Closure

It is done. I have closure. I think the natural man in me wanted it to continue, to be the same. Thanks God in Heaven for His restoring temples to the earth today so that we can go find peace, direction and guidance in personal revelation by participating in His holy saving ordinances.

Bliss

So yesterday, my mom woke me up. This is not unusual. However, this awakening came with an invitation, to go see a free movie at the theater. "Why, yes, a free movie sounds attractive," I said to myself.
Nim's Island was the movie. It was about this little girl and her dad who live on an island. The dad is a Marine Biologist, the little girl loves to read. They had the life- and a supply ship brought them whatever they needed. They had access to the internet, sattelite, etc.
But nobody bothered them. Perhaps I shall become like these people when I finish school... just a thought.

....that was it.

So I finally found out her name. I was on cloud nine all weekend, talking myself into going up to her today at church at talking to her. And you know what?

She's moving. Gone. Bye bye. Perhaps it's just not meant to be.

That's all.


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However, I went on a date this past weekend with an entirely different and completely lovely young lady. We (meaning me and my buddy Sean) cooked dinner, pasta and salad, all the while hearing Sean gripe and moan about being set up on a blind date and going to the beach in general. But then the girls showed up, and off we went to the beach.
Sean and his date hit it off pretty well, and of course I was happy about who I was with :)
I brought along some awesome pineapple soda, and proceeded to forget to bring a bottle opener... so after we got to the beach, we went around to all the local shops, finally stooping low enough to have a nearby bar open the for us. Truly the only time I've been grateful for one of those places...

Why we should not have Socialized medicine in America

If you know me, you know I am very political. I am heavily considering law as a career option, with the strong intention of going down the road of politics with the intention of partially fulfilling Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Elders of Israel will help to uphold the Constitution of this great nation in which we are blessed to live.
Lately, I am frightened by the President and Congress pushing the agenda of nationalized (socialized) health care. They seem to be ignoring the voice of the people all over, and listening to those special interest groups, i.e the people on welfare, gays, the ACLU, environmentalists, etc.
My friend Joey Gunnell posted today on Facebook the following:
A more readable translation of everything that comes out of Barack Hussein Obama's mouth: "And so my lazy followers, ask what your country can do for you--not what you can do for your country!!!"
I feel as this sums up his entire administration. If he wants to solve this rather rough recession we're currently in, then he needs to encourage Capitalism. Doing this social program will only encourage more people to not work, and will thus drive the economic situation down farther.
Not only that, but we deserve treatment ASAP. As long as it remains privatized, it will 1) continue to create well-laying jobs and 2) ensure that good healthcare is available as soon as the individual needs it.
In Europe, Canada and elsewhere where there is socialized medicine, dogs can get a CT scan in 24 hours of an injury, but human beings have to wait, on average, 6 months to get one. Heart transplant waiting lists are up to 2 years long, and dental care? Forget it.
I remember 9 years ago, right before my grandpa's death, how the doctors were doing all they possibly could to save the poor, sick man's life. My friend's mom, who is from New Zealand, told me that my grandpa would have been left to die. He was blessed with another 4 months on this earth, because gratefully, we we're not even considering adopting such outrageous ways of practicing medicine.
Two more things to drive my point home:
1) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has, many times, made statements against socialism. President Ezra Taft Benson, a prophet of the Lord, told us the Book of Mormon is there to help us "combat the false ideas of socialism". He was a prophet of God, a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, thus invalidating the argument so many liberals present of "Well, you see, times have changed, and so should we along with it." The Church stays with tried and true methods, and it continues to run better each day. The government, on the contrary, goes with the changing mindset of the day, and they have to come up with new rules and laws to cover their behinds every time they screw up things even more than they already have. And because of this mindset, we are watching morals, and consequently our economy, decay at an extremely rapid rate.
Little wonder that the Church brings full-time missionaries back to the US (if they are American citizens) to receive serious medical treatment... i saw this once when I was 12 years old, and countless times as a full-time missionary in Seattle.
I received this letter in an email from a lady who I came to know very well on my mission. I served in her ward, and she was very helpful with the work. I respect her opinion greatly. I will vouch for her honesty. She and her husband are credible, educated people, and I urge you to listen to what they have to say, and take it into deep consideration before supporting what President Obama is trying to put in place.

The Following was written by Christin Farley, From Bonney Lake, Washington, USA:

Dear All,

The following is a letter about the experience we had yesterday that I wrote to our legislators. Please read and write yours to vote NO. Any hospital facility you have been to is better than what the government currently provides.

Blessings,
Kristine Farley
Bonney Lake, WA

(Here is the actual letter)

The government already runs the VA hospitals and they are in such a shameful situation. Can
Yesterday I spent 13 hours at the Seattle VA Hospital with an older family member and her husband, who is a highly awarded veteran. What a tragic disappointment for these great men and women, the defenders of our freedom!

This facility is horrible with chipped paint on all surfaces (doors, jams, walls, metalwork, etc.), dingy tile & walls that look to be decades old, bathrooms that smell of old urine and stall dividers that must be the original with only some of original paint left on them. Dusty blinds and dirty walls were on every floor. There were soiled, with feces clothing and bed linens on chairs that had been there for a day or so by the smell. All the restrooms that I used (4 or 5) were no better than “scary” gas stations restrooms.

Our family member had been there without food, an IV or bathing for 2 days. His breathing was labored and was not monitored, nor noticed by staff, until his wife pointed it out and suggested oxygen that they promptly used and found fluid around his lungs that was not there when he was admitted. With us there we were able to get the attention and care for him. The doctors and nurses all rotate, so you don't have the opportunity to have the same ones.

It is such a shame that our country's great heroes are treated in these manner. I have been in Mexico and see different hospitals there; this hospital is only a small step up from those. Other hospitals in our area are great by comparison.

The HMO's our family has used in the past are better than this. Our current family health coverage through my husbands work is perfect and affordable for our family. We get to choose our doctors and have the coverage that we need.


This is representative of how the government manages health care.... God help us if all the hospitals in the US become government run. They will be like this!!!



I am sending this to everyone in our address books and asking them to contact their representives to vote "NO" for US run Health Care.

Please vote NO, too!!!



Sincerely,

Kristine Farley

mormon skanks addendum

This kind of stuff doesn't happen in Tampa. All our dances are how they should be: clean. The girls dress well, the guys are respectful.
This occurred in Orlando. I love the place, there were lots of people, and it was fun. But this needs to be fixed.

Mormon Skanks

So last night I went to only my second dance since I've been home. I felt generally good about it all, and I really feel like I've adjusted well to RM life. The music was loud, the girls were pretty (a LOT of them), and I even got Lexie to freestyle swing. DJ Big Mic called me out twice, once to tell me to get in there and dance, and another time to tell me "Don't hurt yourself, Dennis." (It's okay for him to be jealous that he can't do the line dances with hips like mine.)
I got a kick out of Mic also having everyone sing "happy birthday" to Alexia. It got her some really funny unwanted attention...

I was trying to dance with a particular girl... something would always get in the way, however, so that was kind of annoying.

But what was truly disturbing was the way some of these girls were dressed and the way they were dancing... I remember a girl I used to date telling me how when we got to YSA to not be surprised to see people "Throw For the Strength of Youth out the window."


Spaghetti straps, short shorts and skirts, skanky dresses, low-cut and off-the-shoulder blouses, and allowing horny guys to dirty dance with them, who only have on thing on their mind.
What on earth have these girls bent to? Why do they do this? How on earth could you think that using sex to attract guys will get you the ones that you want?
I have a message to pass on: you won't get an RM like me who is looking to marry a worthy girl in the temple. Me and several of my buddies were truly disgusted. If you claim to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you need to act like it and set an example. There were brand new members and investigators there. Do they think this appropriate behavior? I hope not.
And to they guys: quit giving these girls attention. They don't deserve it. I quote my friend Jill from Seattle

"I think it's just a sign on needing attention, and they go about getting it in all the wrong ways. Dressing like that doesn't help the girl or the guy..."

I want to know why these individuals were not promptly dismissed. These kind of things used to just roll off my back, but now, having been inviting people to act on what they believe to two years, I'm no longer afraid to say something. And if this happens again next month, believe me, I will say something, and invite all my standard-keeping friends to do so them so along with me.

Recent RM Frustrations

So it's 1AM, and I can't sleep, so here I go:

I'm not really sure about this whole trying to date thing. I mean, a girl lays down the flirt, and the next thing you know, she's dating one of your good friends. Or maybe she was dating him in the first place, but wanted to test the waters a little bit.
Then there's that factor that you're fresh off the mission, so you're not really sure who is legitimately interested in you or just flirting because you're an RM... totally annoying.
Sometimes I wish I had a solid girlfriend who knows me and my struggles, but it seems like the only girls who really know who I am aren't meant for a relationship.
There is this one girl who I have had an eye on for a few weeks now. She goes to my singles' ward, and she is about one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. I thought, when I saw her, that she would be way out of my league, and that I would never have a chance. But when I gave my homecoming talk, she watched me the whole time. Wait, what?
Then she hung around for a bit while I was going about my calling (asst branch mission leader) trying to get things in place... and as she was leaving (wish I would have had time to talk to her) she turned around and looked at me one last time before disappearing down the hall.
Am I imagining things? Or does she think I'm attractive?
"Who is she?" I asked my buddy Steve....

School apps are bugging me, too. I am going crazy trying to get all this LDSBC crap, along with my grad info, sent to CES by the state of FL. They make life hard on you for sure. I swear they don't want anyone to know how crappy their school system is, so that's why they do it.
I just hope it's all done in time for me to have a good place to live and a great roomate, you know?

Then, to add the stress of it all, your family is struggling with unemployment, and your dedicated, hard-working Mother is doing her darnedest to get the family fed and fulfill her calling, and at the same time all hell is trying to stop her, from family, from inside the Church, from other means. I swear, these days, the Church is full of nephites, and I don't mean the good kind. I mean the prideful, do-as-I-please-and-try-to-make-everyone's-life-miserable-who-tries-to-correct-me-and-I-don't-care-who-gets-hurt-in-the-process kind of people, and it's all your poor mother can think and talk about.

Thank goodness I was able to get up to the temple last night with my best friend. As we went through the session, and received the instruction, a whole lot came clear on how my obedience is paramount in my dedicating myself to the Lord, how I have to have goal to do all that He commands...
And in the Celestial room, it came very clear that the Lord is completely mindful of my plight, and difficulties. I read in Moroni 7, in the Book of Mormon, "....has God ceased to be a God of miracles? ...nay... for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

So, I relaxed. The drive home, it was all very peaceful. Everything will be okay, I'm sure, but the getting there may be stressful, in the meantime.

How anyone can get by without the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Restored Gospel in their lives, it beats me. Tonight I had the chance to go out with the homeward missionaries, and share a lesson with a part-member family who happen to be some really great friends of mine. Talk about a great experience.

Okay, it's 1:49. Bedtime.