September 5, 2012
Hello, beloved ones!
I expect now that school has started, my weekly readership has dropped substantially. I also expect that to continue now that I'm out of the MTC and will be doing the same exact thing for the next 22 months or so. So let me tell you about my last few days of the MTC, my first experiences in the field, and (possibly now or possibly next week) my first couple weeks of missionary work. Then you can ignore everything else I write for the next couple years.
Thursday night I had my last experience in the Teaching Resource Center (TRC). I'm sorry KB had such a miserable time there. That was always one of the highlights to my week. This time we talked (in Spanish, of course) to a man Rafael about various uplifting/spiritual experiences we've had with the Book of Mormon. We had a great talk, and at the end he pointed at me and said "I know you. I don't know how, but you are familiar to me." I don't know how either but I agree. So that was neat.
Friday before I left the MTC we had so-called "In-Field Orientation" where they have workshops themed "Working with Members" or "Finding People to Teach." Somehow one of those had a nautical theme, another had a cowboy theme, and I don't even know what else. Basically it amounted to "How many ways can we secretly say 'It's all about baptizing people' while actually saying 'It's not all about baptizing people'?" It was cute to watch them try.
Sunday at 5:30 I went to a devotional for all departing missionaries. Sunday at 6 I heard more watch chimes go off than I'll ever hear again.
Later Sunday we had the regular Sunday night fireside. I don't remember what the speakers talked about, only that the headlining speaker's wife spoke first (which is common). My fireside/devotional experience is that typically wives give a brief, sappy talk and then talk about their families. Sister Jepsom(?) gave a "man-style" talk. She was bold and powerful and an absolute treat to listen to. So that was neat.
Monday was our last day of classes. The last thing my teacher Sister Cutler said to me was "I hope I never have another student as smart as you again." Thanks? P.S. I hope my dad sent out some of the pictures I sent him last week. That took up most of my emailing time and it'd be a shame if it was all for naught.
[Eric's note: Most of the photos Z is referring can be seen at the following public link:
MTC Photos
Tuesday I woke up with some kind of head-cold. I don't know if there was a bug at the MTC or it was just stress, but I knew that travel wasn't going to help. It didn't, but more on that later.
Tuesday night was spent at the mission home. We had a brief testimony meeting with the fellow n00bs, the Assistants to the President, and President and Sister Collins. Some of you may recall my uncertainty about the mission president. From the picture I'd seen, they just looked incredibly...ordinary. Well, Sister Collins gave her testimony and talked glowingly about her husband. That didn't surprise me. What surprised me was that she began her comments with some joke about how boring Indiana is, and how many people first thought they were going to India and stuff like that. Then after that, President Collins gave his testimony. He made some off-hand remark about "everything he's read about Joseph Smith" which caught my attention. Then he closed his remarks by speaking glowingly about Sister Collins! That never happens! Needless to say I was intrigued, but not persuaded.
I was the last to interview with President that night before he made assignments for our first transfer. I asked what kinds of books he's read about Joseph Smith, and we ended up talking for way longer than we should have. Here's what I ultimately found out:
-He's soft-spoken and thoughtful;
-He truly loves and respects his wife;
-He's well-studied in Church history. And I don't mean Richard Bushman well-studied, or even Donna Hill well-studied; I mean Fawn Brodie, talked with Gerald Tanner at Sunstone Symposium well-studied. That'll mean nothing to most of you but to me that's remarkable.
So that's all cool.
Wedensday I woke up with a headache and a hoarse voice. I was assigned to the Spanish Branch in Colombus, and my trainer is named Elder Hardy from Mesa, AZ. I was going to try and play off my assignment as completely miserable but dad cheated and found out where I live already. The address is 963 Lapwing Dr, Columbus IN 47203. You can look it up on Google Street view if you want.
Columbus is a pristinely-preserved little Hometown, USA where everybody and their grandfather works for Cummins, manufacturing diesel engines or something like that. The Spanish branch covers Columbus and has members down in nearby Seymour, which we visit every Saturday. I'll tell you all more about the branch in future letters when I have more time. In fact, I'll tell you more about everything in future letters when I have more time. For now, let me leave you with a couple of interesting facts I've learned since arriving:
-Hispanics are friendlier than Americans. That's all there is to it.
-Spray butter is apparently quite a thing here.
-Drunk Hispanics are even friendlier than regular ones. Usually whoever we're talking to will look back-and-forth at me and Elder Hardy until I start talking. Then they pretty much focus on Elder Hardy. Not so when they're drunk.
Mkay. I have loads of storied to bore you with but they'll have to wait. Love y'all. Love you, Ninrick.
Love, Z
P.S. Oh! The nice thing about the cold? I lost my voice Wednesday, so I could use that as an excuse to not speak Spanish during our lessons. Or English for that matter. Then came the bronchitis...
9.06.2012
"Where you headed, Elder?" "Indianapolis" "Oh..."
August 16, 2012
Hello loved ones,
Last week I told you about my notebook. In preparation for writing this week's email, I consulted the notebook as usual to decide which stories from the week would be included in the email and which would be left for personal letters. It turns out, though, that nearly every single thing I'd written follows a common theme. The guy who instructed us for new missionary hosting (which I did again this week) summed it up well with this offhand remark: "It must say something about your lives here that the highlight of your week is waiting in the hot midday sun for two hours."
-Elder Herzog and I finish each other's sentences. And with increasing frequency, we find ourselves starting each other's sentences, too. It's weird. Doubly-weird when an "investigator" is in the room.
-The other day, this happened:
Herzog: My mind is still stuck on Saturday.
Me: It is Saturday.
Herzog: What the heck is wrong with me?!
-My teacher, Sister Cutler, said this in class the other day: "He asked [such and such]. And [another] he asked [something else]. And [a third] he asked . . . a good question. Sorry, elders. It's Saturday night! I'm supposed to be at a party or something!
-Monday evening while I was standing at the urinal (really a regular toilet with the seat removed), the three stalls next to me were occupied. Their conversation went something like this:
#1: I found 14 white tiles in a row. Is that a record?
#2: There's some other bathroom where I saw 15. Here I only see 13.
#3: I just found a square that's 3x5. I think that's the biggest one I've seen.
And so on and so forth.
-Tuesday, at the beginning of class Elder Fiala stood at the front of the room and said "I have an announecment." Hanging a suit coat/menswear bag on the white board, he said "I'll just let this speak for itself" and then unzipped the bag. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, once I get a chance to send them. But anyways, after that, Bro. Lucero said "I also have an announcement. Today, we're spending the rest of class in the big room." We cheered. You'll see why when I send pictures of the classroom. Then, on the way out, he told us "I went to Cafe Rio for lunch today. I didn't bring y'all burritos but I did grab some mints." And then we cheered again.
-We hosted again Wednesday. This time I was able to enjoy my cookie dough ice cream AND they had my favorite pizza for lunch. So that was good. During the process of hosting, a new elder went to hug a new sister. The surrounding crowd let out a cry louder than some sporting events.
So yeah. It's time for me to get out of here (though I gotta say, Elder Fiala's announcement was legitimately worth the excitement).
Speaking of, it's time for me to get out of here. I'm supposed to arrive at the travel office Tuesday morning at 4. I expect to get to the SLC airport around 5 or 5:30 (which means I might run into Sara Sanders, actually, and Elder Herzog might even be on her flight), and I think my flight leaves around 7. I have about an hour layover in Phoenix between something like 8 and 9 local time. Family, if you want me to try calling sometime Tuesday morning (even though it might be obnoxiously-early), DearElder me a list of phone numbers to try ASAP.
For the rest of you, the mission home address is the following (I think):
Elder Zachary Matheson
Indiana Indianapolis Mission
1980 E 116th St, STE 200
Carmel, IN 46032
As for the other things in the notebook:
-Kymri Bourdin from Tucson is here. I see her every once in a while. Her smile is as cheerful as ever.
-I saw a Cevering get dropped off here last week or the week before, for whomever cares about that.
-Have the parents checked into my voter's registration status?
-How do you get rust stains out of clothes which have been bleached and washed but not dried?
Here goes. 4 days left. Whatever last-minute brain-washing they have planned, they'd better get done quick.
Love you all. Love you Kendrick.
Hello loved ones,
Last week I told you about my notebook. In preparation for writing this week's email, I consulted the notebook as usual to decide which stories from the week would be included in the email and which would be left for personal letters. It turns out, though, that nearly every single thing I'd written follows a common theme. The guy who instructed us for new missionary hosting (which I did again this week) summed it up well with this offhand remark: "It must say something about your lives here that the highlight of your week is waiting in the hot midday sun for two hours."
-Elder Herzog and I finish each other's sentences. And with increasing frequency, we find ourselves starting each other's sentences, too. It's weird. Doubly-weird when an "investigator" is in the room.
-The other day, this happened:
Herzog: My mind is still stuck on Saturday.
Me: It is Saturday.
Herzog: What the heck is wrong with me?!
-My teacher, Sister Cutler, said this in class the other day: "He asked [such and such]. And [another] he asked [something else]. And [a third] he asked . . . a good question. Sorry, elders. It's Saturday night! I'm supposed to be at a party or something!
-Monday evening while I was standing at the urinal (really a regular toilet with the seat removed), the three stalls next to me were occupied. Their conversation went something like this:
#1: I found 14 white tiles in a row. Is that a record?
#2: There's some other bathroom where I saw 15. Here I only see 13.
#3: I just found a square that's 3x5. I think that's the biggest one I've seen.
And so on and so forth.
-Tuesday, at the beginning of class Elder Fiala stood at the front of the room and said "I have an announecment." Hanging a suit coat/menswear bag on the white board, he said "I'll just let this speak for itself" and then unzipped the bag. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, once I get a chance to send them. But anyways, after that, Bro. Lucero said "I also have an announcement. Today, we're spending the rest of class in the big room." We cheered. You'll see why when I send pictures of the classroom. Then, on the way out, he told us "I went to Cafe Rio for lunch today. I didn't bring y'all burritos but I did grab some mints." And then we cheered again.
-We hosted again Wednesday. This time I was able to enjoy my cookie dough ice cream AND they had my favorite pizza for lunch. So that was good. During the process of hosting, a new elder went to hug a new sister. The surrounding crowd let out a cry louder than some sporting events.
So yeah. It's time for me to get out of here (though I gotta say, Elder Fiala's announcement was legitimately worth the excitement).
Speaking of, it's time for me to get out of here. I'm supposed to arrive at the travel office Tuesday morning at 4. I expect to get to the SLC airport around 5 or 5:30 (which means I might run into Sara Sanders, actually, and Elder Herzog might even be on her flight), and I think my flight leaves around 7. I have about an hour layover in Phoenix between something like 8 and 9 local time. Family, if you want me to try calling sometime Tuesday morning (even though it might be obnoxiously-early), DearElder me a list of phone numbers to try ASAP.
For the rest of you, the mission home address is the following (I think):
Elder Zachary Matheson
Indiana Indianapolis Mission
1980 E 116th St, STE 200
Carmel, IN 46032
As for the other things in the notebook:
-Kymri Bourdin from Tucson is here. I see her every once in a while. Her smile is as cheerful as ever.
-I saw a Cevering get dropped off here last week or the week before, for whomever cares about that.
-Have the parents checked into my voter's registration status?
-How do you get rust stains out of clothes which have been bleached and washed but not dried?
Here goes. 4 days left. Whatever last-minute brain-washing they have planned, they'd better get done quick.
Love you all. Love you Kendrick.
Happy birthday, Ricky!
August 9, 2012
The only remotely interesting thing I can remember happening last week was getting to host new missionaries on New Missionary Day Wednesday. Really, it´s less "hosting" and more "processing" but so it is here. But anyways, my district was given a brief orientation Wednesday morning, followed by an early lunch. We were told "you have 40 minutes to eat," which somehow got turned into "you have 20 minutes to eat" in the minds of my district. This meant that the day I was actually able to land a bowl of cookie dough ice cream was the day I wasn't able to enjoy my bowl of cookie dough ice cream. I think they wanted to get first dibs on early hosting, but really we just sat in a room for the next 20 minutes.
Speaking of ice cream and the three heaping bowls I eat each week, not to mention all the care package wares my roommates and I receive, I seem to have lost the 5 pounds of Pop-Tarts I added last October. Herzog has lost somewhere around 20. Nearly everyone else in the district has reported net changes in weight within that numerical range, but with the opposite sign.
Isn´t Tiff supposed to be getting married soon? When exactly is that? Everybody tell her congrats for me anyway.
You can all stop nagging Danielle to write me now. I got a letter from her last week. Apparently she composed the entire thing on her phone. That makes one of us a really good friend, and the other kind of a...less-good friend. But of course Danielle isn't the only friend I should mention. Many thanks to all of you who have continued to write me letters. I really appreciate them all. I will reply to each in time, but with the Provo Temple reopened last week and the sheer number of people who have written me letters, combined with my desire to return a quality product, I am significantly backlogged.
I am involved in somewhere between 30-40 hugs per day here at the MTC. I have been made aware of certain tendencies I have when giving hugs that make them appear somewhat cold and unfriendly. I am working to correct these errors. Next time y'all I intend to have the bugs worked out, so hopefully in a couple of years you will be receiving some quality, peer-reviewed hugs.
So, umm, seriously. That's about all I got, and there's still like 8 minutes on the timer. Maybe I'll tell you about my Handy Dandy Notebook. I carry it around in my shirt pocket and use the first half to keep track of insights or questions I have throughout the day, while the rear half is reserved for funny things I encounter during the day that I can include in my letters. Some of them wind up in this weekly email but probably the majority are used in the hand-written letters you receive in the mail. For instance, there's this little interaction from sometime last week (sorry to those of you who will read this twice, i.e. Bonnie I think). Elder Herzog and I were walking east while another group of missionaries were walking west. As they passed, this exchange occurred, and without pausing they continued on their way:
Elder #1: . . . Obviously you've never had your arms and legs cut off. Elders, if your arm got cut off by a lightsaber-
Me: Oh yeah, instantly cauterizes it.
Herzog: Seals that wound right up.
Elder #1: See, I told you!
Elder #2: No! I wasn't saying . . .
That's about it. That's my life right now. Love you! And love to Kendrick! And as a special bonus for today, love to Ricky!
<3 br="br" z="z">
The only remotely interesting thing I can remember happening last week was getting to host new missionaries on New Missionary Day Wednesday. Really, it´s less "hosting" and more "processing" but so it is here. But anyways, my district was given a brief orientation Wednesday morning, followed by an early lunch. We were told "you have 40 minutes to eat," which somehow got turned into "you have 20 minutes to eat" in the minds of my district. This meant that the day I was actually able to land a bowl of cookie dough ice cream was the day I wasn't able to enjoy my bowl of cookie dough ice cream. I think they wanted to get first dibs on early hosting, but really we just sat in a room for the next 20 minutes.
Speaking of ice cream and the three heaping bowls I eat each week, not to mention all the care package wares my roommates and I receive, I seem to have lost the 5 pounds of Pop-Tarts I added last October. Herzog has lost somewhere around 20. Nearly everyone else in the district has reported net changes in weight within that numerical range, but with the opposite sign.
Isn´t Tiff supposed to be getting married soon? When exactly is that? Everybody tell her congrats for me anyway.
You can all stop nagging Danielle to write me now. I got a letter from her last week. Apparently she composed the entire thing on her phone. That makes one of us a really good friend, and the other kind of a...less-good friend. But of course Danielle isn't the only friend I should mention. Many thanks to all of you who have continued to write me letters. I really appreciate them all. I will reply to each in time, but with the Provo Temple reopened last week and the sheer number of people who have written me letters, combined with my desire to return a quality product, I am significantly backlogged.
I am involved in somewhere between 30-40 hugs per day here at the MTC. I have been made aware of certain tendencies I have when giving hugs that make them appear somewhat cold and unfriendly. I am working to correct these errors. Next time y'all I intend to have the bugs worked out, so hopefully in a couple of years you will be receiving some quality, peer-reviewed hugs.
So, umm, seriously. That's about all I got, and there's still like 8 minutes on the timer. Maybe I'll tell you about my Handy Dandy Notebook. I carry it around in my shirt pocket and use the first half to keep track of insights or questions I have throughout the day, while the rear half is reserved for funny things I encounter during the day that I can include in my letters. Some of them wind up in this weekly email but probably the majority are used in the hand-written letters you receive in the mail. For instance, there's this little interaction from sometime last week (sorry to those of you who will read this twice, i.e. Bonnie I think). Elder Herzog and I were walking east while another group of missionaries were walking west. As they passed, this exchange occurred, and without pausing they continued on their way:
Elder #1: . . . Obviously you've never had your arms and legs cut off. Elders, if your arm got cut off by a lightsaber-
Me: Oh yeah, instantly cauterizes it.
Herzog: Seals that wound right up.
Elder #1: See, I told you!
Elder #2: No! I wasn't saying . . .
That's about it. That's my life right now. Love you! And love to Kendrick! And as a special bonus for today, love to Ricky!
<3 br="br" z="z">
Another one!
August 2, 2012
Somehow I had something moderately-interesting happen nearly every day this week.
Thursday: I saw Amelia approximately 5 hours after my last letter (speaking of, please add her to the forwarding list: amelia.bible@myldsmail.net). Apparently, according to Elder Herzog, my first words were "Why haven't you written me yet?" But the really great part of that day took place in the afternoon. Elder Herzog needed to fill a prescription, so we were allowed to leave campus for nearly 20 minutes! It was glorious! It was grand! It was beautiful and liberating and bright and happy and cheerful and wonderful! I felt like jumping and spinning and singing my heart out! Elder Herzog disagrees. He just wanted to hide in a corner. But anyways, we went to the student health center a block or two from the MTC. Since it's still part of BYU, most of the magazines were still published by the Church. The exceptions were Architectural Review and something else boring. I was commenting to H on our way out that I would have preferred something like Newsweek or Time, and then I spotted a newspaper rack next to the door! Granted, it was the BYU campus paper so there was nothing interesting except a picture of the Colorado Batman shooter, but I was so happy to have it. So happy.
Friday nothing happened. Or if it did, I didn't bother to remember it. Nothing compared.
Saturday during our weekly service assignment (read: cleaning someone else's bathroom) the facilities supervisor said something about them discovering the Higgs. I'm skeptical because he didn't know much about it, but I thought I'd ask y'alls anyway. Also, has Romney announced his running mate yet? Also on Saturday I didn't eat meat once. That's an achievement in the MTC cafeteria, let me tell you.
Sunday: I don't remember who I have or haven't told about Narnia Holes. Narnia Holes can be any of a number of small hidey-holes in the walls at the dorms (air vents and unused power outlets, mostly). There's one at my desk with a picture of some missionary holding a lightsaber. We hid a squeaky-toy cupcake Herzog got for his birthday in the air vent. Anyway, on Sunday Elder Herzog and I were granted knowledge of a far greater repository of joy and wonder. He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Monday before morning class started, my teacher Brother Lucero walks in and without preamble asks "Who is up to the task?" Herzog raised his hand, and I followed. Then Bro. Lucero told us (in Spanish) <> So that was fun.
Remember how I said I probably saw Breanna a lot more than she saw me back when she was here? It's the same with Amelia. Like how on Tuesday I saw that she lost her companion at the devotional. Which, speaking of, was not memorable. But my thoughts and impressions during that time, and really for the entire evening before and after, were some of the strongest I've felt in months. People aren't kidding when they say the Spirit at the MTC is powerful. I will share with you the insight which dominated my thoughts that evening. It is widely-accepted that Jesus Christ was a great moral teacher. He taught that we should do good to others, and to avoid doing things that might harm them. But that's only half of His message. Kingdom of heaven aside, the message He taught, and which he commissioned His disciples to preach, was repentence, which I claim is in essence doing good to yourself, and avoiding things that might harm you. And I don't mean physical harm or selfish "good"-ness. I mean keeping your thoughts in check, striving for self-mastery over the carnal desires, and (as before) refocusing on others.
There I go, sounding all missionary-ish again. And this time I don't even have a good MTC joke to follow-up with.
Nah, I'm totally kidding. This whole place is a joke. For example, the walkway between the administrative/cafeteria building and the mailroom/bookstore building always smells like a combination of rotting food and sewer. So what do we do to ease the stench? Did you say giant urinal cake? Because they did.
Love to Kendrick and to all mankind,
Z
P.S. Nothing interesting happened on Wednesday, either. Just so I'm not leaving you hanging.
Somehow I had something moderately-interesting happen nearly every day this week.
Thursday: I saw Amelia approximately 5 hours after my last letter (speaking of, please add her to the forwarding list: amelia.bible@myldsmail.net). Apparently, according to Elder Herzog, my first words were "Why haven't you written me yet?" But the really great part of that day took place in the afternoon. Elder Herzog needed to fill a prescription, so we were allowed to leave campus for nearly 20 minutes! It was glorious! It was grand! It was beautiful and liberating and bright and happy and cheerful and wonderful! I felt like jumping and spinning and singing my heart out! Elder Herzog disagrees. He just wanted to hide in a corner. But anyways, we went to the student health center a block or two from the MTC. Since it's still part of BYU, most of the magazines were still published by the Church. The exceptions were Architectural Review and something else boring. I was commenting to H on our way out that I would have preferred something like Newsweek or Time, and then I spotted a newspaper rack next to the door! Granted, it was the BYU campus paper so there was nothing interesting except a picture of the Colorado Batman shooter, but I was so happy to have it. So happy.
Friday nothing happened. Or if it did, I didn't bother to remember it. Nothing compared.
Saturday during our weekly service assignment (read: cleaning someone else's bathroom) the facilities supervisor said something about them discovering the Higgs. I'm skeptical because he didn't know much about it, but I thought I'd ask y'alls anyway. Also, has Romney announced his running mate yet? Also on Saturday I didn't eat meat once. That's an achievement in the MTC cafeteria, let me tell you.
Sunday: I don't remember who I have or haven't told about Narnia Holes. Narnia Holes can be any of a number of small hidey-holes in the walls at the dorms (air vents and unused power outlets, mostly). There's one at my desk with a picture of some missionary holding a lightsaber. We hid a squeaky-toy cupcake Herzog got for his birthday in the air vent. Anyway, on Sunday Elder Herzog and I were granted knowledge of a far greater repository of joy and wonder. He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Monday before morning class started, my teacher Brother Lucero walks in and without preamble asks "Who is up to the task?" Herzog raised his hand, and I followed. Then Bro. Lucero told us (in Spanish) <
Remember how I said I probably saw Breanna a lot more than she saw me back when she was here? It's the same with Amelia. Like how on Tuesday I saw that she lost her companion at the devotional. Which, speaking of, was not memorable. But my thoughts and impressions during that time, and really for the entire evening before and after, were some of the strongest I've felt in months. People aren't kidding when they say the Spirit at the MTC is powerful. I will share with you the insight which dominated my thoughts that evening. It is widely-accepted that Jesus Christ was a great moral teacher. He taught that we should do good to others, and to avoid doing things that might harm them. But that's only half of His message. Kingdom of heaven aside, the message He taught, and which he commissioned His disciples to preach, was repentence, which I claim is in essence doing good to yourself, and avoiding things that might harm you. And I don't mean physical harm or selfish "good"-ness. I mean keeping your thoughts in check, striving for self-mastery over the carnal desires, and (as before) refocusing on others.
There I go, sounding all missionary-ish again. And this time I don't even have a good MTC joke to follow-up with.
Nah, I'm totally kidding. This whole place is a joke. For example, the walkway between the administrative/cafeteria building and the mailroom/bookstore building always smells like a combination of rotting food and sewer. So what do we do to ease the stench? Did you say giant urinal cake? Because they did.
Love to Kendrick and to all mankind,
Z
P.S. Nothing interesting happened on Wednesday, either. Just so I'm not leaving you hanging.
7.07.2012
Week 2
7-5-12
…A lot of people gave me advice before I entered the MTC. I only remember 2 things. I already told you one last week: "The MTC is what you make of it." The other is equally true: "There's a lot of farting in the MTC." Thank you for your wise words, Amy Flood.
We had a fireside Sunday by Ted Gibbons. He described the events starting with the Nauvoo Expositor until Carthage Jail in character as Willard Richards. It was pretty well done. Dad, Tiffany: what have I read by that guy?
Other firesides and talks have been less...yeah. For example, in mission conference Sunday, we were encouraged to always remember the words of "that great philosopher, Polonius" ("To thine own self be true"). [Eric's note: Polonius is actually a character in Shakespear's "Hamlet"]
For July 4th we went to a surprise fireside. The time was uncertain so a lot of people arrived 30+ minutes early. I brought along "Jesus the Christ" but instead we were entertained by singing 4 or 5 rounds of Happy Birthday to various people in the audience, then "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" and "Once There Was a Snowman." When does the "turns boys into men" begin? Then they had a patriotic program which somehow turned into a Joseph Smith celebration, fed us ice cream bars and let us watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks.
Pretty much nothing else interesting happened this week, aside from the letters people sent (note to KB: I know you meant for "mattress dominoes" to sound like a bad thing, but really that just sounds awesome). So instead, and in the spirit of America and things that go *BOOM* please allow me to explain to you why gun owners should be required to enlist.*
1) It's Constitutional. I don't know the exact wording of the 2nd Amendment but I think it says something about "the right to bear arms FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA." In modern terms, I think that means joining the local National Guard or Army Reserves unit.
2) It will boost our nation's health. Good luck to all stereotypical obese, beer-swilling gun nuts trying to pass the PFT(?).
3) It makes good economic sense. Since gun ownership is voluntary, you have a volunteer military reserve force. It won't replace the current military but it will supplement. And being volunteers, you don't have to pay them, or if you do, you don't have to pay as much as a full-time soldier. Not to mention the slight decrease in obesity-related health care costs.
4) Security. I'm pretty sure the number of violent crimes actually prevented by the threat of maybe somebody in the area carrying a concealed weapon is approximately zero, but even if so, perhaps having well-trained gun owners who have sworn an oath to uphold freedom, liberty, peace, etc. will at least not make things worse.
That reminds me. Spanish isn't keeping me busy, so please feel free to "teach me diligently of things both in the earth and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgements which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms, that I may be prepared in all things and in the mission with which I have been commissioned."
…A lot of people gave me advice before I entered the MTC. I only remember 2 things. I already told you one last week: "The MTC is what you make of it." The other is equally true: "There's a lot of farting in the MTC." Thank you for your wise words, Amy Flood.
We had a fireside Sunday by Ted Gibbons. He described the events starting with the Nauvoo Expositor until Carthage Jail in character as Willard Richards. It was pretty well done. Dad, Tiffany: what have I read by that guy?
Other firesides and talks have been less...yeah. For example, in mission conference Sunday, we were encouraged to always remember the words of "that great philosopher, Polonius" ("To thine own self be true"). [Eric's note: Polonius is actually a character in Shakespear's "Hamlet"]
For July 4th we went to a surprise fireside. The time was uncertain so a lot of people arrived 30+ minutes early. I brought along "Jesus the Christ" but instead we were entertained by singing 4 or 5 rounds of Happy Birthday to various people in the audience, then "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" and "Once There Was a Snowman." When does the "turns boys into men" begin? Then they had a patriotic program which somehow turned into a Joseph Smith celebration, fed us ice cream bars and let us watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks.
Pretty much nothing else interesting happened this week, aside from the letters people sent (note to KB: I know you meant for "mattress dominoes" to sound like a bad thing, but really that just sounds awesome). So instead, and in the spirit of America and things that go *BOOM* please allow me to explain to you why gun owners should be required to enlist.*
1) It's Constitutional. I don't know the exact wording of the 2nd Amendment but I think it says something about "the right to bear arms FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAINTAINING A WELL-REGULATED MILITIA." In modern terms, I think that means joining the local National Guard or Army Reserves unit.
2) It will boost our nation's health. Good luck to all stereotypical obese, beer-swilling gun nuts trying to pass the PFT(?).
3) It makes good economic sense. Since gun ownership is voluntary, you have a volunteer military reserve force. It won't replace the current military but it will supplement. And being volunteers, you don't have to pay them, or if you do, you don't have to pay as much as a full-time soldier. Not to mention the slight decrease in obesity-related health care costs.
4) Security. I'm pretty sure the number of violent crimes actually prevented by the threat of maybe somebody in the area carrying a concealed weapon is approximately zero, but even if so, perhaps having well-trained gun owners who have sworn an oath to uphold freedom, liberty, peace, etc. will at least not make things worse.
That reminds me. Spanish isn't keeping me busy, so please feel free to "teach me diligently of things both in the earth and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgements which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms, that I may be prepared in all things and in the mission with which I have been commissioned."
6.29.2012
No Kool-Aid, but something about the orange juice...
Zatch's First Letter from the MTC (dated 28 June 12):
Hi all,
Sorry I didn't email sooner. We had language-software computer time Friday but they didn't explicitly tell us to email family, and in spite of my whining about the stupid rules I'm pretty good at being obedient. Hopefully you got my hand-written letter by now. I sent it last week I think. And at least you aren't as bad as my roommate Elder Cozzen's family. His dad called so many times they made him write home Monday and send an early email Wednesday.
Thanks for sending me KB's MTC letter, Dad. I won't ever read it/them on email while I'm here since time is monitored so how's abouts DearEldering it to me? From what I remember, though, I think my experience is the same as his so far, including the cup-flipping and the "Hey, look! Missionaries!" Just replace "Malay" with "Spanish" and "Church of Scarecrows of the Last Days" with "The Holy Ghost descended in the form of a prostitute" (Mateo 3:16). I guess that's the idea. This whole place is all just one big exercise in homogeneity. All the RMs I've talked to have said "The MTC is what you make of it." By that I assume they all mean "It sucks, but humans are surprisingly adaptable and optimistic." And lest you think I'm just being a downer, my comp Elder Herzog, who is quite level-headed, well-adjusted, and just generally a better person, of his own accord the other day remarked "This place is like The Village."
And speaking of homogeneity, I've encountered Breanna Jones (who, being female, short, and dark-haired was easy to spot), and Kaeden Jacobs and Russell Melland (from my Tucson ward), who, being white males with dirty-blons-ish hair, were not easy to spot . Kaeden happens to have class immediately above my classroom and Russell and I happened to just walk past each other one day. I've since seen Kaeden a few times, and I saw Bre quite a few times before she left (probably a lot more than she saw me. She ate a lot of wraps and sat, on average, 4 rows to my north. That's not weird, right?).
I like my MTC group pretty well. The district gets along well (for the most part) and several other leaders and missionaries have remarked to us just how good we have it. My teacher Bro. Lucero has a McCann-like sense of humor, which if I had to describe I would say is mostly passive, "let the jokes make themselves" kind of thing. Elder Feller in my district reminds me a lot of my Tucson roommate Bert Grabinger, but with a thing for Justin Bieber.
I hate myself just a little bit for telling these next two stories, but KJ will enjoy them so whatever. It was mission president weekend over the past few days (no, I didn't meet K's new pres), which means there were rumors of an Apostle giving the Sunday evening fireside (false) and the Tuesday evening devotional (true). I'm pretty sure if Jesus was standing in line for the devotional with all the men and women wearing his nametag he wouldn't have gotten in because: a) no suitcoat, and b) no mercy. It worked out for Herzog and I, though. By the time we got in they opened up seating on the floor, so we sat about 12 rows back from the Quorum of the Twelve (sans Packer and Hales) and the presidents of the Seventy. Plus I got an aisle seat (=extra foot-room).
Later that evening, Herzog and I were asked to escort a new missionary to dinner since he was a day early. When we dropped him off at the front desk later, we saw scriptures belonging to "Elder R.G. Scott" in the lost-and-found.
Dad, quit worrying about me. I'm just guessing here but that seems like something you'd do. You can start worrying about me when I stop making cult jokes (then you'll know they got to me).
Mom, congrats on your job. As I recall, this makes two years in a row that you got a job the day I left home. Your welcome, I guess.
KJ, happy late birthday again. Buy your own cigarettes now.
Everybody, if you write me I'll write you back. Promise. But you have to go first since I have no addresses.
Love, Z
P.S. Add breanna.jones to the forward list. Also Sarah Robishaw, though to find her email address you'll have to log in to my dudeman4 account. And if you really want to send me something, good bread would be acceptable. Plus spinach, if you can think of a good way to preserve it. Ideally not cans.
Hi all,
Sorry I didn't email sooner. We had language-software computer time Friday but they didn't explicitly tell us to email family, and in spite of my whining about the stupid rules I'm pretty good at being obedient. Hopefully you got my hand-written letter by now. I sent it last week I think. And at least you aren't as bad as my roommate Elder Cozzen's family. His dad called so many times they made him write home Monday and send an early email Wednesday.
Thanks for sending me KB's MTC letter, Dad. I won't ever read it/them on email while I'm here since time is monitored so how's abouts DearEldering it to me? From what I remember, though, I think my experience is the same as his so far, including the cup-flipping and the "Hey, look! Missionaries!" Just replace "Malay" with "Spanish" and "Church of Scarecrows of the Last Days" with "The Holy Ghost descended in the form of a prostitute" (Mateo 3:16). I guess that's the idea. This whole place is all just one big exercise in homogeneity. All the RMs I've talked to have said "The MTC is what you make of it." By that I assume they all mean "It sucks, but humans are surprisingly adaptable and optimistic." And lest you think I'm just being a downer, my comp Elder Herzog, who is quite level-headed, well-adjusted, and just generally a better person, of his own accord the other day remarked "This place is like The Village."
And speaking of homogeneity, I've encountered Breanna Jones (who, being female, short, and dark-haired was easy to spot), and Kaeden Jacobs and Russell Melland (from my Tucson ward), who, being white males with dirty-blons-ish hair, were not easy to spot . Kaeden happens to have class immediately above my classroom and Russell and I happened to just walk past each other one day. I've since seen Kaeden a few times, and I saw Bre quite a few times before she left (probably a lot more than she saw me. She ate a lot of wraps and sat, on average, 4 rows to my north. That's not weird, right?).
I like my MTC group pretty well. The district gets along well (for the most part) and several other leaders and missionaries have remarked to us just how good we have it. My teacher Bro. Lucero has a McCann-like sense of humor, which if I had to describe I would say is mostly passive, "let the jokes make themselves" kind of thing. Elder Feller in my district reminds me a lot of my Tucson roommate Bert Grabinger, but with a thing for Justin Bieber.
I hate myself just a little bit for telling these next two stories, but KJ will enjoy them so whatever. It was mission president weekend over the past few days (no, I didn't meet K's new pres), which means there were rumors of an Apostle giving the Sunday evening fireside (false) and the Tuesday evening devotional (true). I'm pretty sure if Jesus was standing in line for the devotional with all the men and women wearing his nametag he wouldn't have gotten in because: a) no suitcoat, and b) no mercy. It worked out for Herzog and I, though. By the time we got in they opened up seating on the floor, so we sat about 12 rows back from the Quorum of the Twelve (sans Packer and Hales) and the presidents of the Seventy. Plus I got an aisle seat (=extra foot-room).
Later that evening, Herzog and I were asked to escort a new missionary to dinner since he was a day early. When we dropped him off at the front desk later, we saw scriptures belonging to "Elder R.G. Scott" in the lost-and-found.
Dad, quit worrying about me. I'm just guessing here but that seems like something you'd do. You can start worrying about me when I stop making cult jokes (then you'll know they got to me).
Mom, congrats on your job. As I recall, this makes two years in a row that you got a job the day I left home. Your welcome, I guess.
KJ, happy late birthday again. Buy your own cigarettes now.
Everybody, if you write me I'll write you back. Promise. But you have to go first since I have no addresses.
Love, Z
P.S. Add breanna.jones to the forward list. Also Sarah Robishaw, though to find her email address you'll have to log in to my dudeman4 account. And if you really want to send me something, good bread would be acceptable. Plus spinach, if you can think of a good way to preserve it. Ideally not cans.
6.18.2012
Farewell
Below I have posted a recording of the farewell address I gave today prior to my MTC departure Wednesday. Video recordings are not allowed in LDS chapels, so I included some pictures from the post-meeting luncheon (plus a couple of visual aids) for visual stimulation (and for the benefit of those who were unable to attend). Further below is a reprint of the talk as written (though not exactly as presented).
As a missionary, one of my jobs will be to share my convictions; that is, I will try to pass along ideas which I find to be of fundamental importance. Before I proceed, let me give you a few seconds to consider the convictions you cling to most strongly.
I suspect many of you hold convictions of things like the Atonement, the Book of Mormon, or eternal families. If you are my buddy Trevor, you said "Thou shalt not kill."
This question poses an interesting challenge to me as the sort of person who likes to complicate things. I graduated with bachelors degrees in math and physics, and I've started graduate physics classes. In my studies I've been trained to understand that the things we are sure about are frequently wrong. Some simple examples are: the earth is flat; the earth is the center of the universe. Some physicists thought we'd have everything figured out by the turn of the 20th century, and then BOOM! Relativity, which says that if you're running really really fast and I'm standing still then we will age at different rates; and quantum mechanics, which says that, on or below the atomic level, we can never make a measurement with 100% certainty.
I find myself taking the same skeptical approach in religion. You'll recall that the-Earth-is-the-center-of-the-universe was once seen as an important religious belief. You might also recall radio evangelist Harold Camping, who last year predicted the end of the world -- twice. As a Church we've also had our share of folk beliefs that have been, or one day will be found to be incorrect. I had an institute teacher (who was subbing in my Church History class) say the following: "It is, I think, offensive to the Spirit to try to base testimony on things that may never have happened." We find this sentiment echoed in the scriptures. In Matt 7:21 we read: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." James has a similar remark in chapter 2, verse 19: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
I interpret these statements in the following way: it is not so much what you believe that is important; it's what you do with it. As a result, I take the same approach in religion as I do in science. There my convictions are not so much "facts" as they are guiding principles ("facts" in quotes because, as I've shown, sometimes we get our facts messed up). Let me explain how this works in science first of all, and then I'll try to formulate the construction I've produced for myself in religion.
In science, we start by postulating that some unique, universal "truth" exists. In physics this basically means that if gravity points down on Earth, it will also point down on Mars, etc. In order to find this truth, we perform experiments and make observations to get rid of all the ideas that don't work and whatever is left must be the answer. This is what scientists call "falsifiability."
For myself, I've postulated the following: If God exists, He desires our happiness. There are those in the world who would disagree. However, I stand by my statement because I see virtually no purpose for our existence in a universe created by an apathetic or an adversarial god. That, I would say, is conviction number 1.
For conviction number 2, I would claim that in order to experience happiness, we must experience sorrow and adversity. In fact, I would claim that greater happiness comes through overcoming greater sorrow and greater adversity. It is through overcoming adversity that we learn, grow, or otherwise progress as individuals. Therefore, to experience eternal happiness, as I believe God would have us do, we must progress eternally. This particular guiding principle informs my interpretation of the nature of sin and commandments. The things which we are commanded to do tend to strengthen us as individuals as we overcome the challenges of our fallen state. Those things which are considered sins are the things which distract us from our progression, or which prevent us from facing our problems head-on
Thirdly, I am convinced that our progression as individuals in strongly dependent on the progression of others. By this I refer both to charitable feelings toward mankind and to eternal families. Charity is easy enough to take as a guiding principle. While interpretations may vary, virtually every person in the world feels some sort of obligation to help those around him or her. This tendency towards "nice-ness" could be an evolutionary or social adaption to assist in the formation and regulation of societies, but even then it is useful to our progression because societies have developed to allow each of us to focus our efforts on ourselves when needed, with the understanding that we will be able to support others when they need support.
But as I said, I think there is more to it than just this, however. I said that I'm convinced that our progression depends on the progression of others, and I think there may be a more literal interpretation, as well. Picture in your head a family tree, with the primary branch representing God the father. Joseph Smith taught that as individuals progress and attain glory, that glory is spread upwards through the tree via the sealing power.
For some reason I felt this idea resonate within me as I first heard it. It just gives structure to so many of the teachings we have. Eternal families fit right in. God's promise to Abraham that he would have seed as the sands of the sea makes more sense. The emphasis on sexual sins becomes clear when it is understood that they undermine the nature of this structure. I'm glad we've abandoned polygamy, but one can even see how that practice might have a place in this structure.
I had this appreciation for the sealing power reaffirmed to me just yesterday, in fact, as I performed proxy sealings with my parents in the Salt Lake temple. I've found myself annoyed at a handful of things in the endowment ceremony, but I felt a spirit of peace, love, and calm during that time in the sealing room. In fact, one of my earliest and strongest encounters with what I believe may have been the Spirit of the Lord took place in a sealing room in the Draper temple during their open house a few years ago. This was well after the traditional time for men to leave on missions and during a particularly hostile phase of my life regarding the Church. I went to the open house, hoping to determine whether it was right for me to pursue a life in the Church, and, without going in to detail, I left feeling that perhaps the answer was yes.
Let me close by restating that I feel it is our place to be happy, but in order to do so we must seek to progress by overcoming obstacles, and that as we do so, we should seek to aid others in their progression. I present them to you with a testimony that I have found these convictions valuable in my life as foundational guiding principles. With this I close in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
As a missionary, one of my jobs will be to share my convictions; that is, I will try to pass along ideas which I find to be of fundamental importance. Before I proceed, let me give you a few seconds to consider the convictions you cling to most strongly.
I suspect many of you hold convictions of things like the Atonement, the Book of Mormon, or eternal families. If you are my buddy Trevor, you said "Thou shalt not kill."
This question poses an interesting challenge to me as the sort of person who likes to complicate things. I graduated with bachelors degrees in math and physics, and I've started graduate physics classes. In my studies I've been trained to understand that the things we are sure about are frequently wrong. Some simple examples are: the earth is flat; the earth is the center of the universe. Some physicists thought we'd have everything figured out by the turn of the 20th century, and then BOOM! Relativity, which says that if you're running really really fast and I'm standing still then we will age at different rates; and quantum mechanics, which says that, on or below the atomic level, we can never make a measurement with 100% certainty.
I find myself taking the same skeptical approach in religion. You'll recall that the-Earth-is-the-center-of-the-universe was once seen as an important religious belief. You might also recall radio evangelist Harold Camping, who last year predicted the end of the world -- twice. As a Church we've also had our share of folk beliefs that have been, or one day will be found to be incorrect. I had an institute teacher (who was subbing in my Church History class) say the following: "It is, I think, offensive to the Spirit to try to base testimony on things that may never have happened." We find this sentiment echoed in the scriptures. In Matt 7:21 we read: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." James has a similar remark in chapter 2, verse 19: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
I interpret these statements in the following way: it is not so much what you believe that is important; it's what you do with it. As a result, I take the same approach in religion as I do in science. There my convictions are not so much "facts" as they are guiding principles ("facts" in quotes because, as I've shown, sometimes we get our facts messed up). Let me explain how this works in science first of all, and then I'll try to formulate the construction I've produced for myself in religion.
In science, we start by postulating that some unique, universal "truth" exists. In physics this basically means that if gravity points down on Earth, it will also point down on Mars, etc. In order to find this truth, we perform experiments and make observations to get rid of all the ideas that don't work and whatever is left must be the answer. This is what scientists call "falsifiability."
For myself, I've postulated the following: If God exists, He desires our happiness. There are those in the world who would disagree. However, I stand by my statement because I see virtually no purpose for our existence in a universe created by an apathetic or an adversarial god. That, I would say, is conviction number 1.
For conviction number 2, I would claim that in order to experience happiness, we must experience sorrow and adversity. In fact, I would claim that greater happiness comes through overcoming greater sorrow and greater adversity. It is through overcoming adversity that we learn, grow, or otherwise progress as individuals. Therefore, to experience eternal happiness, as I believe God would have us do, we must progress eternally. This particular guiding principle informs my interpretation of the nature of sin and commandments. The things which we are commanded to do tend to strengthen us as individuals as we overcome the challenges of our fallen state. Those things which are considered sins are the things which distract us from our progression, or which prevent us from facing our problems head-on
Thirdly, I am convinced that our progression as individuals in strongly dependent on the progression of others. By this I refer both to charitable feelings toward mankind and to eternal families. Charity is easy enough to take as a guiding principle. While interpretations may vary, virtually every person in the world feels some sort of obligation to help those around him or her. This tendency towards "nice-ness" could be an evolutionary or social adaption to assist in the formation and regulation of societies, but even then it is useful to our progression because societies have developed to allow each of us to focus our efforts on ourselves when needed, with the understanding that we will be able to support others when they need support.
But as I said, I think there is more to it than just this, however. I said that I'm convinced that our progression depends on the progression of others, and I think there may be a more literal interpretation, as well. Picture in your head a family tree, with the primary branch representing God the father. Joseph Smith taught that as individuals progress and attain glory, that glory is spread upwards through the tree via the sealing power.
For some reason I felt this idea resonate within me as I first heard it. It just gives structure to so many of the teachings we have. Eternal families fit right in. God's promise to Abraham that he would have seed as the sands of the sea makes more sense. The emphasis on sexual sins becomes clear when it is understood that they undermine the nature of this structure. I'm glad we've abandoned polygamy, but one can even see how that practice might have a place in this structure.
I had this appreciation for the sealing power reaffirmed to me just yesterday, in fact, as I performed proxy sealings with my parents in the Salt Lake temple. I've found myself annoyed at a handful of things in the endowment ceremony, but I felt a spirit of peace, love, and calm during that time in the sealing room. In fact, one of my earliest and strongest encounters with what I believe may have been the Spirit of the Lord took place in a sealing room in the Draper temple during their open house a few years ago. This was well after the traditional time for men to leave on missions and during a particularly hostile phase of my life regarding the Church. I went to the open house, hoping to determine whether it was right for me to pursue a life in the Church, and, without going in to detail, I left feeling that perhaps the answer was yes.
Let me close by restating that I feel it is our place to be happy, but in order to do so we must seek to progress by overcoming obstacles, and that as we do so, we should seek to aid others in their progression. I present them to you with a testimony that I have found these convictions valuable in my life as foundational guiding principles. With this I close in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
1.28.2012
There, I Fixed It
I bought this bike a couple summers ago when I my cyclocross bike was stolen. It was in pretty bad shape but it was cheap and I was in a bad mental state. I figured I buy it and fix it up. How hard could it be, right?
Rear derailleur and freewheel:
Brake calipers:
More front derailleur:
Actually every picture I've shown is fairly inconsequential in terms of the bike's actual functionality, but pictures of re-lubricated wheel bearings are not very interesting (but I have them if somehow you're actually interested).
* There's no good way to fit this into the flow of the post, but I would just like to mention that I exploded a grand total of two tire tubes over the course of restoring this bike. The first one was just annoying but the second one was pretty funny since it took place after 11:00 in an apartment complex and it sounded like a gunshot. After the initial excitement, though, it too was just annoying.
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