Save the Family

Joy Saunders Lundberg and Janice Kapp Perry have teamed up to write a song called “Save the Family,” and a video has been created with this song in the background and posted on YouTube. Its primary purpose is to spread the word about the importance of the family and to support California Proposition 8 this November. Okay, it’s Mormon pop, and therefore just the teeniest bit cheesy, but its message is good and its moral is strong. If Americans (and, right now, specifically Californians) do not stand up to pressure and protect the family, our nation will crumble. It is as simple as that. If we cannot support and respect a president who has cheated on his wife, how can we let this fly?

Watch the video.

Vote yes on Proposition 8.

Here’s the url. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1GRQGc5GQ0. Pass it along.

T–minus 20 days and counting…

That’s right. In 20 days I will be in the MTC. That’s crazy. I don’t even have luggage yet (yeah, I really need to get cracking on that one).

This week has been a flurry of unproductivity. Well, I went to the temple again on Tuesday and I consider that VERY productive. And I’ll say, I already feel a lot better about it! It wasn’t as scary this time because I actually knew what to expect, and I had some idea what I was doing. And I got to go see the Temple President and ask him all sorts of questions, and that helped too. He was awesome! He told me to come back, because he likes talking about temple stuff. I know that things in the temple are too sacred to mention outside, but inside I love that you can ask questions. It truly is a house of learning, and that furthers my belief that it is a little piece of heaven on earth. I think heaven is the one place where you can ask any question you want and get the full and true answer. It is also a place that never runs out of questions, if that makes sense. Because every answer you get opens up more and more questions (like that saying that it is the truly learned who truly realize how little they know), and you never stop learning! You keep learning and progressing and growing throughout eternity.

I’ve been puttering around and getting all sorts of little things done, but in reality we should be cleaning the house and getting ready for our “not” open house Sunday. I’m speaking on church Sunday (everyone speaks in church just prior to serving a mission and just after returning), and so we’re having food at our house for anyone who wants to stop by and say goodbye to me. We’re not really supposed to have a “farewell” and make a big hullabaloo about me leaving, but it does make sense to have a time when anyone can come to visit and say goodbye, since I’ll be gone for a year and a half. It also seems soon to say goodbye, but next Sunday is the primary program, and the Sunday after that I’ll have already left for Utah, to enter the MTC that Wednesday. It’s funny how things sneak up on you. I think part of it is also because I invited a few nonmembers to come hear me speak, and it seems rude to be like, “well, thanks for coming to see me, you should either go to gospel essentials or go home.” It’s much kinder to say “well, there’s food at my house if you’re interested and you have some time to chat!” Another thing kind of weighing on my mind about the whole matter is I feel like I’m inviting everyone last-minute. But then, I wasn’t given much time between when I got my call and when I’m supposed to report. I remember with my brother it was a few months and he had plenty of time to prepare, and people kind of had advance notice. Oh well. I’m glad I don’t have to wait so long!

I also went and visited some of my old high school teachers this week. They always love to chat, but every year they grow a little more distant, a little less involved in my life (and I in theirs). That’s fine; I mean, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. They nave a new fresh crop of students every year to worry about, and while they’re happy to have made a difference in my life, that time has come and passed and it’s time for new students for them and new teachers for me. It’s not like their entire universe revolves around when one little old student comes back to visit. I guess it’s always just a bit sad to grow up and move on.

And I can’t make a post today without dwelling on the fact that it’s September 11. Has it really been seven years? This day was made Patriot Day, a holiday to remember what happened. But what are we going to do with that memory? What does it really mean? Other holidays are easier. Independence Day you remember the signing of the Declaration of Independence and remember how thankful you are to be an American Citizen and to have the basic freedoms of life. Thanksgiving you remember all sorts of things you’re thankful for, one of those being, once again, living here in America and having religious freedom that the pilgrims came all the way across the Atlantic Ocean for. Christmas is the birth of Christ, wherein we give gifts to each other and remember the one great gift of His sacrifice and Atonement. And so on and so forth. But Patriot Day? I think that what it means to me (and therefore what it should mean to others, of course :p) is a day to remind us that there is ugliness and hate in the world and to make us ask ourselves what we are doing to combat that ugliness and hate. What are we doing to foster peace and understanding, not just with other countries but among our own fellow citizens? It is a day to remind us that diplomacy and discussion and reason will always be more effective and more noble than acts of violence.

yet another life step…

I went through the temple for the first time today and took out my endowments. It was a really happy experience. Overwhelming and kinda confusing, but happy. I can see the truth in what goes on in there, and I’m excited to go back and learn more. One of the nice sisters said it’s like reading the scriptures: the first time you read them, they’re pretty confusing, and there’s tons of information, and they’re even kind of boring. But each time you read them, you grow to understand and love them more and more. I want to go back again and again so I can understand and love the temple more and more. I’m not too worried that I didn’t quite “get” everything. I will. I’ll get there.

mission thoughts

Well my mission papers are in. In about two weeks, I’ll know where I’m going and when. It’s all vaguely surreal. My papers had been put off for so long, mostly because of health issues, that the prospect of a mission seemed to get further and further away. And now they’re in. They’re done. They’re one hundred percent, totally and completely off my hands. And now all I can do is pray.

People keep asking me where I want to go. I always thought that having a place I want to go is rather ridiculous, because in all the returned missionaries I’ve spoken to, that seems to have a reverse effect, if any, on their mission call. One friend didn’t want to go anywhere cold, and she went to Sweden. One friend said the only place he didn’t want to go was Salt Lake City, and that’s where he was called. I heard of one guy who figured he’d go somewhere Spanish-speaking, because of the plethora of rapidly-growing missions in South America, so he studied Spanish and went on splits with Spanish-speaking missionaries until he was pretty dang fluent in Spanish, and in missionary Spanish to boot. He went to Finland. Even your language study doesn’t always determine where you’ll go. There is a flip side to this coin, however. While in Finland he met a man from South America who only spoke Spanish, and was able to teach him the first lesson. I’ve been studying Swedish at BYU, and have gotten fairly proficient at it. So a lot of people say I’m going to go to Sweden. But every classmate I’ve had in my Swedish classes wanted to go to Sweden, and none of them has. One went to Finland, another to Washington, D.C., another to Hungary (or so I heard), and so on. So I don’t see Sweden being particularly likely. I do, however, believe that wherever I go, something I have learned from taking Swedish–be it the language itself or just some obscure interest I’ve developed as a result–will come in handy in teaching or serving someone, or just brightening someone’s day. I firmly believe that. And while it is my dream to go to Sweden someday, it’s okay if I don’t go there on my mission, because no matter what I’ll go there eventually.

My philosophy has been to not have a place where I don’t want to go, because I would just end up cursing myself as they say. Granted, somewhere in Utah or Idaho might be kind of disappointing, but I know that I would learn to love it. The only places I’ve ever gone that I truly, honestly didn’t like were New York City (Times Square) and Logan, Utah. Both places were smelly. But I’m sure I could even get used to either place if that was where the Lord needed me to be. And really, no offense if you’re from either of those places. I just wasn’t there long enough to get over my first impression. And I don’t believe much in first impressions. You almost always end up learning something about a person or place that makes you understand them so much better and makes you wonder why you ever looked at them askance.

One last thought (and kind of a change of subject) on my mission before I sign off here. This past week I’ve been staying up heinously late every night, not really making up for it during the day, and eating nothing but junk. And it occurred to me today (halfway through the Gilroy Garlic Festival, by the way–but don’t worry, it didn’t ruin my fun ) that if I’m going to be healthy on my mission (because there’s no guaranteeing that my health problems won’t pop up again like daisies), I need to start taking better care of myself now. Junk food is fun every once in a while as a treat, but it certainly shouldn’t be a staple. And, as a previous sufferer of mono, I need my sleep. The easiest way to do that (other than quitting my semi-lucrative job) is to live more moderately and go to bed a little earlier. And hopefully exercise should come into the picture. I’ve never been a health nut, for heaven’s sake, but I’m starting to learn the hard way how to recognize when my body needs more than I’ve been giving it. I could of course just keep praying that I’ll be healthy enough to go, but, as a picture that hung on my grandfather’s office wall for years says:

Just sittin’ and wishin’
won’t change your fate.
The Lord provides the fishin’
but you have to dig the bait.

be firm

Elder Ballard has counseled members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to write about their beliefs on the internet, to share these beliefs with others. I think this is a great way to get correct information out there, so that when others look up the Church on a search engine they find more than just anti-Mormon websites. They have a better chance of finding the truth. I already have friends who do so, most admirably. Now it’s my turn.

Today I want to address a very crucial topic that seems to be coming to a head in our society. This is particularly difficult for me because some of my closest friends in high school felt strongly the opposite of what I believe on this issue. They were vocal members of the gay-straight alliance, etc., and some even claim(ed) to be bisexual. I also had friends who were homosexual, though we were not as close. I did my best to make it clear to them that, while I do not and cannot condone homosexuality, that they were still my friends and I cared for them. I believe they saw me as faithful and yet tolerant. But now I have to make a stand that, if they see this blog, could very likely damage our relationships for life. But it’s time to no longer be afraid of criticism.

So as most Californians know, the state supreme court recently declared the law, passed by the voice of the people, that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, unconstitutional. According to the state constitution. Here’s a quote from an article on CNN.com:

The California Supreme Court struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage Thursday, saying sexual orientation, like race or gender, “does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”

Okay, but this is not about “rights.” It is about “definition.” They call it a right to marry, when in fact they seek to change the definition of marriage.

And pro-gay activists have a load of weapons in their arsenal. They use loaded words to gain sympathy. First, as I said, they call it a “right.” Anyone who disagrees is a “bigot” or “old-fashioned.” And we’re not allowed to say things like “sin” because that’s bringing religion into the picture. They’ve duct-taped our mouths.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles words it much better than I do:

This is much bigger than just a question of whether or not society should be more tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle. Over past years we have seen unrelenting pressure from advocates of that lifestyle to accept as normal what is not normal, and to characterize those who disagree as narrow-minded, bigoted and unreasonable. Such advocates are quick to demand freedom of speech and thought for themselves, but equally quick to criticize those with a different view and, if possible, to silence them by applying labels like “homophobic.” In at least one country where homosexual activists have won major concessions, we have even seen a church pastor threatened with prison for preaching from the pulpit that homosexual behavior is sinful. Given these trends, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue — ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach. (see full article)

And so it is time for us to take a stand. And don’t let them derail you with arguments of the “fundamentality” of their feelings or of the specialness of their situation. Elder Wickman says the following in the same article:

Whether it is nature or nurture really begs the important question, and a preoccupation with nature or nurture can, it seems to me, lead someone astray from the principles that Elder Oaks has been describing here. Why somebody has a same-gender attraction… who can say? But what matters is the fact that we know we can control how we behave, and it is behavior which is important.

But maybe I’m derailing myself. My point is, marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Any twisting of that is wrong. Also, the family is the basic unit of society. As the First Presidency puts it in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”:

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

…

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

And a few weeks ago a letter from the First Presidency was read aloud in every LDS meetinghouse in California, urging us to give time and means to support the upcoming proposed amendment to the California constitution this fall that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. According to the CNN article, Governor Schwarzenegger said he would not support such an amendment, which means we have to make an especial effort. So this is my call to all out there (especially in California) who believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Even if you are not Mormon. The Supreme Court overruled a vote by the majority of the people, so now we have to go over the Supreme Court.

Vote yes on Proposition 8, the California Marriage Protection Act. More than that, become a part of the campaign effort. Even if it is as little as talking to your friends and sharing how you feel about the issue. Don’t be obnoxious or belligerent. But be firm.

And whatever you do, don’t give up. There is enough voting power out there to do the right thing. We just need to make an effort.

assurance

I don’t have much to say today. Except that I’ve been reminded through a few recent personal experiences how much Heavenly Father loves us and how much he really listens to and answers our prayers. And how the temple is a place where the noise and jumble of the world are left behind as you enter. And suddenly you can receive revelations and feelings of peace and comfort that have been waiting a long while to come. The temple is truly the house of the Lord, and it remains unspotted from the world. It is a tiny bit of heaven on earth.

growing up

So I am now back from girls camp. I loved it as a camper and now I love it as a counselor. This is my second year in a row as a counselor. It’s rough to be in charge of five eleven-to-twelve-year-old girls, but intensely rewarding. And so much fun when you’re still half-kid inside. You get kind of torn sometimes, though, because half of you understands what the adults are talking about and half of you understands what the girls are talking about and it’s hard to make the talk meet somewhere in the middle. If that makes any sense.

The whole week was great, but I want to mention a strange “adult” moment I had last night. One of my girls, one whom I love dearly, got sick. I think part was from the heat, part from overexertion, and part from camp food (the food was great! I’m actually friends with the head cook. But weird things happen in the heat, especially with girls who only eat junk food because they don’t know any better). She threw up a couple times in the course of the day, and actually got quite hysterical in the evening. I think the hysteria was a combination of sickness, the heat, the emotion from the testimony meeting, and the emotion from it being the last day of camp. After the girls watched the slideshow of pictures from the week, I had this girl go take a shower, and then we were all going to go to sleep in our tent. And then the junior staff and junior counselors (16- and 17-year-olds), eternal rivals, started a water fight in the middle of the night. Most of the girls from the rest of the camp got involved, and my girls were recruited.

And here came my dilemma.

It was the last night of camp, and I wanted the girls to have fun because I knew it would make a great memory. I also really wanted to go and be a part of it. BUT, one of my girls, the most energetic one and the one who wanted most dearly to go, had been sick all day. And I put my foot down. Two of my girls went and joined the water fight, because my sick little drama queen insisted they go. I knew she hated me. I felt so guilty because I knew I was taking a priceless memory from her. But, even though she had had a blessing and was feeling much better, the best thing for her to do right then was to sleep. I knew she was spent and that the only reason she wasn’t sleepy was that her body was running on adrenaline.

And I realized that that’s what good parents do all the time. They say no, even though they know it will make their child angry or upset, that it will hurt their child’s feelings. They say no because they know it is the best thing for the child. It reminded me of the movie Raising Helen, where Helen has to raise her sister’s orphans and learn how to be a good parent, and one of the lessons she has to learn is that sometimes she has to put her foot down and let them think she’s mean, let them think she’s uncool, let them hate her. She has to do it because she cares more about their well-being than about being cool.

Needless to say, it was a bizarre moment for me. I had been the crazy, fun, immature counselor all week, but last night was the time to be the adult.

And it definitely makes me think of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we ask for things because we don’t see the bigger picture, and He has to say no, because He knows what we need, and He knows that that is more important than what we want. And He always has His priorities straight.

Just as a short epilogue to the story, this girl doesn’t hate me. After a good night’s sleep she was once again happy to see me and sad to say goodbye. She gave me a long, tight hug before she left. She was definitely my biggest handful this week, but she has become very precious to me. I can see the strength of her spirit and I am so excited to watch her blossom into a beautiful and wonderful young woman. I have one word to describe her: delightful.

Last night, the camp director, a woman I’ve known for years and years, since I was a little camper myself, said something to me last night that really touched me. She said that I’m probably the best thing that happened to those little first years. That just makes me beam inside.