Since a youth I have had the blessing of being close to the spirit. As a child I sang "I hope they call me on a mission" and I indeed did grow a foot or two. A bit more actually. But as I sang it as a special number a few times, I would struggle to get through it without being overwhelmed by the spirit. The spirit has been a partner my entire life. This further helped me stay close to the gospel as my patriarchal blessing from my beloved grandfather gave me the hopeful outlook that the "seeds of apostacy will never enter your heart." I felt the power of the reality of priesthood blessings when nothing could cure my pain in the medical field, but after days of anguish a priesthood blessing ended the pain instantly. Proving to me the reality of that heavenly power.
Later as I was in the MTC and read the Book of Mormon with new fervor, I had an experience that I can never deny nor turn from. Because of a direct answer to prayer I know it is the word of God and is a basis for all I know to be true. I have no doubt.My wife has also been a source of earthly salvation for me. I was counseled to use my mind and my heart and both have proven to be a blessing in having an eternal companion who is so good, so close to God, that angelic is appropriate.
Early on we were shopping for a grill for our new home. After we got out of the store I realized it was the priesthood session of general conference and I was missing it. A wave of guilt formed over me and since that time we have had things such as general conference, temple appointments etc be more important and more in focus for us and we have never missed since. It changed me.
Being sealed in the temple and having five wonderful children born in the covenant has been a promise I cling to. As some have made choices that take them from the gospel, the promises of covenants and the blessing inside the temple bring hope to me daily.
Both of our parents have served missions, and during one when my father was across the world, a difficult time came while selling our family business. I was blessed to be able to call him and after all was said, he uttered words that have seared into my soul, and helped me put things in perspective the rest of my life. He simply said, "Oh Danny, don't be bitter." It has proven to be worth everything in how to look at hard times and how I can react to choices of others.
As I have served in young men programs nearly all my adult life, I have witnessed how good they are and how much the spirit can help their conversion. I have come to believe that one of the best places to help them truly feel the impact of the spirit and for them to learn, along with develop a strong tie to their leaders because of the spiritual experience, is on campouts. Many are memorable as I think of discussion missions around a fire and having their guard down as they ask questions of the soul. And being able to share with them my mission experiences in Norway and sharing my love of the country and people with them. Hoping to inspire them to serve themselves one day, which many, many have. I am grateful for their examples to me.
I believe that we do not live multiple lives, work life, home life, church life, but that they are all one, I am the same regardless of where I am and each one affects the other for good. I have learned from Elder Robbins about being 100% responsible and have used that to motivate and inspire my teams at work to be more and do more than they felt they could. I feel we can always be 100% responsible for doing more that we think, not having full control of every aspect, but we do have full control over what we can do. And we can act, not be acted upon.
As a parent I focused on teaching my kids to work. And work hard. We would work projects for others in home improvement (extreme hobby of mine, not profession) and as we remodeled kitchens, or later entire houses, we would take the money we got paid and their portion and my portion would go to their mission funds. It helped them to feel a real sense of ownership for funding their missions and yet when they got home, we had replaced all those funds so they could use them for education etc. It helped them to be responsible for their own choices and sacrifices. As I have renovated entire homes, I have learned it is my place where I "create." Where I can make something beautiful that others have cast off. And create a place where families can bring treasured memories to life. I use this skill now to serve others and help teach other youth life skills, hard work, and having the spirit with them even when fixing plumbing.
I have worked and travelled globally a lot the past decade. Into China and Europe and other Asian countries. As I have done so I have learned how wonderful people are everywhere, and I have learned I love developing people into more than they believed they could be.
My personal mission statement remains "True at all times" so I may live my life with integrity.
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