Report Draft: I. Other Benefits

1. How has doing this project been personally beneficial?
For my group, the project did not necessarily strengthen our testimonies, but it helped us to see the gospel in a good light. It strengthened bonds of friendship and family because it forced us to share things that we would not usually share with each other. It was also rewarding to see how other people reacted to what we wrote. Usually when we write something it goes to a professor and we do not hear much response about it, but sharing it with the class and the world makes us proud of it.
"I really felt that writing down this experience with some time separating myself from it allowed me to not only understand my role in the experience but also how it has shaped me since". Quoted by Ryan Parker.
2. How has doing this project enabled you to do something that was overdue in a relationship, or in dealing with a problem?
The project gave us an excuse to share personal things. It was almost like an outlet to feelings that we wanted to share, but did not know how to share. Sharing these details about our lives brought people to tears through laughter and sorrow. It also showed the people that we cared about them and wanted them to know these things about us.
3. Did doing this project help you think of other things you might do for yourself or for other people that are not directly related to our goals of sharing essays and videos?
"YES! Although this experience didn’t go as viral as I thought, I realized that I feel more competent and wanting to write more personal experiences that benefit myself and others. I feel more confident to post on my own blog, or seek out for opportunities to share it on other blogs. I feel that it has been the most useful and beneficiary thing I have contributed to my own history, and so even if it isn’t something that goes viral, I have a greater ability, and responsibility to record these experiences down" quoted by Emily.
4. Other benefits, expected or otherwise?
The project benefited our relationships because it makes us want to keep in touch with people. It helped us identify who we were comfortable sharing with and if we were not comfortable sharing it with certain people then what we could do so that we would be comfortable sharing our essay with them. It was also an outlet to pay tribute to influential people, friends, and relationships in our lives.

Sharing is Caring

The best experience I had sharing my essay happened previously we I shared the rough draft with my brother that recently left on his mission and my parents. However since I finally finished the essay I was finally able to share it with Brother Miller with whom I wrote the essay about.

The best part was that Brother Miller was not expecting it at all, and he told me that he felt the same way, that we are the best of friends. He even made a joke about cleaning those bathrooms, which is an experience that can't be forgotten. So it was special to be able to share it with the person that was the inspiration behind my essay.

Checkmate

"Who's the more foolish; the fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi

“You don’t have any kids?” he questioned me with a hint of sarcastic surprise in his voice. Followed closely by “and come to think of it, you don’t even have any grand-kids!” I couldn't suppress the laughter that was bubbling inside of me and it began to slip out as I tried to remain focused and serious.

Then the first match ended almost before it began. I should have seen it coming. The first pawn of mine that was taken resulted in check-mate. So as suddenly as we started it was over. I don’t take losing easily and wasn't going to let that happen again, despite my lack of experience in playing chess, compared to the 72 year old retired English teacher with an Afro that was sitting across from me.

Sharing a Good Time

      In sharing my personal essay there are three specific individuals that immediately came to mind. The first of which is Bro Miller. He is basically the insperiation fo my essay, and it duscusses many of the experiences that we had together and the many things that I've learned from him. Next is my best friend Zach. After our mission he joined the marines and I don't get to see him much, but he could definately apperciate the story, serveral parts he was even present for as well. Last of the individuals that I'm going to mention by name is my good friend from high school named Corey. He was baptized right after we graduated and then went on a mission and has since been married in the temple. It gives me a good excuse for me to connect with him agian.

      Next I'm not going to be posting this essay on facebook, but I will tweet it out to any of my followers that want to take a read, as well as include some LDS hashtags so that even those that I don't know could take a look at if they so choose. Also I'm going to let my mom and sister post my essay or maybe at least links to it so that my extended family can take a look at it as well.

      When it comes to social networks offline, I'm not someone who tipically writes anything period, and so I'm kind of shy to go and just pass it out in the Wilkinson Center or even submit it to the Daily Universe. I have however been pondering using this in a Sunday School or Elders Quorum lesson on Sundays. This would be easiest by simply playing Tori's video about my essay just to get a taste, and then giving the the link to the essay if they want to read it. Other than that I'll probably send email it to a few of my companions from my mission as well as a couple of investigators/members from my mission if I can find a way to get in touch with them. 

   Finally I'm planning on sharing Ryan Parker's essay with my dad. I'm not exactly sure why, but I just had the feeling that he would be able to connect really well with Ryan's essay, so I'm going to share it to him when I go home for Christmas. I also think my sister-in-law Mikjan would appreicate it and could learn from it since she has been through at lot resently and could use a spriritual boost. Also if she feels inclinded she could end up sharing our videos and essays with the seminary class that she teaches.

Finding Your Place Among the Stars

Every person no matter their religion must at some point go through some sort of rite of passage. Mormons are no different. Part of being human is questioning things around us and trying to find our place in the universe. Kyle in Will Wonder’s Never Cease is a perfect example of this occurring in young people which I feel was very accurately portrayed since I was able to connect with and relate to his thoughts and experiences.

Right off the bat Thayer has names, and not titles which would be more expected, flying around for anyone and everything. The most startling of which is that Kyle even thinks of his parents by their first names. This shows that he feels out of place, or isn’t quite sure where he fits in and at times he feels others don’t give him enough credit for what he knows and what he is capable of. He is smart enough not to actually call them by their first names to their faces, but you can tell a lot about who someone really is when you can get in their head which is a advantage of works of fiction.

However is all of this truly fiction? I feel that despite the fact that the actual events of this story never happened, all of the other aspects have elements of truth in them that we can all connect with on different levels. Whether Thayer had similar experiences, had them form from his imagination, or has had others share their similar experiences with him, the feelings and thoughts that are discussed and felt as a result in this novel are real to any human being, especially during our coming of age phase. So despite Thayer having Kyle in a Mormon culture, with lots of discussions surrounding Mormon life, I feel that this larger theme of coming of age is more of a universal human experience and not one that is mutually exclusive to Mormons or even Mormon teenage boys.

Elephant in the Front Yard Teaser Trailer

Here is the teaser trailer for Ryan Parker's essay. I chose to follow pretty close to the format Dr. Burton used in his video. Hopefully I didnt give too much away so you will want to read Ryan's awesome essay.

When you least expect it

I'm the third out of six children in my family. We have all served missions so far. My three siblings that are younger than me are all boys. One is on his mission in the Ukraine, the other is going to Iowa and went into the MTC today, and the youngest is a senior in high school. So this past week my parents drove down from Canada to bring my brother to the MTC.

Yesterday I convinced my parents that they need to see Christopher Nolan's new film Interstellar, so we all went including my missionary brother to see the movie in IMAX in Sandy. On the way back I was driving and figured I should get my brother to read my personal essay draft and give me some spiritual insight since he has been set apart as a missionary. So he grabbed my phone and read it to himself as I was responsibly paying attention to the road. He laughed out loud during the middle section which I was hoping he would.

Once he was finished he simply said it was good and smiled. I did a bit more proding and he reminded me of the few grammar errors, but said that he really enjoyed reading it and then turned and handed the phone to my dad that was sitting in the back seat with my mom and said "you should really read this." My dad asked what it was, and after my brother wouldn't tell him he began to read it out loud so my mom could hear so she wouldn't have to read it again.

It was an interesting experience to hear my dad read my words out loud. My family is very family with the friendship that I have with brother Miller, but haven't heard all the little stories. His voice went from an almost confused tone, to one of recognition, to laughter, and then finally to tears. My mom was also crying, and I too was getting choked up by their reactions. After a long pause ounce he finished reading I finally had the gumpsion to tell them that I wrote the essay to make people laugh and not cry. We all had a little chuckle, but it was very strong spirit that we felt in our CRV driving back to Provo.

I was reminded that my dad also had a very strong friendship with brother Miller having served as a counsellor to him in the bishopric in our ward before. He too had a great amount of respect and love for this man as I do, and we shared a special moment together. I never would have guessed that this relatively insignificant piece of literature that I managed to piece together. 

Teenage Time Bomb

Normally I love to solve puzzles...well at least puzzles that are logical in nature. A poem however is a puzzle that has no right or wrong answer unless it actually does. Not exactly my style, which made it difficult at times to try and decode what exactly the authors where trying to stay. However as a read the poems out loud and just tried to grasp on to something the poem by Terresa Wellborn entitled "Atomic Number Sixteen" caught my attetion.

The imagery and word choice that is used to describe what could only be an atomic bomb detonation made things ver yeasy for me to visualized

for the snap, the bite of light

the beggining fuse that flames like fireflies,

Clearly she is focusing on the sudden brilliance and magnitude of such an explosion. It starts from something very small which is is evident by the bite of light, and it is very sudden just like a snap. Then just as a fuse leads to something much bigger, this snap is leading to something big, potentially deadly and/or hazardous. She uses plenty of other words as the poem goes on to describe that what is coming as a result of this fuse is bad or will definately have consequences.

The title of the poem, and the use of the pronoun he and him gives us a peak at what the actual theme of the poem is. It has to be about someone coming to the dreaded age of 16. I know that I was definately a handful for my mom when I finally turned 16. Getting my drivers liscence being the biggest of these, and being able to go off and get into trouble on my own. 

Terresa is probably a mother, and from her perspective it happens all of a sudden, when someone turns 16 they suddenly become a time bomb of trouble.  She doesn't know how to describe what makes it happen, but that when it does happen it can be big and startling, but as I'm sure my mom did as well, the poem suggests shut your heart and hold onto the scraps that remain, because it's not time to give up and lose hope on these teenagers.

Checkmate

“You don’t have any kids?” he questioned me with a hint of sarcastic surprise in his voice. Followed closely by “and come to think of it, you don’t even have any grandkids!” I couldn’t suppress the laughter that was bubbling inside of me and it began to slip out as I tried to remain focused and serious.

Then the first match ended almost before it began. I should have seen it coming. The first pawn of mine that was taken resulted in check-mate. So as suddenly as we started it was over. I don’t take losing easily and wasn’t going to let that happen again, despite my lack of experience in playing chess, compared to the 72 year old retired English teacher with an afro that was sitting across from me. 

The pieces were quickly retest which wasn’t hard considering the brevity of the first match. The board was then rotated and play continued. Things were different this time. Play progressed, a queen was captured, castles consumed, knights knocked out, and bishops bagged until finally I had his king trapped with no means of escape. My cunning and daring strategy had somehow outwitted the years of experience that guided the pieces opposite of mine.

Anyone else observing this scene would probably have difficulty believing their eyes. Here is an old man playing chess, which isn’t a surprise, but the fact that his opponent was barely a third of his age. Not a common occurrence especially for someone my age to be there by choice and not out of obligation or any other ulterior motives. I am old enough to be his grandson, and if I were common to my generation I would expect to mercilessly distract by my phone and other outside forces. This was different though. I had the weekend from work, and I hadn’t seen one of my best friends in quick a while, and decided to make the quick trip to pay him a visit.

From an outsider’s perspective we had very little in common at all, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Despite the many years that separated us we got along great. Had we been born in the same decade we would have been inseparable, but we weren’t going to let that stop us. We both had the same sarcastic and ridiculous sense of humor, loved music and played the guitar, and liked to make fun of each other and others. Despite our physical age differences, our minds are both about the age of 11, which makes things almost too fun at times.

Once upon a time we were both working janitorial on weeknights cleaning the offices at a truck depot. It was probably the nastiest job that I have ever had. Especially the bathrooms, which were at times tainted by trucker blowouts. He loved to tell me not to put things in my mouth, as if I were the one that was 2 years old. One night he had me put new urinal cakes in the men’s bathroom. He had me three and looked at me very sternly and said, “These aren’t Altoids, SO don’t put them in your mouth, cause they will take your breath away!” This was followed by both of us bursting into laughter.

The only thing that made cleaning bearable, and the only reason I was even there was because we had so much fun together. One night my “supervisor/boss” strategically hid himself in one of the back offices that I always got around to vacuuming last. As I opened the door I found a dirty rag flying at my face, and heard an unearthly yell. Needless to say I was quite startled and once I had my wits about be I found the old man literally rolling around on the dirty carpet with short bursts of giggling escaping at sporadic intervals. 

This is only one example of the many adventures that shaped and forged this unlikely friendship. Despite all of the fun and practical jokes, there were times when we would discuss more serious in an often light hearted way, but knowing that deep down we both recognized the true importance of these more heavy matters. It is also said that those that work and serve together develop some of the strongest bonds of friendship. There we many experiences together serving some widowed women and sick seniors that lived in our area in various ways. Not only was he a good friend, but a great example as well. There is more to life than just fun and games all the time.

As with most friendships time and circumstance would take us far from each other. Even with the advancements in modern communication, we would only occasionally talk to each other. However whenever circumstances and time would permit, we would make plans to go get a cheap senior discounted meal at a fast food restaurant, or for the first time, a friendly and competitive match of chess. Either way, whenever we would get together it was awesome because we both would be practically the same person that we were the previous time. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and when you’re as hard headed as me, change is slow, painful and far between. I am always looking forward to the time that we get together. I also start to feel a bit older too when, we get to reminisce about the many good times that we have had in the past.

My mom would always tell me when I was growing up that friends would come and go but family is the only thing that will last. While she was right about basically everything including this there is one exception. Every other friend that I’ve had growing up until now that has been relatively close to my age has moved on for some reason or another. Marriage, graduating, military, and careers all seem to pull those friends of mine from my life. However I can truly say that I’ve had one friend that despite distance and changes in my life has always been there, and can without a doubt make me laugh. I don’t even want to think about the time that will come when he literally won’t be around anymore. At any rate before I know it I’ll be the one on the experienced side of the chess board, reliving my younger years with some punk kind.

Chess Master

The first match ended almost before it began. I should have seen it coming. The first pawn of mine that was taken resulted in check-mate. So as suddenly as we started it was over. I don’t take losing easily and wasn't going to let that happen again, despite my lack of experience in playing chess, compared to the 72 year old retired English teacher with an Afro that was sitting across from me. 

The pieces were quickly retest which wasn't hard considering the brevity of the first match. The board was then rotated and play continued. Things were different this time. Play progressed, a queen was captured, castles consumed, knights knocked out, and pawns bishops bagged until finally I had his king trapped with no means of escape. My cunning and daring strategy had somehow outwitted the years of experience that guided the pieces opposite of mine.

Anyone else observing this scene would probably have difficulty believing their eyes. Here is an old man playing chess, which isn’t a surprise, but the fact that his opponent was barely a third of his age. Not a common occurrence especially which his opponent is there by choice and not out of obligation or any other ulterior motives. The old man’s junior, if he were common to his generation would expect to mercilessly distract by his phone and other outside forces, but somehow managed to keep these at bay. They formed what many would call a lopsided friendship. 

From an outsider’s perspective we had very little in common at all, but they couldn't be more wrong. Despite the many years that separated us, we had a lot in common. We both had the same sarcastic and ridiculous sense of humor, loved music and played the guitar, and liked to make fun of each other and others. Despite our physical age differences, our minds are both about the age of 13, which makes things almost too fun at times.

Once upon a time we were both working janitorial on weeknights cleaning the offices at a truck depot. It was probably the nastiest job that I have ever had. Especially the bathrooms, which were at times tainted by trucker blowouts. The only thing that made this bearable, and the only reason I was even there was because we had so much fun together. One night my “supervisor/boss” strategically hid himself in one of the back offices that I always got around to vacuuming last. As I opened the door I found a dirty rag flying at my face, and heard an unearthly yell. Needless to say I was quite startled and once I had my wits about be I found and old man literally rolling around on the dirty carpet with short bursts of giggling escaping at sporadic intervals.  

This is only one example of the many adventures that shaped and forged this unlikely friendship. Despite all of the fun and practical jokes, there were times when we would discuss more serious in an often light-hearted way, but knowing that deep down we both recognized the true importance of these more heavy matters.

As with most friendships time and circumstance would take us far from each other. Even with the many advantages with modern communication, we would rarely talk to each other. However whenever circumstances and time would permit we would make plans to go get a cheap senior discounted mean at a fast food restaurant, or for the first time, a friendly and competitive match of chess. Either way, whenever we would get together it was awesome because we both would be practically the same person that we were the last time that we met. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and when you’re as hard headed as me, change is slow and far between. I am always looking forward to the time that we get together. I also start to feel a bit older too when, we get to reminisce  about the many good times that we have had in the past.

My mom would always tell me growing up that friends would come and go but family is the only thing that will last. While she was right about basically every friend that I've had growing up until know that has been relatively close to my age has moved on for some reason. Marriage, graduating, military, and careers all seem to pull those friends of mine from my life. However I can truly say that I've had one friend that despite distance and changes in my life has always been there, and can without a doubt make me laugh. I don’t even want to think about the time that will come when he literally won’t be around anymore. At any rate before I know it I’ll be the one on the experienced side of the chess board, reliving my younger years with some punk kind.

Mafia Mormons

Sitting in Sunday school I almost cringe every time that Peter would raise his hand. He never said anything that was wrong, offense or even inappropriate, but it was the way that he would talk. His voice would immediately increase in pitch as he would talk. It would become very soft and airy, and the content would always turn to some mission story. I have nothing against return missionaries or having them impart of their wisdom, but the way that they go about it make them seem like they are the most holy person in the room. It seems almost degrading just to be in their presence and hear them speak. I don’t want to have to strain to hear them speak, and then I don’t even want to participate in the lesson anymore because I don’t have anything that can top them. Church over for me as soon as he starts talking because he is always going to have the final word, so there is no point in even trying. His intentions aren't bad, but it seems more like he have something to prove. Missions change people’s hearts, minds, and souls, but why does it change the voices so many missionaries as well?

Without every fast Sunday Brother Falcone would slowly make his way to stand with his hunched back, slicked back hair and black pin-striped suit. It was inevitable that he would give a monologue about his Italian heritage and growing up in the slums on the east coast. The story seemed to be the same every week with very little variation. He would talk very slowly without looking out at the congregation, but instead he would stare at the base of the microphone while fiddling with the actual mic with one hand. The mic would making popping and scratching noises has his wingers would continue to connect with the mics surface and he would speak very softly, almost a whisper for a very long time. Then he would slowly make his way back to his seat. No one ever complained, but no one was ever really surprised by his reoccurring appearance each month. I don’t ever remember seeing him on any other Sundays, but without a doubt he would be there on fast Sundays. I always thought it was cool that we had a mafia member straight out of movie in my ward. He was so cool that everyone was afraid to tell to go sit down because he would be talking for too long. I was living life on the edge somehow through Brother Falcone making his appearances in church.

Driving, Dreaming, and Deliberating

An Inner Struggle

The winter semester was quickly drawing to a close and I had no idea what I was going to be doing for the summer. I had a job offer on the table, that I wasn’t super excited about but it did promise to pay me well, but was going to be a lot of hard work. On the flip side I was getting tired of school, and wanted to graduate sooner than later. I could just stay and work while taking a few classes so that I could move up my graduation date.

Neither was bad, but both had different benefits. I was torn as to what I should do, but time to make a decision was quickly drawing to close. It didn’t seem fair and I felt as though I was being forced into making a decision. I had been praying bout it for some time, but the answer just hadn’t come yet. I remember walking home from class one late spring afternoon and feeling impressed that I should give my dad a call. So I did and to my surprise so early in the afternoon he was available to talk. I don’t remember what specific words said, but I do remember the way that I felt. Whenever we talked about be staying and taking some summer classes while working at school I just felt good about it. I hadn’t felt this until now. So I knew that this was my answer and that this was what I was supposed to be doing. It wasn’t too soon either because finals were only a few days away.

Scripture, Personal, and Powerful

I was serving as a missionary in the Philippines Cebu Mission. It was a foreign land, with a new language, new food, and I got to spend all day with a complete stranger. Normally when put in perspective of two missionaries, that have never known each other you would expect that things should be just fine. Both are on missions which is good, and should be able to be united by a cause greater than themselves. If only this were true. I struggled at first. My trainer was a native Filipino and loved to work really hard. Normally that would sound like the perfect companion for me. However we had some very big disagreements on what working hard meant and how to best go about it.

Needless to say, there was a significant rift in our companionship which was effecting our work, or at the very least it was making me miserable. All I did was blame me companion for all of my hardships. One morning I was reading my scriptures during personal study, which I never really wanted to do, but thankfully I did. I was reading in 2 Nephi when Lehi was on his death bed, and giving his final message to his family. He told his sons to “arise from the dust and be men.” Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. I was being really selfish in immediately pointing a finger at someone outside of myself, and hadn’t even thought about what I could change to help improve the situation. It was as if the Lord was speaking directly to me, just when I need it most.

A Wilderness Quest

Growing up camping and scouting played a very big role in my life. Most weekends I was sleeping in a tent, and was outdoors doing something.  Everything hiking, mountain biking or sitting around the campfire playing guitar. Ever since I’ve come to college I have missed be out doors and camping a lot. Being a fulltime student and working part-time while also full-filling my church responsibilities makes life very busy. Then on top of that I don’t own any of my own camping equipment, and if did buy some, I would have nowhere to put it, and up until recently I didn’t have my own vehicle either. So I would feel trapped in civilization. Constantly surrounded by smart phones, laptops, computers etc.

Every so often I could almost feel the walls closing in on me, so I should simply turn of my phone, and start walking. I would have no destination in mind, but would just go wherever my feet would carry me. Now that I have a car, will get in my car and usually drive towards the mountains, but with no specific destination in mind. It gives me time to really be isolated from outside distractions so I can have my thoughts to myself, and gives me a chance to reflect on life. It’s hard not to look around and admire the beauties of nature and feel grateful for all that I have been blessed with. Upon returning home I always feel refreshed and closer to deity and further from my worldly worries that can at times seem to be all consuming.

Being Jared's Brother

Example #1
Mormon 1: Character - A man is surrounded in his own country that has been invaded by his people's enemies. All his family and friends have been killed and his is completely isolates without anyone to turn to.
Example #2
Ether 1: Plot - A big group of people build a huge tower to get to heaven, and as a result get cursed so that they can't communicated with each other anymore. There is one family that has the curse removed, and they leave everyone else and go on an expedition.
Example #3
Ether 6: Dialogue - Two brothers are about to die, and are trying to decide who will be in charge once they are gone be a use they don't want their family to have a king. Their families asks for them to choose one of their sons to be king. They ask several of their sons until one of them finally accepts.
Example #4
Ether 2: Language - A man's brother forgets to pray for a long time since he forgot and became really lazy. So he climbs a mountain and has a vocal conversation with deity.

In Eliza's post she talked about walking around the house with her cousin and having feelings of emptiness because of the lack of different things, which is the same as Moroni being alone and having feelings of emptiness because of the losses and changes that he experienced.

Then Keegan talked about going to Africa and being only white people there, much like the brother of Jared's family being the only ones after the tower of Babel that were differwnt from everyone else because they are able to understand each others language.

Tree Trunk Trauma

1) Physical Experience
• smell of gun powder wreaked coming immediately after the thunderous BANG from the airbags
• smell of grease and motor oil that didn’t wash out of my hands.
• crumpled front end of the Ford Trekker
• mahogany tree that had not clearly visible scars resulting from the massive impact
• exposed wire coming from the shredded wire of the rear tire of the car
• door jammed shut from impact, but the window of the door had already been rolled down
• the roof of the truck crumpled as the crane strained to the lift each of the four wheels off the ground
2) Scene
• The still smoking pick ip truck, two disoriented missionaries sprawled out on the ground, old women screaming incessantly among the surprising growing crowd of onlookers
• Standing on the dock, see the trucks inside of the ferry for a moment before they disappear completely as the ocean violently tosses the small boat despite the massive ropes desperately attempting to hold the tiny vessel before it ventures into the impending storm
• The garage that was once cluttered with tools, bikes, camping gear and remote control airplanes, now stood empty except for the lone crippled sedan that remained occupying one of the four available spaces.
• hearing the crash as the vehicle was literally dropped bay the crane, and shriek of metal on metal of what was left of the bumper catching the bed of the flat bed truck and being ripped off
3) Speech
• Bradley over heard mom telling Scott on the phone, “Next time he comes home, he either flies, or he’s not allowed to work on his car. I can’t handle this again.”
• The mechanic said, “It’s going to take at least 3 hours. This is a BMW.”
• talking on the phone and hearing Elder Bailey in the background yell, “They did what to the truck!?”
4) Emotions in the Moment
• Frustration with myself, knowing that I am responsible for engineering the conundrum that I found myself in
• Sheer surprise that they actually believe that the truck would explode at any moment
• Frustration knowing that I was the only one stable enough not only physically but unfortunately emotionally stable as well to talk to the police about what happened, and even worse being the one to call and report the incident to Elder Bailey
• Feeling completely alone, despite always having people around me and even my companion with me at all times
• a thick foreign accent through the phone saying, “I fix BMW, I do that for you.”
• Tire shop owner saying, “There is only one BMW in Shelby, Montana, and we’re looking at it.”
5) People of Consequence
• Elder Bailey, the missionary in the office responsible for vehicles, finance, and housing, that had the best of intentions, but that wasn’t afraid to raise his voice from the slightest irritation
• old women driving an ATV in downtown Billings, Montana
• tow truck driver, with a thick Iraqi accent, that drove an old beat up truck, and was talking on the phone the entire time he worked in the garage

Jorg Klebingat Keeps It Simple

The talk I decided to analyze was given by Jorg Klebingat in the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference entitled  “Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence” and I’m going to compare to the talk given by President Uchtdorf entitled “Lord, is it I?”.

Elder Jorg Klebingat immediately surprised be because he was speaking in English with his clearly foreign name, considering the change of format and allowing speakers to use their native languages, but he didn’t despite the slight accent. He is from Germany which naturally gave him connections to to President Uchtdorf. Both are very competent in english, and very adept speakers despite the slight accent in their voices. They are both very concise in their statements, which makes their purpose and meaning so very clear. Having learned a foreign language myself, I fill at times it makes you simplify what you are going to say so that you get straight to the point so that no meaning is lost, because that is the most important thing. If you make it too complicated, then obviously your meaning is lost. 

This also allows both of them to speak with boldness and confidence in their words. Neither got overly emotional, but instead kept a very calm and collected tone throughout. They both told stories, it illustrate the points that they are trying to make. These stories are also concise enough so that you don’t forget the reason that they are probably telling the story for. The best thing about both of these speakers is simply their simple word choice. They use simple words, so that understanding is immediate. This keeps the attention of everyone in the audience and not just the english scholars.

Praying in the Mountains

In Ether Chapter 12 starting in verse 18 the brother of Jared goes into the mountain to pray to the Lord. The first question that came to mind was if the brother of Jared actually spoke his entire prayer our loud. Sure the prayer is in quotes here, but it does seem that he did give the entire prayer vocally.

He uses the phrase “O Lord” to address his audience God in his prayer. This specific word choice is used repeatedly to show his reverence and respect for whom he is addressing. He also begins by asking several questions. This is important because one of the main purposes of praying is to receive answers. It’s impossible to receive answers to questions if you don’t ask them. While this may seem obvious, it is something that can get overlooked in prayer by lots of gratitude. The brother of Jared was very direct, and made his purpose very clear to the Lord. This shows that he is confident and that he has great faith in receiving answers to his prayers.

This prayer is also clearly a conversation, with the Lord not only giving answers, but asking the brother of Jared questions as well. So while the prayer is formal and respectful, it is still relaxed enough so that the brother of Jared remains part of the conversation and isn’t overshadowed by the Lord. This is a great example to us as individuals in our own prayers. Not only is it important for us to pray, but we should talk with the Lord. We need to be open like the brother of Jared to receive the answers that come, but we also need to think for ourselves and act based on what we get out of our prayers.

QuestionS

Neal A Maxwell taught that Mormon rhetoric is to be short, direct, and to the point. The spectrum of doctrine and philosophies that can  can be instigated is seemingly endless, and can be a very attractive pitfall to many speakers. Those that are most effective however are those that “stay on task” without digression and after all is said and done drive home one simple truth to their audience. The life of an individual probably won’t be transformed by a single speech, but it can receive a nudge in the right direction.

The then President of BYU, Jeffery Holland in his devotional address “Of Souls Symbols and Sacraments,” employed distinct literary devices that help him to get his simple message across to the students on campus. The most powerful of which was his usage of questions. Elder Holland was very active in questioning his audience of students. Students are very accustom to questions. Not only are they encouraged to ask questions, but in the best learning environments, they are often questions, so as to better retain what is being taught. It is a way of capturing the audience’s attention, and if they so choose, allowing them to become and active participant in being taught.

It isn’t clear through the text, but I’m sure that Elder Holland was also and active “listener” to the questions that he was posing. This meaning that he wouldn’t just throw out a question and then continue on. I’m sure at times we would pause and allow the students in the audience to digest what he was presenting to them. I know that for me personally, its difficult to take everything in if the speaker or teacher doesn't pause and allow for some internal grow and reflection  to take place.

Again questions are a great way for whoever is speaking to take their audience by the hand and show them what their intentions are. It also keeps the audience engaged and on track, which when you are speaking to students as well is very important so that you can get your message across.

I, Moroni

I decided to look at language, and more specifically the usage of the first-person pronoun (“I” “me”) and the repeated usage of a specific phase and individual(“my father”). Within my section (Mormon 8 – Ether 8) I focused my analysis on Mormon 8:1-14.

Moroni that is now writing in the record uses the pronoun I, me total of 26 times in just about one page. Then he references his father Mormon, by repeating the phrase “my father” ten times.

The thing most obvious by this is that Mormon is no longer writing, but instead Moroni is. Moroni is alone. He didn’t turn the Book of Mormon into his own personal journal by choice, but it was thrust upon him, plus he is being responsible and finishing what his father left for him to do. Also his father obvious played a hugely important role in his life, he he is the only one of the many many Nephites that were killed that he mentions specifically and repeatedly. He is obviously lonely, as I’m sure anyone in his position would feel also. This magnifies the massive scope of the destruction of the people of Nephi. He literally had no living mortal in the Americas that he could interact with that would try to kill him.

For the most part the Book of Mormon is a third person narrative given by Mormon. Which other sections outside of 1 Nephi are also written in the first person? Since the usage of the pronoun I can only be used by some one actually inscribing on the place, how many authors wrote on the plates? Are there any other sections where the language used in referencing characters also does so this much to establish the setting?

Brother Miller

Brother Miller was a former bishop, nearly retired caucasian 7th grade English teacher with an afro. He was very well spoken, and his grammar was impeccable, but something set him apart from all of the other “old” people of the ward. He got along best with those nearly a fifth his age. He wasn’t afraid to have fun, but at the same time, know when it was time to be serious. I have the privilege of to this day calling “Bro Mill”, as he likes to be called, one of my best friends.

He showed me that there are a lot of boring people out there and that there is nothing wrong with having fun and cracking jokes. I don’t want to be bored by someone to stand up there and read at me. We both like interactions, and when all we are doing is reading from a manual or rehashing word for word some already before given talk in sacrament things end up going down hill pretty fast. I feel that all to often people fall into this rut and don’t realize it, but end up justifying it because it’s spiritual. We don’t have to be crying to feel the spirit.

This being said, how does this translate to speeches or talks. Bro Mill would catch my attention and make me laugh almost immediately so I would give him my complete attention. Most often this is done through a sarcastic comment, a subtle joke, not a lame one, or through the telling of a great story with lots of embellishments but that still actually applies to something. Then I would be hooked for the rest of what he had to say and would end up learning something from him every time he spoke.

Saturday's Warrior

Orson Whitney Quoted D&C 88:118 encouraging us to develop our faith through the reading of good books. I feel that Nephi Anderson’s intentions were good, and he talked about true doctrine, but it was muddled in the fairy tale cheese, that most secretly wish were true in reality.

I remember when I was young loving the song “Humble Way” from the very popular Mormon musical Saturday’s Warrior. I however didn't fully come to understand the messages that were being presented because I was so caught up in the music and wanting to grow up and be a missionary. Once I was mature enough to understand the major themes, I didn't agree with all of them.

Nephi Anderson’s Added Upon I felt has much in common with Saturday’s Warrior. Each takes a look at the plan of salvation, and I feel that both are too cheesy to effectively reflect the importance and grandeur of this plan. The largest being the way that both of these address the topic of agency.

Agency was being highlight as important however it didn't change much of the expected outcome and was overshadowed by “destiny” or “predestination”. All of the characters had the ability to choose things for themselves, but despite that they would always end up finding and being with the people that they were with in the pre-earth life.

Will the Plan of Salvation always have a perfect fairy tale ending? I don’t think so. We are in control of our own destiny. This doesn't mean that things can’t end well, but instead no matter what life may bring, if we use our agency to follow what the Lord has asked, he will make it possible for things to work out. Things could turn out similar to the way Nephi Anderson set them up, but that would be a rare case compared to the majority of situations. Otherwise agency wouldn't even be necessary.