Shall I falter or shall I finish?

So Pres. Monson has asked that question and it seems I have used that a number of times this week. At work, at church, in interviews. Just everywhere. He said in essence, "a fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us, shall I falter or shall I finish?"  And mostly it comes as Ty and I worked on the pergola Friday and Saturday.  At times I did not think we would finish. That we would run out of time with Ty's schedule. But we worked late on Friday and then stuck to it on Saturday. We even got a boost when Skjelse and Jeff showed up while we were on the top anchoring things in place. It was fun to see them and talk while we finished up top. 

But in the end we buckled down and got it all done. We are much faster on the end pieces than the first ones. And it think it turned out great. It was a blast to do with Ty as a pre-mission project. So we finished!  All we have to do after letting the treated wood dry is to stain it.  Mom will choose that color!

I had a multi day event at our innovation center at work and the best part was it is in Dayton by UD, so I was so close to home. There is a major shift in the regulations in the industry and we have to be ahead of that. It will come in another 7 years formally but work is beginning now with us and the manufacturers. It amazes me that industries have to be so far ahead to have products ready to meet the laws.  

Saturday Alysia, Ty and I did a 5K and a 5K/10mile bike events. It's my first official one and my knee feels it. Alysia did both and her hips feel it, and Ty wonders if anything happened, like he's just a machine. So nice to be young and have your body still at full speed. The 2nd one was for Easton who is severely handicapped. They were raising money to get a van with a wheelchair lift so his mom does not have to lift him in and out each time. And they met their goal!  It was a ton of community support, and well deserved. 

Thanks for the words and calls and visits for Father's Day. I am so proud to be a father and know that it is the most important eternal role. I could ask for no better spouse and kids. Please make the choices needed every day to qualify for eternal life. I want you all there with mom and I. With your spouses. (Jeff is #1!, 4 more to follow). 

That is what brings a father joy. 

Love you all forever. 

Dad

3 John 1:4

Discovery

What a week of discovery this has been. It started with the fun time watching Ty learn about programs at BYU and trying to see him figure out what he would like to study, and where he would like to go to school. I found it intriguing to see when he was no hum, and when his wry smile would come out at things he found intriguing to his mind. I found a number of them very interesting also and used the time to try and discover areas where Emerson and BYU could work closer together. Like co-op placements and MBA internships. 

Then I discovered that I am pathetically inept in aerobic activity as I tried to hike the Y. Made it just fine but was sucking wind after not too far. At least I felt better when so many others had to break also. Strength was fine, just out of wind fast. But it was the first time I had been up to it so it was nice to do. And fun with Ty and Kieren. 

I then discovered that it is very discomforting to stay up until 2 AM, and then try to sleep on a plane. Which was not good for me. I got maybe 30 mins. So when I got home around 11 I was tired, hungry (mom took such good care of me as always), and sick. I did not get feeling better until Saturday. 

Today I discovered that daily, personal, meaningful prayer and gospel study is a remarkable guard in life. Add that to following given counsel and being true to covenants and you will see that lasting joy is around every corner. Even as we travel through tough times. The Lord is so pleased when we make steps towards Him. He really is intent upon our personal growth and development. Days like today are both invigorating and exhausting. Contradicting I know, but they are such lifting days but I am worn out mentally, physically, and spiritually. I yearn to help others make the changes they so desire in their lives. The atonement really is an enabling way to become better than we are now.  To be the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

I had vivid memories today of Norway and the people there. I reflected back on being able to talk to my mission president on Monday. While Ty and Kieren took the general tour, I sat down with him. What a flood of memories that we shared about Trondheim and serving there. The branch president really wanted a youth program to help out the branch, but had no one that could do it.  He asked President Peterson for missionaries to help. "You got it, what else" was the reply. "Well, I need someone to teach Sunday School to those youth". Same reply. "We need to have Sunday firesides to give them another opportunity to learn the gospel". Again, same reply. So my companion and I started working with the youth. At first it was just a few. But each time President Peterson would come into the area ere would be many more. From 10 to 20 to 30 and more. All in a small branch. And I discovered that this small start was the beginning of a season that continues where youth have grown, joined the church, served missions, and are the leadership in that area now. I remember the activity nights when we started and having fun along with a spiritual lesson.  And the firesides in the missionaries large apartment (6 of us living there, nicest place by far my whole mission) where we had interactive discussions, taught the gospel, and followed a pattern that is much like the come follow me curriculum of today. It was a most fulfilling time as we could see real progress.  

Serving others really does an amazing thing as you leave yourself and help others, your joy fills up and you are happier than when you try to be happy by serving only yourself. This is the same concept in marriage. As you do all you can to serve your spouse, you become happier. Even if you don't "get" what you originally thought was needed, wanted, desired etc. 

You all make me so happy, please make choices hat bring you closer to Christ every day. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Discovery

What a week of discovery this has been. It started with the fun time watching Ty learn about programs at BYU and trying to see him figure out what he would like to study, and where he would like to go to school. I found it intriguing to see when he was no hum, and when his wry smile would come out at things he found intriguing to his mind. I found a number of them very interesting also and used the time to try and discover areas where Emerson and BYU could work closer together. Like co-op placements and MBA internships. 

Then I discovered that I am pathetically inept in aerobic activity as I tried to hike the Y. Made it just fine but was sucking wind after not too far. At least I felt better when so many others had to break also. Strength was fine, just out of wind fast. But it was the first time I had been up to it so it was nice to do. And fun with Ty and Kieren. 

I then discovered that it is very discomforting to stay up until 2 AM, and then try to sleep on a plane. Which was not good for me. I got maybe 30 mins. So when I got home around 11 I was tired, hungry (mom took such good care of me as always), and sick. I did not get feeling better until Saturday. 

Today I discovered that daily, personal, meaningful prayer and gospel study is a remarkable guard in life. Add that to following given counsel and being true to covenants and you will see that lasting joy is around every corner. Even as we travel through tough times. The Lord is so pleased when we make steps towards Him. He really is intent upon our personal growth and development. Days like today are both invigorating and exhausting. Contradicting I know, but they are such lifting days but I am worn out mentally, physically, and spiritually. I yearn to help others make the changes they so desire in their lives. The atonement really is an enabling way to become better than we are now.  To be the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

I had vivid memories today of Norway and the people there. I reflected back on being able to talk to my mission president on Monday. While Ty and Kieren took the general tour, I sat down with him. What a flood of memories that we shared about Trondheim and serving there. The branch president really wanted a youth program to help out the branch, but had no one that could do it.  He asked President Peterson for missionaries to help. "You got it, what else" was the reply. "Well, I need someone to teach Sunday School to those youth". Same reply. "We need to have Sunday firesides to give them another opportunity to learn the gospel". Again, same reply. So my companion and I started working with the youth. At first it was just a few. But each time President Peterson would come into the area ere would be many more. From 10 to 20 to 30 and more. All in a small branch. And I discovered that this small start was the beginning of a season that continues where youth have grown, joined the church, served missions, and are the leadership in that area now. I remember the activity nights when we started and having fun along with a spiritual lesson.  And the firesides in the missionaries large apartment (6 of us living there, nicest place by far my whole mission) where we had interactive discussions, taught the gospel, and followed a pattern that is much like the come follow me curriculum of today. It was a most fulfilling time as we could see real progress.  

Serving others really does an amazing thing as you leave yourself and help others, your joy fills up and you are happier than when you try to be happy by serving only yourself. This is the same concept in marriage. As you do all you can to serve your spouse, you become happier. Even if you don't "get" what you originally thought was needed, wanted, desired etc. 

You all make me so happy, please make choices hat bring you closer to Christ every day. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4

Great Pleasure

if I had to sum up this week, it would be that there are so many who take great pleasure in seeing me, saying "hi bishop" and then in some form or another smiling, cracking up, wryly smirking or such. They are finding it a great treat to take pleasure in saying that. It's been funny. In text, email, calls, or in person. I have found it amusing. 

I had a great week in Natchitoches Louisiana for my final week of lean champions training. All about making business better arranged, taking out wasted time of what we do, and making everything more effective. It was actually very good and I learned a great deal for the past few months. I still have some work on my project that we had to do. And then after that I have to do another major project that will take 3-4 months and then I can be crowned a true lean champion. It is great for my learning, and should help my career also. They talk about the 8 deadly wastes, defects, over production, waiting, not using employee talents, transportation, inventory, motion, and excess processing. And everyone kept ribbing me this week because they said I added a 9th. Sleeping!  Just because I drifted off one day (OK 2 days) for a few minutes during class. I was so wasted after getting 4 hrs of sleep the first night from delayed flights and crazy AM conference calls, and the next day the same calls (5:30 AM) and I woke up 6 times in the night. So I had no sleep.  But it was all good and I gained so much. They talk about "learning to see" the waste. And I used a quote from Brother Partlow of the seminaries that everyone really liked. "The more you imagine the ideal circumstance, the more ideal the circumstance becomes."

Skjelse and Jeff came by last night. It was great. Jeff made great fun of me as they came over as I was watching HGTV and eating toast. Everyone else had gone places and I was home alone. Jeff pinned me on being a lame bachelor as I was alone and how pathetic it was since mom had only been gone one day. Guilty as charged!  But I was hungry, I needed something and the rest entailed so much work. What was I to do?

Today really was great. We had a broadcast conference that was awesome and in the afternoon I went to Spencer's with Ty (yup Gavin, they gave us ice cream on the way out, it was a vanilla/chocolate mixed ice cream sandwich, yum, yum) and then had our first bishopric meeting. It was great, they are all such good people. Then I got to do temple recommend interviews for a new convert for their first time, and for a young adult that is doing so well. It was a pleasure to be a part of that. It's a great blessing to go to the temple and to help others just doubles it up. 

Yesterday Nathan Zimmerman got baptized. It made me reminisce that I am now bishop for their youngest, and for our youngest (Lys) it was bishop Zimmerman. He was so smiley and happy. Like Lys was that day. 

All of this made me think back to my first area in Norway. Aalesund was a great place, so many memories. I was companions with the elder that was branch president. I remember each week we would go to a members home and have seminary with the youth there. So we were seminary teachers, sacrament speakers, set up, tear down, Sunday school teachers, the whole works. It was neat to remember meeting upstairs in a building downtown, and how small it felt the first week, but getting to love it as I served there. The first time I spoke was so hard as it was only my 2nd or 3rd week in the country. But I tried, did my best, and was grateful to get it behind me!  That is the town where I learned all about kicks (the sled type transportation I have told you about), that kids went to school on cross country skis, and that God really knew me and wanted me to have the best. 

That is also where I got more drenched Than I have ever been in my life. It was a dark and stormy night, 2 elders at at a bus stop. Tell me a story said one, ......whoops, it was a dark and stormy night though!  I recall having my umbrella directly sideways behind me trying to stop the rain that was just horizontal. It did not seem like it was coming down at all, just over. When we finally got off the last bus stop (which was nice that is was so close to our house) we were so wet, it was just gross. I had on a full overcoat, suit, shirt etc. and it as all just like I had been in a pool. That is where I lived the movie experience and actually took off my shoes, turned them up, and water poured out as they were just full of water. And I had avoided all the puddles. It was a wonderful time I will never forget. Miserable if all you had was earthly mindset, but given what I was there for, it is a cherished memory that was so fun to me. I felt like I was really experiencing Norway like a Norwegian. 

I also had my first experience of having a members name come clear and direct to me, saying you need to meet with so and so, get it arranged now.  It was a deep impression that I needed to do that and get with them. Heavenly Father knows all of us, and He will take care of us if we let Him. I just have to be sure I listen, follow, and stay out of His way as He does His work. 

Thank you for bringing me so much joy. It is a pleasure to be a father. 

Love you forever,

Dad

3 John 1:4