Oasis

The longer I live, the more I realize what an oasis the Gospel and Church are in my life. I don't like being away from home, and don't like traveling so far, and even though the Chinese people are very kind and I am well cared for here I just would rather not be here. But among the desire to be home I really had the gift to look forward to going to church while here. 

When we pattern our lives after the Savior, and internally decide to follow the eternal plan of happiness, then going to church brings a peace and happiness that propels you through the rest of the week. I went to the Shanghai branch again today. It was amazing. I witnessed so many examples of the hand of God in our lives. As I participated in the sacrament I witnessed a tall YM exhibit pure charity. As it was being passed there was a fussy baby that the parents were trying to calm. The mom waited so she could partake of the bread and then calmly bolted out the side door. This YM did not see that she had just taken it but in an act of a gentleman and a pure priesthood holder he immediately took his tray and follows her out to ensure she had the opportunity to take the sacrament. 

I also witnessed little children helping each other as we sat through sacrament meeting. Unprompted they just helped one another. 

I listened as they again read a statement that reinforces that no Chinese passport holder is allowed to worship with us. And stressed that no one is allowed to share the truths that we hold so dear and bring peace to our lives. No talking, no social media on Chinese sites, no documents etc. 

during the 3rd hour we had a young member of the branch presidency lead a discussion on doubts in our faith. Using Pres. Uchtdorf's talk as one of the main tools, we had a discussion about how we need to be sensitive to doubts, and to use them as a tool to build greater faith. It is a difficult thing to have real doubts of faith and we need to acknowledge them as we work to resolve them. It made me think of one of the greatest tools we have-prayer. Elder Baxter some years ago said something that I believe fits perfectly with this. He said that in moments of crisis prayer is abandoned at the very hour it needs to be intensified. And I will always remember Pres. Uchtdorf counsel to doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. 

It was a remarkable spirit today as I witnessed a handful of Rms bearing strong spiritual confirmation just in the way they shared experiences, and testified of things they had learned. It was just neat to see the external impact of the lives they led and how I could see the witness of the Gospel come through even though they did not overtly intend to do that. 

I don't know if it was just a great day, or if I was more prepared since it was my oasis for the week, but I'll take it. I consider it a blessing to have been taught the Gospel in my home growing up and to have had the chance to seek for myself the knowledge of its truth. 

I had a good week at work and learned a lot from corporate board meetings I got to attend. Then on Saturday as we began work on a critical project that was behind, I was inspired to use a certain method to get to more detailed and reliable results from the group. I followed that prompting and it worked out amazing. Many of the people there talked to me one to one during the day and said how effective the work was or how well the thought this was going to get better plans. Revelation is NOT just for church. 

The best part if each day is being able to use the inspired technologies to be able to talk to mom and home each day. It is fun to see them and hear the updates. 

It has been interesting as well as I have stayed here to have a couple small things happen that have not before. At breakfast I had the waitress say "you are Mr. Smith, right?"  I was a little surprised but confirmed and asked how she knew. She said she had seen it written on my receipt when I ate the first day and had remembered. I was shocked. Then as I left the restaurant the hostesses both said "goodbye Mr. Smith" as I left. Weird. It was very nice but very unexpected. 

Then as I checked in at the hotel in Suzhou where our engineering center is (the team I work with internal to Emerson) they got all fired up and brought me a special gift of a Renaissance backpack and told me they were glad I was now staying here for the 10th time. I told them that I had been here too often with a smile. But it's true if I have stayed here 10 times. Too many. 

Love you forever.

Dad 

3 John 1:4

Different But Same

I was struck again yesterday as we attended the temple how the same thing can be taught in different ways, but still be the same.  I saw the third new movie and am amazed at how the identical teaching can be done in a way that can be so different and help me to understand and learn concepts and doctrines in a new way.  It causes me to reflect and realize new angles, deepen understanding, strengthen conviction, and really increase lasting joy in the great plan of happiness.  I continue to be amazed at how others can teach me so much in small and simple ways.  It doesn't have to be flashy, gaudy, high power, or "loud" to teach amazing new things.  In fact some of what I have learned came through near moments of silence.  The temple is just the happiest place on earth!

And......big news......never happened before...... with mom's foot injury she actually let me drop her off and pick her up at the door to the temple.  She has never before in life let me do that (I sure have tried a lot to be nice).  So I have a PB from yesterday!

This week I spoke about the language of prayer.  It has been good to deepen my study on that and to reflect on how it can impact so much of our lives.  I hope you are keeping the commitment to pray twice daily with real intent.  In your true personal inner self to kneel down and really converse with your Father.  

I am sharing some example of when special or unique language is used in aspects of life, and tying that to the special language of prayer, Thee, Thy Thou and Thine.  So 3 examples in my life, 4 scripture examples that teach us the importance, and 5 ways we implement it.  So 3-4-5.  No clue why, just seems good to use 3-4-5.  The 5 ways to implement tie to the 5 aspects of hastening the work.  Including temple and family history work where we learn so well about the special place prayer has in our lives and the power of true prayer when employed appropriately.

Yesterday after we got back form the temple Ty and I helped Craigs replace their water heater that had gone bad.  The hardest  part was getting some dollar parts to allow the piping to fit the new size.  Ty does really well at knowing what to do and being able to do it.  Including copper soldering.

Then after we got home late I tore apart the copier and replaced the laser polygon motor that was failed so we could not use it.  I had to tear to the very center to get to it.  Then after I had it half back together I realized I left out a mirror.  So apart it came again and then back together.  After it was all in place, I gave it a whirl and.......a new fault stops it from even starting.  Aughhhhhh.  So I spent another hour or more until midnight and the Sabbath working it and can;t get it working.  So frustrating.  I have found the service guide so I am able to enter diagnostics modes and the new part is working well, and I found the part that is causing issues.  But guess what?  It is at the very center again!  So I will have to take it all back apart and hope I can find the problem.  The part I am pleased about is although I am very frustrated, I am doing so much better about not letting it sink in, and change me and make me scream out.  It's just frustrating.

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Entertainment Week

This week we had visitors in from Asia and from Europe. We had a full week of longer term strategy discussions around our variable speed business. I had been asking my boss to do this for the last year because we often get caught up in the "now" and the business of daily urgent things and forget to step back, look at the whole, and make sure what we are doing is what is really the most important. She supported it but in the end I had to just push it through, make the week, and make it happen. Lots of great discussion, decisions, actions to move forward etc. but because it was all "your week Mr. Smith" it was draining on me mentally. All day, all evening I had to be in the zone. We did have two nice dinners that I went to and got totally fat. We were going to do other events also but everyone was worn out by then. 

I also got confirmation that I got approved to hire in an MBA for next year to work full time on my small team. Emerson has a special program for targeted high potential MBAs and they come in for a summer internship from top ten schools. Then they recruit from these. So I will be interviewing in the next couple of months and someone will have a job long before their school year is over. I wish I would have had a job waiting for me nine months before I graduated. A lot of stress would have been relieved. But it will be nice to have another person to help with the work load.  I got approved because my boss told the president basically don't you want a new MBA trained by Dan?  He didn't argue that point at all. I guess that is a nice compliment in a round about way. 

I got the back patio tiled last week and grouted yesterday. I am glad to have that done. It makes it look so nice. Aside from that I did a bunch of small jobs and open things since I had done little at home the past two weeks with the visitors in town. 

We also helped the neighbor Audrey sell her van. Pete is in assisted living and she wanted to get rid of it, but really had no idea of how. So Ty got it running (dead battery is all), mom took pictures and coordinated with her, and then we discussed values from my research, she agreed to a low side value to sell it quickly, and I listed it Friday night. I missed a call that night, called them early Saturday, they came within 30 mins, bought it, and poof, faster sold car I have ever done. She was very happy and really appreciated the help. I am happy she would let us help. Helping others always makes you happy. Just one of those eternal truths!

Work hard this week, reach out to others, invite them to know what you know. 

Love you forever. 

Dad

3 John 1:4

Family Work

What a great week. Full of lots of work but today in Sunday school we discussed all about how work is a gift and a blessing. I brought up how Pres. Uchtdorf indicated that we all have the inner desire to create, and I think that relates directly to work. No matter what kind of work we do it leads to some kind of creation. Home improvement, a computer program, a smile, an experience. They are all some kind of creation. 

And this week we finished grouting the porch, and it looks awesome. Then Saturday we laid tile on the back patio. Ty and Alysia helped, then when they had to leave Skjelse came and was a great help. Both places look so much better. We are really blessed to have the funds to do things at times and to have the skills to make our budget stretch. I have, do, and always will know that faithful payment of an honest tithe has made many miracles of getting more done that I could if I kept it all and tried to use it to accomplish it on our own. 

I taught in high priests group meeting today on eternal marriage. It was fun to do something I have such a testimony of. Since we are going to be living eternally, I would much rather share it with mom and be able to have eternal increase. So I will do all I need to know to be able to keep that blessing in my life now and forever. I tried to do the good teacher things and last week assigned three brothers to come prepared with specific answers to the questions we would have. Then I had prepared a few short video clips. So the whole lesson was three questions. 1.  What do you do to ensure your eternal marriage endures. That got a lot of comments and we spent most time on that. 2.  What can we do to teach children and youth the importance of eternal marriage. 3.  How has keeping the marriage covenant brought you joy. That was it. It was nearly 45 mins and there was not a pause. I had to cut off time for more discussion at the end as time was up. I know prayer helped me to be prepared and to have the ability to have us all learn from each other. I only said the questions and a few short comments in between sections. They all said the rest and it was very good to learn from each other. 

We got a new Elder, a new Sister, and a new Zone leader this week. It will be fun to learn from them all. We are very blessed to have good people all around us. 

I have had a guy, Steven (real name Choajie), that works for me in China here visiting and learning. I think I overwhelmed him with so many meetings but it also helped him see many other things that can help him learn more and continue to grow in his job. To help him experience American life we took him to a Dayton Dragons game. It was fun, he liked the atmosphere, the food and the next morning when I talked to him about it he confided "I have no clue how that game is played."  This after all evening the other guy with us explained all what was going on and why it was happening. It was pretty funny. Then later in the week we took him to dinner at a restaurant in the Oregon district that we had never been to. I took mom so we could have a nice evening together also. It was so nice and we ate outside in perfect weather. A fun week. 

I love you forever. 

Dad

3 John 1:4

Family Project

Wow, everybody helped all along the way. Mom was fixed on getting the old carpet off the front porch. We had this in the plan but were waiting for time and money to complete it. Yesterday was the day. We got everyone into the help. Skjelse and Jeff came for a while, and Jeff learned some basics. Ty worked hard as always and is so good and making complex cuts fit great. Alysia moved out of her comfort zone (with a nice push off the edge from me) and she did most of the cutting of the tile. I taught her how and helped her with one, then she just took off. She was awesome. And in the end she was even just taking a dimension and measuring, marking, and cutting the piece. Mom and the sisters prepped the front door for new paint so she is planning on painting it tomorrow. It was a great together day. Then we went over with Skjelse and Jeff to watch a video with snacks. The only drawback is the usual one where my body aches after doing extreme tile yoga for 5 hours. But it looks nice. The grout will go fast. Next we plan on doing the back patio. It should go faster as it is bigger to lay more full size pieces and the cuts will be very easy, just straight across. 

Work went crazy this week. I thought it would be a reasonable week with plenty of open time to get things done, but it exploded starting last Friday and my whole week was crazy. Some of the days I had meetings as early as 5:30 and then not having any break until 5 end of day. It does make the day go quickly. Just not enough time to do the things I am supposed to get done. 

I went to a church disciplinary council this week for re-admittance to the church.   I learned an amazing lesson. The heart that desires Christ really can leverage the atonement and come through shining. It's a tough road but the journey is worth it. What a change I saw over the course of the past year. From discouragement to joy and hope for the future. Pres. Valencia made a comment that made me think. He said that in all his years of church service, he has never seen an individual be more exact in every detail of what they have been asked to do. Through a difficult time they obeyed every word with exactness. It made me think of the armies of Helaman. And their obedience to every word. It would pay rich dividends for all of us if we would do the same. Do we hear the council of our Bishop, Stake President, Mission President, or general authorities and truly hearken?  

It's all worth it, I know it is. The reason we are here on earth has so much more behind it than just living a life. So much rests upon our choices now. Make the ones that will bring eternal joy. 

Love you, Dad

3 John 1:4