Learning from unexpected places

So through a series of events I had this brought to my attention this week. So let's start with the quote. It is from Elder Andersons talk from this conference. 

When my wife, Kathy, and I were in Africa a few weeks ago, we visited Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because the chapel was not large enough for the 2,000 members, we met out of doors under large plastic coverings supported by bamboo poles. As the meeting began, we could see dozens of children watching us, clinging to the bars on the outside of the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the property. Kathy quietly whispered, “Neil, do you think that you might want to invite the children to come in?” I approached District President Kalonji at the podium and asked him if he would welcome the children outside the fence to come join us inside.

It is interesting how much I learned from this, that was not related to his talk at all. So I learned a few things, or at least reinforced things I have known. 

1. Notice how it was his wife who reviewed this revelation and not the apostle sitting there. That regardless of calling all can participate equally and everyone has something to contribute. 

2. All activity is best handled through the proper use of keys. She did not invite them in, but she gave counsel to the one holding keys and let them act upon it. 

3. It is so wise to listen to the counsel you receive. Many have input that they are genuinely interesting in providing to make things better. And you are not so cool that others cannot have really great ideas that can make you better too. 

All these are things I would not have pulled from this story if I had not been reviewing conference talks and also counseling with others who shared this and started me down a path of pondering. 

I had a great week. I was in China and had productive meetings and time spent. I wish I could beam myself back and forth, but at least it was useful time there. Most days I went until around 9 or 10 PM. Then back at it around 7:00 the next morning. One day we did not leave the office until 9:30 then had a further discussion around diner until about 11:30. I am so sleep deprived :). I had an aggressive agenda and we did many of the items, but we also missed about 1/3 of them that we just ran out of time. For that late dinner we went to a less than fancy, but still great restaurant. A nice change for me and much more comfortable for me. It was a Chinese hot pot style you can see in the picture. You cook the food right there in the broth of your choosing. I spent my time in the highest level spicy pot. It was great. 

My return trip took over 36 hours from office to home. It was grueling. But I wanted to get home earlier rather than spend another day there. Everything went according to plan except the final flight had three mechanical issues so we spent an extra hour plus in the plane until we could leave. 

I learned how to tally counts in Chinese. I showed those at home but in the picture you can see the way they tally. It goes from 1 to 5 and they would do that over and over as needed. Interesting how different it is from how we make our 4 marks the. A crossover for the fifth. 

You can just enjoy Lys crazy hair!

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Dorothy Had It Right!

Meander back with me in time. Come to your childhood years and bask in the loving memories. Now pull out from the memory bank watching wizard of Oz. remember Dorothy?  She clicks her heals and says ....?

"There's no place like home."  

Well, she was right. All this week it has been crazy. The days at work long, but I feel I have made progress in getting things off my plate. Closing out more things than I opened. Which in all is a good week. 

Each evening has been packed but fulfilling. Monday was FHE. We had fun playing a new game and trying to figure it out. And Ty's lesson was a blast and very inventive in its approach. It made for a great night. But short on sleep (the theme for the week :-)). 

Tuesday was mutual and my plans to participate went out the window and I ended up spending the full time plus (just ask Lys about the "plus") in interviews. Surprising but fulfilling nonetheless. 

Wednesday we spent over at Spencer's doing repairs to their house that are required for their sale to go through. They are moving within Centerville but out of their house. Ty, mom, Lys and I helped fix railings, decks, concrete, painting and toilets. Service is always a great thing when you will engage in it with a willing heart and mind. 

Thursday was a wonderful stake auxiliary training meeting. All about improving teaching. Mom and I were able to sit next to each other for the first hour!  So cool. Great instruction and training and I'm glad we got to go. 

Friday we went to Harper's and had ribs for dinner. She always does them so nice and there is soooooo much. We ended up staying long and talking with them. 

Saturday was global youth service day in the morning, then Ty, Sam White and I went back to Spencer's to break out and replace a small section of crumbled concrete. We had to chisel and air hammer it out until it was strong again. Then put in new concrete patch material and finish it with cement trowel to match with the existing. 

They had quotes for nearly $2,000 do do the work we did in about 4 hours. Crazy!  I am so glad my dad and brothers taught me so much along the way. It has been a treasure and a gift to have from them. 

In the afternoon I had a meeting with the sisters and zone leaders for a BVR and we had a great monthly check up and plan forward. Then a great dinner from mom et al and it was delicious. As always. 

A great week but in it all, I see again how much I love to be home. 

And now I am in transit to China again. Have hardly left and I wish I were home. I am gone this week and coming home Saturday. I actually travel the China night Friday, then the US night Friday to get home a few hours earlier than other option. 

When you are down, frustrated, or feeling shorted, go out and serve others. It does amazing things. Go figure since the ultimate example of service is our Savior and showed the way. 

Thank you for the good you are doing in your lives. It brings much joy to your dad!

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Cold Again

In so many ways that's true. We woke up Saturday morning to a couple inches of snow. It was a surprise to say the least. But then again, we are not the best Ohio weather watchers. And for me personally I got a cold again and was miserable Friday as it got worse and worse through the day. 

Saturday was way fun. We saw Ty at science Olympiad state tournament and the. Went to lunch with grandma and grandpa. After that we went to the temple and did initiatory for names Ty and mom had found. 

The weather was crazy and the roads were typical Ohio response to it. Car after car, semi after semi was off the road, spun around, in the ditch, or overturned. I have to be careful and not jinx it, but I am unclear how they can be such crazy drivers. There were dozens between here and Columbus. 

At work I had a good week and worked on so many things. I worked with a group to do what's called a value stream map. We laid out what we see as what happens now, then we map out what it should be. With those two in hand, we can find the gaps and start working projects to close those gaps over time. For this one, we have challenges with how we take our own designs and get them manufactured for electronics. Our last one took nearly 18 months and it should be more like 3-4. So it's a great tool to find the ways to improve while involving the group to get wider buy in. 

We had a great church today. Really good testimonies including a declared hate of pickles by Matthew Crouch. Skjelse, you should appreciate him!  It was really cute but he pulled it into a great gospel lesson. I wish e rest of you could have been here. It was also so nice to have grandma and grandpa here. 

I love working with the councils in our lives. Ward council was great, we have been having lots of family councils. 

I hope Ty tells you all of his good news on two fronts. He has lived an exciting week!

Reflect on conference, re-read the talks and learn from them. There are so many good ones this time. I was amazing at it. I had so many promptings that Bro. Crouch started making fun of me. I sent him so many texts of things or people I needed to meet with. It's a great day when we will listen and follow. 

Gavin, we sure hope you are feeling better. We have been praying for you all week. 

Do your best to serve others this week. When we get outside ourselves we find things to be so much better. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

The hope of Easter

I love today being Easter and reflecting on the hope it provides. There is so much more than just a short life here. I hope you all can remember that today. 

We had fun watching the virtual hallelujah chorus video. Pretty awesome. I cancelled morning meeting and had a wonderful sabbath day. I got to see Ty and Lys before church which was wonderful. 

I had a good question asked of me today, and I would appreciate your responses. Please send me an email with your thoughts. "Why do we bless babies?"

I got to have Friday off and spent the day very relaxed and really enjoyed it. Then Friday night I had fun with the priests quorum sports night. My knee is not quite as happy as the rest of me, but it was a fun night. First time in years I have played basketball. I really stink!  But it got a bit better as time went on. Then I learned the concept of chair soccer and that was a new experience. Trent and his family also came unexpectedly and Trent came up for a couple of the last hours of the sports. That was fun to have him there. And it was really fun to see them all and talk with them. 

They spent a lazy morning and left around noon. Mom and I went and did service for a family needing help and then we painted the front door and back door. They are yellow now. I still really enjoy the door we got. I love how it brings in light and reminds me of the beauty of the temples. 

The evening was terrific as we watched the women's meeting broadcast. I really liked Sis. Marriott and Sis. Burton as they spoke of service and hope. I wish you all would read them again. It's amazing that when we get outside ourselves the world around us along with our happiness expands. 

Work has been hard in dealing with people and their different perceptions and assumptions. It's hard not to offend or cause others to make harsh judgments in some ways. But I am learning in both work and church to be patient, try me best, and then teach kindly as I keep moving forward. We all have to deal with tough people and we can't just run away. We have to face our challenges and work through them. Even when it can really take us out of our comfort zone. Perhaps especially when. It is then that we grow and learn new things we never thought we could do, learn and become. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

It's the most wonderful time, of the year

Sing along with me. But it's not Christmas, it's conference. This one was just amazing. Totally. If you missed any session including last weeks general women's meeting, you just have to listen to it. I loved it. I had so many revelatory instances I wore out the executive secretary. He had to write back wondering what was going on :)

Attached is a picture you may have seen on Instagram but I know Gavin did not. And he is the star!  I loved the photo, what it represented, and how the quote went so well with the picture, and so well with missionary work. 

I also really loved all the talks on temples and the covenants there. Elder Kearon talking about refugees and humanitarian needs. What a powerful lesson and I loved how it cross referenced in my mind to the talk yesterday of the further the distance between the giver and the receiver, the greater the feeling of entitlement. How true that is as we give personal service to those around us, it becomes meaningful to both in such deepening ways. 

I cannot wait to listen to it all again. 

Yesterday was great with conference and I sprinkled in a bit of repairs and work. I "think" I got the riding mower to stop leaking gas again. I have thought that before, but each time brings more confidence. And after I mowed a bit more and it ran so much better. I am learning much about carburetors and I now have another talk object lesson. The main issue was a "pin" that holds the needle and float in place. It is about half the size of a sewing needle so it is so thin. But I had it turned the wrong way. It does not appear it should matter but in research and now in experience, it does. What an amazing thing that such a small and simple thing can bring about great things, like mowing and running so smooth. It is such a tiny thing but matters so much. 

Plus I love that we still have a riding mower for the cost of a better and two tires off Craigslist. If you recall Ty found it in someone's spring clean up and we got it free. I love a bargain!

Friday we went together and helped McBee's get the rest of a tree down that mostly fell in the massive storm. Then we also took down a major branch at Rush's yard. It was a fun night of service. I even started to teach Lys how to use the chainsaw. Much to her dismay and disgust. But she did amazing and was a natural lumberjack (or is it lumberjane?)

It really is amazing how the Lord will direct your life if you let Him. If you are willing to listen and then act. So many small things that come into my mind that I can act on and follow His guidance. 

I was so pleased today to get a text during the talk on fathers. It made me happy to be a father and I love that so much. There is no match to being a father. No other thing, activity, or investment can measure up. Thanks for making me so happy to be your father. 

Love you forever, and our covenants give us the promise to be together forever based upon our faithfulness. 

Dad

3 John 1:4