Friends!

Here i am at one of my friends that I have coached with for the past 15 years at Irvington High. In that time I have coached his three sons. What a treat, well this past weekend one of his sons got married. That was so nice to see him and all the guys from that team. I have to say that team that I coached was very close. When you have friends like that you will always have friends. One thing that I have notice that all the girls who have been friends of all the guys were just as close. If there is one thing that I can leave with you is this, a good friend will be there no matter what!

John 15:13

The start of a successful football season!

Football is one of those sports where people will become closer as the season ends. There are going to be sad time, happy times and all kind of times. This is what makes this sport so unique. You see young kids form a team and in that team, a leader will rise! As a coach, this is what I want to teach everyone on the team to become a leader! This city, state and country will need great leaders and what better way to do that, football! As the assistant head coach, I have the job of finding the right people to form a staff that will go with my game plan for success. So far going to church has giving me a better point of view on service and leadership and I plan to bring these skills to the field.

Alma 54:14

Ward 4th of July breakfast!

Well here are some pictures of ward family and me. It was great to hang out Saturday morning and east a little food and shoot the breeze with folks. Then there were the games, one game that I did not do "Veggiemite sandwich". I was in the pie eating contest and i got some pie on my face and others too! Bottom line is I had a good time!

Why we serve the Lord?

Opportunities for service to others are limitless. Kind words and deeds can lift burdens and gladden hearts. Sharing the gospel is a great service with eternal consequences. One true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.

John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Mosiah 2:17

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Being silly

Here is a picture of us just having a little fun! Dinner at the Athons! Who said you can't have fun!

Alma 53:20

My calling

My calling is ward Missionary. I was trying to figure out how is this going to happen. Why would I get this calling and I look back at when I first joined the church. One thing about me is that I enjoy talking to people I always have a smile on my face. One thing that I do now is stay in close contact with the full time Missionaries. They come to my house about three times a week and we game plan on the 

new investigators. Some other things that we do is go to events that members have in the ward which will allow us to meet non-members. Tonight there was a "Court of Honor" it is an event for the Boy Scouts of America where they give the

 highest honor to a young boy before turning 18, The Eagle award. I try to have a good time when i go out with the boys as you can see! The top is Elder Baker and the bottom is Elder Guthie.

Paying attention!

Well It has been awhile for me when it comes to writing in my blog. This last month has been a very interesting. The reason why I say that is becasue there has been two things that I have been praying about. One is football mainly coaching again and the second one is in a relationship. I did what I always do which is to pray when I have questions. I prayed about football and I received my answer for that. The second one I was praying about I did not get the same feeling I did when I prayed about football. Well three weeks had passed by and I prayed again thinking maybe He would change His mind. Well the answer this time was a big no! When I received my answer I was not mad or sad I did not have any feelings at all I was at peace, calm. Which tells me that I was not meant to be in a relationship at this time. I know that I am to focus on helping the little kids in the community.

"Just because you hit a bump in the road, does not mean you should stop driving!"

D&C 9:8-9

Prayer and Humble

Today I was at work and I have a big project that has to be finished by the end of this week. Well on Friday, before I left work I went to my boss. Asking if can use the services of professional post hole digger. He told me that we done need that kind of person for this job. Here I am looking on how to put these 35 holes in the ground that will hold the stakes that the sensors will be drilled into place.  It started off with a drill that was not wide enough. In to hours we find out that the drill is not going to work, I leave and come back with a one man auger. If you do not know, what an auger is. An auger is a machine that has a3 foot long bit that is 6 to 8 inches wide. They help pull the dirt out. There was one small problem there is not enough force because the ground was so hard. At that time I, texted my friend to say that I am at a roadblock and I could use some help. The next thing that I did was pray. I did not have an answer to my problem so I left the problem in his hands. One hour has passed and I receive a call from Scott one of the salespersons. Telling me to return to the office. With in that hour my boss finally swallowed his pride and asked for help. My prayer was answered; it was a good thing too. When doing work on a construction site you cannot dig until there is a signed off sheet stating that the ground is save to dig! 

Mosiah 4:11-12

The Gift of Faith

"What a marvelous and wonderful thing it is, this powerful conviction that says the Church is true. It is God's holy work. He overrules in the things of His kingdom and in the lives of His sons and daughters. This is the reason for the growth of the Church. The strength of this cause and kingdom is not found in its temporal assets, impressive as they may be. It is found in the hearts of its people. That is why it is successful. That is why it is strong and growing. That is why it is able to accomplish the wonderful things that it does. It all comes of the gift of faith, bestowed by the Almighty upon His children who doubt not and fear not, but go forward."

Gordon B. Hinckley

Welcome to the family!

  Well tonight I just came back from a baptism for my friend Patrick. It was a great feeling to see him in the baptism font. It made me think about the night I was in the water. When Patrick came out of the water I could see him feeling like a heavy weight had been removed. Baptisms are a very powerful thing to watch. That is me with Patrick and Sister Carlile the family just got bigger!

2 Nephi 31:4-13

Act 2:37-38 

Fireside...

...at the Walnut building.  Tonight I was asked to talk about my conversion story. One thing that I found out is the more I grow in the gospel my testimony grows too. This is a wonderful thing for me because I see how my life has changed since I have been baptized. I will tell you this that I really enjoy talking in front of people.  The best weapon we have is our voice and the more we talk about how the gospel touches our lives the more we can help others!

John 15:5

Alma 7:14

Just smile!

Did you miss me? I have not posted anything for a couple of weeks. I was finishing up with my college courses. So now, I am done with school I graduate in June. What does that mean? It means I will be looking for a new job. What I want to do is get in the field of corrections. The job that I want is Probation Officer working with the youth. I know I can help those kids get back on the strait and narrow path. One of the things I did for 15 years was work at a high school coaching football, track and field. The thing about me is I have to interact with people. Being in an office is nice but after ten minutes, I want to get out!!!!  I have been reading a book called “Broken things to mend” this is a good book. I strongly recommend that you read this book if you have just been baptism!  They asked me to do the opening pray at the Stake Conference this Saturday. I am really looking forward to doing that this weekend. The love that I get at church is unbelievable Sunday is a day that I really enjoy!!!!

Happiness!!!!!!!!!!

Heavenly Father desires that we find true, lasting happiness. Our happiness is the design of all the blessings He gives us—gospel teachings, commandments, priesthood ordinances, family relationships, prophets, temples, the beauties of creation, and even the opportunity to experience adversity. His plan for our salvation is often called "the great plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8). He sent His Beloved Son to carry out the Atonement so we can be happy in this life and receive a fulness of joy in the eternities.

Mosiah 2:41

Psalm 35:9

Pray

Mosiah 4:11-12

Stay focus and have faith!

I was reading this article writen by Marvin J. Ashton, “Be a Quality Person,” Ensign, Feb 1993, 64, and I pulled some stuff out that i wanted to share. Enjoy!

Maintain your perspective while making marriage a righteous goal in your life. Count what you do have—not what you don’t have. A quality life in any circumstances comes from remembering what Mormon taught, that if a man or woman doesn’t have charity or love, he or she is “nothing.” (See Moro. 7:44.)

To be in control of your life, to be a success regardless of your situation as a single, I recommend you come to know your Father in Heaven. Come to love Him. Always remember that He loves you and will give you guidance and support if you will but give Him the chance. Include Him in your decision making. Include Him in your heartaches and heartbreaks. Include Him when you take inventory of your personal worth. “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men [and women] to perform their labors.” (Alma 34:32.)

Set your goals—without goals you can’t measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated if the victories don’t come quickly or easily. Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving. If you are striving for excellence—if you are trying your best day by day with the wisest use of your time and energy to reach realistic goals—you are a success, and you can feel proud of your accomplishments.

Aaronic Priesthood

Today I had my interview with the Bishop about Priesthood. The more I think about how my life is going I am very proud to have the opportunity. This way I can help others in the church and in the community. Plus it will allow me to walk the strait narrow path. Which in turn will lead me to happiness!

Alma 34:32

You see the picture of the glass that has water overflowing. Well that is me I am just overflowing with joy in my heart. I want everyone feel like that. To know that you are not alone! When you have the Holy Ghost in your life everything is just better.

"The first step is the hardest, but once your moving you don't want to stop. Open your mind and your heart and let all the joy come in!"

OK, before I go! When I write my blog I always have music playing in the back. It helps me to be creative. Well my favorite band is Dave Matthews Band. There is this song called "Loving Wings" the reason I like this song so much is on my 34Th birthday my friend Josh took me to the concert in San Francisco front row. I just wanted to share!

Some Gems.....

Today I was reading "Young Single Adult Gems" on the LDS website and I came across this article and I think it is very good! Go ahead don't be shy read it!

Dating verses Hanging Out
"Men, if you have returned from your mission and you are still following the boy-girl patterns you were counseled to follow when you were 15, it is time for you to grow up. Gather your courage and look for someone to pair off with. Start with a variety of dates with a variety of young women, and when that phase yields a good prospect, proceed to courtship. It's marriage time. That is what the Lord intends for His young adult sons and daughters. Men have the initiative, and you men should get on with it. If you don't know what a date is, perhaps this definition will help. I heard it from my 18-year-old granddaughter. A 'date' must pass the test of three p's: (1) planned ahead, (2) paid for, and (3) paired off. "Young women, resist too much hanging out, and encourage dates that are simple, inexpensive, and frequent. Don't make it easy for young men to hang out in a setting where you women provide the food. Don't subsidize freeloaders. An occasional group activity is OK, but when you see men who make hanging out their primary interaction with the opposite sex, I think you should lock the pantry and bolt the front door. . . . "My single young friends, we counsel you to channel your associations with the opposite sex into dating patterns that have the potential to mature into marriage, not hanging-out patterns that only have the prospect to mature into team sports like touch football. Marriage is not a group activity—at least, not until the children come along in goodly numbers."
Dallin H. Oaks, "Dating versus Hanging Out," Ensign, June 2006, 13-14

Marriage Requires Thoughtful Preparation
"The best way to avoid divorce from an unfaithful, abusive, or unsupportive spouse is to avoid marriage to such a person. If you wish to marry well, inquire well. Associations through 'hanging out' or exchanging information on the Internet are not a sufficient basis for marriage. There should be dating, followed by careful and thoughtful and thorough courtship. There should be ample opportunities to experience the prospective spouse's behavior in a variety of circumstances. Fiances should learn everything they can about the families with whom they will soon be joined in marriage. In all of this, we should realize that a good marriage does not require a perfect man or a perfect woman. It only requires a man and a woman committed to strive together toward perfection.
"President Spencer W. Kimball taught: 'Two individuals approaching the marriage altar must realize that to attain the happy marriage which they hope for they must know that marriage . . . means sacrifice, sharing, and even a reduction of some personal liberties. It means long, hard economizing. It means children who bring with them financial burdens, service burdens, care and worry burdens; but also it means the deepest and sweetest emotions of all' (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 194)."
Dallin H. Oaks, "Divorce," Ensign, May 2007, 73

Family and friends!

It is the middle of the week and that means that the weekend is right around the corner. I have to say this that my week started on the right foot. Monday I had dinner at the Harrison house. It was family night so I was in for a treat. This is something that I like a lot. When I have, a family will be doing the same thing. We started with a prayer then a song and a scripture. The main event a game called “Apples to Apples”. This is how it works; everyone is given seven red cards that have names or a saying on it. Then everyone takes a turn picking a green card. When the green card is placed on the table, you have to pick one of your red cans that best fit’s the name or saying. If the person who puts down the green card picks your card, you get to keep the green apple. In order to win you have to get four green apple cards.

"Relax the clouds will part very soon! Then the light will shine on you again!"

Fireside

Well tonight was the night that the Elders give their testimonies about their mission and how they have grown over the last 18 months. I felt it was very moving to hear from the young men that have left the home towns to come to a new place and teach the gospel. Elder Thayne will be going home this Tuesday and I have to say that I will miss him. It was great to have him teach me walk the strait and narrow. The picture is me and the Elders most of them are from Tonga and one from New Zealand. There was so much love at that Fireside tonight!

I did it!

Well I made it to the water and I have to say it was something that I needed. My heart was broken and now it is full with joy. The feeling that I had on this day Is very hard for me to put in words. Even typing this is bringing back tears of joy. We go on looking for happiness in every place trying to make ourselves feel so much better. But they are just band aides. They really don't fix the problem. One of the biggest things to do is to swallow your pride, once you can do that you will be ready to move on. Because pride is the one thing that will keep us from getting the much needed help! I want to take this time and thank everyone who has touched my life, if it was not for you showing the kindness or opening up your hearts I would not have open my mind and heart to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. Ok for the pictures the first one is Scott Sanders who I had the chance to work with at Irvington High great man. The second is Mr. Clark I coached his son in track and field. Third is Mrs. Zmolek who has the biggest heart in the world she has my vote for mother of the year. Fourth is Tiffany is the one person who open my eyes to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I thank her so much! Fifth is Bahney who I had the pleasure of coaching in football at Irvington High he was a hard working d-linemen with a heart the size of a whale! The last two are Elder Thayne on my left and Elder Brown on my right. Wonderful young men and I they have had a big impact on the way I am walking in the light.


"Once the light came in my life changed!"

Friday Night!

1 John 1:5
"This then is the message which we have heard from him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blodd of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin"

I was reading a past issue of Ensign from Nov 2000 and I came across an article called “Lead, Kindly Light” by Virginia U. Jensen First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and I wanted to share something she wrote that I felt was worth sharing.

There are all kinds of darkness in this world: darkness that comes from sin; darkness that comes from discouragement, disappointment, and despair; darkness that comes from loneliness and feelings of inadequacy. The light of Jesus Christ is stronger than any darkness we face in this life, if we have faith in Him, seek after Him, and obey Him.

For as the Prophet Joseph revealed,
“If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you”

D&C 88:67

"Sometimes you just have to pull the curtains back to let the light in!"

New Year

Joy that was the one feeling that I knew was missing in my life. There would be days and moments but they would fade away within the day or hour. But this joy that I have now is much more deeper then anything i have had before. I feel it deep inside of me and it wants to pour out of me like a river flowing down a hill side. Saturday is going to be a very wonderful day for me. It is funny that I have coached football for 15 years and Saturdays I would be getting ready for a game which starts at 7pm. This time I will be getting ready for my baptism which starts at 7pm.

"When you are lost, it is ok to ask for directions"

Proverbs 3:13