“Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride” —Gordon B. Hinckley, quoting newspaper columnist Jenkin Lloyd Jones Some pertinent thoughts: I recently purged my friend list of Facebook friends that do not adhere to my standards of civility, respect, and service to others. If you are one of my merely 28 friends (who, might I add, are mostly in Ohio), you survived a cut of over 2,000 Facebook friends. I found that where I live now has become my home. Ohio has taught me to be humble, meek, and thoughtful. Stress, which can occur anywhere I go in the world, shall be but a small moment. The people who welcome you with open arms, a listening ear, and a warm heart are my kind of people. Ive learned more about living a life grounded in the principles of the restored gospel in the past two years than I could ever learn about anything at Harvard or living in Utah for three years. My testimony of the restored gospel has been strengthened. I am blessed beyond what many of you know, and I can only hope to share the hope and joy I have for the future with all of you. Ohio: thank you. You have taught me so much. You have taught me to understand more clearly how to act like the Savior. You have taught me to serve. You have taught me to faithfully go on my way with spring in my step and a smile on my face. Richard has always been there for me when I needed someone to talk to or seek advice from, even if it did on one occasion include a bribe for an ice cream sundae at Friendlys (rest in peace). He also epitomizes what a Sunday School teacher should be. His lessons are invigorating and uplifting. Kaylin - who has provided countless words of wisdom pertaining to everything from relationships to constant faith to why some people think the Dallas Cowboys are the only true and living football team - has been a remarkable conversationalist and I never leave her presence without knowing with a surety that she enjoyed talking with me. I just hope you know how uplifted I feel when I talk with you, and hope to be there for you whenever you need me. Willy, who is about to get married - you provided nonstop comedic relief but simultaneously maintained the Spirit of the Lord constantly. You will be a great husband and an amazing father. Congratulations, dear brother. Shelly and her husband Brother Nyberg are some of the most remarkably upbeat and cheerful people Ive ever met. With what seems like a dozen kids in tow and Br. Nyberg on the stand, I usually am in awe that you maintain such reverence and solace. You are all wonderful. Lesley - you always put other people before yourself. Your testimony shines through your mere presence, and that is indicative of the wonderful family you are raising with your awesome husband Kevin. If there was a coolest family in the ward award, I am sure the Tiptons would take first place. Christy and Joe - where can I start? Sr. Campbells infectious laugh always puts me in high spirits on Sunday mornings, and she is ever-ready to offer a word of encouragement or thoughtfulness. And Joe - your astute political observations, especially those regarding the Second Amendment, are always welcome and I try to read as many as you post. Iris and Howard, your presence in the ward is amazing. Your smile is irresistible and I have personally witnessed on a few occasions where someone was feeling down or looked troubled and all you had to do was smile and their day was instantly brightened. Howard, you married well. I appreciate your well-rounded view of the world and the faith-building experiences youve shared. I am also profoundly grateful whenever I can hear you bear your testimony and/or give a talk. You offer insight into complicated doctrinal topics while integrating stories from your own personal life so that others can relate to you. We are immensely blessed to have the Helises in our congregation. Peter, I know you only taught in Elders Quorum for a brief time but your lessons were always meticulously prepared and peppered with testimony bearing opportunities. You did a phenomenal job, and I would sit in our priesthood meeting, thinking to myself, I sincerely hope that should I ever be called to teach in any capacity again that I can be half as good of a teacher that Brother Wilson has been. Kenneth - I miss having you in our ward. You were always jolly and encouraging, helping the quorum to realize our full potential. You are missed! Ariana and Alan - as I have become acquainted with you, I feel the devotion to the gospel that emanates from your family. I remember telling Emily after initially meeting the both of you that Alan had the proverbial bishops attitude of joy, reverence and peace about him... so if gets called within the next decade, feel free to blame me, but I am confident hed do a spectacular job. :) Melanie, I know we dont know each other that well, but as Ive become acquainted with Kirk Ive learned that he is a brilliant, politically adept, and gospel-centered man with amazing leadership qualities. It is truly a blessing to have you and your family in the ward. Stephen and Bernadette, the both of you share the most relevant stories and anecdotes about your lives, and they always culminate with a particularly perceptive viewpoint of how it relates to gospel principles or whatever may be the subject at hand. I am impressed with the both of you for your happiness and constant desire to serve. Thanks to both of you so very much for your testimonies and the lives of faith that you lead. Ernest (Dell) - Where to begin? You are always ready with a handshake and a smile. You magnify your calling with what seems to be the Hubble Space Telescope, and you seem to diligently apply gospel principles to your life in every regard. You are an extraordinary ward mission leader and I am proud to count you as one of my mentors and friends. To Austin and Caleb, your service in the Englewood Area had a profound impact on my life. Your testimonies, thoughtfulness, and humility pierced the souls of those you encountered. As you labored here, you left an indelible mark on my life, helping me to understand more clearly what needed to be done in order for our wards and stakes to be not only more missionary minded, but to also act and conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent to how the Savior would act at that time and in that place on the road ahead. Thank you so very much for your service. You, and Willy, Barnett, Beckman, Elquist, Irwin, and Bell taught me so much. I am forever indebted to all of you for the level of faith and optimism you helped me to reach. I know Paul is not in Ohio, but he is my supervisor at FamilySearch. He deserves a very special expression of gratitude for his Christlike forbearance, patience, and understanding due to the recent influx of severe pain that prevented me from being fully operational. As I tended to my search for an accurate diagnosis (which only within the past 72 hours was obtained), Paul reassured me time and time again that I would be able to pick up where I left off on my Church Service Mission, for which I am exceptionally grateful. Last but not least, Id like to also acknowledge the most amazing people I know on the face of the earth: Sharon and Charlie Lane. My surrogate parents. My initial reason for moving to Ohio (back in 08). The people who cared for me and loved me after a decade of horror as a youth in the foster care system in Rhode Island. They have stood by my side through thick and thin. I owe them the world. When others doubted me, Sharon and Charlie were always there to push me to the next greatest thing. I spent three years at Harvard, met amazing friends, the best of them being Saling Simon who I stood (and stand) in awe of when I first heard him play Gershwin at the Harvard Faculty Club at the conclusion of the Expository Writing section we attended together. An even more awe-inducing, jaw-dropping moment occurred when I learned that he performed at Carnegie Hall at age 8. And he was my friend? How does a prodigy/musical genius/brilliant student befriend a lowly comparative literature concentrator who has no real practical plans for life with the exception of obtaining a terminal degree with the hope of a tenure track teaching position? Saling is just one example of the amazing people Ive met over the past decade. However, with all of the bustle and hustle of the times, we begin to see things as they really are. You begin to learn who your true friends and (in my case, surrogate) family are through the experiences you share with them. Without the encouragement, love, and guidance from Sharon and Charlie, I would not be half the man I am today. I would not have attended Harvard. I would not dream big, I would remain stagnant or in flux as opposed to being driven with an ardent aim of doing what I could to change the world in whatever minuscule way that I could. They encouraged me to press on with my efforts to reform the seemingly perpetually problem-plagued Rhode Island DCYF. I started a not-for-profit lobbying entity and devoted the firms resources and grant monies to raising awareness about the deplorable conditions that many Rhode Island youth face when they, through no fault of their own, are removed from their homes because of abusive or negligent parents. It may or may not be a coincidence that we pioneered some pretty challenging legislation that began a discussion about how to make necessary changes to ensure the safety and protection of Rhode Islands most vulnerable population. We were able to ensure that kids in DCYF care are able to now stay in one consistent school as opposed to being shuffled around nonsensically from school to school depending on which shelter or group home the child or adolescent were staying in that particular evening. We were able to push for financing so that DCYF could be certified by the Council on Accreditation (which was mandated by a bill passed in both chambers and signed by Governor Lincoln Chafee). This isnt a mini-memoir as much as it is a recollection of the remarkable experiences I have had, and without Charlie and Sharon, I would have never stepped foot again in the Rhode Island State House. I would never have gone to Harvard (although Stephen R. Covey deserves special thanks for providing me with a personal grant in 2009 to begin in the fall semester). In short, it is an expression of gratitude for living in a place where people love me, care about me, and are true friends with identical standards to my own. I would have never understood what my place in the world was and what I was to do with the existential questions that were burdening my mind if it were not for Charlie and Sharon, because they gave me the best gift that I would ever receive during my time on this earth: a chance to reach my potential and fulfilling my dreams when others casted doubt and perpetuated pessimism. Besides, if you know Sister Lane, youd know that if anyone crosses her path when she has her heart set on something, you have a better chance of convincing President Obama that Obamacare was a huge mistake. Her heart and Charlies heart were so set on my success that I owe them everything. I will forever remember and cherish the teaching moments and the tribulations, the joys and the sorrows, the successes and the failures. But they emulated the Savior, and they were there for me. Eternity would not be long enough for me to thank them and express my appreciation and infinite gratitude for their guidance, support, and unfailing belief in me. Charlie and Sharon, I love you. To all of those Ive named above, I love all of you. I pray for all of you each evening. I know struggle. I know pain. I know hardship. We all do. But, as President Thomas S. Monson has taught, Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. (October 2008 General Conference.) I owe my life and optimism at this point in my life to all of the people Ive mentioned above. I dont know when I started feeling comfortable in Ohio, nor do I know the exact reason for reassessing this place that I now proudly call home. I suppose I have learned that you dont need cobblestone sidewalks, intimidating cast iron gates, a buzzing (and often tardy) subway system, or the worlds largest university library system (Harvard has over 50 libraries). You dont need pretentious faculty club memberships, season tickets to Fenway Park, or even the ocean (although I will confess that I really, really miss the sea). You need friends. People who love you. People who you love. People who believe in the same doctrinal tenets as you. You need smiles and handshakes and hugs, get-togethers and yes, even the occasional cultural excursion to Skyline Chili. You need an understanding of the world, but remember to live in it and not of it. You need family. You need consistency and commitment. You need a testimony of what you know to be true. And all of the rest falls into place. I have been, for as long as I can remember, a seeker of truth and wisdom, and maybe not much more than that at the end of the day. Most of the time its not enough to define what life is, and we have to go out and conquer our fears. Sometimes we need to listen for that whistle blowing so we dont miss our train to the next stop. Just as we need to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. And how do we know what is going to happen at the next train station or ticket booth? How do we know one of our distant relatives who we promised in the preexistence that if they or their ancestors ever fell away from the church was supposed to make the train to Zion? Throughout our lives, as Latter-day Saints, we are always on the train, blowing the whistle, letting our brothers and sisters board with us as we ride on to Zion. The way we see the world, as Latter-day Saints, is ultimately about building up the Kingdom of God. Maybe some folks are comfortable down on the platform or in the city or in the desert. But we are, by covenant, builders of the Kingdom of God on the earth. We cannot spare a moment to get off to heart a voice calling our name... our goal is to get to Zion, not to some railroad outpost or exchange on the outskirts of a modern-day rendition of Babylon. Latter-day Saints remain on the train with those who joined us later in the journey, as they were peacefully persuaded by our message of peace, happiness, and joy as we travel up the mountain to Zion. And from that mountain we can see the evil and sorrow in this world. The truth of the restored gospel doesnt change. Jesus Christ is the head of His church. Joseph Smith was and is His prophet. Thomas S. Monson is His prophet on the earth today. And whether we know it or not, were all going to end up in the same terminal, with our family members, our ancestors, historical figures, and those who will approach us and say, thank you brother or thank you sister for assuring their temple work was done. And we wont have to worry about lost luggage. Except perhaps our Celestial Kingdom Identification Card (maybe ?). I know that Christ lives. I know that He guides His Church. In His own time and in His own way, Heavenly Father will issue a call for the Savior to return to earth in splendor and glory, with great crowds assembled across the world, from Salt Lake to Adam-Ondi-Ahman. I have a testimony that the literal gathering of Israel will indeed take place and perhaps is progressing quicker than we know. I have a testimony that the New Jerusalem will be built upon the American continent. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, and he serves the Savior as he has for the past 51 years as an Apostle of the Lord. I am so thankful that I see beauty and truth in my home, the Englewood Ward. I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I have a testimony of the priesthood power that has cured me from sickness, that has led me to the appropriate physicians with whom I worked to discover the causation of this horrible pain, and I know that, as we are taught in 2 Nephi, angels speak through the Holy Ghost. There are no coincidences in the Kingdom of God. I have a testimony of the power of the priesthood and how it blesses and strengthens lives, and rescues souls from the depths of spiritual dismay. I know that Christ lives and I love my Savior. Our Father in Heaven has blessed us with a beautiful earth that we need to take care of, He has blessed us with the power of discernment, and He has blessed with the ability to bless others as we strive to bring souls to Christ. I stopped trying to figure out how to live by the standards of the world a long time ago. I am finally home. The Englewood Ward is our home and I know that this is where the Lord needs us right now. And I couldnt be happier. Hurrah for Israel and onward to Zion we go.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:57:00 +0000
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