sorry, I have to start a new blog

Sorry but the library I use changed the computer programs so there are now some parts of blogger that wont work for me.  So I have to start a new one on a different site.  I transferred all the blog entries from here to the new site.  Please check it out at heedingthecall.wordpress.com

College isn't the end?

I have always planned on going to college, finding a career, and a long time later retiring.  Apparently that isn't good enough.  I know we are supposed to be always learning but I always thought of that as informal things like watching a history channel show about ancient Greece or reading a non-fiction book. 
I was looking at the Church News site and saw this article about how the church is helping and encouraging people to continue their education.  As I was reading it I realized how easy it is to do.  We all have our busy schedules and it is hard enough to fit in what we already have going.  The article was about part of the Brigham Young University Independent Study program where they are offering FREE courses in a lot of different areas.  It is set up so you can do it on your own schedule (with no test deadlines to stress you out) but you still have a structure to keep you focused.  Unfortunately as a missionary I am one of the few who can't take one of these classes now but I would encourage everyone to make the time and study something they want to.    If it is going to be so available that it is possible for almost anyone, except missionaries :(, to do it, it must be important.  So go to this site and commit yourself to continuing your education.  http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/courses/free.cfm

What defines an Angel?

As we enter the Christmas season (I know Thanksgiving isn't past yet but I think this subject is appropriate) we think of the story of Christ's birth.  This story is full of angels bringing "glad tidings of great joy".  Often we think of Angels as this kind, those from the other side of the veil, but more often than not Angels are everyday people in our everyday lives.     
I believe an Angel is anyone who does anything to brighten someone elses day.  Often we don't think of simple things we do as "Angelic" or out of the ordinary but someone else does.  We don't know what impact a small act of love can do for someone in need.
Also being an angel doesn't mean you have to do something; sometimes being an Angel simply means being there, showing others we truly care and that they are more important than any "thing" in our lives.  I believe if we follow the advice from President Monson in this Mormon Message "What Matters Most" we can be Angels to those we meet.  
We need to let the Light of Christ shine through us by lifting up those that really need it.  As you go about your way think "What can I do to be an Angel to the people around me?"

Have you ever noticed when you start telling somebody something other things happen that make you "put your money where your mouth is"?  This happens a lot as a missionary.  We share the gospel then things come our way to test us and make sure we are truly sincere.  
Elder Miller and I have been sharing a message with people about getting through trials.  We use a talk from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in 2008 called "Come What May, and Love it."  Elder Wirthlin gives a few different things to do so we can get through trials.  I want to focus on the first one.  Learn to laugh.  Of course this isn't appropriate in all situations but it helps in some of the more embarrassing and frustrating ones.  Most peoples first reaction to adversity might be to get angry, or if they have better control to simply move on.  But when we learn to laugh we relieve the stress of situations and can pay attention to the bright side of things.  Here is what happened... 

Last week we were going to dinner and had a little bit of a fender bender.  It was pretty stressful but we didn't have too much time to think about it.  At the end of dinner we shared the message, Come What May, and Love it...    After we were talking and decided that we had better practice what we preached and laugh it off.  It helped ease the stress quite a bit but there was still a lot we had to deal with because of the situation.  We got over it and whats done is done right?  Apparently we didn't learn our lesson.  A few days later we went and shared this message with a different family.  We felt like it was a good visit and everything was going great.  It was a very cold 8 pm and we left the appointment to go to the library... and got a flat tire.  Because of our previous experience we knew there wasn't any point in doing anything but laugh it off, fix it, and move on.  So we did and it all worked out.
I know these situations really don't matter much and that's the point.  Laughter made us realize how little they mattered.  So when things don't quite go our way, laugh it off and find the joy in the journey.

What's the most valuable resource on earth?

Think about that question. 
Today we had an amazing meeting of all the missionaries from the area around New Haven, Connecticut.  It was a very spiritual meeting and I learned a ton.  In preparation for these meetings (we call them zone conferences) our mission president gives us different things to read and study to prepare.  One of the main topics we learned about today was studying.  We were given a talk by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles titled A Reservoir of Living Water .  I highly recommend reading that talk.  Elder Bednar has some very good insights on how to get the most out of our studies.
He starts by asking that question, "what is the most valuable substance or commodity in the world?"  The answer is water.  Elder Bednar shows how this is true both physically and spiritually.  We all need the living water of Jesus Christ to help us survive.  We get this by doing as Elder Bednar says and using all types of study tools.  We have to really work for it if we want to get the living water that is there waiting for us.  The scriptures are full of insights that can solve the problems we are going through now but everything takes time and effort.  One of the missionaries who was giving the training today, Elder Kunz, offered a really good interpretation of the famous verse in Matthew 7:7,  ^aAsk, and it shall be ^bgiven‍ you; ^cseek, and ye shall find; ^dknock, and it shall be opened unto you:
He wrote it      Ask, and it shall be given‍ you; [where to] 
                         Seek, and ye shall find; [where to]
                         Knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
That is a really good way to put it.  I would encourage everyone to read Elder Bednar's talk and apply those principles to their studies of the scriptures.