Would you rather

Having a snowball fight with a pro baseball pitcher won 6 to 4 over having a dodge ball fight with a pro football quarterback. My theory is because it is summer we chose the cold one.

Would you rather question

We were talking with the missionaries. We often use the game "Would you rather" when they come. This question came up, "Would you rather have a snowball fight against a pro baseball pitcher or play dodge ball against a pro quarterback?" I made the statement that our family living in certain areas would choose a certain answer. Mary challenged me on this. So, here it it.

The Spock Paradox

I watched the 2009 Star Trek movie the other day. The premise is that Spock makes a mistake and it leads to people going back in time and changing history. The Paradox is that the new Spock will not make the same mistake so that the people will not go back in time and change history so the old Spock will make the same mistake again and the same people go back in time and change history again. I guess Star Trek history is stuck like a broken record.

Would you rather Book or Movie

The results were 50% would rather read a good book and 50% would rather see the good movie of the same story (4 and 4).  

Courage to Serve

First, there are lots of changes at our household.  William left for this mission.  A son leaves; a daughter will move into our household.  Things have not worked for her in this economy.  So, she is forced to move in with us.  And, I will potentially become a grandfather sometime in August.  My third daughter just broke up with a friend with an emotional investment of over a year. 

Two weeks ago, Samuel had his board of review for the rank of star in Boy Scouts.  You need to understand, for his last two board of reviews, the one for tenderfoot and the one for first class, he had been grilled about many details of being a Boy scout: Tying knots, Outdoor code, scout oath, scout law, first aid, swimming, camping, cooking and so forth.  So, for this board of review, he pulled down his Boy Scout handbook and reviewed all the information.  He reviewed it everyday from Wednesday to Sunday, when the Board of review was to occur.   In-fact just before the review, he crammed a few more minutes of scanning his handbook.   So he has his board of review with Brother B.  I can see Brother B’s point of view, “It is late after church, I’m hungry,”  Anyway, the way I heard it from Samuel,  Brother B checks his book to see that all the paperwork has all the proper signoff an so forth.  He says, “I see that you have all the proper sign offs, scout spirit, the 6 merit badges the leadership, and your interview with Brother Hemmis.  I have one question for you, What did you do for your 6 hours of service?”

Well, Samuel was taken aback by that.  Please understand, in the last year since he completed 6 hours of service.  For example, he helped with the cleaning our road here, he helped with the yard work at the Washington DC temple, he help with scouting for food, he helped with a service project over at the Shriver’s, he and Nathan and Brother Y helped on a project for Christmas when they took gifts to different families.  So, he had done the service.  However, when that question hits, its, “what have I done lately?”   

Most of our acts of service, we do them, and they go away.  We normally don’t keep a ledger of these acts.  There is a myth that our heavenly father records them.  Maybe he does and maybe he does not.  What we know is, what we record on earth is recorded in heaven.  

Would You rather -Book or Movie

Only one person voted for the movie, so I extended the time to 4/3

"Would You Rather" question - January 17, 2009

Would you rather go to church for three hours or stay home?  We chose to go to church for three hours (70%) rather than stay home (30%).  

Pinewood Derby 2009

We had our stake pinewood derby last Saturday.  Although many people helped a lot and did a great job my wife was a great help.  I woke her up on a Saturday morning and made a simple request,, "Will you come with me?" She rolled out of bed, dressed and came with me.  Mind you, there were no previous expectations that she was coming such as a date.  When we arrived, my wife did a great job and helped a lot.  She organized the boundary line and the tables for the track.  She set up a table with cups of water.  She also consoled a lady who came in late with her son such that they could not participate.

This was the fifth year I was involved with the Pinewood derby for our ward.  Our Bishop called me as a Cub Master when we moved here five years ago.  I wanted a pinewood derby for my son, so I arranged that first one with another ward; and, again the second year with a different ward.   On the third year, I organized a stake pinewood derby by sending email to all the stake and ward leaders including Primary.  A man from one ward came with his son.  He was a real help; he brought his scale and tools and had leadership to run that pinewood derby. 

Last year, a local member of our ward volunteered his track he bought.  One of his grandsons had a car in the race, another also helped.  This year, the stake allowed us to us the activity center (aka gym).  Normally, the stake schedules basketball there.  We had been holding them in the primary rooms.  It was nice to have the extra room.  We projected the race results from my computer to the wall. 

Every year, I have a lot of fear about this event.  Mostly, the anxiety comes because very few will contact me back about the event after I have sent out the word.   So I have little confirmation of who will attend and what they will bring.  So far, on the day of the events, people chip in and help.  Moms bring treats.  Dads share tools.  Cubs have fun. 

This year was special because two people sent me thank you letters afterword.  I really appreciated the thank you notes.

So here is the moral of this.  If you have a friend  who wants to do an event, encourage them, chip in and help and afterwards express gratitude by saying  thank you. 

Two Lines of Death

Last Saturday, our son Samuel had more training in life saving.  His class played a game that he calls, “Two lines of death.”  He calls the game two lines of death because two weeks ago his class played the game called, “the Circle of Death.”  The lifesaving merit badge class plays some interesting games, don’t they. 

In the Circle of Death game, the lifesavers tread water in a circle.  A lifesaving victim swims outside the circle and pounces on a chosen lifesaver in the circle.  In the Two lines of Death game, the lifesavers form two lines.  A lifesaver holds a brick in one hand high in the air preventing it from getting wet, swims to the other line and hands it to the next lifesaver.  This lifesaver swims the brick back to the first line.  And so it goes back and forth.  In Sam’s case, the brick remained in the air while his body dunked in the water.  He remained resolute and completed his task.

Sometimes people surprise us and request us to deliver the warning of the gospel.  Other times, we can carry people to someone else who will bear the message.  Two weeks ago, our family had a nice surprise and a great excitement when our son William opened his missionary call.  His mission preparation ended and his mission began.  He will now carry the load to warn his neighbors about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our family will support him to the best of our abilities. 

 

Lifsaving Class

For the last two Saturdays and continuing for the next eight weeks, Samuel is earning the Scouting lifesaving merit badge.  In the first class, he practiced saving someone who is unconscious or a passive victim.   For Samuel, this was easy.  He would turn the victim on his back and tow him to safety.  However, in the second class, he practiced saving an active victim, someone who would make lifesaving assistance difficult.  For Samuel, this was interesting.  His victim was one of his instructors.  This person was taller than Samuel and weighed over three times more than Samuel.  As Samuel approached, the victim grabbed Samuel’s legs with the victim’s legs and grabbed Samuel around the neck dunking Samuel in the water.  Fortunately for Samuel, they were close to the shallow end.  And as these two struggled, they floated toward the shallow end.  Soon, the depth was such that his victim could stand.  That allowed Samuel to complete and task and end his agony. 

Our Savior is coming to our rescue.  We choose how we receive him.  We can respond passively, submissively and humbly and make the process easy.  Or, we can respond with trepidation, with aggression and with desperation and make the process difficult.  

Elder Urban Opens His Call

Elder William Urban Recieves His Mission Call

It is official.  Elder William Urban recieved his mission call to the Utah, Provo mission.  He will report the the mission training center on March 11, 2009.  

We had many people participate in our contest.  Robert Smith guess exactly.  Robert is attending BYU right now.  

We had many people participate in our conference call.  Thank you to you all who shared this moment with us.  We are blessed with technology to share this.  

Will waited 24 hours to open the envelop.  Mary Ann reminds us that she has the Urban record in waiting. She recieved her call while William and I were attending a scout camp.  She waited a week to open her call.  

Elaine and I were very excited.  I could not believe how excited I was.  I could not stand still; I had to walk around the house and up and down the stairs.  Will took it all in stride.  Knowing he had arrived at home passed the appointed time of 5:00, he arrived at home and calmly walked up the stairs.  He waited for the local missionaries to arrive.  After they arrived, he opend the letter and read it out loud.  

Holidays are Over

The holidays are over.  Our son Samuel heads back to school tomorrow.  Our daughters are back where they were before the holidays.  I think we had a nice visit with all who came and Emily was a phone call away.  

Emily participated in some activities over the phone.  In our traditional round of gift picking on Christmas day, she even took a few turns in the rotation.   First, she picked a present for Mary.  She had already presented her secret Santa gift to Russell Murdoch, disguising the package as being sent from PA.  While she was on the phone, we ate some “Clusters” candy that she sent us.  On the second round, she picked, “That one,”  the “Uncle Joe” gift to me, a rain gauge thermometer wireless set.  I need to set that up.  On the third round, she requested the red present with the bow’ it was a “peace of cake” pan, a cake pan with a peace symbol.  She heard Yoda, our dog, play with the gift she gave him. 

As a family, we watched the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  I thought the movie was slow at first as I almost (?) fell asleep.  At the end of the movie, I had tears of sympathy for the characters.  So, I liked the movie, thumbs up from me. 

Carolyn passed a significant milestone.  She passed her driver’s test.  

On Saturday, January 3, Samuel elected to take the Life Saving Merit Badge course.  It is a 10-week class every Saturday morning from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM.  When I signed him up, the lady reminded me of Samuel's growth.  He has taken a swimming class at this location for three years starting with the Webelos Aquanaut badge and then trying to obtain the Swimming merit badge.  Three years ago, he protested going to the swimming lessons that this class provided.  He had no desire to swim.  Two years ago, he caught the vision and almost passed the swimming merit badge; he could not pick up the weight on the deep end.  Last year, he passed the requirements with ease.  Now, this year he chooses to go the extra mile. 

May your new year start well.