#8 - Parables in Mark

The Candle

As I mentioned before I am leaving on a mission in about a month. In conjunction with that I have started to think a lot more about the kind of example that I am of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite parables from Mark that has deeply influenced what kind of an example and missionary I want to be is the parable of the candle under a bushel. In this parable, Mark asks the question of whether a candle should be put under a bushel or bed, or on a candlestick where it can be seen. This is similar to 1 Timothy 4:12, in which we are instructed, “be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

This has a strong application to my life as I not only prepare to be a representative of Christ, but also as I grow and become more like Him. Sometimes I think that I fall a little short in realizing how many people are really watching what I am doing and listening to as well as what I am saying. There are times in my life where, because I am human, I tend to put my candle under a bushel, or in other words, not speak up like I should. This should not, however, be my first reaction in these moments. Instead, like Mark says, I should put my candle on a candlestick for all to see. I should speak up, share my testimony with all, and be an example of a disciple of Christ. It is only by taking heed of these words from Mark that I will become more like my Savior who never hid His candle.

The Seed Growing Secretly

Another parable from Mark that I find applies in my life is that of the seed growing secretly. In the parable it talks about a man planting a seed and then waking to find that the seed has grown. Although this event has occurred, the man has no knowledge of how it happened. I know that there are events in my life similar to this, when something happens but I have no knowledge of how it happened. From this parable I have learned that even though I do not have all of the knowledge right at that moment, all I really need to realize is that it occurred and affected my life, and not necessarily the why and how. I believe that as I go about my life in this manner that I will have more faith in my Heavenly Father and the plan that He has for me. As I do this, I can draw closer to my Savior.

#7 - Which Seed Are You?

Matthew 13:24-30

In preparation for my mission I have been thinking a lot about the New Testament and some of the parables and the application that they have to my life. The parable of the wheat and the tares is my favorite parable recorded by Matthew because of what the parable influences me to become. The parable talks about four types of seeds: seeds that fall by the wayside, seeds that fall into the rocks, seeds that fall among thorns (which could also be called weeds), and seeds that fall among good ground. There is always something that can be done to improve, and it seems like every single day I am checking myself, checking to see which seed I am. I have to make sure that I am not becoming the seed among weeds, which seems to be the seed I would most likely become without specific attention. Instead, I try to focus on becoming the seed that becomes fruitful.

This point is emphasized in my current circumstances at college regarding the number of distractions that are ever present in pulling me away from the demands of my daily studies. In order for me to be successful, I know that I need to be efficient and effective in every way possible. Consistently, however, distractions, such as television, sports, friends, and adventurous activities, seem to be present around me, trying to take my time and waste it. In terms of the words of the parable, these distractions could be deemed weeds, which, if I’m not careful, can choke my precious resource of time.

If not the seed among weeds, I like to think of myself being a fruitful seed among good ground. To me this type of seed is a person who is converted and trying their best. One of my favorite quotes on the subject was given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in an April 2015 General Conference talk. He said, “We achieve this conversion by praying, by scripture reading, by serving, and by regularly partaking of the sacrament to always have His Spirit to be with us.” If we wish to be the fruitful seed in the parable, then we must be converted through seeking our daily opportunities to participate in the activities mentioned by Elder Oaks. This does not mean however, that I can go into the mode of “cruise control” as long as I am participating in these acts, because there is always more that can be done. Moving forward, this parable has taught me and created in me a desire to set my life in line with the Savior’s will and to strive to do and become more.

#6 - General Conference - "Choices Determine Destiny"

         

This general conference I was amazed at the amount of talks that were about fathers, obedience, and families. One of my favorite talks from conference was President Monson’s about choices in the Sunday morning session.

One of President Monson’s famous one-liners is, “Decisions determine destiny.” I feel that in the future that President Monson sees that times are only going to get tougher. There has been countless talks in the past on faith, choices, and the need for a strong testimony. President Monson does not stray from this path. President Monson also continues to talk about choosing the right even though it may be harder than choosing the wrong. There are many blessings in choosing the right and I think that President Monson realizes this. 

As time goes on, the world will be moving farther and farther from the truth. We must be courageous enough to choose the right, although it may be hard. Although the prophet only addressed us for a short time, due to health issues, he was quite profound in his comments this conference strengthening his ethos through the authority he has as a prophet of God. People in this world now days do not think before they act. They believe that they can do whatever they would like and everything will work out later without any consequences. This is not an intelligent thought process. For example, if you go and kill someone then you are bound to end up in jail at some point. There are rules and we must live within those rules. 

As President Monson said, it may not be an easy thing, but it is well worth the effort later on. I want to live with my family forever, however, the choices that I make play an important part in whether I accomplish that goal or not.

#5 - Called to Serve

At the beginning of January after waiting for 19+ years, I finally received my mission call to serve a two-year mission in Jakarta, Indonesia, speaking Indonesian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Honestly, it was an amazing opportunity and step forward in my life. I was a little surprised that I was not emotional, but I was, however, surprised at where I had been called to. 

Going back and looking at all the places that people had guessed as to where I would serve, it was interesting to see where everyone thought that I was going. I also found it interesting that one person actually guessed the place that I was going, my aunt. I guess you could say that it was divine revelation. 

Leading up to the event I was really wanting to know where I was going to be called to, so I was looking at all the possible places that I could possibly go. I also happened to peak at a few of the maps of the boundaries of some missions. Looking back on this experience I realize now that all of the maps that I happened to glance over were the missions that surrounded the Indonesia, Jakarta mission. I do not know whether this was some type of coincidence or not, but I thought that it was a pretty cool experience. 

Overall, I am ecstatic to serve the people of Indonesia and have already developed a love for them that cannot be explained in words. From what I have heard, they seem like very humble and kind people that live in impoverished circumstances. Every day that passes a new energy and excitement seems to overtake me to a new level. It is crazy the consuming nature that surrounds a mission. It is almost like an addiction but a good kind of one. I love my Savior, my family, and the people waiting for me in Indonesia and cannot wait to make all of them proud.

Will be serving just Northwest of Australia in the South Pacific.

                                                   

#4 - Happy Hymns for the Elderly

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to go to the Provo Rehabilitation center to sing hymns and talk with the residents. To be completely honest, I actually enjoyed the experience and will most likely go back next Sunday. It was really interesting to hear the resident’s stories and where they were coming from. Growing up I can say that I always liked hearing stories, especially from history, even though I was not much of a history buff. 

While I was there I talked with three ladies, all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with interesting backgrounds that all started and continue to be in Utah. In fact it was pretty fun. One of the ladies was hard-of-hearing in one ear and had to use a hearing aid. She was extremely sweet and asked what my name was a few times because she could either not remember or did not hear me. After answering this inquiry for the third time she must have thought that my name was Conrad because she proceeded to tell me about this man she knew named Conrad that was apparently a very nice man. I was a little caught off guard but found it amusing that she thought my name was Conrad. I however felt bad in correcting her, so I just went along with it and replied by saying that I was sure that Conrad was in fact a great guy to be around. 

Although it was an enjoyable experience to talk with these people, it was also sad to see the condition that they were in and the lack of visitors and attention from their families that they get. The nursing home reminded me of opportunities that I had back home while I was a priest in taking the sacrament to people in nursing homes. They were always so grateful and it just reminded me of the love that Christ has for all of God’s children.

A view from outside the nice looking complex.

#3 Tobacco Road Showdown

About a month ago I had the amazing opportunity to fly across the country to go home to North Carolina for the Duke versus North Carolina University (UNC) basketball game. I cannot say in words how excited I was for this game and the opportunity to see my family. This would have been the last opportunity for two years that I would be able to go to a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I am not trying to be biased, but Cameron is the best atmosphere in college basketball, especially when they play UNC. It is a storied rivalry and also arguably the best in all of college basketball and maybe sports in general. I have not lived there my whole life, but the majority of my years were spent watching Duke basketball. I did not think that Duke would win but I was really hoping that they would because that would mean that we would sweep the season series against UNC. 

The game started out rough for Duke but they seemed to claw their way back into the game to the point that it felt like my eardrums had burst because of the noise level within the stadium. It came down to the wire and it looked like Duke would have a chance, but they fell a little short. It was nice to see my favorite player, Grayson Allen, have a fantastic game and maybe play at Duke one last time. I am sure that there were fires on Fayetteville Street near UNC’s campus in celebration of the win. I will not lie, I was a little disappointed in the fact that Duke lost the game, but one last experience was definitely worth the flight home that did not even last 48 hours on the ground in North Carolina. 

Another positive to this short trip was the opportunity to see my family since I will be leaving in 38 days for a mission to Jakarta, Indonesia. Sometimes the best things in life are those that are short and sweet. I think that is an accurate statement in describing this trip.

Real college camping! Krzyzewskiville prior to the Duke and UNC basketball game.

A view from inside Cameron Indoor Stadium prior to the 2nd half.

#2 - Got Pride?

The lights turned out along with the joy in my heart and dream for a successful season. What was supposed to be an enjoyable night ended in typical dismal fashion: a sounding defeat at the hands of a punishing opponent. It had already been a tough start to the spring season and now it was only getting worse. Alas, it was time to start the journey back to our high school. The bus engine started with a clunking and we sputtered away from the field and headed towards home.

At first the decibel level on the bus was at the point where you could hear a pin drop. The coaches sat in the front of the bus, muttering phrases back and forth to each other. No one could ever hear what they said after games because of the loud noises coming from the rattling bus and the fact that players sat multiple rows behind the coaches. I always tried to sit as close to the coaches as I could, to gain the advantage of hearing their comments and making decisions based off what they expected of the perfect player. I thought of my approach as an advantage, while the other players concluded that I was boring and too focused.

However, this time on the bus I did not even care what the coaches were saying. Based off the angry mannerisms and short, firm statements in the post-game huddle, I knew that we had not performed on the diamond to the extent our coaches desired. The ball seemed to be flying around the park all night, and now we were the ones headed home with our heads focused downward.

After a few short moments of silence, the bus soon began to be raging with laughter, yelling, and dumb jokes.

“Did you see that kid fall today? What a klutz!” said one player.

Then from another section of the bus came noise of a childish rap battle occurring between two teammates about cheese. This confirmed to me that to the rest of the players this was just another game, and the fact that it had ended horribly meant nothing to them. This is where there was a difference in mindset between other players and me. They resorted to their nonchalant attitude after a few short moments on the road, yet my mind was consumed with the realization that we had not been playing games to our full potential.

I stared out the front windshield of the bus for the full thirty-minute ride back to the high school. When we got to the intersection to turn left towards the high school, we instead continued traveling straight down the road. Silence gripped the inside of the bus, as if a snap of the fingers hypnotized everyone into confusion. The bus chugged on with no understanding from the players as to where we were going. I had no explanation either as I had not paid any attention to what the coaches were saying on the way back to our high school. I was as confused as everyone else. All I knew was that whatever was about to happen, the outcome would likely be unpleasant.

Finally, after finding our way through a neighborhood, we pulled over to the roadside next to a huge hill and a wooded area. In my mind I wondered, what we could possibly be doing in a forest at 8 o’clock at night? All I wanted to do was go home, get away from my uncaring teammates, and forget about this depressing night.

That was not going to be the case this night however, as Coach John stood up and yelled, “Everyone off the bus!”

One of the players behind me asked, “Do we need anything?”

Coach responded harshly, “No, just get off the bus!”

At this point terror was plastered on the faces of every player. What were we going to do? Was our coach going to make us run home as a consequence for losing our game? To our surprise the coaches stepped down off the bus as well. They told us to swiftly walk up the hill and make our way to the nearby middle school softball field.

It had been awhile since I had stepped foot on that softball diamond. I had forgotten how enormous the open space was. I recalled there being a removable fence positioned on the field making the surrounding area much smaller than it seemed. Unfortunately, to our team’s disappointment, the fence had been removed, resulting in a massive plot of land similar in size to an extended football gridiron. The team morale seemed to drop to deadly levels at the sight of the open acreage. At this point it was obvious what the intended purpose was for being at the field; we were going to run!

This was a new occurrence for me and probably the majority of the team also, to run after playing a full seven-inning game. Soon the coaches arrived.

“What the heck was that?” said Coach John.

There was no response.

“You looked like a bunch of pansies!”

Yet again, no response from any of my teammates.

Then he started the rant of a lifetime,—a conversation that involved a lot of choice words, yelling, and playful descriptions of our atrocious performances from earlier in the afternoon. At last his rant, mocking, and yelling concluded with a question knocking the team’s spirits even lower than before.

Coach John, while making eye contact with each one of the players inquired, “Why is Pride written across the front of your jerseys?”

Again, no one responded in fear that we would say something wrong and Coach would lash out at us. I figured I had nothing to lose and I did not want to be there all night, so I decided to speak up.

In a somewhat mumbling voice I found myself saying, “Because we have pride.”

Coach fired back, “What did you say?”

In a clearer voice I responded, “Because we have pride.” I knew he could hear me this time, but instead he stated otherwise.

With eyes deadlocked to his, and steam flowing from my nose, I yelled at the top of my lungs, “BECAUSE WE HAVE PRIDE!” I thought for sure this was the answer that he was looking for and that he would in return say, “All right, return to the bus.” Much to my surprise, I was wrong.

Instead Coach John yelled back at me, “WRONG!”

He then continued to explain in greater detail what I had summarized in my four-word answer. I felt humiliated. At this point I was relinquished of all confidence I might have previously had and wondered what the future events of the night would entail.

It was soon announced from our impassioned leader that since we did not know how to run the bases, we would be running the softball bases until he felt satisfied. He further instructed that if we messed up running the bases, as judged by him, then we were to continue running and make a lap around the entire open field. This was not a task anyone wanted to endure after being exhausted from the afternoon’s game. Nevertheless, the merry-go-round began as we all started sprinting around the bases. The journey never seemed to end. I quickly became acquainted with each grain of dirt in the base paths with the countless rounds that I made around the bases. Never before had I run this much, let alone on the heels of a competitive and physically draining sporting contest.

At last, after what seemed like hours of running, our coach decided we had run enough. He barked at us to get back on the bus. We in turn stumbled like zombies back to the bus and boarded, taking our previous seats. No words were muttered on our return to the high school or upon arriving at the high school, while exiting the bus.

After our ascension up the hill to the high school parking lot to meet our waiting parents, we immediately noticed the concern that seemed to grace the faces of each and every parent. Their worry was understandable, as it was over two hours passed our estimated time of arrival. They were overjoyed to see us, yet started interrogating us with questions about where we had been and what we had been doing. We explained the displeasure of the unexpected stop and endless running at the middle school softball filed. In turn we learned that one of the parents was on the verge of calling the police as to our whereabouts.

A few days later we were back on the road with a chance at redemption from the previous lackluster outing. We were in line to play another conference opponent and what seemed to be the most important question to be answered was how the team would perform. Would we play to our full potential? With the exhaustive running experience still fresh in our minds, we were all hungry to compete and attain victory. The time had arrived to elevate our game and thankfully we looked the part.