To Peru...And Beyond!!

It certainly has been too long since I posted last but this promises to be an interesting one, at least for me. This last Wednesday I received my mission call. I had been hoping it would come on Wednesday so I could open it with everyone in my family on Thanksgiving but I wasn't about to let myself hope it would actually come...but it did!

That evening I opened it with my family and to my shock and utter delight I have been called to serve in the Peru Lima Central Mission. I leave March 21st and will train in the MTC for 3 weeks then I will go to the Peru MTC for the final 6 weeks of my training. I am very excited to have the opportunity not only to serve but too preach the Gospel in Spanish.

Ever since I was a little boy (i know that is hard to imagine now that I am 6'7" but I really was little once) I have wanted and felt that I would serve in Latin America. Granted Peru NEVER even crossed my mind but I have felt an affinity to that area of the world.

So the moral of the story? Serve a mission. The preparation alone will change your life, and there is nothing that i have experienced that is more exciting than the thought of serving in a foreign country for two years. I am excited, if you boys (and those special girls) aren't excited yet, start now. You wont regret it!!

And the Winner is...

Welcome to my first ever Choir of the Night Award. I will start by describing the competition and then the resulting reward. Following this I will present the runner-up and Winner. (Grand Champion if you will) So after attending the Taylorsville Choir Concert tonight and actually watching from the audience for the first time in four years, I have hand selected two choirs to take home these awards tonight based on varies things. I will expound when I select the winners.

RUNNER-UP: Madrigals
Tonight the Madrigals were simply stunning, and not just with there high percentage of attractive young ladies. There Jazzy sound took the auditorium by storm. There first song, taken from Robert Frost's poem, Two Roads was a shimmering work that truly emphasized there unity and blending. All things accounted for the sound was very impressive. There next two pieces on the other hand expressed their true style, that of Jazz. There dissonant chords and sweet harmonies secured them the runner-up position with no contestation.

GRAND CHAMPION: Jr. Choir
The Jr. Choir came out like a lion! With a triple spiritual assault they were able to leave the audience in the same state that Ammon left King Lamoni in. Out COLD! Or it could be compared to when the spirit carried Nephi away into an exceedingly high mountain. Take your pick. The point is not only was Junior Choir the best sounding, it was the most surprising. Jr. Choirs just don't sound like that. Concert Choir sounded like a joke in comparison (not to dog on concert choir, they were really good, it is just the Junior Choir was better) and truly in comparison to last years groups of men's and women's choruses, it was huge difference. I should know I was in Men's Chorus last year, and I am so proud of my little Men. They were simply astounding tonight. You all brought that group together so well, you guys are growing up and your voices are maturing so well. Congrats on the wonderful result of so much hard work!

That is all we have time for tonight in this Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to Mads on a tremendous job and an even more deserved congratulations to the Jr. Choir on their History making upset.

I hope you all enjoyed that. All I said is the truth and can I just say wow. Thanks for allowing me to witness it. And as Molly says, "I say go for it? What can you lose? Your pride? Good." Madrigals is worth the risk, and I would submit that this will be one of the hardest years for "T" to decide because of sheer talent.

Good Luck to all who are willing to go out for it! Remember a turtle makes progress when it sticks its neck out.

Re-Culture America

I am pulling out my soap box so everyone better buckle up tight. I have some things to say, some things that I have been thinking about today and I think are truths so I will share them with you all. I am really interested to see the comments on this one because it might go in a direction that I am not expecting. Enough digression, on to the meat of this post.

I wish I had some statistics on this but I guess they really aren't necessary. What creates culture? Are Americans a well cultured people? Now I'm not talking about diversity. We are all "cultured" if you are talking about exposure to diverse cultures. Now I wouldn't say diversity makes America great but I would say the fact that we are exposed to so many cultures is a plus. Here again, I digress.

Now are we really cultured? I was at the Taylorsville High School band and orchestra concert the other night and I thought, "This is of value. This exposure to classical type music is good for me. By spending time here I am becoming a cultured person." Funny how thoughts work sometimes. Then I thought about museums in Utah. When was the last time any one of has been to a museum not counting the ones on Temple Square?

I will be honest. The last time I went to a non-LDS museum was in 5th grade.

It is true.

I got thinking at this. Why haven't I gone to museums? Why don't I take those opportunities? Aside from the obvious reasons such as time restrictions from work and/or school, I could think of only one. I would rather do something else.

Now don't get me wrong, I love to learn in almost any situation. I even consider myself cultured. I know lots of things that I feel are important but then why would I be opposed to going to a museum?

Keep in mind, I'm not just talking about museums. I am talking about Opera, Symphonies, Musicals, Ballets, ect. I am not saying that I participate in these things because I am as guilty as the rest of the world, I simply don't make time to go to these "cultural" events.

So here in lies the problem, and I don't know that it should be remedied on a large scale, but with the advent of television and well technology in general we lose these things.

Now I don't want to come across as some weirdo that hates technology, and that if Thatcher saw he would say, "Look honey, a weirdo" to his imaginary gird friend. I don't think technology is bad in fact I like it, I am using it right now but I do that there is a problem in this world that we aren't willing to leave are houses and interact with the community around us because we are addicted to the stimulus that is coming, unfiltered through the cords in our walls.

This has probably been my most incoherent post yet but hey why fight that. I really should work on my organization of ideas but just wanted to get this idea out here. There are some things, and yes most of them have to do with music that should be apart of our lives. I know that they seem/are boring, but I wonder what that says about me that I think these activities are boring. A self-evaluation is in order and I am sure forth coming with all of this.

So in closing: Lets support the arts, bring back things like the Hansen Planetarium, and re-culture America. No more watching 1/4 dressed pop singers on TV. Lets get America away from that and focused on things that will help us become better.

Misc.

I have several unrelated items I want to post tonight. Not that they aren't related to me so much as they aren't really related to each other. The first will be the long a waited post about my good friend Nick Morandi. Second will be the importance and the value of good music. Last but not lease will be girls.

So if you are an avid reader of my blog...or if you just caught my first blog you will notice a thanks went out to Nick Morandi for humbling me in Ultimate. I think it is probably wise to expound on this subject so here it comes. Last year when the year was winding down a lot of Ultimate was being played. It was the first time that I had played with that specific group, and the only people I really knew were Kyle and Brad. I had heard of Thatcher and I knew a few others by reputation but over all that was it. I had only heard a few things about Nick Morandi. I knew that he was well liked and I had only heard good things but like most people, I felt that of course he would be inferior to me when it came to ultimate. Yeah, I know I was a cocky jerk last year. I had only played backyard and pick up Ultimate, I had certainly never played with the caliber of Ultim-ites that I had the privilege to play with that day. So I was humbled in general but then one time I went to receive the disk and Nick shut down somethin' fierce. He caught the Frisbee and then made a great pass with me guarding him. So then I ran down field guarding him and he still caught the disk again and scored!! I couldn't believe it. I had been royally shown up by a Sophomore! I definitely was shocked. Not only did I gain respect for good ole' Nick Morandi but I was also humbled quite a bit. I think that this helped me start to get rid of my own bigotry and pride/vanity. So thanks again Nick. :)

Tonight I had the honor of going to the Concert Band and Orchestra concert. It was pretty sweet. I have General Authorities to back me up on this one but I think there is an amazing spirit that comes with Instrumental music. I think that all though I am sure choirs will be heavily prevalent in Heaven, I think the Lord has a special place in his heart for classical type music. Maybe that is just me though.

Again, last but not least, girls. I don't know what it is about them. I know I have been taught that lesson about natural attraction in Sunday School about a hundred times but I still don't understand how I can shift my feelings so quickly. I like girls, then I don't, then I do, then I don't again. Why is that. I almost think it is the natural man battling with my spiritual parts. I don't now but I think there is something to be said for the feeling of mission prep. I feel I have more control and a better understanding of girls because of it. Preparing for a mission is the coolest ever! I encourage all LDS young men to pursue it and if you aren't LDS, convert and allow the Lord to work in you as you prepare to serve him. You will never regret it!

The "Civil" War

Hello everyone! I apologize for my absence from the "game" for an extended period of time. I have been busy and well to tell the truth was lacking in deep thoughts to write about. Granted blogging should be about more than deep thoughts. It is about thinking in general and thus I digress.

I was reading one of my history textbooks today and basking in the unadulterated knowledge as it permeated my mind and I had a thought. Not shocking in this regard because I often have thoughts while studying History. I was reading about the Civil War and the anti-black sentiment in North. Many refused to fight once they heard the Emancipation proclamation, especially among the lower class who would have to compete with Blacks for low paying jobs.

We think, oh well how silly and unjust, we might even think how "un-American", But think about it. We understand racism is bad, but why? I will answer, because we were taught that it was. I will even go so far as to say that there is a drive within all of us to be just and good. We are sons and daughters of a God. A God who is just and right and we came out of his presence more or less with those attributes. Our personality is a shadow of that. So if what I am saying about God and about ourselves, why is there injustice, racism and bigotry in the world? Because we have been taught.

Those Men in the south thought that they were fighting for the right cause every bit as much as those in the North did. They both had mothers and unlike our day, the vast majority had fathers as well. They were taught honor, courage, and to serve God and Country. They also were taught the inferiority of the Black man. They were TAUGHT this. It wasn't something they were born with. At age 1 they didn't think themselves better than those different then them. They wouldn't have even know the difference!

In the musical "South Pacific" there is a song that Joe Cable sings called, "You Have to be Carefully Taught." This is what I want to get at. There are few in this day and age who would openly denounce those of a different race as inferior but what are the crisis' of today that are facing us? I believe the largest threat to our country, larger than Terrorism, larger than Drugs, larger than Pornography, and yes larger than the Extreme-Left, is that of moral disintegration in the Home.

For you that are LDS, prophets have been talking about this for more than half a century, and for those of you who are not, you can see the effects of this moral degradation all around you. The problem with the world today on the largest scale starts in the smallest and most personal places.

For starters one can look at the divorce rate. I have so many friends who have parents that have split up. As a child I didn't understand why everyone seemed to be engaging in this practice. It seemed silly to me. Why would you get married if you weren't sure they were the right one? My parents never once talked of splitting up as long as I can remember. It was never an option to them. They had made a commitment and they were aware even in the hardest times that there was more than the hard times. Now I don't say this to say how silly all of those parents are who have gotten divorced. It isn't my place to judge or correct, but I can see the effects of broken homes on the world.

Who was the mother of these terrorists? Where are there fathers? Where they taught to love their neighbor and to share with those around them? Or were they taught in the education of the world. An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth. We are "justified in committing a little sin; yea lie a little, take advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is not harm in this; and do all these things..." Doesn't that sound like our day? There is no harm is speaking ill of others; in dragging others to their knees. To quote the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "In a society in which 'anything goes' its member will learn too late that everything goes." (Deseret Book; Maxwell, Neal A., "The Smallest Part" 1973)

I would submit that the reason terrorism is in the world is because of a failure in a home. The reason drugs are everywhere, the reason there is so much murder and immorality, so much poverty and selfishness, is because not that parents aren't in the home, but that the proper principles aren't taught. Perhaps it isn't my place but if I can use my small voice to affect even one life it will be far more than worth it.

I will admit that I have a probably impractical idea that I can effect change, effect change for good. I want to have influence, I will admit it but I can see that it will do me no good to have even the slightest influence if I can't help the world by having it. Perhaps I have a complex that ties me to the world, that I have hope that humanity isn't completely lost. I do have influence in this world no matter how small in my home, in my community. I don't know why I feel this so acutely and so strongly at this moment but I know it is right.

I guess my challenge to all of you with in the circle of my influence (not that you will all or even most of you will listen to me) that you would make an effort to be honest, to be kind, and to strengthen, not demean those around you. The Civil War ended almost 142 years ago (it will be 142 years next April) but the a new "Civil" war is now raging. The war in our homes that will ultimately affect the future of our country as well as that of world.