September 10, 2018
This week I bought a new whitewater kayak (used) and took it out on the Spanish Fork river on Saturday. It was pretty sweet but feels totally different than my old kayak so it's going to take a little while to get used to. Mom and I went to JohnnyP's birthday party on Friday and it was pretty chill with catered sliders and made-to-order pizzas, birthday cake, smores, and a cover band playing. I liked it a lot. We had stake conference on Saturday and Sunday which meant meetings for me at 4pm Saturday, 7am Sunday, and 10am Sunday. Then we went to West Jordan for Jared Hickenlooper's homecoming so it was like 5 1/2 hours of church on Sunday with a lot of driving thrown in.
I went to the temple on Thursday and thought a lot about you. Don't ever forget that as members of the church we pray for our missionaries in every endowment session every hour of the day in every temple in the world. If you ever feel afraid or alone just think of all those people and all those prayers.
I've reflected a lot about what you told me last week where the members bash on you sometimes for being white and male and American. That's a really hard thing to have to deal with but it sounds like you are handling it with grace and class. Be classy. Never sink down to a low level even if people try to bait you. You know all that stuff already. You need to build emotional strength so that people can't hurt you. I remember watching a documentary about Tiger Woods and when he was young - like 7 years old - his dad would shout insults at him while he was taking a putt. It sounds really cruel but later in life when mean fans would shout insults at Tiger, it never phased him in the least because his dad had trained him well. Now I didn't train you that well, did I? I was never that mean. But remember that righteous men throughout history have been mocked and insulted and scorned - even the greatest of them all. Also have charity because underneath the insults is insecurity, fear, and pain. Women mock men because women have been abused and debased and intimidated by men since the beginning of time. Maybe not by you or by me exactly so we might not personally deserve it but just think of all the men who have acted wrongly and then you'll get a glimpse of the pain, fear, and insecurity underneath the insults. Why would anyone hate white people? Maybe because white people have been in power since the beginning of time and have not made the best decisions to bring prosperity to all men. And why would anyone hate Americans? Maybe because they are rich or conceited or they make all the cool stuff (cell phones, movies, tv shows, music) that everyone wants to buy. When was the last time the people of Mexico made a pile of money off movies, music, and tv shows they created or new technologies they invented? Maybe if a whole nation gets viewed as "inferior" to someone or something else then they start hating the ones who are viewed as superior. I know that Americans have terrible drug habits which create lucrative black markets for drug cartels to thrive in and cartels create instability and government corruption in Mexico that the honest people never asked for but still have to live with. It can't be easy. So if people hate you for being white, male, American, or a [whatever we are supposed to call Mormons now] just forgive them and try to listen with your heart to find out where their pain is coming from.
I want to share with you a scripture story that relates to your missionary work. The passage is 2 Chronicles 20:1-15. In verse 2 the good guys hear about a "great multitude" coming to kill them and they are really afraid. Have you ever been afraid or needed/wanted something really badly? In verse 3 they decide to fast and pray for help. Do you ever fast and pray for help? And these guys don't just pray anywhere, they actually go to the house of the Lord (temple) in verse 5 to pray. Have you ever gone to the temple or to sacrament meeting to pray for something important? And while some people went out to the borders to keep their eyes focused outward looking for the bad guys (the problem), the good guys instead go to the temple and verse 12 "keep their eyes upon God" (the solution). And because of their great faith the spirit tells them "be not afraid the battle is not your's but God's" (verse 15). Is the battle you are waging right now for the souls of men your battle? Or is it God's battle?
Satan would have us always focusing on our problems while God would have us always focusing on him (the solution). I think this has a lot to do with missionary work because as long as you focus on God and pray and fast for your investigators, miracles will happen.
I love you. Stay strong, try to laugh a little every day, and have fun.
Love,
Dad
I went to the temple on Thursday and thought a lot about you. Don't ever forget that as members of the church we pray for our missionaries in every endowment session every hour of the day in every temple in the world. If you ever feel afraid or alone just think of all those people and all those prayers.
I've reflected a lot about what you told me last week where the members bash on you sometimes for being white and male and American. That's a really hard thing to have to deal with but it sounds like you are handling it with grace and class. Be classy. Never sink down to a low level even if people try to bait you. You know all that stuff already. You need to build emotional strength so that people can't hurt you. I remember watching a documentary about Tiger Woods and when he was young - like 7 years old - his dad would shout insults at him while he was taking a putt. It sounds really cruel but later in life when mean fans would shout insults at Tiger, it never phased him in the least because his dad had trained him well. Now I didn't train you that well, did I? I was never that mean. But remember that righteous men throughout history have been mocked and insulted and scorned - even the greatest of them all. Also have charity because underneath the insults is insecurity, fear, and pain. Women mock men because women have been abused and debased and intimidated by men since the beginning of time. Maybe not by you or by me exactly so we might not personally deserve it but just think of all the men who have acted wrongly and then you'll get a glimpse of the pain, fear, and insecurity underneath the insults. Why would anyone hate white people? Maybe because white people have been in power since the beginning of time and have not made the best decisions to bring prosperity to all men. And why would anyone hate Americans? Maybe because they are rich or conceited or they make all the cool stuff (cell phones, movies, tv shows, music) that everyone wants to buy. When was the last time the people of Mexico made a pile of money off movies, music, and tv shows they created or new technologies they invented? Maybe if a whole nation gets viewed as "inferior" to someone or something else then they start hating the ones who are viewed as superior. I know that Americans have terrible drug habits which create lucrative black markets for drug cartels to thrive in and cartels create instability and government corruption in Mexico that the honest people never asked for but still have to live with. It can't be easy. So if people hate you for being white, male, American, or a [whatever we are supposed to call Mormons now] just forgive them and try to listen with your heart to find out where their pain is coming from.
I want to share with you a scripture story that relates to your missionary work. The passage is 2 Chronicles 20:1-15. In verse 2 the good guys hear about a "great multitude" coming to kill them and they are really afraid. Have you ever been afraid or needed/wanted something really badly? In verse 3 they decide to fast and pray for help. Do you ever fast and pray for help? And these guys don't just pray anywhere, they actually go to the house of the Lord (temple) in verse 5 to pray. Have you ever gone to the temple or to sacrament meeting to pray for something important? And while some people went out to the borders to keep their eyes focused outward looking for the bad guys (the problem), the good guys instead go to the temple and verse 12 "keep their eyes upon God" (the solution). And because of their great faith the spirit tells them "be not afraid the battle is not your's but God's" (verse 15). Is the battle you are waging right now for the souls of men your battle? Or is it God's battle?
Satan would have us always focusing on our problems while God would have us always focusing on him (the solution). I think this has a lot to do with missionary work because as long as you focus on God and pray and fast for your investigators, miracles will happen.
I love you. Stay strong, try to laugh a little every day, and have fun.
Love,
Dad
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