August 20, 2019
Hi Jon -
I'm sorry you didn't have time to video conference with us yesterday or send a real letter. Mom and I feel like we haven't connected with you for a really long time and wish you could find some time to update us.
I spent all of last week rafting the middle fork of the Salmon River. It was 102 miles total and we put in at Boundary Creek near Stanley ID and ended at Cache Bar between Salmon ID and Riggins ID. I've wanted to raft the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for a long time now and am super stoked I finally got a chance to do it.
We drove up on Monday morning, rafted Tuesday-Sunday, and drove home Sunday afternoon. Actually we broke an axle on the trailer that was carrying 5 tons of our gear so it took all day to fix and I literally didn't get home until 6am right as mom's alarm was going off to wake her up.
I went on the river trip with 20 people, all friends or acquaintances of Lance and Lawrence Gunderson. There were a lot of different personalities on the trip and people with a lot of different values and interests so I just tried to blend in but with mixed success. There was a ton of silent drama but not many verbal fights. I met a family that I got along with really well - Elliot and Bonnie Reeves and their kids Sydney (12 grade) and Ryan (8th grade). They were really awesome and they adopted me into their family immediately as "crazy" uncle Dave because I was always up for a dare or a joke or jumping off the boat into the river at random times. I tried to connect with all the teenagers on the trip and we played secret hitler which they loved and begged to play again every night. It was like we had one group of adults sitting around the campfire telling boring fishing stories and me and a bunch of teenagers off on our own playing dang it joanna or secret hitler and having a good time.
One day I hiked up to Loon Creek hot springs which was about 4 miles roundtrip. I learned a little about fly fishing and a little about how to oar a big raft down a fast river. Overall it was really fun. The weather was great except that we started out at pretty high altitude (5700 ft) which doesn't sound like much but was 35 degrees overnight. It was like 40 on night 2 and then 50 on night 3 and then 60 every night after that as the river dropped us to lower elevation.
I learned that rafting requires a lot of time to 1) plan a trip, 2) pack and test out all your gear prior to a trip, 3) take the trip, and 4) put away everything after the trip. It's not a weekend kind of thing - a river trip knocks you out for about 3 weeks even if the actual time on the river is only 1 week. There is so much gear involved it's incredible. Special toilet to use on the river, special camp tables and stoves, tents and cots, pads, straps, boat, and frame. I think it would cost about $15k to buy all that stuff and then it would take a whole garage just to store it all. And you need a lot of people to do it with - you could never do a trip with just one boat because there is so much group gear to carry you really need 5 or 6 boats to spread it over.
When I got home I started planning a new trip with Maddy and Heber. We are leaving on Friday to go to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Jackson WY for a week. We'll be camping and hiking in Yellowstone, kayaking, hiking, and paddleboarding in Grand Teton National Park, and then we'll finish the week kayaking the Hoback and Snake rivers through Alpine Canyon. Maddy and Heber are off work and school for a little while before the next semester starts and I'm looking forward to hanging out with them.
So I wanted to tell you about something I read from a guy who was a retired Colonel in the Air Force, then a mission president, the MTC present, and finally a temple president. He was asked what he would consider is the most important thing to say to you about your mission. If he could give some advice now to a missionary barely getting in the field, what would he say? This is what he said. Now you will get to see a real Jedi in action. It is taken verbatim from his life history in fact.
It has been my observation over the years that few people inside the Church or outside, understand the more significant meaning of the word "integrity". I became aware of the problem in dealing with young people during our first mission in Argentina. Many of those young and wonderful people could define the word but it never occurred to them to make it part of their lives. There are many definitions for the word integrity but the one that should have the strongest impact on the human soul is outlined in sacred scripture.
In D&C 124:15 Christ says: "For I the Lord love Hyrum Smith because of the integrity of his heart." He further clarified His meaning of integrity in the twentieth verse when He says: "And verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile (deceit); he may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart." In other words, the Lord said he loved these two men because "they could be trusted". He knew that when they gave their word that they would do something - they did it.
Many of us, including young missionaries, make promises without really intending to keep them. It does not mean we are bad people, it just means we never internalized Christ's definition of the word "integrity". For example, in the Book of Alma, chapter 48, verse 11, it describes Moroni as a man of "perfect understanding". The dictionary defines the word understanding as "To obtain knowledge then to perceive (through mediation, prayer etc.) the meaning of that acquired knowledge or truth. Finally, we must apply that truth to our lives".
Such is the case with many of us (including missionaries). We gain considerable gospel knowledge but sometimes don't let that knowledge, or truth, become a guiding influence in our lives - an influence that leads to proper action/application. In many of our Sunday School classes and church meetings we hear marvelous truths but sometimes don't learn to take that extra step after having learned the truth - that is, to live it. To have it permanently change our life by changing our behavior.
I saw this with some missionaries. They were wonderful in many ways but some of them never learned that when they promised their President that they would do something, it was vital that they keep that promise. For some, it just didn't seem that important. They had not learned the Lord's definition of "integrity". Others did and it made all the difference in their mission and after their mission. One of the greatest blessings that a church leader, or any leader, can enjoy is to have people in his organization that he can trust, trust to do their duty, trust to follow through, trust to be obedient, and trust to keep promises.
The promises we make in the temple, for example, and when we make our marriage vows, fall into this category. If every married couple had integrity of heart, we would not have adultery, broken marriages, broken homes, broken promises, and broken families. It sometimes takes a lifetime to learn this valuable and exalting lesson. Integrity is absolutely vital in the mission field. A Mission President has to be able to trust his missionaries. Many are assigned to work in areas far from the mission home. If they do not have integrity, they will do whatever they want to do. No one will be there to supervise their every move or to force them.
However, if they do not do the things that they are supposed to do, they cannot be blessed because they do not consciously choose to be obedient and to have integrity. The Lord is bound when we do what he says but we will do what he says for the right reasons only when we love him and when we have integrity of heart. A Mission President for example, uses "personal integrity" as a primary measuring device to select his mission leaders. He has to be able to trust them - that they will do what they promise they will do. Otherwise, the mission would eventually evolve into chaos.
Another way to know how much integrity a person has is by what they do when they think no one is watching. Again, a person should do what they are supposed to do because they choose to do it and because they know it is the will of the Lord and not because they think that someone is watching or that they will be caught. If I were a mission president and were given the choice between a totally obedient or a missionary with total integrity, which would I choose? I would choose the one with total integrity because if that were part of their character, they would be obedient automatically.
I served on the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy during my Air Force career and in doing so, learned a lot about integrity. Each year as the new cadet class arrived, they signed a statement agreeing to live by a strict Honor Code. Among other things included in the Code, they promised to not cheat, lie, or steal. More importantly, they promised to not tolerate any among them who did. If, during their stay at the Academy, a cadet violated the Code, they were immediately dismissed. If they knew someone else who had broken the Code and did not expose them, they were also dismissed.
In every military organization in the world, integrity is a vital character trait. Each commander must know that the people under them will comply with every order. If they do not, battles can be lost and nations perish. But, there is a vital difference between the "integrity" that a military person is taught and the "integrity of heart" that every member of the church should understand. If a military person disobeys an order or does not display integrity, there is immediate punishment. Their integrity is driven primarily by fear or force. The motivation at times, is external to the person.
On the other hand, Church members, including missionaries, should not do the "right" thing because of fear or threat. That is Satan's way. Their "integrity of heart" should come from within and be self-driven. The Lord invites us to have integrity - a military person is punished if they do not. The obvious difference is that we should do things because we love the Lord and choose to do his will, not because we fear being punished. It sometimes takes us longer to learn that principle but when we do it of our own free will, the rewards are infinitely greater.
Unfortunately, at times military cadets have more integrity than do some members of the Church, including young missionaries. That is not a criticism as much as an observation. The reasons again are obvious - the cadet faces immediate consequences if they do not comply. Members of the church, including missionaries, do not. Their acquiring integrity has eternal, as well as immediate, consequences. It also generally takes longer to learn. The Lord is patient - he will wait until we develop integrity of heart - he will not force us. However, if we desire to reach exaltation, we must achieve total integrity. If not, we will be no better than a person who is forced to do everything he does because of fear of being punished. It is all part of the Divine Plan. The Lord's plan requires that while in this mortal existence, we be "proven herewith to see if we will do all things (by choosing to do so) whatsoever the Lord shall command us."
Another class I enjoyed was the one that dealt with how and why we make the decisions we do - good and bad. The principle being taught dealt with a scripture in Galatians, chapter 5, verses 16 and 17. Paul is teaching about a very fundamental human condition: the struggle between good and evil that has gone on within the human soul since the Fall of Adam. The struggle involves the pull between the temptations of the "flesh" and the moderating influence of the "Spirit". Paul said, "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Paul then goes on to list the fruits of both the flesh and the Spirit.
In the class we would list the characteristics that the flesh, or the mortal body, possesses. The flesh senses pleasure and pain but has no built-in moral compass. It incorporates our emotions, some good and some bad. It also has powerful appetites such as our procreative powers but has no built-in moral restraints. It is basically inclined to encourage us to "play now and pay later". That is why Satan tempts us through the flesh. He can say to our flesh: “But it will give you pleasure". Our flesh was designed by the Lord to be receptive to such enticing. It wants pleasure now and has no way of considering the consequences of seeking the wrong kind of pleasure.
While these fleshly traits lure us into difficult situations, they of themselves are not bad or evil. That is the way the Lord made our wonderful body. It was designed the way it was so that it would be receptive to worldly things. That is the part of our soul that gives us the tendency to be the "Natural Man".
In a sense, it can be thought of as a thermometer or any other device. A thermometer was designed to sense temperature. It cannot sense pressure. An altimeter was designed to do that. Each instrument, like our own flesh, was designed to perform specific functions.
On the other hand, the Spirit is sensitive to our conscience. It is a moral compass. It has the ability to sense between right and wrong. It can sense the light of Christ and can tell Satan that while something will give us pleasure, it is still wrong. Both entities have their role and both play an essential part in helping us to be tested in this mortal life. The Spirit has need to be nourished through prayer, study and fasting. Otherwise, it becomes weakened and cannot provide a proper counter-force to the constant temptings of the flesh.
Our biggest challenge in this mortal existence is that our flesh gets too much nourishment. Our children get far more nourishment to the natural side of their soul than they should. Television is one of the main providers of this mortal junk food. If we do not control it in our homes, it becomes Satan's master teacher. The important thing that a person must understand during this mortal existence is that through the wise exercising of our will, or moral agency, we determine whether the Spirit or the flesh dominates. We make that determination and no one else.
The Lord placed us here to see what choices we would make using our free will. We have the freedom to choose but we must then be judged by the choices we make. If we did not constantly have to choose between two opposite forces, we could not be tested and to be tested is one of the main reasons for our mortal existence. We need to remember that the flesh will always vote one way (it is consistent) and the Spirit another way. That represents two votes, which always cancel out each other. The deciding vote is always cast by us - our inner self - using our moral agency. Finally, we rule our fate unless we let our flesh rule us. When the flesh dominates, it results in our being a “natural" man.
Although this knowledge applied to everyone in our missionary classes, we tried to help them understand what was happening within their soul when their various inclinations manifested themselves. When they felt like not getting up on time in the morning for example, they needed to understand where that impression was coming from. The flesh was telling them to seek a little more pleasure. On the other hand, when they were feeling peace, joy, love, etc. after a good gospel discussion, they needed to know that they were feeling some of the fruits of the Spirit.
I wanted to share this with you and hope it helps in some way. At least it will give you something to think about. We pray for you every day but don't really know what your troubles, needs, and hopes are because you don't tell us anything! I hope that no news is good news and that you are so busy doing good things that you don't have time to think about everyone at home.
At least have fun and stay safe.
Love,
Dad
I'm sorry you didn't have time to video conference with us yesterday or send a real letter. Mom and I feel like we haven't connected with you for a really long time and wish you could find some time to update us.
I spent all of last week rafting the middle fork of the Salmon River. It was 102 miles total and we put in at Boundary Creek near Stanley ID and ended at Cache Bar between Salmon ID and Riggins ID. I've wanted to raft the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for a long time now and am super stoked I finally got a chance to do it.
We drove up on Monday morning, rafted Tuesday-Sunday, and drove home Sunday afternoon. Actually we broke an axle on the trailer that was carrying 5 tons of our gear so it took all day to fix and I literally didn't get home until 6am right as mom's alarm was going off to wake her up.
I went on the river trip with 20 people, all friends or acquaintances of Lance and Lawrence Gunderson. There were a lot of different personalities on the trip and people with a lot of different values and interests so I just tried to blend in but with mixed success. There was a ton of silent drama but not many verbal fights. I met a family that I got along with really well - Elliot and Bonnie Reeves and their kids Sydney (12 grade) and Ryan (8th grade). They were really awesome and they adopted me into their family immediately as "crazy" uncle Dave because I was always up for a dare or a joke or jumping off the boat into the river at random times. I tried to connect with all the teenagers on the trip and we played secret hitler which they loved and begged to play again every night. It was like we had one group of adults sitting around the campfire telling boring fishing stories and me and a bunch of teenagers off on our own playing dang it joanna or secret hitler and having a good time.
One day I hiked up to Loon Creek hot springs which was about 4 miles roundtrip. I learned a little about fly fishing and a little about how to oar a big raft down a fast river. Overall it was really fun. The weather was great except that we started out at pretty high altitude (5700 ft) which doesn't sound like much but was 35 degrees overnight. It was like 40 on night 2 and then 50 on night 3 and then 60 every night after that as the river dropped us to lower elevation.
I learned that rafting requires a lot of time to 1) plan a trip, 2) pack and test out all your gear prior to a trip, 3) take the trip, and 4) put away everything after the trip. It's not a weekend kind of thing - a river trip knocks you out for about 3 weeks even if the actual time on the river is only 1 week. There is so much gear involved it's incredible. Special toilet to use on the river, special camp tables and stoves, tents and cots, pads, straps, boat, and frame. I think it would cost about $15k to buy all that stuff and then it would take a whole garage just to store it all. And you need a lot of people to do it with - you could never do a trip with just one boat because there is so much group gear to carry you really need 5 or 6 boats to spread it over.
When I got home I started planning a new trip with Maddy and Heber. We are leaving on Friday to go to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Jackson WY for a week. We'll be camping and hiking in Yellowstone, kayaking, hiking, and paddleboarding in Grand Teton National Park, and then we'll finish the week kayaking the Hoback and Snake rivers through Alpine Canyon. Maddy and Heber are off work and school for a little while before the next semester starts and I'm looking forward to hanging out with them.
So I wanted to tell you about something I read from a guy who was a retired Colonel in the Air Force, then a mission president, the MTC present, and finally a temple president. He was asked what he would consider is the most important thing to say to you about your mission. If he could give some advice now to a missionary barely getting in the field, what would he say? This is what he said. Now you will get to see a real Jedi in action. It is taken verbatim from his life history in fact.
It has been my observation over the years that few people inside the Church or outside, understand the more significant meaning of the word "integrity". I became aware of the problem in dealing with young people during our first mission in Argentina. Many of those young and wonderful people could define the word but it never occurred to them to make it part of their lives. There are many definitions for the word integrity but the one that should have the strongest impact on the human soul is outlined in sacred scripture.
In D&C 124:15 Christ says: "For I the Lord love Hyrum Smith because of the integrity of his heart." He further clarified His meaning of integrity in the twentieth verse when He says: "And verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile (deceit); he may be trusted because of the integrity of his heart." In other words, the Lord said he loved these two men because "they could be trusted". He knew that when they gave their word that they would do something - they did it.
Many of us, including young missionaries, make promises without really intending to keep them. It does not mean we are bad people, it just means we never internalized Christ's definition of the word "integrity". For example, in the Book of Alma, chapter 48, verse 11, it describes Moroni as a man of "perfect understanding". The dictionary defines the word understanding as "To obtain knowledge then to perceive (through mediation, prayer etc.) the meaning of that acquired knowledge or truth. Finally, we must apply that truth to our lives".
Such is the case with many of us (including missionaries). We gain considerable gospel knowledge but sometimes don't let that knowledge, or truth, become a guiding influence in our lives - an influence that leads to proper action/application. In many of our Sunday School classes and church meetings we hear marvelous truths but sometimes don't learn to take that extra step after having learned the truth - that is, to live it. To have it permanently change our life by changing our behavior.
I saw this with some missionaries. They were wonderful in many ways but some of them never learned that when they promised their President that they would do something, it was vital that they keep that promise. For some, it just didn't seem that important. They had not learned the Lord's definition of "integrity". Others did and it made all the difference in their mission and after their mission. One of the greatest blessings that a church leader, or any leader, can enjoy is to have people in his organization that he can trust, trust to do their duty, trust to follow through, trust to be obedient, and trust to keep promises.
The promises we make in the temple, for example, and when we make our marriage vows, fall into this category. If every married couple had integrity of heart, we would not have adultery, broken marriages, broken homes, broken promises, and broken families. It sometimes takes a lifetime to learn this valuable and exalting lesson. Integrity is absolutely vital in the mission field. A Mission President has to be able to trust his missionaries. Many are assigned to work in areas far from the mission home. If they do not have integrity, they will do whatever they want to do. No one will be there to supervise their every move or to force them.
However, if they do not do the things that they are supposed to do, they cannot be blessed because they do not consciously choose to be obedient and to have integrity. The Lord is bound when we do what he says but we will do what he says for the right reasons only when we love him and when we have integrity of heart. A Mission President for example, uses "personal integrity" as a primary measuring device to select his mission leaders. He has to be able to trust them - that they will do what they promise they will do. Otherwise, the mission would eventually evolve into chaos.
Another way to know how much integrity a person has is by what they do when they think no one is watching. Again, a person should do what they are supposed to do because they choose to do it and because they know it is the will of the Lord and not because they think that someone is watching or that they will be caught. If I were a mission president and were given the choice between a totally obedient or a missionary with total integrity, which would I choose? I would choose the one with total integrity because if that were part of their character, they would be obedient automatically.
I served on the faculty at the United States Air Force Academy during my Air Force career and in doing so, learned a lot about integrity. Each year as the new cadet class arrived, they signed a statement agreeing to live by a strict Honor Code. Among other things included in the Code, they promised to not cheat, lie, or steal. More importantly, they promised to not tolerate any among them who did. If, during their stay at the Academy, a cadet violated the Code, they were immediately dismissed. If they knew someone else who had broken the Code and did not expose them, they were also dismissed.
In every military organization in the world, integrity is a vital character trait. Each commander must know that the people under them will comply with every order. If they do not, battles can be lost and nations perish. But, there is a vital difference between the "integrity" that a military person is taught and the "integrity of heart" that every member of the church should understand. If a military person disobeys an order or does not display integrity, there is immediate punishment. Their integrity is driven primarily by fear or force. The motivation at times, is external to the person.
On the other hand, Church members, including missionaries, should not do the "right" thing because of fear or threat. That is Satan's way. Their "integrity of heart" should come from within and be self-driven. The Lord invites us to have integrity - a military person is punished if they do not. The obvious difference is that we should do things because we love the Lord and choose to do his will, not because we fear being punished. It sometimes takes us longer to learn that principle but when we do it of our own free will, the rewards are infinitely greater.
Unfortunately, at times military cadets have more integrity than do some members of the Church, including young missionaries. That is not a criticism as much as an observation. The reasons again are obvious - the cadet faces immediate consequences if they do not comply. Members of the church, including missionaries, do not. Their acquiring integrity has eternal, as well as immediate, consequences. It also generally takes longer to learn. The Lord is patient - he will wait until we develop integrity of heart - he will not force us. However, if we desire to reach exaltation, we must achieve total integrity. If not, we will be no better than a person who is forced to do everything he does because of fear of being punished. It is all part of the Divine Plan. The Lord's plan requires that while in this mortal existence, we be "proven herewith to see if we will do all things (by choosing to do so) whatsoever the Lord shall command us."
Another class I enjoyed was the one that dealt with how and why we make the decisions we do - good and bad. The principle being taught dealt with a scripture in Galatians, chapter 5, verses 16 and 17. Paul is teaching about a very fundamental human condition: the struggle between good and evil that has gone on within the human soul since the Fall of Adam. The struggle involves the pull between the temptations of the "flesh" and the moderating influence of the "Spirit". Paul said, "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Paul then goes on to list the fruits of both the flesh and the Spirit.
In the class we would list the characteristics that the flesh, or the mortal body, possesses. The flesh senses pleasure and pain but has no built-in moral compass. It incorporates our emotions, some good and some bad. It also has powerful appetites such as our procreative powers but has no built-in moral restraints. It is basically inclined to encourage us to "play now and pay later". That is why Satan tempts us through the flesh. He can say to our flesh: “But it will give you pleasure". Our flesh was designed by the Lord to be receptive to such enticing. It wants pleasure now and has no way of considering the consequences of seeking the wrong kind of pleasure.
While these fleshly traits lure us into difficult situations, they of themselves are not bad or evil. That is the way the Lord made our wonderful body. It was designed the way it was so that it would be receptive to worldly things. That is the part of our soul that gives us the tendency to be the "Natural Man".
In a sense, it can be thought of as a thermometer or any other device. A thermometer was designed to sense temperature. It cannot sense pressure. An altimeter was designed to do that. Each instrument, like our own flesh, was designed to perform specific functions.
On the other hand, the Spirit is sensitive to our conscience. It is a moral compass. It has the ability to sense between right and wrong. It can sense the light of Christ and can tell Satan that while something will give us pleasure, it is still wrong. Both entities have their role and both play an essential part in helping us to be tested in this mortal life. The Spirit has need to be nourished through prayer, study and fasting. Otherwise, it becomes weakened and cannot provide a proper counter-force to the constant temptings of the flesh.
Our biggest challenge in this mortal existence is that our flesh gets too much nourishment. Our children get far more nourishment to the natural side of their soul than they should. Television is one of the main providers of this mortal junk food. If we do not control it in our homes, it becomes Satan's master teacher. The important thing that a person must understand during this mortal existence is that through the wise exercising of our will, or moral agency, we determine whether the Spirit or the flesh dominates. We make that determination and no one else.
The Lord placed us here to see what choices we would make using our free will. We have the freedom to choose but we must then be judged by the choices we make. If we did not constantly have to choose between two opposite forces, we could not be tested and to be tested is one of the main reasons for our mortal existence. We need to remember that the flesh will always vote one way (it is consistent) and the Spirit another way. That represents two votes, which always cancel out each other. The deciding vote is always cast by us - our inner self - using our moral agency. Finally, we rule our fate unless we let our flesh rule us. When the flesh dominates, it results in our being a “natural" man.
Although this knowledge applied to everyone in our missionary classes, we tried to help them understand what was happening within their soul when their various inclinations manifested themselves. When they felt like not getting up on time in the morning for example, they needed to understand where that impression was coming from. The flesh was telling them to seek a little more pleasure. On the other hand, when they were feeling peace, joy, love, etc. after a good gospel discussion, they needed to know that they were feeling some of the fruits of the Spirit.
I wanted to share this with you and hope it helps in some way. At least it will give you something to think about. We pray for you every day but don't really know what your troubles, needs, and hopes are because you don't tell us anything! I hope that no news is good news and that you are so busy doing good things that you don't have time to think about everyone at home.
At least have fun and stay safe.
Love,
Dad
Comments
Post a Comment