Danny's Blog

Super Bowl XLIII and Ads

2009-02-03T16:31:00.003-07:00

I watched the Super Bowl at a mission buddy's house this past Sunday. It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and watch a game that I haven't seen in two years.

Though I love college football, I'm normally not one for NFL games. I feel that NFL players are over payed and underachievers normally. But I have to say, Sunday's games was probably one of the best games that I have seen. It was very exciting and could have gone either way at any time. Too bad the Cardinals lost, though they had plenty of opportunities to pull it off, they just couldn't capitalize.

What I REALLY missed though was the Ads that are run during the game. There are always the best ads run during the game, and this year was no exception. They ranged from the hilarious, to the overly scandalous, to the awesome. I'm really excited about the movie teasers for the new Transformers and G.I. Joe movies.

In case you missed the ads, I've included a widget to the ads on hulu. It looks like they are carrying all of the ads.. brought to you by.. other ads, that's right. Enjoy!

A Transparent President

2009-01-24T19:28:00.004-07:00

It sure is nice to have a transparent President of the United States. Be him Democrat or Republican. Say what you will about him, it's about time we have a President that keeps us in the loop. I hope and pray for good things to come from him. This country definitely needs it.

Holiday Update... a few days late

2009-01-07T17:13:00.004-07:00

This holiday seasons has reminded me that there are many wonderful people in Georgia and back at home in Ohio that I love and miss and need to contact. I wanted to tell you about how I have been doing since being home. I have been home from my mission now for a little over two months. Life off the mission has definitely been interesting, but certainly not easy. I spent about a month at home, living with my Mom and enjoying being around family and friends, catching up on their lives and sharing my mission experiences with them. I enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with them and realized just how much I missed my Mom's traditional Thanksgiving feast!

After a period of time, I began a search for employment to no avail. The economy hit Ohio pretty hard, so jobs were hard to come by. During this time, I was pondering on what I could do and felt the distinct impression that I needed to be in Salt Lake City, UT. I have learned from so many experiences on the mission that when the Lord commands, do it, so I have, otherwise you are on your own for guidance and forfeit the blessings He wants to provide to you. I've been in Utah now for about almost a month and can already feel the blessings flow from following the commandment given. I feel happier, more secure with my situation and stronger in my devotion and faith. (I did come home for Christmas though, I think my Mom would have disowned me if I didn’t). Over the weekend, I moved into an apartment. It's not much, but I have what I need and I'll be able to get 'luxuries' later.

I realized, over the holidays, just how important and cherished my missionary service during Christmas was to me. It was always so much more difficult to spread the gospel during the holidays because people always had other places to be or things to be doing, but it was amazing to help spread Holiday cheer and teach the true Spirit of Christmas. I was fortunate enough to participate in the purest and simplest gift-giving of the holidays, that of rendering help and serve. I am now seeking ways to do the same thing now that I am off my mission and I would challenge you, as well, to find ways to share the message of the Savior and His divine love to those around you and to help them feel the love and joy of the Savior, each and every day of the year. I just want you to know, that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's true Church once again established on the earth.I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.I know that the only way to true joy and happiness in this life and the life to come is found only through the gospel of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on our behalf. I know that the peace and joy felt by all, during the holiday seasons is in fact the Spirit of God and that can be felt year 'round by all who follow the commandments of God.

I love and miss the great people that I left behind in Ohio and Georgia. I truly miss all of the wonderful experiences that I had in Georgia during my missionary service. I hope I made a difference and touched as many lives and touched mine.

I apologize for waiting so long for a blog update since I've been home. I need to do better at keeping everyone informed and keeping on contact.

Danny's Impending Return

2008-10-27T19:20:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to post a quick note and let everyone know that Danny will be coming home on Wednesday!

I'm sure he'll update everyone when he returns :D

Posted by: Jon

Busy August

2008-08-11T13:37:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! I pretty much just copied what I wrote to my Mom and sent it to you, hopefully you can follow along well enough. I don't have much time to elaborate on some things.

This was a crazy week! Early in the week, I watched as Elder Parker left for Macon and then on to home. It reminded me so much that I'm not too far behind and it's a crazy thought. I already miss him and can only look forward to talking to him and seeing him again soon. I worked with Elder Rice and Elder McKee (the other companionship in the apartment) the rest of the week, while we waited for Transfer Meeting on Friday.

Friday was Transfer Meeting. Pres. Bowman wanted to try a different setup than Pres. Evanson had previously implemented. Instead of using members to take us all up to Macon to meet, we met in three different places and we used the mission vehicles. When we got to the meeting, no one knew what was going on. Even though I didn't even know, I stepped up to help out as much as I could. Everything eventually worked out though, so I guess I can't complain.

My new companion is Elder Stoddard from Penryn, CA. He's a great guy and he'll keep me working all the way up until I head home. I found out earlier in the week, but on Friday, we officially took over another Zone, doubling our size. We are now in charge of 15 missionary companionships in like 8 cities around south Georgia. What that means is a LOT more work! We'll be gone at least one day a week (sometimes more) being in other areas, helping the work. The pressure will also still be on us to baptize and serve in Albany. Two more Elders were put in Albany, also, bringing the number to 6. With the traveling, we've been given more miles to cover such a large area & Zone.

I was really frustrated by all of the changes, especially since we've been totally left in the dark as to the changes until the minute we need to act. I didn't even get a phone call about our Zone doubling until Saturday morning, the day after I NEEDED to know... but the phone call from Pres. Bowman was actually really nice. He counciled with me and took my opinion and advice on matters related to such a large Zone. Then he paid me a compliment, telling me that I should look at this responsibility and added work as a measure of what he feels about me and my capabilities. It was nice to hear that, because previously he pretty much ignored me.

We also moved apartments. Because the other 4 Elders will be sharing a car it made no sense for us to live with one of those sets as we had previously done and required them to drive across town to exchange the car. We moved in where the Senior Sisters previously lived. It's a MUCH nicer place and we got all of the best furniture too! We spent part of Friday night and Saturday trying to get the apartment organized and then we spent a terrible amount of time on Saturday planning for the next six weeks. Since we have 4 District Leaders that report to us, it was almost a nightmare trying to get coordinated with them.

Yesterday was a good day, we kind of took it easy, seeing a couple of members and then going out to the Bishop's so the new missionaries could get to know the family.

Today, we're running a little late, because a member took us to WalMart today and bought us all kinds of things that we needed for the apartment (and groceries too). She spent over $400 on us. We tried to just buy what we needed and get the cheap stuff, but every time we did that, she would tell us to buy the nice stuff. It was so nice, as we would've had almost nothing without her. She kept telling us not to worry about it, because her and her husband were sitting really comfortably and this wouldn't even put a dent into their budget. It was like Christmas... but we barely splurged... except for some ice cream!

This week will be very busy. We leave tonight for Tifton, to catch a ride tomorrow to Macon for our Zone Leader meeting. That will take all day and we won't be home until late tomorrow. Then Wednesday we'll spend most of the day preparing for 2 almost identical meetings that we'll have to conduct on Thursday, one in Albany and one in Thomasville, GA. With all of the travel and meeting time, the whole day will be spent. Hopefully we'll get some time to see some people this week in between meetings and such. My last 12 weeks are going to fly right on by at this rate.

That's all for here.

Posted by: Jon

BLOG UPDATE!

2008-06-23T18:32:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry this blog update is so long in waiting. I've been really busy and keep forgetting to write an update about how things have been these past few months...

Well, in spite of the usual ups-&-downs of missionary life, things are going very well. I can't say everything is great, because it has truly been a roller coaster as of late. We have had a lot of great experiences, only to have bad ones happen just shortly later. The work is slow going here in Albany and every time we think things are starting to pick up, they drop off again. I have been doing my best to get lost in the duties of a missionary and continue to press forward as much as possible. Sometimes it is hard, but I just have to keep moving forward.

Over the past few months, the Albany Ward has been blessed to see two baptisms. My companion and I were able to help a 20 year-old guy be baptized in late May and then the other missionaries in our apartment were able to help a 9 year-old girl be baptized just this past weekend. It is always a blessing and an honor to take part, even a little bit, in helping someone come unto our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The four missionaries currently in the apartment have survived three months together but however, it is time for transfers and Elder Wayman will be leaving us this Thursday. He has spent the last 7 ½ months in Albany and is sad he has to go, but he is looking forward to continuing the work in a new area. We all hope the best for him and we hope we will receive a great replacement to help continue the work.

Elder Parker and I will be going on 4 1/2 months together in this assignment here in Albany. That is in addition to the 5 months we served together previously in the Mission Office in Macon. I am pretty sure we have long broken the record, in this mission, for the companions that have served together the longest. I love the guy and look forward to serving with him his last 6 weeks, as he will be leaving for home in early August. We will have a long and lasting friendship ahead of us and I look forward to our visits after the mission and into the future.

Also coming up this week the assignment for our current Mission President and Wife is over and the assignment for the new Mission President and Wife begins. A Mission President serves for three years over a mission in the Church, while regular missionaries serve 2 years (guys) or 18 months (girls). It has been sad these past few weeks to say good-bye to the Evanson's. They have become dear friends to me and I look forward to catching up with them after the mission. I was blessed to have worked with them almost on a daily basis in Macon and grew to love them and value all of the great traits that they have taught me, as well as great knowledge in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Evanson's will be leaving Friday afternoon, just shortly after the new Mission President and Wife arrive in Macon. The work will proceed forward and the mission will continue to grow under the new Mission President, I am sure of it.

The weather has been HOT and HUMID! There has been unseasonably hot weather that's come into Georgia over a month ago. We have been braving August like temperatures in early June and we only have the hottest parts of the summer to look forward to. We do our best to keep hydrated and stay out of the sun as much as possible. Luckily this is my last summer in Georgia. When I return home to Ohio, I'll laugh at the summers!

In May, on Mother's Day, I made my last phone call home before I return in October. It was wonderful to be able to talk to family and catch up with how everyone is doing. I get weekly updates from my Mom and Dad and occasional updates from other family members, but nothing beats actually talking to family and being able to truly find out how things are. I realize now, more than ever, the importance of families and how much joy they can (and should) bring into your life.

As far as 'lasts' go, it's been real interesting to think that I'm doing my 'last of' things a lot more lately. I only have a few months left and I have a lot of things to accomplish still. In my MTC District, we had 4 Sisters (as I said before, who only serve 18 months). They all went home in late May and it's very unsettling to think they are home. I really miss them all and grew to love them all like real sisters. It sounds like coming home can be a real struggle, trying to adjust to the 'normal' life again. I am sure it will be interesting for all of my friends and family to see the changes in me and how I react to the changing world that I did not get to see. I sure hope everyone has a little patience with me, and I am sure I will provide lots of comedic relief to those around me.

Well that is about it for this update. Everything continues to move forward, ever forward to October, which is coming up too fast. The work will bounce back here and we will have great success soon, I am sure of it. You should be seeing one last update to flickr with photos from my mission soon. I will be sending out the memory card today. It will be my last, because there really is no point in sending another home, I will just bring it in my luggage.

I love you all and miss you. I look forward to catching you up on what is going on with me real soon.

Posted by: Jon

Update After Recent Transfer

2008-04-21T19:40:00.003-06:00

Got an update today from Danny after his recent transfer. Enjoy!

Hey everyone!

I was recently transferred once again. I'm now in Albany, GA. Things are going good here in. The weather in Georgia has been very pleasant and in the mid-80's. I can't talk much though, even when it gets hot, because we have a full time car with a lots of miles. I don't believe I'll be on a bike the rest of my mission, as long as I learn to budget our miles well.

I'm serving again with a former companion, Elder Parker. He's an awesome guy and we had a great time serving together last time. We requested to serve together again, but didn't expect it to happen, because we had already been together for 5 months previously. But our Mission President said the Lord allowed it, so here we are. We're going to work hard to bring success to Albany and help the Ward grow in strength and size.

The past few weeks have brought a lot of new things, including attending some meetings in Macon, a few weeks ago to help Elder Parker and I move the work along in our area. We've also been going to other areas, to help strengthen the work there. We went to Tifton (my old area) last week to help the missionaries there strengthen the work, but we also were able to have some fun as well. We went up early Monday, our P-Day, and had lunch with all of the missionaries there, then went "Skittles" bowling (each color represents a different way to bowl.. none of which is normal). It helps to keep the competitiveness of bowling out of the way.

The rest of the week here was good. We've just been out working hard and trying to prepare people for Church and baptism. We have several promising people that will probably be getting baptized in May, so we're working hard to help them progress to those steps in their life. One of the guys we are teaching, invited his mother and sister into the lesson yesterday and began to help us teach them. That's always a good sign that someone is understanding, when they begin to help teach someone else. We hope to see great things from him soon. He's an awesome guy with a fun personality.

Our area in Albany is HUGE, because one of the missionary companionships that covered half the city has been removed because replacements couldn't be brought in, so we're covering two areas basically. We have a constant flow of people to see and things to do, so it's keeping things pretty interesting. I always enjoy the work better when we have too much to do, and not the other way around. I'd rather feel a little pressured then have a lot of down time that we have to fill finding people.

It's really hard to believe that I'm coming up on my 18 month mark, the 25th of this month. I'm trying not to count, but even when you try out here, things remind you all of the time that I have very little time left. Time is going so fast, it's hard to believe. I have so much I want to do still, and not enough time to do it all. I have to begin prioritizing and working hard to accomplish those things that are of most importance to me and those around me.

Elder Parker and I got some new "toys" a few weeks ago. All of the companionships in the mission received cell phones to help increase or efficiency. We're now about to be contacted like 95% of the world's population, on the go and in a moments notice.

We also picked up a brand new, 2008 Chevy Malibu in Macon at our meeting. It's sharp and fun to drive, but being a Honda fan, I can find flaws all over it. Chevy's design, quality and reliability aren't increasing much, even though they sure are trying to make it look like they are. Elder Parker and I are both Honda fans, and we can find quality issues and flaws everywhere (like the sharp corner near the front door openings that just about stab you when you get in our out). Chevy just doesn't think some things out and their plastics and such feel like they'll break with a good flick of the finger.

That's really about all that's happened in the last few weeks here in Albany. I have much more to tell about an experience in Tifton my last full week there, but it would take a full page of typing to tell it all. Let's just say for now, it was an incredibly enriching experience and I grew a lot from it. The hand of the Lord was definitely involved in making things happen and many people have been and will be blessed by the experience.

This is our off week from meetings and such, so it should be a quiet week were we can just work hard and see success. Hopefully good things will happen this week.

I hope this update finds you all well and happy. I love you all!

Posted by: Jon

Update for the Week

2008-03-10T09:11:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

I heard about the blizzard that arrived in Ohio, from some members here. I hope the 18 inches wasn't too much for you. We didn't even see a speck of snow, but it has been colder here.. in the mid-30's at night and mid-40's during the day. No kidding, mid-40's here, with the humidity feels like the high-20's. It's not hindered our work any though, we just head out anyhow.

This week was a busy one for us. It's what we call a Power Week. I had to complete it as a part of my training. Basically, I'm supposed to work harder, pray harder and sacrifice more in order to see successes in the work. And I'm tired! But we were successful. We found several great new people and we are working with a young couple to get them married and prepare them for baptism in late March. We have several other people that we hope to get committed for baptism in early April as well.

To add to all of our hard work from the week, I also had a really busy day at Church yesterday. I gave a lesson in one of the classes that we have (I was asked to give another, but delegated it to the Sister missionaries). Then with only about 2 hours of notice and 20 minutes of preparation time, I gave a 15 minute talk in Church. I'm so grateful for the Lord and his preparations and changes within me. Even a few months ago, I would still struggle in speaking in front of that many people, however, yesterday I wasn't even nervous. I was focused on my thoughts and what I wanted to share and I was able to share them clearly and correctly. It's just one of the many ways that, lately, I've noticed the growth within me.

As for things with my new companion, things are going really well. He's a little rigid at times and has trouble being sociable, but he has a desire to change and I'm working diligently with him to help him become a more people person and to get out of his rigid shell (no kidding, I had to MAKE him slouch in his chair one day... just to see if he could do it. It looked painful for him...seriously). He's doing well and making the adjustments. In two short weeks, I've already been able to see great progress in him and I'm really enjoying helping to make him a better all-around person.

We had been working really hard to get a Spanish-speaking guy baptized on the 15th, but he disappeared on us. He was struggling to find a good-paying job, and we don't know if he left town to find something better, or what. It's been a real struggle to teach him with members and other missionaries that speak Spanish. It would just be easier to not teach him and help him get baptized, but if it's his desire to come to the Lord, we'll do everything in our power to help him do that.

Last weekend, I was also asked to perform a baptism for a lady the Sister missionaries were teaching here in Tifton. She is a larger lady and I was concerned that I would have difficulty in safely lowering her into the water and then bringing her back up, so I asked for someone else to assist me with the baptism. However, I was able to successfully perform the baptism without any difficulties. It's always great to attend or take part in a baptism!

Hopefully you all are enjoying the last little bit of winter before spring arrives (that's right around the corner.. I promise!) It's also a great time of year to think about the Savior as we approach this Easter season. I'm so grateful for the sacrifice that He has made for each and every one of us, that allows us the opportunity to return to live with God and experience all of the joy and happiness that God wants for us in this life. I hope you all take some time this year, away from the Easter-egg hunts, peeps and cadbury eggs (that means you Jon!) and think about the Savior and His love for you. I know that as you do so, you'll feel His abiding love and you will draw closer to Him. I also know that through that love, you'll feel so much peace and joy in this life.

That's really about all for now. Things are going very well for me as I hit the home-stretch of my mission. Those of you who are counting the days... don't EVER inform me of how much I have left... it's going too fast! I have too much still to do and not enough time left to do it.

This week shouldn't be as busy for us, but I guess we'll just see.

Love ya!

Danny

Posted by: Jon

February Update from District Leader Dilts

2008-02-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Things are going great in Tifton. It's great to be back and I really enjoy this area so much. The members and the people are so wonderful. There is truly southern hospitality here in south Georgia. We are working hard and enjoying being in the service of the Lord. The weather here has been a roller coaster, hot one day, cold the next, but it's beautiful. I sure I'm not allowed to complain because we don't have any snow and I'm sure Ohio is seeing its fair share.

Things the past few weeks have been very busy and the time has moved fast, with the exception of this week, which seemed a little slow, in spite of all of the things that we had scheduled. We had a large meeting to attend last Monday, with a General Authority from our Church. He spoke for several hours and helped to motivate us to work hard and increase our faith in the Savior. Motivation is a struggle for some missionaries some times, especially if they are dejected a lot or for a long period of time, or perhaps if they just seem to be going through the paces of missionary work without putting for a lot of feeling and desire. It was a very good meeting and quite motivating.

Then on Wednesday, I conducted my first District Meeting as a District Leader. It was really good (from what everyone says) and I trained well on the topics that I was given. I had so much information to use as a resource, that I was almost swimming in the information, but I feel that I pulled it all together well. I worked hard to motivate my District and move them in the right direction and it seems to be paying off. We had a terrific week, after a few rough weeks in a row. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue to rely on the Lord for further direction to move this District forward.

We also had several baptisms and a funeral to attend on Saturday. It was kind of weird to watch both a life come to an end and two lives begin unto Christ in the same day. The baptisms were for a 8 year old child of a father in the Ward and also for a convert that the Sister missionaries here have been teaching. The funeral was for President Hinkley, the Church President that passed away last Sunday. It was a great and sad day. Pres. Hinkley is in a much better place and the funeral services for him were great, but I'll miss him. I always loved his counsel and guidance. Because he was the President when I was baptized, he has been the only Church President that I have known. I'll continue to study and learn about this great man's wise counsel and look forward to the guidance of the new Church President that will be selected this week.

We also committed a young guy here to baptism on on Feb. 16th. He's the 18 year old grandson of a member in the Tifton Ward. He's a very humble kid and wants to do well in life. We are struggling with him a little though, because, as most 18 year old guys, he's never really had much responsibility, so we are trying to work with him to recognize his need to be responsible and do the right things, the things that he's told us that he wants to do.

Other than that, things are going well. There hasn't been much change of our regular missionary activities from week to week. We are struggling with getting people to keep the commitments that we are leaving them. We are teaching several great people, but it's frustrating that they keep skipping out on appointments and not doing those things that they promised that they would do. I guess it's lessons like this that teach patience and reliance on the Lord and His timetable.

That's really about all for now. Time is flying right on by! I can't believe that I've been in Tifton for a month now. I hope things are going well back home (I wouldn't know, because I don't get many letters anymore), and everyone is staying warm! Expect a BUNCH of new photos to be added to flickr soon!

Danny

Posted by: Jon

Pieces of an Update

2008-01-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is a pieced together blog update that Danny sent. Its basically a summary of the past month or so.

It's time for another blog update, this one just in time for me to leave the office and head out to my new assignment...back to Tifton, GA! I requested specifically to go back to Tifton, because I enjoyed the area and the people there so much. I'm looking forward to getting back to work there and seeing further success. I've been in the Mission Office for the past 8 months. I'll really miss the people here in Macon and those that I have worked with, but it's time to move on and experience new (or old) things again.

I have to apologize because I just don't have the time right now to catch everyone up on everything that has gone on since the last update, but here is a brief summary. Sorry!!

Over the past several weeks, we've celebrated Christmas and New Years. Both were fun holidays in the mission. It's awesome to talk and teach people about Christ around the Christmas season. Everyone has a bit of the Christmas spirit and they are more receptive to learn about Him.

It’s been busy with Zone Conference and getting ready to leave Macon. It's been very busy and I'm looking forward to things slowing down a little. It was freezing in Augusta and Savannah, weather in the teens, which is very much not like Georgia, but we braved the cold and were able to accomplish everything that we needed to do. Elder Smith is doing a great job and Elder Clark seems to be totally up to speed finally. I hope they will work well together and can see continued success in Macon. I'll pretty much get to see Elder Smith for the remainder of my mission, at least one day every 6 weeks. We expect him to be in the office for just as long as I was here (8 months).

We're also all set for the baptisms this afternoon. We have to leave here in a little while and head over to the Church to begin filling the font. It'll take several hours to fill it with warm water, so the three people we are baptizing don't freeze to death.

Our new years was good and we got to relax for maybe the third day in 1 1/2 weeks... nice mini-vacation

It sure sounds like things have been cold back home. I guess I'm glad I'm not there right now. It's been chili here too, but I can't complain about 40 degree weather... except all of my heavy coats are still in Macon and I won't get them until next Monday, but it's not been too bad.

The new leadership responsibilities does bring some added tasks to complete, but it doesn't generally take too much time, just mostly in the evening when I have to make phone calls it everyone in my District. We also went to Moultrie, GA for what's called an 'exchange' where I work with the missionaries there to help encourage them and help them teach better.

In Tifton, we've just been out trying to find people and teach them. We found 10 new people to teach last week and hopefully we can find some more. We want to have at least one baptism in February, so we are doing everything we can to make that happen.

This week is already looking busy with appointments and other assignments. We are having our Zone Meeting on Friday in Albany, GA and I'll be required to go to the leadership meeting. It sounds like there are a lot of changes coming, because Pres. Evanson has recently attended a Mission President's meeting. My time in the mission is just flying right on by.

I love you all and hope all is well back home in the blistery cold of Ohio!

Love,

Danny

Post by: Rod

Transfer Update

2008-01-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Danny was to be transfered shortly after the new year. I have now received word that the transfer did take place, and he is back in the Tifton, GA area. There wasn't a whole lot of information passed on, but I'm sure Danny will get a letter sent out to update everyone further.

posted by: Jon

Holiday Update

2007-12-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

I received an update from Danny. Enjoy!

First off, I want to apologize for not sending any kind of update in November. It's been the first month since I've been on my mission that I've forgotten to at least send a little something. I didn't even realize that November came and went without an update until the other day. Hopefully this post will catch everyone up with how and what I've been doing since the last post. I'll work backwards from this past week to the previous update.

This past week was a very busy week with transfers and the arriving and departing missionaries, but it was really good. Most of the week is spent preparing for and assisting the departing missionaries with their transition home and the arriving missionaries with their transition into the mission. We attend the arriving missionaries' dinner on Wednesday, which is always delicious (roast beef… Mom, I'm sending you the recipe!), then stay for a devotional and games. It's a fun night to make the new missionaries feel welcome and at home, before they head out to their first area in the mission field.

We also had some great success this week. We've committed 4 people to baptism in December. We committed a mother, Stephanie, and her two kids, Aaron and Kaitlyn to baptism on December 29th. They are a great family that has been coming out to church for many months now and has finally agreed to have the missionaries come teach them. We committed them during our second lesson a week ago. Stephanie was introduced to the Church through some friends who are members in another city nearby. She's been studying the gospel on her own for the past several months and things finally just clicked for her a few weeks ago. We also had a 19 year old guy named Donovan committed for December 15^th (which has since been pushed back a few weeks). We were teaching him when I first got here 6 months ago, but he went on a vacation (which was supposed to last 3 weeks, but that had extended about 3 months), so we lost contact. He's a great kid from southern California and he has a lot of friends that are LDS, so joining the Church should be an easy transition for him.

All of this success followed three very difficult weeks in relation to missionary work and two weeks on the road for Zone Conference. Elder Clark and I have been working very hard these past six weeks to find new people to teach and to see success, however, it was a very disappointing time for us. I've never, in my time on a mission, seen such struggles in missionary work. For three weeks, we had so much struggle trying to get people to keep appointments. Part of missionary work is people skipping out on appointments that you set, either because they forget or they really weren't interested and couldn't bring themselves to tell us the truth, that's just something we come to expect and overcome. However, those three weeks of work were the worst that I have seen for missed appointments. Over a three week period we had dozens of appointments scheduled, but only two or three were actually kept. It was a miserable time, but it taught me a great deal about perseverance. If we hadn't continued to press forward and work hard, we wouldn't be seeing the success that we currently have, I know that. The Lord was willing to bless us for our hard work and diligence. Sometimes you have to live through trials and frustrations, before good things happen. It's the Lord's way of making sure you truly want what you're asking for and are willing to work and sweat for it. We've definitely been willing and trying to work hard and so the Lord sent additional blessings our way to help us out.

After those tough weeks, things really turned around and it's great to see. Just after those three difficult weeks, we spent a great deal of time on the road for Zone Conference tour. Because of Thanksgiving, instead of just spending Tuesday through Thursday on the road the first week of Zone Conference, we added an additional day and traveled from Douglas to Augusta, GA, a four hour trip, Thursday night. It made for a much longer week and we were all very tired, but it was fun. On the way from Douglas to Augusta, we saw some cotton fields that were ready to pick. We'd been looking for the last several trips, so we could get the traditional photos in a cotton field. When we stopped to take photos, our Mission President saw us and also stopped to get a few photos. I'll try to have them sent home in time for Christmas. It's the only "white Christmas" Georgia really has. We also stopped in Vidalia, GA on the way, where several in our group had previously served, and had dinner with some members, before heading on to Augusta. We got back late Friday night from the first week of Zone Conference. Then the following week, instead of heading out the night before, like we usually do, we left early Tuesday morning for Savannah, attended conference and headed back home. It made for a long day, but it was worth it to work our area Monday night, because that is when we made contact with Donovan again.

Later that week, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Macon. We started the day off with a leaf raking service project. All of the missionaries serving in Macon, as well as several other members of the Ward gathered together to rake leaves at the homes of two widows in the Ward. We spent almost 2 hours completing the service, before heading back over to the Church for Turkey Bowl 2007! We had a great time playing football. There were about 18 of us, including our Mission President and his sons that were in town for the holidays. I was on the losing team, however, but the final score was 10 touchdowns to 9. The good news is that only one person was injured, but the bad news is that person was Pres. Evanson. He took a hard fall trying to catch a ball and bumped his head pretty good. He was a little woozy for a while, but recovered to enjoy the remainder of the day.

Then in the afternoon, after we got cleaned up, we headed over to the Mission Home for a good, traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I say traditional, because southern Thanksgiving isn't what I am used to, and it's what I experienced last year. There aren't the usual foods that most people up north have, like sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. In the south not many people serve those types of dishes for Thanksgiving, but Sis. Evanson knows how to cook traditional meals and it was delicious (though I still miss my Mom's pumpkin pie)! We then decided to hang around at the home and play games and just relax and enjoy each other's company, which is something we seldom get to do. We ended up spending about 7 hours at the Mission Home. While it wasn't home, it felt more like home than anywhere else I've been since I've been on my mission.

Now that Thanksgiving is come and gone, it's about time for Christmas. The South is doing it's best to look like Christmas and the holidays, but it's just not the same without the snow. I think the people of the South feel the same way, because decorations were up REALLY early this year. I think people try to get into the Christmas spirit by putting up decorations earlier. Some decorations were up two weeks before Thanksgiving! It is nice to see all of the lights and such around and the bell ringers at the stores.

I'll be in Macon for Christmas and the New Year. We already have several people that have invited us over to enjoy the holidays with them, including another great dinner expected at the Mission Home. I was expecting to leave Macon at the most recent transfer, however, that didn't happen after all. I had the opportunity, a few weeks ago, to tell Pres. Evanson if I wanted to stay or go. He pulled me into his office and told me that he wasn't receiving any specific inspiration from the Lord on if I should stick around in the office for another transfer or head out to another area (sometimes the Lord wants us to use our judgment). So we talked for a while and I expressed that I really wanted to go out and be a regular missionary again, but at the same time I didn't want to leave the office in shaky hands. At the time, I didn't know if I could train my replacement with the few days I would have had to train him, because there are several new processes that I have started since being in the office and for someone with only a little computer experience, it would take quite a while to train them. It is a difficult situation for me, because I really want to leave and get back to serious missionary work, but I can't leave the office in inexperienced hands. President Evanson told me that he would ponder on things for a little longer and pray about it and let me know what he's decided. I knew by the end of the first week of Zone Conferences when my replacement wasn't pulled into the office that I would be here for another few weeks. It just means that I get to enjoy the holidays with people that I know well and love and with the recent blessings of several baptismal commitments, things certainly are going our way. I'm grateful for the Lord's blessings upon the work and the direction that he provides in the missionary work.

Pres. Evanson did assure me that at the end of this current transfer, that there would be some big changes and they would be very good and make me happy. I don't know exactly what he means, but we'll just have to wait for January 10^th (the next transfer) and see. I'm really looking forward to leaving the office, though, and get back out to some serious missionary work. I'm not going to count down the days until I head out, I'm sure with the holidays they'll fly past soon enough. From what I hear, the office will be very busy during the holidays and since part of my duties include forwarding and sorting the mail, I'm going to be extra busy. I'm sure there will be four or five times the mail and packages come through. I'm going to have to figure out a way to sort it all and keep it out of my way, so that we don't have to climb over it all when we are trying to get to our desks.

I'm looking forward to the weeks leading up to Christmas being busy. I love the Christmas season, but it was the hardest for missionary work last year. It's sad, everyone wants to talk about Jesus, but no one has time for Him during the holidays. He truly is the reason for the season and I'm glad that, while I'm out here, I'm not caught up in all of the worldliness of it all. I wish people would understand that the greatest Gift they could ever receive entered the world over 2000 years ago, if they are willing to accept Him into their lives. Oh well... I guess that's what I'm here for, to help people find Him and get to know Him better.

Those that leave the office get to request where they go and generally get what they ask for. I've really been thinking about it a lot, and I think I want to go back to Tifton, where I started my mission. I loved it there, but at the time I was ready to leave. There are so many great members there and so much work to do there, that I'd love to go back and really get to work. The other places I requested were the Steven's Creek area of Augusta or Beaufort, South Carolina. Both of those areas are connected to leadership positions that I don't know if I'll receive or if I've earned, so we'll see what happens. Pres. Evanson just asked me if there were areas that I would like to serve or have heard are good to serve in, so I was honest with him of my desires. He told me that I've done a lot of good for the office, so he wants to do what he can to make me happy. I hope that whatever he has in store for me, I'll be able to live up to and go forward.

Anyhow, that's about all that's been going on. I just wanted to share some thoughts of things that I've learned on a mission. First, it's amazing how a mission will change you over time, if you'll let it. For example, my perspective and attitude towards some of the people that I've served with or around has changed dramatically over time. At first, I might not have liked them much, even though I tried, or they might have been frustrating to me for various reasons, but as I've worked with them, prayed with them and gotten to know them better, and strove to love them and appreciate them, those small things get overlooked, and a great sense of love comes in. I'm trying hard to look at everyone as a son or daughter of God and see the love that He has for them. While I'm still not great at doing this for everyone, I'm getting better.

Something else that I've learned is that all great things require sacrifice of some sort. If we want to do great things in life, like get an education, have a great career or start a family, it requires a sacrifice of some sort. Think about it, a good education requires a sacrifice of time and money… time that could have been spent being a 20-something youth or money that could be spent on other, more entertaining things. However, the supposed "sacrifice" generally turns out to not be a real sacrifice after all, when everything is said and done. It might seem like a sacrifice at the time, but the benefits and blessings far outweigh anything that might be considered a sacrifice. Like money spent on college leading to a good career that will make us more money than if we didn't have that education.

This rule of sacrifice is the same for coming unto the Lord. He always requires sacrifices of us, not just because it shows our willingness to follow Him, but also because He's asking no more of us, than He has already done for us, when He willingly and lovingly sacrificed His life on behalf of all that have lived, are living or will ever live. Why should giving up some small things for the Lord come as such a surprise to those that want to know more about Him or be more like Him? Perhaps because we wish for things to be easy, however, it was never easy for Him. Sacrifice is a necessary part of the gospel. The Savior sacrificed his life for us, why shouldn't we sacrifice the worldly and harmful things in our lives for the good of the gospel and the love of the Lord? That's something that I'm trying to incorporate into my own life, as well as trying to teach that principle of the gospel to others. The one great thing about sacrifice is that with all sacrifice come great blessings. Here I am, sacrificing two years of my life, where I could be doing any number of other things, like finishing my education, starting a family or just relaxing. But instead I'm spending that time serving a mission for the Lord, but it's also for the good of the people that I'm serving and myself. I've been blessed in so many ways. This past Thanksgiving season has helped me to realize that. There is no place that I could learn more about life, the gospel, and people more than on a mission. There is no better place that I can use my talents and abilities to bless the lives of others and to do good. I love helping people and seeing the joy in their lives as we serve and teach them. It's been a tremendous blessing to me that hopefully others can and will recognize that in my life.

I celebrated my 1 year anniversary in the mission a few months ago, as my last update recognized, and the past couple of months have just passed by like a blur. I only hope to make the best use of the time I have remaining in the service of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I've learned so much, but I have so much left to learn. The same goes with serving and helping people. There are so many more people for me to touch and influence for good.

So again, I apologize for the much anticipated and totally overdue update. I also apologize for the length and hopefully you didn't get bored and pass out half-way through (you wouldn't be reading this part anyhow...), but I love you all and hope you have a happy and wonderful Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Make sure you take the time to enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends! As they say in the south… Have a Blessed Day!

posted by: Rod

One Year Update

2007-10-26T10:34:00.001-06:00

Just received a one year update from Danny and wanted to pass it on as soon a possible!

Well, I celebrated my one year anniversary this past week, and I thought I would send out a good update with news and information for the past several weeks.

First of all, things are going well here in Macon. I've been here 5 months now and I'll be here at least 6 ½ months before I'm transferred. When I'll go and where is yet to be seen. I'll be here at least through Thanksgiving, which will be nice to celebrate with the great people of Macon. We already have an invitation to attend one Thanksgiving dinner and I'm sure there will be more before the big day arrives. Some days I think it would be nice to spend Christmas here as well, but that would mean that I would be here for 8 months total, and I'm not sure I want to stay that long. I'll just have to wait and see what the Lord and the future provides.

Transfer meeting was last week, and with that, I saw the departure of Elder Parker, my companion for 5 months. I never thought I would serve with someone that long, but I couldn't have asked for a better companion to serve with for that length of time. He's been a great friend and a wonderful person to be around. I look forward to seeing him again on our Zone Conference tours later in November and then keeping in touch with him after the mission. He's serving in Beaufort, South Carolina now and I wish him the best.

For those of you keeping up, I trained an Elder back in February, named Elder Smith. He is another great guy and someone that I really enjoyed serving with. He's considered my "boy" in missionary lingo, because I trained him in the mission field and I'm his "dad". Well I became a "grandfather" the other day when Elder Smith began to train an Elder Thompson, from North Las Vegas, NV, who arrived in Georgia last Wednesday. Since we get to attend the dinner for arriving missionaries, I was about to meet my "grandson" there and welcome him to the mission, though I didn't know who my "boy" would be training until the next morning at transfer meeting (it's a secret for some unknown reason until it's announced at transfer meeting). From the sounds of things, Elders Smith and Thompson are doing very well together; however, the work in their area is hard going. But they are working hard and striving to see success with their efforts.

We've also been working very hard in Macon the last few weeks. We are trying to double our efforts here so that we can see a great amount of success. Elder Clark, my new companion, and I want to see at least 2 baptisms together here in Macon. We have been teaching some really great people and have found several new people to teach lately. We've been focusing on getting to know these people; finding out what they want in life and helping them reach that goal, through the Savior, Jesus Christ. As we focus on the people and not on a number, we know we'll see more success and feel the joy of bringing them to the Savior. I'll have to keep you posted on our results.

Just to fill you in on what I've been doing since the last blog update: We've completed another round of Zone Conference tours. This one came with some noteworthy events. The first is a tire blowout on our trailer while heading down I-75 on our way to the first stop of the tour. We were heading down to Tifton, GA to visit with a Church member quickly before heading on to Albany, GA. We were about half way to Tifton, when the tire tread of the passenger side tire totally gave out and the trailer started to bounce happily down the road. I was driving and pulled over quickly to access the damage. The tire tread had totally buckled the fender and the tire was trashed. It took us about an hour to put on the spare, bend the fender back into shape and then stop and get air into the tires to make sure they were properly inflated. We ended up having to skip the visit with the member because of the delay.

We ended up making it safely to Albany that night. Then, in the morning, we further assessed the damages and took a good look at the other tire on the trailer. It too was showing some serious wear issues and after careful review, we decided to make the attempt to drive on it to Douglas, GA, our next stop, where we have a Church member that owns a tire shop that could help us out. But… we didn't make it before that driver's side tire blew out as well. The trailer began hoping and bouncing just as we arrived in Tifton, so we pulled into the Wal-Mart near by and sought their services, however they didn't have tires for trailers, so they sent us to a Redneck local tire shop a few miles down the road that we had to rush to before they closed. So they got us all setup and we were back on the road to Douglas, without any further tire issues. It's pretty lousy that we inspect all of the automobiles in the mission for preventative maintenance and tire wear, but none of us bothered to check the trailer for the same. But we've learned our lesson and we made it safely home and the trailer was able to make the second leg of the tour the next week with out any problems.

In Augusta, during the second week of the Zone Conference tour, we had a few minutes and were able to drive down the road to see the Augusta National Golf Course and quickly get photos at the main gate before security had any opportunity to run us off (which we hear happens pretty often). There is a tall fence around the entire course, and you can only see just a tiny amount of the course from even the main gate. But we took photos quickly and hoped back into the car and off we went. We also got photos of what is supposed to be Bill Gate's Augusta home. A member told one of us that he maintains it only for the Master's Tournament each year. It was pretty nice, but definitely questionable as to if it truly is his house or not.

Also this past month, I had the opportunity to attend a baptism in my former area of Milledgeville. The baptism was for a man named Mark, who is a father of a family that I had taught there several months ago. His wife and daughter were baptized while I was serving in Milledgeville, but it took him a little longer to accept the gospel and take that step of faith and be baptized.

Elder Parker and I both rode over to Milledgeville with President Evanson, our Mission President. I had informed the Elders that are serving in Milledgeville, the Saturday morning before the baptism that I would be able to attend, but I guess they didn't pass on the word to Mark. Anyhow, when I walked into the Church, he didn't notice me. I said hello to a few members that I knew and grew close to while I was serving there and then noticed that Mark was taking photos before the baptism. When I walked over, one of the Elders in Milledgeville asked me to step in, and that's when Mark noticed me. He turned and quickly gave me a handshake and a big hug and then I got a few photos (which are now on the my flickr photos page).

It was great to be back and emotions ran high for everyone there. I almost cried witnessing the baptism and being a part of it. You could see the joy and excitement in the eyes of Mark and his wife and daughter. Mark had originally wanted me to baptism him, but Pres. Evanson wouldn't allow it, not because he wouldn't want to see it, but it would open up that proverbial "can of worms", since he'd be letting a missionary go back to an old area and baptize, which other missionaries never get to do. It's just a product of logistics and mission rules. But since I was in the office, and nearby in Macon, and President was heading that way anyhow, he let me attend. I didn't care if I was doing the baptizing, as long as I was there to witness it.

We taught Mark and his family for months while I was in Milledgeville and he was almost ready to be baptized before I left, but he had a few hang ups. It took him from May to September to finally decide to be baptized, but it was wonderful to finally see it happen. They were so excited to see me, that they asked Pres. Evanson if I could stay and attend Church in Milledgeville the next day…which of course I couldn't, but it was nice of them to have asked. Anyhow, it was a great time and I'm so thankful to be able to attend. I've also been informed that their son Josh is also going to be baptized this coming weekend. We weren't able to get Josh to sit down with us and let us teach him while I was there, but the missionaries have continued to work with him and he's decided to be baptized and enjoy the blessings of being a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, like the rest of the family.

That's really about all of the eventful things that have happened the past few weeks. We are currently working with several promising and wonderful people and striving to work hard to teach the gospel as much as we can. Our activities in the Mission Office always seem to pull us away from regular missionary work, but we are doing our best to stay focused on the people and see success as a result. It's always a blessing to be a part of other people's lives and see the affect that our Savior and His gospel has on them as we teach them and they accept the message that we share. We look forward to continued success and blessings for all of those that we meet.

The weather here has also started to turn chilly. It's been really nice and a much anticipated departure from the hot and muggy days of the Georgia summers. It's actually been unseasonably cold and very low humidity, but it's been wonderful. As Thanksgiving is fast approaching, it feels a little more like home with the cold weather. The leaves will soon begin to turn colors and fall and it'll soon be time for the holiday season. I look forward to the holidays and being able to call home soon.

That's all the updates that I have for now. I hope this update finds you all happy, healthy and eagerly anticipating the wonderful holiday season. Love ya!

Posted by: Jon

New Photos posted

2007-10-11T09:38:00.000-06:00

There have been new photos posted on Danny's flickr page. Take a look here!

September Update

2007-09-25T11:36:00.000-06:00

I received this update from Danny today. He was sure to appologize for the lack of updates, but he's just been so busy! He also indicated that there will be more pictures forthcoming, so watch for those to be posted real soon. Without Further ado, here's the update:

****************************************************

Wow... so I'm sorry, first of all, for not sending more regular updates. I should be doing this at least every 2 weeks, but from the looks of things, it's been about once a month. I'll do my best to bring you up to speed on how things have been and what my activities are. Here goes...

Since my last update, we completed the final leg of my third Zone Conference tour, while in the office. It was a relatively cool week, the last week of the tour, which was nice to complete the various tasks required on all of the automobiles. We were able to get done so early on Wednesday of the tour, that Elder Parker and I took a quick trip to famous River Street in Savannah, and cross a very large suspension bridge into South Carolina, just to say we've been there, in case our Mission assignments don't take us there. It was really cool to see some of the historic Savannah area, but we didn't even see a fraction of what there is to offer. It'll definitely be a place I'll have to visit again sometime, either on my mission or when I return home. We took a lot of photos and you should be expecting a photo update in the next week or so, as soon as I can send out my memory card.

The next we had transfer week, which is always very busy with too many tasks here to list. It's always nice to see new missionaries arrive and feel of their excitement and spirit. The new group will bring a lot of strength to the mission and I'm looking forward to hearing about their good works and experiences. Transfer week, however, also is a time to say good-bye to a veteran group of Elders that have served out their full 24 months. It's always hard to say good-bye, but it's a start to a new opportunity for those that have served the Lord well and will take what they've learned and experienced home with them to better their lives.

And the last several weeks have been our three week "break" if you will, where we have daily responsibilities in the office and the regular missionary work. It's a relaxing time, only in that we aren't living out of a suitcase and a large Ford E-350 van (which is a beast to drive). We're still out working hard and trying to bring people to the gospel. Each companionship in the mission had a goal to bring at least 1 new person to the gospel for the month of September and see them enter the waters of baptism. While Elder Parker and I won't see a baptism in September, we have several promising people that are preparing for that event in October and November. We look forward to continued success in the Macon area.

The temperatures have started to cool off. A couple of weeks ago, it was down right chilly in the morning, with a couple of 55-60 degree mornings, but it has started to warm up again, for it's last stand before fall. We've been getting mid-90's this week.

Just to let you know of some other events that have taken place the past few weeks, we attended a Low Country Boil on September 8th. It was hosted in celebration of a birthday for the father of a much respected individual from the Macon Ward. There was good food and good 'ol southern gospel music sung. A Low Country Boil is where corn-on-the-cob, sausage, potatoes and shrimp are cooked in butter on a low boil, until it's ready to serve, then it's served spread out on a table for you to dish up. (I have a photo.. don't worry) It's a good 'ol southern tradition that I'm glad to say I was able to experience.

Also, this past Saturday, I was able to return to my old area of Milledgeville, to attend a baptism for Mark Pruitt, the father of a family that I helped teach and baptize while I was in Milledgeville. Mark had been taught all of the missionary lessons while I was there and was prepared for baptism, but had some items that he felt he wanted to address first. It's taken him several months to work through those items, but he finally made the decision to be baptized on late August.

President Evanson juggled his schedule around and allowed Elder Parker and I to attend as a part of our Preparation day activities. It was great to be able to return and to visit with those people that I came to know well and developed friendships with. I was well received and it was a surprise for all that I was there. When I first walked in, Mark was getting photos taken and I was asked to step in, without him seeing that I had walked into the church. When he noticed me, he immediately turn and gave me a big handshake and a hug. It was awesome to be a part of his conversion and the emotions ran high. His wife and daughter were very excited and very happy to finally have their husband/father come to the Lord through baptism.. what a sight!

Finally, Elder Parker's replacement should be picked up, from the mission field, sometime this week or early next, depending on what area he's currently serving in. Elder Parker needs about 2-3 weeks to train his replacement on all of the car duties and operations, as well as the computer system and procedures for the automobiles. Our fleet of 47 cars takes a lot of time to keep running well and without any maintenance issues. It'll be sad to see Elder Parker go. I've been serving with him for 4 months and it'll be 5 months by the time he enters the field again. He'll probably be the companion I serve with the longest and I've gotten along with him very well. He's a great Elder and a true friend. Hopefully his replacement will continue the hard work and great spirit that are brought to the office and the apartment by Elder Parker.

Oh, and as several of my family and friends have reminded me lately... today is my 11 month anniversary in the Mission. I'm in that weird point in the mission where it seems that all I can remember is mission and all I have ahead of me is mission. It's interesting how the dynamics of the mission experience change over time. With each passing day, there is a sense of urgency to get out and share the gospel, to introduce people to the Savior and to help them make the changes in their lives that bring them the greatest peace and happiness that can be found in this life.

I miss you all back home and hope everything is going well in your lives. Things are great here and continue to roll forth.

Posted by: Jon

End Of The Month Update

2007-08-26T10:20:00.000-06:00

Danny wanted another update posted this month. Here is what he sent.

Our week was good. We did have a hot one and we were on Zone Conference tour, where we have to tour around south Georgia and inspect and do repairs on all of the mission vehicles. Luckily, Elder Parker and I changed up how we worked on the cars, so that all of the strenuous stuff was done in the morning before it got too hot or humid. We still had several nails in tires that we had to remove and repair.. that's the most strenuous things we do.. we were both dripping with sweat, but it's just something that has to be done. We do what we can to stay hydrated and cool.

On Thursday, we were in Douglas, GA and a thunderstorm had passed through just a couple of hours before, in the night, so there was no humidity in the morning at all, and it was only in the 80's. It almost felt COOL! We were able to get everything done before noon, and it was a really relaxing day. Traveling has been fun. We've all been traveling in the same van this time. If you remember, last time we had to drive several vehicles to drop some off throughout the mission. I'm starting to enjoy being around the other Elders more. Sometimes it can be difficult to get along with all of the Elders you're basically forced to spend time with, but with a little bit of patience and love, everything can be smoothed out. That's what this past week has brought. I've learned to be more patient with people and do my best to enjoy others and the situation that I'm in. I just need to see things from other people's perspectives and appreciate his good qualities and ignore the bad ones. We do what we can to have fun and enjoy our time on the road. We normally have a few traditions, such as stopping at Wal-Mart on the way out of town to stock up on some traveling food, and things like that. One of the traditions is playing basketball in Douglas, GA after we set up for the meeting. We played so much on Wednesday night, we were all soaking through our clothes.. but it was a lot of fun. I'm still aching a little from the workout though.

So.. now to inform you about the baptisms.

One thing I know I haven't mentioned before is how shy the two boys, Michael and Brandon, are. It's taken about three months to get Michael to say much of anything to us, and we were stopping over at least twice a week for a long time. He's just really reserved around any new people. Brandon isn't as shy, but he still can be sometimes. Well anyhow, we had their last lesson on Friday before their baptismal interview. The lesson went well and even the interview was pretty good. Two Elders from Warner Robins, GA came up to do the interviews and the boys did surprisingly well with two total strangers. Well the boys were excited Friday night for the baptism the next afternoon. Then today, Victoria, their mom, and the boys were running late for the 1:30pm baptism. Then, when they showed up, both Brandon and Michael said they didn't want to be baptized. Victoria had to drag Brandon into the bathroom to get changed and Michael sat down and wouldn't budge in the hallway. It took us over 45 minutes to get them to agree to be baptized. It wasn't that they didn't want to be baptized, but they didn't realize how many people would be there to see them be baptized. When we perform a baptize we have doors that open on the font just before the ceremony, so everyone can witness it, then the doors are closed again right afterwards. Well, we were finally able to get them baptized, by agreeing to not open the doors to the font. So instead of the audience witnessing the baptism, it was only Victoria, Pres. Evanson, the Macon Bishop and myself witnessing the baptism and Elder Parker baptizing. We had the baptismal service afterwards, which is just a couple of talks and such on baptism and the Holy Ghost.

It was, BY FAR, the most difficult baptism and probably one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do in my life or at least on my mission. I was so stressed (first real time on my mission, mind you) and worried. I had no idea what to do, or how to help them out. Thankfully Pres. Evanson stepped in and helped us to talk to the boys and explain to them how easy it would be and that it was only like a small bathtub or swimming pool (and the boys love to swim). When it was all said and done, we went to DQ for some ice cream with the boys, and they started feeling better about everything. I feel good knowing they went through with it, I was just nervous that they really didn't want to be baptized. It wasn't that.. it was they were scared/shy about all of the people being around.

This next week is the second leg of the Zone Conference tour, and then it's Transfer week. We'll be really busy, but it helps the time to fly right on by. Today was my 10 month anniversary in on a mission and it's so hard to believe it's been that long! That's really all for now. I hope you all are having a good summer! Fall is just around the corner and I can't wait for the heat to break!

Posted by: Rod

Photo from Last Saturday's Baptism

2007-08-11T08:32:00.000-06:00

Here's just a quick photo from the baptism that Danny had last Saturday.

Pictured is Victoria, her boyfriend Robbie and her three boys, Julian, Brandon & Michael, along with President Evanson.

The baptismal service was very spiritual and everyone enjoyed themselves!

August Update from Danny

2007-08-05T16:43:00.000-06:00

Well, as usual, it's been another busy couple of weeks. We had departing missionaries in the office on last Tuesday, and then arriving missionaries at the mission home, the next day, Wednesday night.

It's nice to get to know so many missionaries. I don't think I've ever had more friends, and the bonds that we make here in just a short period of time, seem so strong. I've developed some friendships here that will hopefully last a lifetime. I've had several people tell me that when I come out to Utah or Idaho, that I'd always have a place to stay. Sounds cool, huh?

Now granted, there is the occasional missionary that I don't really get along with and can't really stand to be around. But I just have to deal with it, at least for a little while. It's something that I must do for the Lord. It develops patience and an appreciation for all people, if nothing else good comes of it. If I can deal with constantly being around the occasional immature, self-involved, disrespectful missionaries, then I can handle just about anyone else out there.

The good news is that I love my companion. Elder Parker is such a great guy and we're having such a good time serving with one another. He expects to be transferred soon, but hopefully he'll hold out one transfer longer. We won't know for a couple of weeks, however.

I was also been busy, last week, packing supplies for a conference next week. All of the media supplies for this 6 week transfer had to be packed and delivered at a conference this past Tuesday.

Also, last Saturday, we helped a member changed brakes for Victoria, a lady we've been teaching. We didn't get much of a Preparation Day, because we spent most of the morning and afternoon helping with that, and then doing some other service for some other members.

Then, this week was just as busy as last week. We started off the week with what's called Zone Leader Council, where all of the mission leadership come to Macon to council together for a all day meeting, then use that council to train the missionaries in their areas to better teach the people and bring them to the Lord.

Then, we had to help a newly arrived missionary cope with mission life. He has been having some troubles, so he and his companion spent the last couple of days with Elder Parker and I, to help him to get settled and used to mission life. Pres. Evanson doesn't want to send him home, so he's doing all he can to keep him here.

And today, Elder Parker had to sell a couple of cars (old mission vehicles) and then we had a baptism at 1:30pm, that we had to prepare for. Most of our Preparation Day has been spent on mission related things, so we haven't had much time to spend for us to prepare for the coming week. It's okay though.. I'm not sure there is anything I'd rather do on a Saturday afternoon, than to see someone that I've been teaching be baptized. It's always cool to be in attendance and to know that I've made a difference.

We baptized Victoria today. We've been teaching her and her 3 boys for about 2 months now. They are a lot of fun to be around. We've tried for weeks to get Victoria and her boys all baptized together, but the boys didn't seem to show much interest. Then, no sooner then we get Victoria all set for baptism, when her oldest, Michael, says he wants to be baptized. So we're going to spend the next 2 weeks preparing him for baptism as well, and hope that his brothers come with him.

And finally, I was able to send out another memory stick full of photos today, that should arrive early next week, so everyone can see new photos. I hope you all enjoy. They include photos from my last few days in Milledgeville, our 2 previous road trips around the mission, a trip to Juliette, GA, where "Fried Green Tomatos" was recorded, our 4th of July softball game and other festivities, and various other photos from mission life.

I hope you all enjoy the update and I hope everything is going well for everyone back home. Enjoy the Dog-Days of summer... because winter is just around the corner!

Posted by: Jon

Busy Busy

2007-07-22T21:42:00.001-06:00

I received an update from Danny today and was ask to post it in its entirety. Danny's really made up for the lack of info of the past few weeks or so. He has a fully loaded schedule and yet manages to find time to write. So enjoy.

Hi All,

I apologize for not sending an update sooner. Things have been really busy, and it's easy to lose track of time. I hadn't realized it had been several weeks since I'd sent an update.

The last several weeks have been going great. I'll try to summarize as best as I can, but forgive me if I miss something or if I sound scatter brained. I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so I'm not going to remember everything.

The last several weeks, we've got finally been able to get totally settled in. The apartment is finally settled down and everything is put in it's place. It's running efficiently and all of us do our part. When we've been in Macon, we've also been busy re-arranging the office. I've been spending almost my whole time in the office moving things around and such, I haven't had much time to study. I really enjoy the intellectual and spiritual boost from reading the scriptures each day, and I have only really been able to read maybe 1-2 days a week, we've been so busy. I'm going to have to make a way to get more study in, even if I have to hide for a little while until I get my hour of study.

The weather has been good, except quite hot and humid! We could definitely use some more rain though. They've been asking us to pray for rain to fall on Georgia, because they are somewhere like 21 inches in the deficient this year for what the average is. Most of the farmers didn't even bother to plant their crops. The peanut industry is really hurting and so is all the cattle. The lack of rain also helped cause the fires in southern Georgia and northern Florida. We could see the affects of the fires a few weeks ago. The smoke had made it's way all the way up here, and the fires are about 3-4 hours south of us.

From what I've heard, we've seen nothing yet, in regard to humidity. I guess in August it's pretty unbearable. I'm not looking forward to it, but I guess I have to live through it to enjoy the cool of fall and winter, so I just have to buck up and get to work in spite of the heat.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Atlanta for our semi-annual Temple trip. After the Temple, we went to the bookstore and browsed around for a while before heading to the famous Varsity restaurant. Have you heard of it? It's the world's largest drive through, accommodating 600 cars outside and 800 people inside the restaurant. It was crazy and so big! I only got a couple of quick photos, because we had to get heading back on the road to get home.

During the beginning part of the 4^th of July holiday week, we had our apartment painted and spent a great deal of time preparing for that. We had to move all of our stuff to the middle of the rooms and then cover it with tarps and blankets, so that the painters can come in and spray the walls down on Tuesday. We stayed in the Mission Home for a couple of days, instead of our apartment, while the paint dried. Being in the mission home for a couple of days, felt almost normal. We had nice, comfortable beds and good meals provided for us each day. It was the best sleep I'd received in 9 months!

We had Independence Day totally off from missionary work, which was a nice break – almost a mini-vacation, but we still had plenty of stuff going on. In the morning, we had a pancake breakfast and softball game at the Church. There were many people that showed up and we had enough people to play softball to field 2 teams. We had a great time. It had been so long since I'd hit a ball or really thrown or played. It really made me miss playing ball, though my aching body would wish I didn't play again. I think I'm going to try to join a softball league when I get back home. (My team won, by the way).

Then in the afternoon, after we'd cleaned up our apartment from the recent paint job, we had a cookout at the Mission Home with President and Sister Evanson. All of the missionaries serving in Macon (6 of us) were there and enjoyed some hot dogs and such and then played some "fast scrabble" for a little while.

And in the evening, we went to a member's house, on Lake Tobesofkee. It was a beautiful house (probably the biggest and nicest I've ever been in). The family owns 40 daycare centers in middle Georgia, so they are LOADED. We ended up playing a game of 101 on the pool table and I smoked everyone, including my Mission President, who is pretty good. He kept saying he knew what I used to do back home in my wayward young days... pool hustler! Ha..Ha!

We didn't get to see any fireworks, because we have to be in by 9pm. I was hoping we could work something out, but rules are rules and I'm striving to be obedient to them. Maybe I'll be in a place next year where I can see them, but if not, I'm sure I'll see them the year after I return home.

This past two weeks, Elder Parker and I had to work on the mission vehicles at Zone Conference tours around all of southern Georgia. We were pretty much outside all day long Tuesday through Thursday last week and Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I ended up taking 3 showers last Wednesday, because it was so hot and humid. The temperature reached 104 degrees in Savannah on Wednesday. I guess a few days in the sun is the price we have to pay to have a full time vehicle and unlimited miles. We were on our tour during the following dates: Macon, GA – 7-10; Albany, GA – 7-11; Douglas, GA – 7-12; Augusta, GA – 7-17; Savannah, GA – 7-18

The first leg of the tour was a little different than the previous Zone Conference tour I completed. Normally, all 4 of us (my companion and I, and the Assistants to Pres. Evanson) all travel in the large Ford Van. However, this trip, we were swapping out cars, so for most of the trip, we each had our own vehicle to drive. Talk about weird! After spending 9 months full time with someone always around, it was very strange and kind of boring to be all by myself. I guess it'll take some getting used to when I return home, but I don't have to worry about that for a while still.

Last week, I got to stop in Tifton on our way home and was able to see several members there and visit for a little while. I really enjoyed serving there and really miss it. It was really nice being able to visit for even just a few minutes.

For the second leg of the tour, we all rode together in the van, which is a lot more fun. We get to joke around a little and enjoy each other's company. I'm finding it a little hard to live on the road for almost two weeks. It's hard to pack the appropriate food for all of the meals, so we end up normally eating out, which can be quite expensive.. especially on a limited missionary budget.

We returned home Wednesday night this week. Thursday and Friday, I was able to get a lot of things done in the office. I'm really starting to get the hang of the media stuff and now I'm starting to look at statistics to see how we can improve our numbers and see better results. I'll probably be meeting with Pres. Evanson this coming week to review the data and see where he'd like us to go from there.

We also picked up a new Assistant to President Evanson. Elder Craig, one of the current Assistants, is heading home on Wednesday, so we had to get a replacement. Elder Clark has now joined the apartment, and it'll be probably Tuesday evening before he can get settled in, with Elder Craig's things still in the way (there's some overlap). Elder Clark is a good guy, and hopefully the group dynamics will still be good.

We had a baptism of a lady named Victoria, scheduled for today, but that has been pushed back until August 4th. She's still really strong and we're teaching her a lot and things are really starting to click for her. I love seeing the change in people's eyes as they realized the truthfulness of the gospel. She's been bombarded really hard, however, by the Adversary. Bad things have just been rolling in on her since we met her a few weeks ago. I know that being baptized will give her the strength and direction that she needs to overcome, though, so I'm really looking forward to the 4th, for her sake. Hopefully after she gets baptized, she'll desire the great feeling that comes with baptism, for her boys and they'll be baptized soon as well. We're looking forward to that also, because her sons (Michael 11, Brandon 8, Julian 6) are so much fun. We've had them over the mission home with the Evanson's quite a bit and they've really enjoyed that.

We're also teaching an employee of a member, who's been coming out to Church for the past several weeks. He's loving Church and really enjoys learning new things about the Savior and His gospel. We hope to see him baptized this next month as well.

We had a baptism scheduled for June 30th, but it didn't go through. The guy has been all set for baptism several times, but won't follow through. He feels he's not ready to make the changes in his life that he needs to make in order to follow the Savior properly. He feels it'll be too difficult for him, so he won't go through with it. It's been hard to teach him and get him to understand that the Lord said, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it". Calvin, the guy that postponed his baptism, has asked us to give him some time and he would call us when he's ready to meet again. We have to rely on our faith and know that the Lord will continue to work with him, when we can't, and see where that takes us.

This week, we have the departing missionaries in the office all day Tuesday, and then Wednesday, we'll be attending a dinner at the mission home for the arriving missionaries. It's always sad to see some great people head back for home, but we always get new recruits to fill their places and continue the work. It's exciting to be around their energy and enthusiasm for the work.

I hope that was a good enough update for everyone. I apologize for the delay. I'll try to be better about sending out more regular updates. Also, look for new pictures to be added soon!

Love ya all!

Danny

Posted by: Rod

An Update From Danny

2007-06-18T13:36:00.001-06:00

I received this message from Danny over the weekend, and he wanted me to post it up here for everyone to read. Enjoy!

Things are going great here, just a little hectic. This week was transfer week, where we saw missionaries that are at the end of their 24 months depart for home and new missionaries arrive. The office was crazy all day Tuesday as the departing missionaries spend all morning and afternoon here and we stay to entertain them and to help them prepare for their flights home.

Wednesday, we got to see the arriving missionaries and have dinner in the Mission Home with them. Normally they do a devotional after the dinner which we stay for, but some of the other missionaries in Macon had a baptism scheduled, so we all attended that instead.

Then Thursday was Transfer Meeting where the newly arrived missionaries and any other missionaries that are being transferred come to meet before separating out to their new areas. I helped prepare for that and helped unload and load up the vehicles.

Needless to say that we've been busy, on top of normal missionary tasks. But the next three weeks will be pretty normal, then the madness starts all over again with Zone Conference Tours around the whole mission and transfer week again. I'm looking forward to a break, but I enjoy seeing everyone and doing all of these special tasks as well.

The apartment is back to normal now, only 4 missionaries are staying there. We had 6 at one time, but 2 were transferred back out to various parts of the mission. I was finally able to unpack my suitcases on Thursday and get organized. I was going to send a bunch of winter stuff home, but I expect to be here until it gets cold again, so there's no point in that really. I have room to store it here.

As far as the normal missionary work, we've been teaching some really great people. There are several investigators that we've been teaching that are close to being baptized, and one that has a baptism scheduled for June 30th. His name is Calvin. I was able to come in and ask some difficult questions, being the new missionary, and helped him to realize the blessings he was missing by not taking the next step of baptism. He'd already been attending church and praying and doing all of the other things, except that. I was happy to help out in that capacity.

We've also been working with a less-active family, the Anderson's, that has fallen on some hard times the last few years. They are terrific people and it's so hard to see them struggle with life, but it's awesome to see the power of the gospel in their life. Even though some of their struggles are still present, as they attend church and come closer to Jesus Christ, their struggles are made easier, and they have the strength to endure life's difficulties better.

All is well in Macon, Georgia. It's Hot and Humid, but from all that I hear it'll be hotter in August. Thank goodness for a full-time car with unlimited miles!

Posted by: Jon

New Transfer, New Role

2007-06-02T09:28:00.000-06:00

We received an email from Danny today explaining the sudden and unexpected transfer mentioned in an earlier post. It appears Danny's maturity, experience, and leadership abilities have been noticed in his reassignment within the mission. This is an exciting time and we look forward to hearing more about his new role. Below is a portion of the email he sent though some items have been removed for privacy and space.

I've been called as the new Media Secretary for the mission. I got a call at 3pm Monday afternoon and was informed that I had the evening to see everyone that I wanted to see in Milledgeville and get packed. I had to report to Macon Tuesday morning at a conference and I'll be serving in Macon for the next 3 to 6 months. For the past several days this week and a couple of days next week, I'll be on a Mission tour, so I'll be able to see the entire mission.

It's an exciting new change and I'm up to the challenges. It'll be a lot of office related work, which you know that I'm used to. The basic responsibilities, besides regular missionary work, will be ordering and distributing all media (books, pamphlets, videos, DVDs) for the entire mission, and forwarding letters and packages for missionaries, around the entire mission.

My new companion is the Fleet Coordinator for the mission. He's in charge of serving, purchase and sale of all mission cars, so it'll be an interesting experience in this new calling.

My Preparation Day moved from Monday to Saturday.

For my new address, since I'm in charge of forwarding and distributing mail, you can just send any mail to the mission address directly and I'll get it right away.

Things are going really well in my new calling. Yesterday was the first day actually in the office. The previous several days we were on a Zone Conference tour to Albany and Douglas Georgia, so we were on the road a lot. Next week we travel to Augusta and Savannah, leaving Monday evening and not returning until Wednesday evening.

For the Zone Conference tours, I make a quick presentation and report regarding the Media business, and then mostly, I'm there to help my companion with the car business, of checking over all of the vehicles, changing tires, getting oil changes, etc.

As for my work in the office, I'm in charge of ordering and distributing all media items; videos, Book of Mormons, pamphlets, etc. I'm also in charge of media accountability amongst all of the Zones and companionships within each Zone. Most of what I did yesterday was the accountability and getting to know the computer system.

The office is also getting ready to go through a re-arranging, so we've been getting prepared for that. That's why the address has changed from Suite B to Suite A. We are consolidating into a smaller office, to save on rent for the mission. With the increase in living expenses and gas, etc., we're having to tighten up. It sounds like a trend all over the world. The President of the Church doesn't want to have to raise the cost of missions, so they're doing everything they can to prevent that. It'll make things more cramped, but it'll have to do.

As for my new companion, he's a really good guy. His name is Elder Parker and he's from Idaho. I'm replacing Elder O'Rullian, who's from California. For the next 2 weeks, it'll be the three of us together, than Elder O'Rullian will go back out to some other area in the mission.

We're living with the Assistants to President Evanson, my Mission President, in a 4-man apartment. It's not real big, but most of what we do is done here at the office, so we don't spend much time in the apartment anyhow.

I'm reallying enjoying the change, but it'll be nice to get settled, which I haven't been able to do much. Elder O'Rullian still has to move his stuff all out before I can move mine in. To make things a little more interesting, we are getting 1 new Assistant, so for a little while, there will be 6 people living in the apartment, with all of their stuff.

It'll be tight, but it should only last for a few weeks, then everything will get back to normal with 4 Elders only.

That's really about all for now. I hope things are going well for you. Trust that things are going well here and that I'm thinking about you all often and pray for you all the time. Write me back when you get a chance.

I love you all!

Posted by: Rod

More Pictures and a Transfer

2007-05-29T20:09:00.000-06:00

I got some more pictures from Danny along with the video update, and I've posted them to his Flickr Page as well as posting the slide show here:

Also, I just received word from Danny's mom that he was transfered yesterday, rather suddenly. Last I had talk to Danny, he was figuring on transferring in the middle of June, but he has moved a little early, and with more responsibility. He is now assigned to the Macon Mission Office, where he will be their communications secretary, making him responsible for ordering and distributing all books, videos, etc for the entire mission area. He indicates that he will probably be in this assignment for 3-6 months, and he is very excited and honored to get this assignment. It's rather prestigious I think. I'll post more info when I have more news.

Posted by: Jon

2007-05-18T07:06:00.000-06:00

I got this update from Danny a few weeks ago. I had to know the filesize down a bit for youtube to be happy, so there was a small delay. But without further delay, here you are:

Posted by: Jon

Rock, Paper, Scissors?

2007-05-02T18:08:00.000-06:00

A very unique version of what I can only assume would be rock, paper, scissors (with a little more action). Watch for the special effects :D

Posted by: Jon

Pictures from the Road

2007-05-01T20:48:00.000-06:00

Danny sent another batch of pictures this week, and I've posted them on his Flickr account. He also sent a video update, and I will get it posted as soon as I get it compressed down to the size that Youtube likes. Stay tuned for a great update!

Posted by: Jon

Mission Lingo #3

2007-04-30T20:35:00.000-06:00

Received a letter from Danny and he has added some vocabulary words for a new installment of "Mission Lingo".

Trunky- When you're within the last few months of your mission and all you can think about is home. The level of trunky varies, based on the commitment to the work and the Lord. Causes you stop working or stop working hard.

Greenie- A brand new missionary, right out of the missionary training center. They are unfamiliar with the area and being a missionary in general. Very influential period.

Danny stated in his letter that trunky is what his last companion was and in his words,
"Boy was it annoying!".

Danny said, "Greenie is what my current companion is-
but he's caught on quick!".

I look forward to Danny's next letter and more "Mission Lingo"!

Posted: by Rod

Quick update on baptism

2007-04-30T09:16:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to post a quick update about the baptism this weekend. Things went great and it was an amazing and very spiritual experience.

More will be written soon, but until then, enjoy a photo of Loron and Danny before the baptism.

Email Update

2007-04-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

I received an email today from Danny. He requested that I share it, so I will post it here in it's entirety.

Hey!

You should've received a letter from me this past week. If you haven't, you'll get it soon. I've been really bad about writing much that would even be good to update the blog. I need to get on it more often and more detailed.

Things are going well here. We had another really productive week. I'm really enjoying working and being around my current companion, Elder Smith, and the other two guys in the apartment are good guys also. We're all getting along really well.

As for the work, we have 4 baptisms scheduled for the next 3 weeks, and we'll hopefully have several more coming up after that. Things are moving right along here and I'm really enjoying it all.

I'm coming up on being out for 6 months now. Can you believe that? The time for me has flown by, but I'm not sure about you. As a part of Mission tradition, I'll be burning a necktie to celebrate 6 months. It's just something us crazy missionaries do. I'll be doing that this Wednesday.

I really miss everyone back home and it saddens me when I think about the things that I've missed seeing or participating in, but I know that I'm doing good things here and must endure.

I hope you can endure the changes and life with Jon again well. I know how life at home is, and you miss it while you're away, then it becomes just the same old thing after a while. But hopefully that won't be too bad for you before I return home and we can all hang out again.

Well, that's about all for now. If you could share this with Jon and/or post it on the blog, that would be awesome.. as well as the letter that I sent recently. I'm going to get on a video update soon and some more pictures. I apologize for the delay.

I love you all and hope all is well!

--
Danny

posted by: Rod

Dogpile of LOVE

2007-03-19T09:01:00.000-06:00

Danny sent me this picture, with the following caption:

This is what we do to celebrate the end of a District Meeting.. 1400 pounds of love!

Posted by: Jon Kunze

Got some more pictures in the mail

2007-03-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

I received another memory card from Danny the other day, and I've posted them up on Flickr, or you can view them in the slide show below. I also recieved another letter as well, and I'll post about that real soon :D

Posted by: Jon

Transfer Confirmed

2007-02-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

It is confirmed that Danny has been transfered into a different area of the Georgia Macon Mission. He is now in Milledgeville, GA, which is about 35 miles east of Macon.

He's now in an apartment with three other missionaries, so he says that's been a big change. It sounds like they're eating themselves out of house and home! :D He said they're quite the workout group, so they're up early five days a week and at the gym working out, so he's been tagging along with them. He also says that he's now on his bicycle about 50% of the time, compared to before being in a car 100% of the time. Overall, it sounds it's been a big change from his previous work in Tifton, but I'm sure it will be rewarding nonetheless.

Hopefully we'll hear more progress in Milledgeville soon!

Posted By: Jon

Mission Lingo #2

2007-02-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

I received another letter this past weekend from Danny. The letter was very concise and mainly consisted of my weekly vocabulary or other wise known as "Mission Lingo". Here is this weeks lingo:

Elder- Male missionary. Name comes from an office in the Priesthood which we hold. Also serves as a title. Basically our first name for two years.

Sister- Female missionary. Also serves as a title. Basically serves as their name for 18 months. Sisters only serve 18 months.

Couple- Older; married couple, usually in their 50's or older that serve after they are retired.

District- A group of usually three to five Companionships, covering several cities or areas. Districts are headed up by one District leader.
(Danny is in the Tifton District. The Tifton Elders, Tifton Sisters, Moultrie English & Spanish speaking make up the District.)

Zone- A group of usually two Districts covering several Companionships in several cities or areas. A Zone is headed up by two Zone leaders.
(Danny is in the Albany Georgia North Zone which covers the Tifton District and the Americus, Georgia District.)

Companionship- Usually two Elders, Sisters or one Couple but Companionship can be three people if there is a need, the exception would be couples which can only be two.

More to come later. We should receive some announcement as to where Danny has been transfered this week. Until next time...

Posted by Rod

Transfer Coming

2007-02-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

I just received a note from Danny stating that he is to be transferred to an undisclosed location. His last day in Tifton will be on Thursday. He won't know where they are sending him until then and will be unable to inform anyone of his new location until the following Monday.
He said quote, "Hopefully it'll be another good area. I love Tifton and the members here are awesome, but I'm ready to move on."

I wish him love and luck. I will post it here as soon as I know anything . That's all for now, until next time...

Posted by: Rod

Mission Lingo

2007-01-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

I received a letter this week from Danny. It basically contained the same information as Jon's letter with one added thing. Danny wanted me to post what he called the "Mission Lingo" These are words that sometimes make sense, sometimes not, that describes little things that have to do with mission life. Enjoy!

Investigator- Someone that is investigating the Church and Missionaries that are teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ.*

Pad-Trash- All of the miscellaneous and often useless stuff left in an apartment by missionaries that previously lived there. This often includes: old shoes, shirts, ties, hygiene products, sheets, and anything else they don't want to carry to their next place.*

Pross(pronounced like "boss") -The proselyting clothes that we must wear each day. For a guy this includes a white shirt, tie, dark slacks, and dark shoes.*

*Just a side note-I hope these things are spelled correctly because sometimes it's difficult to read Danny's writing when he has written something in a rush.

Hope you enjoyed that! Until next time...

Posted by Rod

Ways to entertain one's self while in Georgia

2007-01-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Danny sent this video along with his last set of pictures to show how he and his companions spend their downtime. It's good to see they can unwind with a nice game :D

Another Letter from Danny

2007-01-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

We received another letter from Danny today. Not a whole lot to report. He is still staying busy with baptisms as well as teaching people about God. He did say that he really enjoys seeing the difference in people when they discover God, and that seems to be his biggest motivator. He really sounds like he's making a difference. Finally, he said that he should be sending a video update real soon, so that will be nice :D

Posted by: Jon

More Pictures

2007-01-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

I got another memory card in the mail today from Danny. You can check out the photos here or watch the slide show below :D

Posted by: Jon

Post Holiday Note

2007-01-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to add a note. Danny sent me a nice letter discussing his holiday. He really enjoyed talking to everyone on Christmas. Things are starting to pick up for him. I received a birthday card from him yesterday to which I was pleasantly surprised. I will be firing off an overdue letter his way this weekend. No word yet as to when or where his next move is coming. Lastly, I want to say I really missed him at Christmas and thought of him on his birthday. That's all for now.

posted by: Rod

Talked to Danny on Christmas Day

2007-01-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post here and let everyone know that I managed to talk to Danny on the phone on Christmas day!

He was allowed to make a 20 minute phone call home to his mom's house, and she asked me, Tera, and the kids to come out and enjoy a very nice spread of holiday food and join in the phone call. I managed to spend around 5 minutes on the phone with Danny, and it sounds like he is doing very well. it was really hectic trying to get everyone on the phone with him, but it was also very enjoyable. There was nothing really new to report, but it was very nice to get to talk to him and catch up a little bit.

I also received a communication from him this past weekend, and he let me know that he had two baptisms scheduled for January, so his new year is already shaping up to be a busy one.

Finally, he also let me know that he has another memory stick full of pictures, and will be sending them to me real soon to post to his Flickr account!

Posted by: Jon

Danny's First Video Post

2006-12-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Danny sent this video update for everyone to enjoy. Hopefully he'll be sending more real soon!

Christmas card and a small note from Danny

2006-12-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I received a card from Danny last week. If I get a chance, I'll get it scanned and added to this post at a later time. He seems to be doing fine, staying just as busy as ever, even with the holidays quickly approaching. He congratulated us on our new arrival, and wished us the best among other things.

As most of you saw before, he has sent me pictures to add to his Flickr account, and then to post up here, and I think we're going to expand on that a little bit. He is planning to do an occasional video of himself to send to me and post up here via youtube. That should be very exciting, hopefully he'll be sending his first video very soon.

Finally, it looks like he gets to make a 20 minute phone call home on Christmas Day. His mom will be having his family out to her house for the phone call, and Tera and I will be there as well. It will be nice to talk to him, even if it is just for a few minutes. I'll post up after I talk to him, I'm sure, and hopefully I'll be able to post his first video blog very soon!

Posted by: Jon

Pre-Holiday Note

2006-12-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a small update about Danny, having received both a letter and card since the last post.

Danny is as always staying busy and is looking forward to the upcoming holiday. He sent a very pleasant picture Christmas card; taken at night, in front of a lighted Nativity scene. He looked very handsome, wearing his dark suit, which I understand to be the required dress of an Elder. So professional. He wanted me to mention how much everyone's support has meant to him. I know from experience, being that far away is never easy. I think I speak for everyone when I say how proud of him we are. Danny looked good and sounds eager for a new year to do the Lords work.

I look forward to his next letter and will post as necessary to keep things up to date.

Posted by:Rod

Another Letter From Danny

2006-11-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

As Rod did, we also received a letter from Danny on Monday, and we were quite delighted to hear from him. It was the type of message you would expect. He wished us a happy Thanksgiving, and asked how our holiday was.

He also expressed his excitement about us being ready for the baby to arrive, and that was nice to hear from him! He also told us that despite how much we'd like for him to be here for his birth, there was only one thing he'd miss it for, and that is the mission he's currently on. It still kind of sucks that he won't be here though, but I guess pictures and letter will have to make up for it, and we plan on sending him some pictures for a Christmas gift.

He seems to be staying very busy with his current schedule, with many baptisms scheduled in his current area of Tifton, Georgia. He arrived there on Thursday (a week before Thanksgiving). He said the time has gone kind of slow, but has recently started to speed up. He seems to be spending about nine hours a day doing the lords work, plus an additional two and a half hours of studying (although I think many people will wish he would have spent the same kind of time with college over the past few years, hehe). I also got a small indication of a home sick feeling, which is probably to be expected from a person that really hasn't spent much time away from home before. He also said the people down there are very nice, and that the accent hasn't been too bad to deal with, haha.

He asked about work, and wanted to make sure that I let everyone know that he says hello!

He said that he is able to email once a week, but it's only supposed to be direct family. That kind of sucks, as it's much easier to type a letter than to write one, at least for me, but maybe we'll be able to email in the future, or at least he can email a letter to his family and they can forward it on to me.

He also indicated that he was pleasantly surprised to not only receive a hand written letter from me, but that it was two pages long! I know that would shock him :D He said that he'd be in Tifton until at least December 28th, but probably longer.

Finally, he sent me his first batch of pictures from his trip, which I have uploaded most of them to to his Flickr account. Since Flickr limits you to 2 gigabytes a month, I will have to wait until the beginning of December before I can upload the rest of them. As soon as I do, I will link to them here on the blog!

He also sent along some videos from his camera, that are to say the least, quite entertaining. I seems that during their down time in Utah, the missionaries found very unique ways to pass the time. He indicated maybe he could record some videos on his camera as a way to write home, so if he does, I will post up those videos as well!

Update: I got all the pictures uploaded, you can either view them here or check the slide show below!

Posted by: Jon

Finally in Georgia

2006-11-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

I got another letter today from Danny. He has finally made it to the Mission in Georgia.

He is very busy with minimal time for rest. The most difficult thing right now is that he is trying to memorize 50 Key Scriptures. He has had a chance to get out and talk to people in the area, something required I guess. The is much to learn and he is eager.

He was delighted by the fact that he has heard from everyone since he has been gone. I think he expected it from his family but was wonderfully surprised by Jon and my letters. I know it means a lot to him.

**Just a note-We are the ones who worry about, miss, and love him.**

Elder Danny has been provided with an apartment that is small and has to be shared with another Elder. Not the Hilton but it works. He went on to talk more about his days learning and training. It appears to be more work than he anticipated, but he making the most of it non the less. He is able to access the internet once a week and takes that time to email family. He said he spends his rest day writing letters and trying to catch up on much needed rest. I sensed he is a bit homesick, but that is understandable. He asked if we had a good Thanksgiving, noting that his went well and he was really stuffed!

Danny spent rest of this letter talking about others and shared many things which I will spare the details here, but know his spirits are up and he is doing well.

I do enjoy Danny's letters and take great pride in knowing that my buddy is out there making a difference.

posted by:Rod

Letter from Danny!

2006-11-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

I got home tonight to find a letter from Danny in the mail. It seems he has been quite the busy "Elder". I don't know how he finds the time to write with all of his activities. Not to be redundant, I will give a summation of the letter as a majority contained the same information as Jon and Tera's letter.

Danny asked how things are going here in Alabama and what our future plan are looking like. He talked about a conversation we had the last time we spoked when we discussed everything from The Latter-Day Saints to Honda. He then in typical Danny fashion poked a little fun by asking Erica how she is handling being married to me and if I was driving her crazy. He added a "ha ha" at the end. He asked about my health and then added some very personal words of encouragement and wished us the best and happiness. He then proceeded to enlighten us on the events taking place in Utah, which if you read Jon's post it's almost word for word.

It appears he is both busy and enjoying himself. It was really nice to hear from him. I will be honest, I was a little disappointed I hadn't received anything from him yet. I am more than pleasantly surprised that he found the time to send me line. It means a lot. I will be sending him another letter tomorrow. This all kind of reminds me of the pen pals we had in elementary school.

I do have to brag for a minute. Danny said that the card Erica and I sent him was the first piece of mail he received at the Mission Center in Utah, though he did state that his mom sent a huge box of candy that arrive shortly there after.

I look forward to his next letter and will post anything new here.

Posted by: Rod

Received a Letter from Danny!

2006-11-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

I got home last night to find that Danny had sent Tera and I a letter from Utah. I waited until Tera got home from work, and this is what it said:

Jon & Tera,

How's everything back at home? Any more progress on that baby front? Do you have the room finished and your bags for the hospital packed?

Things are going very well here but I've been so busy, We are in class for 8-10 hours a day, and the rest of the time is filled up with other activities, I'm learning a lot about the gospel and I'm enjoying being around the other missionaries who are preparing for the same things that I am.

I was made a District Leader for my first day here. A District is a small group of Missionaries and in the case of the MTC (Missionary Training Center) a District is everyone that I'm in class with. I'm responsible to look out for the well being and progress of 9 other missionaries, 5 elders, and 4 sisters (Sorry, Elders are guys, Sisters are girls). Five of us are going to the Georgia Macon Mission and the other five are going to the Texas Houston East.

Up until today I had two companions, which only happens normally at the MTC. But today we were reorganized and I'm now with an all new companion and it's just the two of us. The whole, always having someone else around, hasn't been too bad. My previous two companions were great. I only hope my now companion and I can get along well. He's 19 and very confident with his knowledge, so there might be some teaching experiences that I can give him, if you know what I mean.

The only day that I have that I can write is Tuesdays, which is called P-Day (P stands for preparation.) It is our day to relax, do laundry, write letters home and only attend one class/devotional. I hope to be able to write either you or Rod & Erica each week. I'd love to write everyone, but my hand is getting pretty cramped already (so you got the first letter, not Rod - please fill him in on how things are going).

Jon, if you get ambitious or are bored at work (like that ever happens, right?) you could summarize this letter and put it up on the blog. I'm just too tired and have written so much already today, after writing mom and dad, that I don't feel like writing up anything.

Anyhow, I love you guys and I really hope all is well. I look forward to hearing from you.

I leave here Nov. 15, probably in the AM

Danny

Sounds like everything is going very well for him, but keeping him extremely busy!

Posted by: Jon

First Word from Danny Since He Left!

2006-11-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Danny's mom that summed up the first letter she had received from him. Please see below:

From: Judy

I just received Danny's first letter. This was written on the 25th.Thought you might like to know everything is going great for him. I don't know if he has had time to write you yet or not. They were instructed to write their mother's between meetings and orientations. In his orientation meeting he was sitting in the front row, so he was asked to give opening prayer. He seemed very proud of that fact. After the meetings he was able to get something to eat. He said he was starved. He didn't eat very much at the airport, he was so nervous. He has met his companions and said they seemed to be great guys. He has 2 while he is their. He says he hopes to learn a lot in the next few days and get oriented with the whole situation. He added a postscript to this letter. He said not 10 minutes after he finished the letter, he was asked to be his district leader. He said he kinda expected it, maybe because of his age and maturity. He said it came with some added responsibilities, like picking up his districts mail and organizing their meetings. He also said he will be expected to attend leadership training. He said it had been snowing their all day and the ground was covered. Overall he said everything was going great so far and looked forward to hearing from me.

Posted by: Jon

Last Post

2006-10-23T20:56:00.000-06:00

Well, this will be my last post before I depart. I'm up getting a few odds and ends done before tomorrow, my last full day in Ohio. My flight for Salt Lake City departs at 8:40am on Wednesday, so I have to make sure I'll all done and ready to go by tomorrow evening.

Wow, the emotions. I'm excited, nervous, sad, happy, and kind of scared all at once, but I'm looking forward to starting a new adventure and stepping out into the unexpected. I know things will be really different for a time, both for me, and for my friends and family, but it'll all be a growing experience.

I know each and every person in my life is taking it different than the next, but I want all my friends and family to know that I love them and I appreciate the support that they have given me, regardless of whether or not they agree with what I'm doing, or when I'm doing it. Yes, things will change, but hopefully everyone can appreciate that the change doesn't have to be bad. I'll miss you all but I look forward to seeing everyone when I return.

I've said it before, but while I'm away, this blog will be in the hands of a couple of my buddies. Hopefully they'll receive updated information about where I'm at and what I'm doing on a regular basis so they can keep the site up to date. Check back for updated news and pictures.

I'll be back in October of 2008, just in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas (not to mention the '08 OSU vs Michigan game - GO BUCKS!).

Wikipedia Entry for Missions

2006-10-17T11:04:00.000-06:00

I don't have much time to post right now, though I will say that I returned home last week from our Road Trip. It was a lot of fun, though, being on the road that long can wear on anyone. We saw a lot of great sites and I saw more of the country than I would've been able to see by any other way.

It's great to be home and to wrap up items before I depart next week. I am currently busy completing some remaining items before I leave. My to-do list is almost two pages long, but I have a third or more completed already.

I came across this today and thought I would post it here for educational purposes. If you would like to know more about the structure of the Mission, you can review the wikipedia entry for Missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The entry provides a good summary of the administrative structure of the mission and other details. It also provides a list of LDS Missions throughout the world.

I hope to post at least one more time before I leave next week. And as I have mentioned before, this site will continue to be updated while I'm away with letters and pictures that I'll be sending home for some friends to post.

Hello from Tucson!

2006-10-07T23:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought I would take a few minutes to updated the blog. We've been in Tucson the last couple of days, enjoying our time with Angie, Jerry and the boys and seeing the sites. It's been very relaxing and has been a nice time for us to sleep in and rest a little, instead of moving through everything so fast in order to meet our next timeline on the road.

Salt Lake City was great and I enjoyed attending the church's General Conference. Also, the National Parks in Utah and Arizona have been awesome. We've taken so many pictures and I've uploaded so much to flickr that my limit is maxed out for the month. I guess I'll have to have Jon upload the rest in November.

We spent a great deal of time in Arches National Park, but we also spent a some time in Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyons. I can also now say that I've been through Las Vegas, though I wasn't very impressed. Sin City is just not my style.

Yesterday, we visited Tombstone, AZ and today, we went to some pioneer day festivities at a local National Monument and enjoyed a terrific sunset from the peak of Tucson Mountain. We have one more day with our family here in Tucson, and then Monday morning we hit the road again, with our arrival in Ohio on Wednesday evening, but not until we stop in Memphis and Tennessee to see some more sites.

It's been a great trip so far and I'm glad I was able to take some time to see the United States before I depart for my mission later this month.

Thoughts and facts from the road

2006-09-30T10:11:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share some thoughts and facts from the road. We arrived in Salt Lake City last night about 6pm MST, after pretty much two days of straight driving. Here they are:

there is NOTHING from the Mississippi River to the Rockies, except an occasional gas station or a house or two, truely the middle of nowhere!
the Rockies slowly come into view when driving through western Nebraska and Wyoming
we climbed from 1,500 feet above sea level to 3,500 feet between Illinois and mid-Nebraska
we climbed from 3,500 feet above sea level to 8,900 feet in a fraction of the previous day's distance between mid-Nebraska and the eastern edge of Wyoming
there was a slow descent from that 8,900 feet to about 7,200 feet in Utah and rapid descent to 5,600 feet near Salt Lake City
almost immediately after crossing into Utah, the Rockies became more prominent and beautiful
driving in rush-hour traffic around Salt Lake City, where you're steady declining is NOT fun!

Mom went ga-ga with the camera while we were traveling. If you'd like to see some of the pictures she took from the window of the car, click on the photo in the top right corner of this post.

Going Away Party & Road Trip

2006-09-28T06:51:00.000-06:00

Friday was my last day at work. After over five years, it was time to say good-bye and begin the last preparations before my departure on my mission. My department members decided to throw me a going-away party at Benny's local restaurant. There was a very large turn out of my former co-workers from several departments around the company. It was great to see all of those people that were there to show their support for my leaving (or to celebrate that I was leaving.. whichever..). I had probably the biggest turn out for any going-away party that I had attended in five years.

Also, after a couple of days to relax and prepare, my Mom and I left yesterday morning for a two-week road trip. We are stopping at several places along our way, but the most noteable are Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, and several Temples of the church. We are also stopping at my Sister's place in Tucson for several days to spend time with her and the family. Right now, I'm writing you from our hotel in Fort Madison, Iowa. We are getting ready to depart now. I've posted the route we're taking across the country in the top right of this post. To see a larger view, click on the map.

At several stops along the way, I'll be uploading the photos I've taken to my flickr photo site. You can check that out to see some of the sites that we've seen.

Mission Map

2006-08-29T16:02:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the delay, but here is a map of the mission area in Georgia. The gray on the map represents the geographical area where I could possibly serve during my two years in the Georgia Macon Mission.

Within this area, I could be stationed in several different areas during my mission. Typically, I'll spend 4-6 months in my first area (town or city) to get used to the area and to mission life. After my initial, "training" area, I could be transferred several more times during the remainder of my mission.

I believe transfers happen every 6 weeks, on Thursdays, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll transfer each 6 weeks. I could stay in one area through 1, 2 or 3 transfers or more, depending on who is leaving the mission, who's arriving, and where I would be needed.

I won't know where my training area is until a later date, and possibly not until I arrive in Georgia my first day. If that's the case, I'll be sure to send word back to have this website updated with my location.

Click on the map to to be taken to flickr where you can see a larger version.

Mission Call Received!

2006-08-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

I received my Mission Call Letter yesterday afternoon. My mother called me at work and informed me that she had received the envelope that I had been waiting on in the day's mail. I rushed out of work as quick as I could to meet her to open the letter.

After I opened the letter with her, I met Dad for dinner and shared the news with him and then later with Jon and Tera. I also called my sister in Arizona to inform her of the news.

Here is what the Mission Call Letter says:

"Dear Elder D----:

"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Georgia Macon Mission...

"You should report to the Missionary Training Center at Provo, Utah on Wednesday, 25 October 2006."

The Georgia Macon mission is basically the southern half of Georgia, minus a small portion along the southeastern corner of the state but also includes a portion of South Carolina, including the coastal area around and north of Hilton Head Island. I'll provide a map for reference when I get a chance to scan it.

I would imagine, that I will fly out or drive out (depending on what I'm allowed to do) to Provo, Utah and report there that Wednesday. My stay at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) will probably be 2-3 weeks, where I'll be trained on what and how to teach, proper Missionary conduct and so forth.

From Provo, I'll fly out to Georgia and complete the duration of my Mission in the Macon area.

From just the little bit I've been able to investigate today, Macon and the southern area of Georgia is typically very hot during the summer and quite humid, but the winters appear to be very mild, with weather generally in the 60's or 70's. There are several large cities in the mission, but also vast areas of rural communities and I could be stationed in any of the rural areas or cities.

Oh, by the way, if you're curious as to the title 'Elder', it's what an LDS Missionary goes by during the duration of their mission. I will be Elder D---- and not Danny D---- or Daniel D---- (sorry, I don't want my last name published).

Why Serve A Mission?

2006-08-07T19:26:00.002-06:00

Since my news has been made public, some people have asked me why I am choosing to serve a mission. There are many reasons that I'm serving, but one of the most important reasons is for what I'll learn and who I'll become.

Probably a little over a year ago, I was stuck in a rut. This wasn't something that I made visible or obvious to anyone around me, not even my closest friends or family members, but I felt like I was stuck in the same place day after day and felt like I wouldn't go anywhere. There were things that I wanted to accomplish at this point in my life that I hadn't. For one, I was drinking, something that I never wanted to get into, but had somehow found myself involved with. Sure it could be fun at times, but that was only a temporary satisfaction with consequences often to come afterward. There were other things that just weren't right with my life and I needed to pull away from those things and change my life for the better.

So, what did I want to have accomplished? I wanted to finish my college education, I wanted to have served a full-time mission and I wanted to be married and start a family. At the time I thought I could only accomplish two of those three, but regardless I knew that going back to church would help me clear up my life and regain focus and perspective. I began attending church again last October and have been there all but one Sunday ever since.

So why a mission now? Well about 5 months after being back at church, I was asked if I would be willing to serve. This came as a shock to me, because I thought I was no longer eligible. I thought the age cut-off was 25, which I had just turned in December, but the age limit is 26. The offer really shook my foundation. Since returning to church, I was focusing my life on getting my life cleared up, regaining focus and work towards accomplishing the two goals I had known I could work towards, completing my education and find a woman to marry.

When I was asked if I would serve, I was also given the offer for assistance to help pay for the mission by my local and area church members (yes I have to pay, it's all volunteer). Even with this offer, it would mean a great deal of sacrifice on my part, beyond just the two year commitment. There were bills to pay before I went, student loans that I would have to find a way to pay or put on hold while I was gone, it would involve putting my education on hold for even longer that I already had, and most important of all, it would involve leaving my family and friends for two years.

Why, WHY choose to do this? I'm doing it to serve the Lord and the people that I'll encounter. Whether I'm teaching, serving, or building, I'll be helping people. It will also be an incredible learning experience. It doesn't matter if I stay in the states or if I go someplace international, no matter where I serve, I'll learn much. I'll learn to be a better teacher, I'll learn a new culture, I'll learn about new types of people and come to appreciate and respect them for their differences, and I could even learn a new language. But most important for me, is that it'll help me to know, learn and live the gospel better. It'll help me to put me squarely on the path that leads me to living again with my Heavenly Father. It'll lead me closer to him and to our Savior, Jesus Christ and to love them. I'm choosing to do this because I want to go.

Why now? Well because if I don't leave now I will never be able to serve a mission in my youth. As I said before, the age limit is 26. After 26, the church really emphasizes starting a family. I'm also going now, because for the last 5 years I've regretted not going. Why regret passing the opportunity up for the rest of my life? I've already suffered through 5 years.

So what about the sacrifices?
What about your stuff? Who cares about my stuff?! Sure I sold all or most of my possessions, but everything I sold can be bought again later. It's just money and you sure can't take money or possessions with you when you go. I bought it before, I can buy it again, only this time smarter and without debt.

What about school? Well, in almost every class I ever took at college, there were 40, 50, 60 year old people. So I'll finish when I'm about 30, big deal, but it will be done, and it will be done as soon as possible after I return.

What about being away from your family and friends for two years? That's the hardest part. I love my family and friends very much. Even though my family is dysfunctional, my friends are growing up and moving in all different directions and no one else is a member of the church, I'm going to hate being away and missing key events in their lives. I'll miss seeing my nieces and nephews group up and change during that time. I'll miss not being around to support my Mother and Father or my Brother or Sister in their times of need. I'll miss Christmas with them, which if you know me, is my favorite time of year. I'll miss seeing babies born and camping trips and international incidents all over the place with my friends, but this is something that I must do. Even though I'll miss so much, I still must go. It is only two short years of my life. So much changes in two years, but so little changes as well. Two years will fly by and I'll be home before you know it. Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I haven't been looking at what I've given up as a sacrifice, anyhow. I know the benefits and the blessings will heavily outweigh the sacrifice. There is always change, some good and some bad. I promise everyone that this will be a good change, whether you believe it or see it or not, it will be.

Some people have been trying to talk me out of going or trying to reason with me about my decision. Others have been trying to find me an excuse to stay at every turn or ask me all of these hypothetical questions about circumstances that, if came up, would cause me to stay. But regardless of all of this, I'M GOING. I don't care if I was offered a good job at work or if I'm sent to Arkansas or if I meet some incredible girl right before I'm supposed to go, I'm still going (if she's the kind of girl I'm looking for, she'd wait anyhow).

I'm sorry everyone, but I've come too far to turn back now. I will serve a faithful and honorable two year mission. Then I'll come home and I'll return back to a normal life, finish my degree, meet a beautiful, wonderful woman to marry and will start a family. Until then, I hope to keep in touch with my friends and keep everyone informed about my whereabouts and activities. My paperwork was officially sent out to Salt Lake this past Tuesday, so it is only a waiting game now.

I hope I didn't hurt any ones feelings with my remarks here or for not filling them in on this information sooner. Some people are so opposed to me going, that I don't feel like I can share this day to day stuff with them because it only serves as a reminder that I am departing. Please try to understand and respect my decision, even if you don't agree with it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I'll be posting more information about the Mission Rules and Guidelines soon.

Paperwork is in

2006-07-17T16:24:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to update the blog with some information. My mission paperwork has been submitted to my Branch President (who presides over the Marysville, OH church). Since the paperwork recently was moved to an all online format, I was quickly able to review and then submit my forms to him. I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow evening with him, where he can make any changes to the paperwork that might be necessary. Then it's submitted to my Stake President (presides over an area, normally several local cities) where he can make changes as well, before the paperwork is electronically submitted to Salt Lake for review. Two to three weeks after the paperwork is submitted to Salt Lake, I'll receive a packet in the mail with when and where I'll be serving.

I'm eagerly awaiting that packet. I'm looking forward to know when and where I'll be serving so that I can make all final preparations.

My News is now public knowledge

2006-06-19T21:09:00.000-06:00

Well now that I've informed everyone at work and all of the important people in my life, I thought I would announce my news on here for all the world (the two or three of you that come here) to read.

A few months back, I decided to serve a two year, full-time church mission. The mission could be anywhere in the world, except a handful of countries and regions where serving would be too dangerous. I won't know where I'm going, or when I'm leaving until after all of my paperwork has been completed and submitted. The paperwork will hopefully be complete sometime in the next few weeks. As for where and when I'd like to go, I'm shooting for an early fall departure and I'd love to learn a second language, so wherever that takes me, is fine with me. I'd prefer anywhere in Europe, somewhere in the Pacific region (like Australia, New Zealand, etc.), or perhaps South America, but I'll serve wherever I'm called, and I'm sure it'll be a great experience.

For the most part, my family and friends have been really supportive. Even my co-workers have been really cool with the idea. I know that some people wouldn't understand my decision or my sacrifice, but it's something I've wanted to do for years and regretted not doing all this time. Regardless of who I tell, everyone has questions and is curious about my decision, what I'll be doing for two years, and what the experience will be like.

Over the next few weeks or months, I'll be writing a little bit about the experience and providing more details regarding missionary service. Once I receive my mission call, I'll be sure to post the information here as well.

My hope is to somehow keep this blog updated while I'm gone, which will be a little difficult, because, for the most part, I'll only be able to write home once a week and, depending where I go, I'll have very limited access to a computer or the internet, if any at all. But I'm going to try to have someone update the blog for me, and I've already kinda worked out a way for any digital pictures I take to be posted to my flickr account, so you can see what I can see during the two years.

Broken Finger - 6-9-06

2006-06-18T20:50:00.000-06:00

So I broke my finger a few weeks ago while moving a portable stage back into the building at work. The stage toppled over and my finger and hand was crushed between the stage and the concrete sidewalk. The tip of my pinky finger has several small fracture lines. Along with the break, I also suffered a rupture laceration, which needed 4 stitches to close and there was so much pressure built up in my finger, the ER staff had to drill my fingernail.

That was 10 days ago, and I'm doing much better now. The stitches were removed today, and while I still don't have much use of the finger, the split is off most of the time and the wound is healing nicely. The Orthopedic doctor said this type of injury sometimes takes months for the finger to be back to normal, but he expected a full recovery.

The injury wasn't so great for work. We've been trying really hard to cut down on recordable injuries this year, and I only added to the count, but I guess accidents happen, even to a Safety guy.

Click on the photo for more pictures of the broken finger. NOTE: some are graphic.

616

2006-05-22T21:47:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Barry Bonds recently tied Babe Ruth for Number 2 on the career home run list at 714 home runs. There has been increased speculation that Barry took steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to reach this level.

To 'celebrate' this feat, ESPN columnist Patrick Hruby put together a very nice estimation of how many home runs Barry really deserves on his record, assuming that the rumors are true that Barry took these drugs. That number is 616, after 98 homers were removed based on several estimated and assumed variables.

I think the estimation is argued very well and I agree in all respects, except I wouldn't even give Barry Bonds the benefit of the doubt. The column says that supposedly in the off-season before the 1998 season is when Barry began using steroids. Since that time he's hit 301 home runs. I'd say, instead of taking 98 home runs away from Barry based on estimated calculations and assumptions, they should take all 301 homers away. That would leave only 413 homers, far behind even Ken Griffey Jr. at 540.

If Barry did cheat, I hope Major League Baseball can drum up the evidence and remove these padded stats from Barry's record. If he cheated, he doesn't deserve the credit that others deserve for this accomplishment.

Much Overdue Update

2006-05-20T18:31:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a while since I've posted a blog entry that's actually about my life and not about an opinion or news that I saw.

Things are going pretty well. Over the first weekend of May, I went down to Orange Beach, AL to see my buddy Rod get married. They had a small ceremony on the beach, and it was beautiful. I'm very happy for Rod finding someone has wonderful as Erica. I can tell they are both very happy, and I wish them the best. You can view photos from their wedding on Flickr. Don't forget to follow the links to Jon's & Rod's pictures as well. There were several hundred pictures taken in all over the wedding weekend.

Also, I wanted to mention just how wonderful the Gulf coast was. The beaches were clean and there was beautiful and soft white sand. The area is called the Emerald Coast, because the water is several shades of green. You see what I'm talking about in the picture I've included with this post. The resort where Rod and Erica stayed was terrific too. It's definitely a location that I'd like to visit again some day.

Last Sunday was Mother's Day and I get to spend some time with my Mom. We had a BBQ for her and visited. I didn't get her anything (yet). I wanted to get her some flowers, but I didn't know what she would want, so I told her to let me know when she knows what she wants and I'll buy it for her.

I also spent last weekend helping Jon and Tera move into their new home in Bellefontaine. Boy they had a lost of stuff! We moved for 13 hours on Saturday and then I ended up helping again for about 4 hours on Sunday. They've got a great house that's had a lot of remodeling done to it. I know they are very excited about the move. Too bad it's back to Bellefontaine though.. I'm really liking the Marysville area.

Additionally, I'm finally able to get out riding. My bike has been in the shop for over 5 weeks. It's a long story, all I'll say here is that it was a brake problem, but if you want to check out what happened, read this thread at the Gixxer.com forum. I've spent a little bit last night and this morning getting comfortable on it again and getting my confidence back in the brakes. I also installed some new headlights last night, with the hope that they'll improve the lighting when I ride at night (it was terrible before).

Things are looking good here. Keep checking back here, hopefully I'll update a little more frequently, and check out my flickr page. I hope to be uploading pictures throughout the summer.

The Right to Dissent by Senator John Kerry

2006-05-04T07:57:00.000-06:00

This is a great speech by Senator John Kerry. It's definitely worth a read, even though it'll take some time.

Some of the quotes I find most empowering are:

"Dissenters are not always right, but it is always a warning sign when they are accused of unpatriotic sentiments by politicians seeking a safe harbor from debate, from accountability, or from the simple truth."

"When we protested the war in Vietnam some would weigh in against us saying: 'My country right or wrong.' Our response was simple: 'Yes, my country right or wrong. When right, keep it right and when wrong, make it right.' And that's what we must do again today."

Oh what a difference a year or so makes. Who do you think would win a Presidential Election if it was held today? Kerry might not have been the 'powerful' man that people wanted in office to lead us out of the War in Iraq, but he most certainly has the country's best interest at heart.

Funniest Picture Ever

2006-04-06T11:59:00.000-06:00

Even funnier then the picture of President Bush I posted a few months back (listed below.

This is U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney during a press conference where she apologizes for a run-in with a Police Officer at the U.S. Capital Building. You can read the article here, though I didn't.

I just thought the picture was funny. Once again, any good captions?

Cold Hard Cash!

2006-03-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there willing to give me one of these?

I've been good, honest!

I saw this at another website, and I couldn't help but post it here.

Study Shows most People are Unaware of Their Incompetence

2006-03-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have little patience for incompetent people. I found this story very interesting and quite funny!

The tendency of the average person to believe he or she is better-than-average is known as the "above-average effect," and it flies in the face of logic. By definition, it is impossible for a majority of people to be above average. Clearly a large number of the self-described "above average" individuals are actually below average.

read more | digg story

Church Responds to Questions on TV Series

2006-03-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a formal response to HBO's new show Big Love and the many questions they've encountered lately regarding polygamy. You can read the full article here. I would encourage everyone that visits this blog to read the article, so that they may develop a better understanding of the distinction between the LDS church and the subject matter of this show and its characters.

Unless there's some sweeping new development, this will be the last word you hear from me regarding this matter. I didn't watch the pilot of Big Love, nor will I watch any succeeding episodes. Point #2 in this article sums up my frustrations regarding this matter fairly well.

"The Three Wives Club"

2006-03-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

The New York Sun has just printed a great article regarding the upcoming HBO show, "Big Love". The show is loosely based on what they call a 'Mormon Man', the Mormon culture and previous practice of polygamy. I have to put Mormon in quotes because anyone practicing polygamy can not be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon church). Polygamy is an activity that results in excommunication from the church.

Anyhow, after reading this article, it's apparent that 'loosely' is an understatement, as the Mormon culture they are trying to convey is twisted by Hollywood to make for a better story. I guess if that's what HBO needs to do to get viewers, then so be it, though I've lost a lot of respect for the actors and HBO.

They only possible saving grace in this show conveying misconceptions about the LDS church, the Mormon culture and polygamy is that the show will be issuing the following statement at the end of the show: "According to a joint report issued by the Utah and Arizona attorney general's offices, July 2005, 'approximately 20,000 to 40,000 or more people currently practice polygamy in the United States.' The Mormon Church officially banned the practice of polygamy in 1890," not that anyone will actually pay attention...

Mom would KILL me!

2006-03-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mom would kill me if I tried any of this, but it's a good tutorial video for wheelie on a motorcycle.

SUPER Super Mario Bros. Video

2006-03-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jon sent me a link to this video. It's amazing how 2 guys can finish the entire Super Mario Bros. game faster then I could finish even one board.

The time for this video was about 6 minutes, but the fastest times for these guys are about 5 minutes. I guess they were showing off a little in this video (like a 5 minute completion isn't showing off enough).

CH..ch.. changes

2006-02-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well once again I've decided to give the blog a face-lift. I decided on a whole new blogger template. I hope you like it.

In addition, I've added a few new bells and whistles. Most notable is the flicker badge in the top right hand corner. I recently signed up for a Flickr Pro account, and I'm in the process of uploading all of my digital camera pictures for your viewing pleasure. The flickr badge will randomly pull photos from my flickr collection and bring them to the main page... but you need Flash for it to work!

I hope you like the new look. Now I just need some new content.

Caption Anyone?

2006-02-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the best photos of President Bush. I couldn't help but post it here. It's from a discussion on energy initiatives at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

I'm not feeling very creative today, so anyone else have a good caption?

Source: AFP/Jim Watson

It's been a while...

2006-02-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

...since I've posted on the blog, so I thought I would take a few minutes to talk about what's new and what's been occupying my time.

First, I've been going back to church since early October, and I'm very busy with that. It's great to be back, and I really miss the lifestyle and who I am, not that I'm a different person, I just feel like I do better things. The branch in Marysville is awesome and I've really seemed to make some very good friends. I even had the opportunity in Friday to attend a Young Single Adult Fireside in Cincinnati where Richard G. Scott spoke. He had such an inspiring and interesting message to share.

Also, school's been keeping me pretty busy. I'm taking a Physics class that's seems to be going well (aside from one stupid problem on the exam last night). I'm really just so sick of school, and I wish I could be done already. If I can help it, I'll never let my kids go through this experience. I'll do everything in my power to make sure their education is paid for, so they can focus on school and be done, THEN get out into the work-force.

Additionally, as if I'm not busy enough with my life, I've been doing some writing here and there at Palm247. It's a palm enthusiast site that I've visited for years. I started writing for them a few weeks ago, and I post one or two articles each day, when I find something newsworthy.

Other then that, I can't really tell you what I've been doing. The time seems to be flying by so fast, which is good, because I can't wait until Spring. I'm itching to get back out on the motorcycle.

Just one final item, my Sister and her family left for Arizona on Saturday. They are moving out there in hopes of making a better life for the family. I want to wish her whole family the best of luck. We are all signing up for Skype so that we can keep in touch for free and with webcams can even see the kids grown up and Angie and Jerry's pretty faces. I guess that'll have to hold me over until I can visit in the fall or winter (when it's cooler out there - a dry 120 is still HOT).

Oh, and I've added a few links to the left for some new website I visit when I have some free time.

31 Things Guys Should Know About Girls

2006-01-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another weblog and thought I would share here (with some slight modifications). Maybe you'll find it as useful as I did. I have to say, I've always practiced most of this, but I'm sure I can reference this list later (I'm single, by the way).

Written by a guy, after years of experience.

Whatever you do, don't just show up at their house... they run around in their underwear just like we do.
Don't cheat on them. It may seem foolproof, but girls tell each other everything about everything. Trust me, they WILL find out and you will be mud.
Beware of every single male relative and all guy friends. Any of them would kick your butt at the drop of a hat, and a lot of them wouldn't even wait for the hat.
Never miss an opportunity to tell them they're beautiful.
Don't refuse to kiss in front of your friends. If your friends laugh at you, it's because they're jealous.
If they slap you hard, you deserve it.
Don't be afraid to touch them if you want to. If they're going out with you in the first place, it's because they like being in your arms.
If you don't sleep with them, do not tell your friends that you did.
You can be dirty minded in private, really... most of them are not offended by it.
Not all of them eat like birds. A lot of them can eat like whales.
Most of them don't mind paying half of everything, but they do discuss these things with their friends. Realize that if you make your girlfriend pay half all the time, everyone will know about it and your friends will know you're a pussy.
Every girl should eventually get three things from her boyfriend - a stuffed animal, one of his sweatshirts, and a really pretty ring. Even if it's not a serious relationship.
Make sure she gets home safely as often as you can. If you're dropping her off, walk her to the door. If you aren't dropping her off, call to be sure she's home safely.
If a guy is bothering her, it is your right to kick the crap out of him.
If you're talking to a female friend of yours, pull your girlfriend closer.
Never, ever slap her, even if it's just in a joking way. Even if she swats you first, and says, "Oh, you're so dumb" or something, never make any gestures back.
Go to a chick flick once in a while. She doesn't care whether you enjoy it or not, it just matters that you went.
You're dead meat if you can't get along with their pets, parents and best friends. Be a Prince Charming to their friends, Mr. Polite to their parents and Jack Hanna to their animals.
Don't flirt with their Mom or friends or siblings... it's just freaky.
Don't be freaked out by their period or PMS. It's not gross, and it really does make them feel like crap, so be understanding.
If you don't like the way they drive, then YOU drive.
If you're officially dating, and you're introducing her to your friends, you'd darn well better introduce her as your girlfriend.
Don't stree where you go for every date. They really only want to be with you.
If they complain that something hurts, rub it for them without being asked.
Girls are fragile. Even if you're play fighting/ wrestling, be very gentle.
Memorize their birthdays. You forget her birthday and you're basically screwed for life.
Don't marinate the cologne.
Don't give her something stupid for her birthday or Christmas or Valentine's Day. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it has to be meaningful. Jewelry is always nice.
If you think the relationship isn't going to last, don't wait to find out. It will only hurt you more if you draw it out.
After you've been dating for a while, realize that they really have started to trust you. When you have a girlfriend who truly trusts you, you have a lot more responsibility, privilege and control than you would think. Be careful with it. Most guys would kill for that kind of power, and it can be lost in a nanosecond.
Don't ever do anything wrong (well not anything). Girls remember things for life and anything you did wrong will be used against you in the future.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Garfield Says it best...

Letterman Using Code to Harrass!

2005-12-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

I first heard this story yesterday on the radio...

A woman in New Mexico has requested a restraining order against David Letterman for "using code words, gestures and 'eye expressions' for more than 10 years to convey his desire to marry her and train her as his cohost". What's worse is a judge in N.M. actually issued a temporary order and set a hearing date for January 12th to decide if the order should be make permanent. You can read the full story here. The woman is either on too much medication or not enough!

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard this story. Anyone in their right mind would know that the allegations are just crazy and any legal action should've been haulted immediately.

The short and simple answer to this whole incident is, if Letterman is, in fact, sending hidden code to this woman and tormenting her, why doesn't she just turn off the TV, or change the channel? She has that option and choice, right?

Is George Bush the Worst President -- Ever?

2005-12-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

That's the title of an article written by Richard Reeves over at Yahoo! News.

While the the article spends a great deal of time talking about the James Buchanan, the President that many in the past believe to be the worst president in history, it also details out a poll conducted that shows that most historians believe Bush could soon take the title. The article goes on to list out Bush's credentials for the Prestegious title. The list is below, and I have to say I agree in full.

He has taken the country into an unwinnable war and alienated friend and foe alike in the process;
He is bankrupting the country with a combination of aggressive military spending and reduced taxation of the rich;
He has deliberately and dangerously attacked separation of church and state;
He has repeatedly "misled," to use a kind word, the American people on affairs domestic and foreign;
He has proved to be incompetent in affairs domestic (New Orleans) and foreign Iraq and the battle against al-Qaida);
He has sacrificed American employment (including the toleration of pension and benefit elimination) to increase overall productivity;
He is ignorantly hostile to science and technological progress;
He has tolerated or ignored one of the republic's oldest problems, corporate cheating in supplying the military in wartime

Plus, not included in the list is that Bush's approval rating, I believe, is the lowest for any president, since they began polling about Presidental approval.

OSU Wins in the Big House!

2005-11-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ohio State scored on their last two drives in the fourth quarter to beat Michigan 25-21. To the left is a memorable picture from the game, that shows Tony Gonzalez's 4th quarter reception that moved the ball within the 10 yard line on the winning drive, that later resulted in a touchdown. You can also check out these other pictures.

I don't think you could have any better of a OSU vs Michigan rivalry game. The game was close and exciting and the final result was the way it should be! Go Bucks!

Click on the photo at left to read the Recap from Fox Sports.

All pictures are copyright Fox Sports.

Changing Weather

2005-11-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who visit this site from the southern portions of the country, I thought you would be interested to know that today was the first snow in Ohio.

We had just slight flurries, just enough to say it snowed. They were very small flakes that didn't really accumulate on anything, but you could see some of it blowing along the road on the way home from work.

Gone are the mild 50's and 60's that were around just a couple of days ago. But I guess that's Ohio weather.. if you don't like it, just wait a few minutes, it'll change.

MLB, union agree on tougher steroids policy

2005-11-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

I can't help but wonder about this issue. If Congress hadn't pushed Baseball to make more stringent penalties regarding steroid use, would there be a stronger steroid policy now. Bud Selig and the Player's Union took such a lax response to the issue previously.

It's good to see the changes though. Being a long time fan, I welcome the changes. Hopefully they will re-establish the integrity of the game, which has been lacking since steroid use by players has been suspected and later proven.

Now the only question that remains is how to handle the records of those who are suspected or have been proven steroid users.

You Would Think It Would Be Obvious

2005-11-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

You'd think with poll numbers like this, it would be obvious to figure out that the American people don't agree with Bush and his policies and actions.

As OUR president, and in his second term, he should spend more time concerned about making the American people happy and doing what is right and good for us, and less time trying to please the ultra-conservative Republicans that originally helped put him into office. It's not like he has to worry about being re-elected.. that's impossible. At this point, he should be trying to leave a positive legacy that will live on into the future. However, instead he keeps digging himself in deeper and deeper.

Halloween Party Pics

2005-11-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, for everyone interested, here's a link to my flickr photo album with the pictures from Angie's Halloween Party last week.

Funniest Video Ever

2005-10-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen the Texas Tech Bellringer video yet.. you've gotta watch it here!

Funniest Video Ever! I laugh every time I watch it.

No Recent Blogging Activity

2005-10-24T09:33:00.000-06:00

For those of you who read my blog, sorry for not having much recent blogging activity. My laptop has been out of commission due to a hard drive failure. The hard drive should be arriving today, so I should have the laptop back up sometime tonight or tomorrow.

Other then my computer troubles, I've been trying to busy myself with church activity. I've been going back to church since the first of October, and I've been going to all kinds of meetings and get togethers, including basketball at the church last Thursday evening. I started going to the Marysville branch, instead of Bellefontaine. The congregation is a good group of people, and I'm still trying to meet everyone, and just remember their names.

Oh, and Hurricane Wilma looks to be hitting Florida head-on. Hopefully my family down there doesn't get blown away. Good luck Aunt Sally and Uncle Dan!

Local HS Basketball Star, Turned Pro Dies

2005-10-16T12:11:00.000-06:00

I remember hearing about this guy from my ungle many years ago. He was a local boy, I believe he played for Springfield Catholic, and was very highly toted. This just seems like a shame. It sounds like he was finally a starting Center for the Atlanta Hawks, had a wife and young daughter and have a very promising future ahead of him.

It sounds like his family still resides in Springfield. I wish them the best.

Modifications Complete

2005-10-01T21:44:00.000-06:00

Well modifications to the bike are finally complete, and I finally got a chance (and a beautiful day) to take an updated photo.

The Yoshimura pipe and Watsen Design turn lights were very easy to install, and give the bike a more sleek look.

I took several new pictures and uploaded them to my flickr account here. The first four are 'after' photos, taken today, from various angles and the two just after that are 'before' pictures taken shortly after I got the bike.

Oh, and I also installed some neons for some added flash. I installed a blue in each large hole in the front faring, and a red-orange underneath the undertail. I'd include photos, but I'm having some difficulty getting a good picture.

I'm done with bike modifications for now. In the off-season, I'm going to take off all brushed aluminum pieces and have them powder-coated black to match the rest of the frame. Don't worry, you'll get more pictures when that modification is complete, trust me!

Humorous Comic - Lets get serious!

2005-09-27T08:45:00.000-06:00

Very shortly after updating my blog with the Time Magazine comic in the post below, I received a quick comment regarding conclusive evidence for global warming. I have my rebuttal listed below.

On the contrary, there IS proof of global warming. How else would Glaciers that have existed for thousands of years start melting away and fall off into the Oceans? How else would the line of continuous permafrost, that exists in the Northern Hemisphere, melt and move further north? The globe IS warming.

What the world is struggling with is WHY it's warming, or as Metlin said, causation. While there is continued speculation as to what is causing the warming, either natural or man-made causes, the U.S. continues to ignore any, I repeat, ANY science that notes that it might just be man-made reasons that's causing the warming. While almost the entire developed and developing world agrees that man-made causes, at the very least, are having some detrimental impact, Bush smoke-screens Government plans to allow powerplants and other air polluters to INCREASE their air emissions. So much for the clear skies initiative.

While I agree the Kyoto Protocol would be difficult to live up to, and it might have some degree of an adverse effect on our economy, I do feel it is necessary to take those steps now before our situation gets much worse. It might not fix all the problems of air pollution, but it would at least fix some.

Sure there's no absolute conclusive evidence of causality, I'm pretty sure that anyone with at least some form of scientific education would agree that spewing billions of tons of pollutants into the air is NOT good for the environment. But again, as I said before, science doesn't mean much to the Bush Administration.

Humorous Comic

2005-09-26T18:30:00.000-06:00

I found this comic a while back in Time Magazine and I'm just now getting around to scanning and posting it here.

The comic emphasizes just how ridiculous Bush's Administration was to go after supposed WMD's in Iraq when they have hardcore evidence of more important matter, that effect the entire world and generations to come, smacking them straight in the face.

But I guess it's been proven time and again by this current Administration that science doesn't mean dick.

Click on the picture for a more readable view.

Who Dey?!

2005-09-18T16:58:00.000-06:00

How about them Bengals? Off to their first 2-0 start in 10 years! It looks like this is quickly shaping up to be a very good year in Cincinnati.

First they go into the Dawg Pound and beat the Brownies and then they spank Minnesota in their home opener.

Coach Marvin is doing an incredible job and in 3 years has seemed to have turned the program around. Keep up the good work!

Photo above is Chad Johnson of the Bengals pushing past a Cleveland Browns Linebacker. Source: AP

New additions to the bike

2005-09-04T09:17:00.000-06:00

I had a few minutes to kill this evening, so I figured I would mention the new additions to the bike that will be arriving soon and should be installed by next weekend.

First, the LED front turn signals that I've been waiting since June for should be shipping soon after the holiday. They are made by Watsen Design and while they are expensive, they are hand crafted and color matched to the paint on my bike. There are 10 LEDs in the signal and the unit slips into place where the stock signals are located and mounted without any cutting or drilling.

Also, on Friday Jon and I rode down to Competition Accessories and I ordered my Yoshimura carbon fiber Tri-Oval bolt on exhaust. The new muffler will be more for sound then performance, but the dark carbon fiber will add to the overall look of the bike and also won't get as hot as the traditional, stock muffler.

You can follow this link to my flickr photo album to check out pictures of the LED signals and exhaust.

I'll post photos of the additions to my bike once they are added (and if I ever get my camera back from my Dad).

The story of Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-17T08:34:00.000-06:00

This story has been in the news for several weeks now, so I'm sure you're all aware and I won't go into any details.

While I think it is noble that this mother of a dead US solder wants to hold an active protest near Bush on vacation in Texas, I just can't understand why she would actually think Bush would sit down with her and listen to her concerns and story. He's already publicly stated that he wouldn't meet with her because he's heard her story and concerns countless times by other families who have lost loved ones in the War in Iraq. (Wow.. doesn't that sound like a complete lack of sympathy.)

What gives this woman the gull to think that Bush would actually listen to her when he wouldn't listen to 49.5% of Americans who DIDN'T vote for him last year. Or why does she expect Bush to have respect for her loss and decency to meet with her when he doesn't have the decency to listen to his own party members when they say that this war has gone too far and cost too much, both in lives and monetarily.

I'm sorry Mrs. Sheehan, but since your last name isn't Rove, Rice, Rumsfeld or Cheney, I don't believe you're going to get an audience from Bush.

This story is in no way supposed to show a lack of sympathy for Mrs. Sheehan's loss. I do sympathize for her and give her and her family my condolences. This post SHOULD, however, show my continuing disgust for Bush, his administration and his actions. The man is OBLIVIOUS to public opinion, the opinion of MOST of congress, and logical and respectable ideas of the modern world.

That's just my opinion. But hey, opinions are like a*sholes, everyone has one and most of them stink...

Okay, so I got bored

2005-07-17T12:13:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon a website that had blogger templates, and I figured I would change the blog a little. The old style has been on the page since my first post early last year. I figured I was due for a face-lift.

I'm having some troubles with the template in Firefox. For those of you that use Firefox, there is a great big blank space under the first post in the list. I'm trying to figure out why, but it appears that others that use this template are having similar problems.

Hopefully the troubles will be fixed shortly. I don't know much about CSS (I think that's where the problem lies) so perhaps I can get Jon's support in figuring out the problem.

Let me know what you think of the new look.

Tom Cruise Kills Oprah

2005-07-16T10:34:00.000-06:00

He's definitely turned to the dark side.

Tom Cruise Kills Oprah

This video is hilarious!

Quick Change to the Blog

2005-07-14T22:56:00.000-06:00

I made just a very small and very quick change to my blog. I added a Quotes section in the sidebar and I've included my first quote. It's one of my favorites and makes me laugh every time I hear it.

If you have any interesting quotes that you'd like me to include, send them my way. (Sorry Rod, they can't involve too much thinking. This is supposed to be fun, not mind-boggling.. haha!)

Stupid People (Person)

2005-07-05T07:28:00.000-06:00

I'm not even going to say much about this article, except that stupid people should be drug out into the street and shot.

She's going to have to prove that astrology is a real science to win this case. That's like Bush proving that WMD were in Iraq... won't happen!

Russian Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet

It's about time for an update

2005-06-26T12:41:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since my last update, so I figured I would take the time to fill you all in on what's been going on in my life.

I've moved! Last weekend, I made the move from Bellefontaine to Marysville. I packed and moved Friday and Saturday and for the most part was wrapped on by Sunday afternoon. I still have some unpacking and situating to do, but for the post part I'm in. I had to go buy all of those little items you don't think about when you first move out and get your own place (broom, soap, cleaning supplies, etc.). I know, I'm 24 and should've moved out a long time ago, but at least I did it now damn it and I'm not going back!

I'm really excited. Having my own place is a whole new experience. I get total privacy and I get to make the decision on what goes where and when and why. If I want to leave my shoes right in the middle of the living room, so be it (though I wouldn't - I'm pretty organized).

I'm not sure I would call the move to Marysville a step up. It's more like a step side-ways. I've referred to it as the same crap, just in a new town with new people. Though it is nice to be able to start over and not constantly run into the same people day in and day out. I was getting pretty sick of my home town.

I also have pretty cool neighbors... I guess. Just kidding! Jon and Tera live next door to me, so it's pretty handy being able to take 5 steps and hang out at their place or for them to come to mine. We've been making (or buying) dinner for each other this past week, which works out pretty well.

So that's the big change. Also, I'm putting quite a few miles on the bike. I have about 750 miles now, though I've tapered off this past week or so because of the move. Once I get everything totally wrapped up (and Jon gets his bike back on the road) I'm sure I'll be riding much more.

That's all for now.

And he has a name...

2005-06-05T14:18:00.000-06:00

and it shall be Gerald Trace Ross!

Wow.. what a name! I shall call him Trace!

I'd like to introduce the new addition to my family

2005-06-02T20:33:00.000-06:00

Everyone, I'd like to introduce my new niece.. oops.. Nephew!

I say that, because for the last several months the Doctors have been telling my sister and brother-in-law that they were having a little girl. My sister was so confident in the idea that they didn't even have a boy's name picked out and they bought mostly girls clothes.

Well surprise, surprise! Today I get a call at work at my sister had a boy! The little tyke is 7 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches long. My sister was induced early this morning and out he popped at 1:37pm. He has all his fingers and toes, and for now, he seems like a very quiet baby (he hardly made a peep for the 20 minutes I held him).

Since my sis and her husband were expecting a little girl, they are currently trying to decide on a name for the little guy. You'll be one of the first to know when the new addition gets a name!

Here's a picture of me holding my new nephew in the hospital.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping

2005-05-29T19:46:00.000-06:00

The camping trip this weekend was a blast. Justin, Kate, Jarod, Tara, Jon, Tera and I all went camping Friday night and Saturday. Friday night we were also joined by Tara's friend Morgan, and Saturday Tera's daughters Lilly and Lauryn were out.

The trip was a blast. We sat around the fire and drank beer and ate hot dogs. We talked and laughed and goofed off the whole time. Friday we were all quite obnoxious (Justin actually broke a wooden sign by using a sophisticated karate jump at 12:00am) and Saturday, we played woofle-ball with the largest woofle-ball bat I've ever see ($9.99 at Big Lots), as well as horseshoes and volleyball. Then we decided to take an afternoon nap. With the odd weather this weekend (rain one minute, sun the next), the nap was a little difficult. You'd go from sticking to the blankets one minute to shivering under them the next. But a nap's a nap!

Anyhow, I had a great time and I'm pretty sure everyone else did as well. Hopefully we can make plans to do it again sometime soon. Maybe the next time, we won't be disturbed at 12:30am Sunday morning by a domestic disturbance (after all, we were the one's supposed to be making all the noise).

Click on the picture to see more camping photos in my Flickr photo album

Your Mother always said if you play with it too much, you'll go blind!

2005-05-27T10:38:00.000-06:00

Well it appears that there is some link between the use of impotence drugs Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra and blindness. I guess that just re-affirms what your mother has been saying all along: 'If you play with your dingy too much, you'll go blind!'

You can read the Wired News article here.

Hmm.. Isn't this like calling ahead before robbing a bank?

2005-05-26T08:46:00.000-06:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't testing Barry Bonds for steroid use now be a little useless? Well that's exactly what has happened. In the Fox Sports Article ' Bonds Reportedly Among those Tested', they explain that a Lab Tech showed up "unexpectedly" to test Bonds and several other team members of the San Francisco Giants.

To me, that just seems like calling ahead before robbing a bank. HELLO... Bonds would have to be a complete idiot to still be using steroids! He's had months and months of warning to stop using the stuff that he swears he's never knowingly used, but yet seems to be indirectly implicated in the Balco situation.

His test should come back negative for steroid use. The MLB gave him enough forewarning. I'm sorry, but I just think this is too little, too late.

More about the New Bike

2005-05-22T16:48:00.001-06:00

Well now that it's raining, and I can't be out riding it, I figured I'd tell you a little more about my new bike.

I purchased it yesterday afternoon at Competition Accessories in Springfield, OH. Justin drove down with me and we loaded the bike up into his truck to haul it home. The bike is a 20th Anniversary Suzuki GSX-R600. The Anniversary model is a limited edition bike with added features from the base model, including the paint scheme and decals identical to the original 1985 GSX-R. The bike also comes with slotted brake rotors, a black muffler with 20th Anniversary decal, frame sliders, blue seats and each bike is individually numbered.

I rode around town for about 3 hours yesterday to get the hang of the clutch and throttle, so that I can start and stop effectively without looking like a fool, stalling the bike at intersections. Once the rain stopped and the roads dried up, I rode a little more today as well. Each time I get on the bike, I drive better and with more confidence. I only stalled the bike once today, which is MUCH better then yesterday.

Unfortunately I don't have any more pictures of the bike. I want to snap more photos when the weather is nice outside, but then I wouldn't be driving, so you might not see any pictures for a while.

The bike is so much fun to ride. It has so much more power then anything I'm used to, but I'm getting the hang of it. She purrs at 80 mph! It's an incredible feeling to flick your wrist and feel the bike pulling away from underneath you as it's throttling towards 60-70-80 mph!

Now if I can just get my body used to the position and the muscles used in my wrists, shoulders, hips and ankles, I'd be all set.