air or read cat guts to learn this stuff. She tried to explain blessing to me but I still didn't buy it.
But getting back to three or four weeks after I was baptized I had decided I wanted to visit the Mormon fortune teller and get my fortune. I bothered Bishop Donaldson until he finally interviewed me and decided that I should get my patriarchal blessing. I was really excited about going to get my blessing. Part of me wanted to know what my future had in store for me and other part of me wanted to see if this guy was for real.
Well I asked my father and step mother to come up for my blessing I also asked Bishop Donaldson to be there because I looked at him like a second father and I asked Sheena my girl friend at the time to come as well.
Well we all showed up to the patriarch's house that night and to my surprise it wasn't in some shack surrounded by goats and he wasn't a gypsy. He was a cute little old guy who had this special look to him. There was just an aura radiating about him that seemed different from anyone else that I had ever met before in my life.
After we made small talk for about five minutes he asked me if I was ready for my blessing. I responded that I was. He then had me sit in a chair that was in the middle of the room and he placed his hands upon my head.
A feeling of peace and happiness entered into my body from the top of my head and swirled down towards my feet. The patriarch then began to speak. My eyes were open at this time, I didn't know if I was supposed to close my eyes or keep them open during blessings. Everyone eyes were shut tight so I decided to shut my eyes and listen to what this old man told me. He talked about many things but one of the things was how I would serve a mission and preach the gospel. I got kind of upset at him talking about me serving a mission. I had already told President Clark that I wasn't going to serve a mission and I was going into Boot Camp May 15th of 2003. I wondered why President Clark didn't tell this old guy that there was no way no how that I was going to serve a mission. Even if I wanted to I was already committed to something else. So he continued on spending around fifteen minutes talking about me and preaching the restored gospel. I just kind of wrote that part of what he said off.
When I got into the car with my father after it was all done and you have to remember that my father isn't to favorable disposed toward Mormonism he asked me if I was going to go on that mission thing. I responded that I couldn't because I had already joined the Marine Corps. He then told me the only reason that the patriarch told me to go on a mission was because my dad wore a nice bola tie and had nice cowboy boots on.
As the next week drug on and I started to think more about what he had said about me serving a mission I decided he wasn't talking about me serving a mission as a young man but rather as a senior citizen. That the part of blessing regarding me preaching the gospel was talking about me many many years into the future.
Several times during the months preceding me entering boot camp the idea of me serving a mission crept in from many places. Bishop D mentioned it a few times. Sheena mentioned it. President Clark advised it. The misisonaries bore testimony about how great serving a mission was and many others would try to convince me serving a mission was the right thing to do. However I had stood of my own free will and volition and swore before God and witnesses that I would enter the Marine Corps and that I would defend the constitution from all enemies both foreign and domestic. I saw no wiggle room I could not serve a mission and retain my honor. I had given my word that I would do something and I wasn't about to go back on my word.
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