EQ History - 2013

2013 closed with Pace Barker as the elders quorum president and the presidency consisting of Matthew Chandler as first counselor, Daniel Harbuck as second counselor, Robert Brown as secretary and Yogendra Paneru as assistant secretary.

The quorum rendered countless acts of service throughout the year.  In the October Lost Sheep Rescue all third-hour meetings were spent visiting les-active members two-by-two.  Over sixty households were visited and nearly every team was able to make one home visit.

Baz Otgondorj was baptized into the quorum we saw Ian Evans and Paul Johnson leave for missions.

The elder's quorum also enjoyed some great activities. A BBQ was held at Lacey Woods Park in typical elder's quorum fashion—complete with hot dogs with no toppings, warm root beer, and all of this in the dark by the light of cell phones. The priesthood session of the October General Conference was broadcast online for the first time, but that didn't stop the quorum from holding its semi-annual pre-session burger and shake party at BGR. The tradition of holding an annual Turkey Bowl and a May hike in West Virginia continued.

The quorum set a goal for every member to do one piece of family history for their ancestors, in particular to take a name to the temple for ordinances.  Many brethren fulfilled this assignment and reported uplifting experiences.

We were uplifted in our quorum discussions and were able to strengthen and support one another through our testimonies of the Savior and our gospel experiences.

Home Teaching In More Inspired Ways

On August 31, 2014, we had a presidency lesson based on a 30-minute Q&A webcast with former Relief Society general president, Sister Julie B. Beck.

It's really a fantastic interview, and is eye-opening to anyone (particularly visiting-teaching women or home-teaching men) who wants to take their ministry up a notch and better follow the example of the Savior.

Sister Beck.  Doesn't mince words.

Below are some of the highlights I extracted from the interview, and which I relayed to the quorum during the lesson.  (Note that I replace most references to visiting teaching with home teaching.)

• The Lord is not going to ask if your home teaching is 100%; but did you care. [5:00]
• This is a ministry He cares about.  this is the one place he asks us to minister one-on-one.  This is a test.  Are we willing to "come follow me?" [5:30]
• Why is it so hard? Because the adversary.  It's our responsibility to get over the "issues".  Go to the Lord and ask to get over the barrier.  He'll help you.  He is mightier than all the earth. [7:40)
• Pres. Eyring has said "the only system that would work on this scale is this system." [10:30]
• Instead of ending our visits with, "If there's anything need...", let us rather ask, "What concerns do you have?", "What gospel questions do you have?", "Would you allow me to help you with...?" [11:50]
• Be like Mormon who was "quick to observe."  Pray for this gift
• 3 key questions to measure our effectiveness: [14:00]
1. Does my home teacher help me grow spiritually?
2. Does my home teacher care deeply about my family?
3. Will my home teacher take action without needing to be invited?
• Matt 5:44 - Love thine enemies -- this can mean loving people that don't want to be loved.  If we home teach only those families that we're buddies with, "do not even the publicans the same?" [Ouch!]  You have the opportunity to pray for them.  You are a disciple of Jesus Christ, and promise to remember him.  What better way to keep our covenants? [19:00]
• What about home teaching alone?  Serve in more inspired ways.  You don't have to occupy the same space to minister to others. [27:00]
• One sister said she didn't need a friend to be her visiting teacher, she needed a grandmother.  Someone to share wisdom, watch her kids so she could go to the temple, etc. [33:00]
• "I'm a disciple, and I'm up for this.  And it will be fun." [35:00]

Conversion

Below is a recap of a recent lesson from Elders Quorum secretary, Robert Brown.

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"You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? You should remember that the remarkable [conversions] of King Benjamin’s people, Alma, and some others in scripture are just that—remarkable and not typical. For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality."
-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, 2008 General Conference, Born Again

When I read this talk in anticipation of my lesson it reminded me of our last stake conference when we talked about Alma the Younger's change. The speakers at stake conference often emphasized his swift conversion, how he was living life in one direction and then afterwards he changed—started living it in another direction—and it bothered me all conference because I see Alma as someone who had always lived his beliefs to the fullest, same as Paul from the New Testament. To me that doesn't seem so much like a "change" as much as a "redirection," and I think the semantic difference is important. I don't know much about the specific past history of King Benjamin's people, but Peter seems to me a better example of someone who experiences a gradual "mighty change," and so is a more useful example for people who believe but struggle to live up to their beliefs.

Alma and Paul's conversion vs. Peter's

Peter hastily jumping out of the boat to greet the resurrected Lord (John 21)

Paul and Alma are testaments to obedience—whichever side of the Gospel they were on, they were true to their convictions. Peter, though, was a derelict fisherman who regardless of his beliefs, followed his impulse at all times: He jumps off a boat to walk on water and almost drowns, cuts off a guy's ear in front of the a Prince of Peace, tells Jesus over and over again how much he loves him without catching on that he needs to feed His sheep. This was his strength and his weakness, and as convictions grow they begin to inform his impulses, his forthrightness, and lack of guile, and this allows the reader of the New Testament to watch the manifestation of his conversion and convictions. When his testimony is strong, not adequate yet to his responsibilities, but still developing (like many members of the church), he denies Christ three times, but only a little while later he defended Christ so fiercely and with so little reservation that he was crucified for both his convictions and his fierce unwielding defense of it. His testimony, conviction, and understanding actually change him into a new creature, the rock and foundation of Christ's organization.

If we want a mighty change in our life, like the people of King Benjamin, or Paul, or Alma the Younger, and we don't want to wait for an angel or a great talk, we can relate Peter's life to ours, and study his change. If we are as brave and devoted as Peter the idiot who almost drowns, maybe we, too, can end up being so devoted and converted as Peter, the rock of Christ.

EQ History - 2012

At the close of 2012, the Elders Quorum presidency consisted of Pace Barker as President, Ryan Peterson as first counselor, Daniel Harbuck as second counselor, Matt Kantorski as secretary and Yogendra Paneru as Assistant Secretary. During the year, the Elders Quorum leadership had changed to include Yogendra Paneru as Assistant Secretary.

The Elders Quorum was blessed to witness many miracles this year, including the baptism of Yogendra Paneru’s family. The year was marked with record high home teaching of 88% in November, with attendance as high as twenty-four in Elders Quorum. Tyler Green organized hurricane Sandy Relief over Thanksgiving Weekend, and Abraham Smith coordinated hunger-relief efforts in conjunction with the Stake and State’s day of service. Abraham continues the service by coordinating Elders Quorum support of hunger-relief service of the nearby Mount Olivet United Methodist Church.

Latter-day Saint volunteers from dozens of congregations spent Thanksgiving weekend helping families in New York and New Jersey neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Sandy. More than 6,500 Mormons answered the call to serve their communities by cleaning out flood-damaged homes and treating them against mold.

For the first time in known history, the majority of moves the Elders Quorum helped with (out of 13 total) were moves to remain within our ward boundaries – a testament to the family atmosphere of the ward.

Activities included a board game night, annual barbecue and "Turkey Bowl" Thanksgiving Football game, a temple trip for new members to perform baptisms for the dead, organizing the Ward’s Mongolian New Year and Halloween Parties, watching a BYU Football game, and meeting for dinner before Priesthood Sessions of General Conference.

EQ History - 2011

At the close of 2011, the Elders Quorum presidency consisted of Pace Barker as President, Ryan Peterson as first counselor, Daniel Harbuck as second counselor, and Matt Kantorski as secretary. During the year, the Elders Quorum leadership had changed as Joe Brubaker was called to serve as a counselor in the bishopric and Sterling Fillmore moved out of the ward with the birth of their third child.

Outgoing President Joe Brubaker

Outgoing 1st Counselor Sterling Fillmore, right

The Elders Quorum was blessed to have various members join its ranks through baptism.  One Nepalese member, Suman Sangroula even received the Aaronic priesthood and was able to baptise a fellow Nepalese sister, Babita Ranjitkar, just a few months after his baptism.  What's more, Suman received the Aaronic priesthood from another Nepalese convert, Yogendra Paneru.

Toward the end of 2011 the Elders Quorum presidency made a change in the format for home teaching reporting by opting to "go digital" through the use of an email-friendly Google form which feeds responses into a secure Google doc before it's uploaded (manually) to the Church's reporting system, MLS. We have already seen significant improvement in both the breadth (number of responses) and depth (thoroughness of comments) of home teaching reporting and we are optimistic that we will be able to attend to all of the needs of the quorum with thorough home teaching as our primary resource.

Conversion Story - Abele

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 4 years since I decided to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I grew up in a crazy life style that most non-members would consider ordinary. My conversion story differs from most in that I’m the only member of my family to have been baptized.  Often times I’m asked by my peers why I decided to join a church during what’s suppose to be one of the most adventurous and liberating periods of my life. I suppose theirs a perception out there that living a moral and Christ-like life translates into a dull and restrictive way of living. While I’ve certainly had many bumps along my journey, my decision to become a member has transformed who I am.

My conversion story dates back to the fall of 2009, when I moved to Arlington, VA. Growing up, most of my family was involved in many different denominations of Christianity. None of which really connected with me.  At the time, although I believed in God, I didn’t really consider myself to be a religious person. Fast-track to the middle of my junior when I endured an abundance of personal issues that brought me to one of the lowest points of my life. 

It wasn’t until then that I decided that I wanted a different life. I wasn’t sure what type of life it would be, but I was sure that I didn’t want my life to continue the way that it was.  Clearly I needed change. One night I got on my knees and prayed for that change. Little did I know that my prayer was almost immediately going to be answered. 

Soon after I ended up meeting one of my now very close friends. At first, I was completely unaware of their affiliation with the church and our friendship grew naturally on its own. It wasn’t till several months later that I was invited to meet with the missionaries. I was initially skeptical about it all, but out of pure politeness I agreed to do so. My first meeting with the missionaries didn’t go very well. Within the first five minutes of our meeting I was asked to commit to a baptismal date of a religion I’d never known about. I left thinking that this was the last of this church I’d ever hear about. 

A few months passed and again I was invited to attend church. The idea of attending 3 hours of church seemed a little daunting at the time but I agreed to do so anyways. Before heading off to church I prayed to heavenly father that he would reveal to me if this were the right direction to follow. To my amazement, I felt something that I don't believe that I had felt in a long time. I knew I was home. The Holy Ghost confirmed to me that I was in the right place. 

Over the course of the next few months, I met with the missionaries, slowly going through each lesson and understanding the principles of the gospel. A few short weeks later I was baptized and confirmed a member of the church.  Over the course of the next few years, my testimony continued to grow and strengthen. Knowing that through all of my afflictions, the lord is with me and will strengthen me provides me with everlasting peace and comfort. “Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” Alma 36:3

I have a testimony, and I know that this is Christ's Church built upon a foundation of prophets and apostles with Jesus Christ himself being that Chief corner stone. I bear record that this is the only true church. 

-Abele (July 15, 2014)

Don't Fear the Tumult

Reading Matthew 26 & 27 the other day my eyes were opened to some good insights that are packed into those 2 chapters.  Focusing on just a few of those insights I'd like to first explore 3 interesting characters whose stories are discussed there: Judas, Peter, and Pilate.

I  grapple with understanding how these 3 men will be judged for their various actions, but I think there are some good lessons to learn.  To recap their various situations:

Judas - One of the Twelve.  As had been prophesied by Jesus, he betrayed Jesus by assisting the chief priests and elders to unlawfully arrest him, all for 30 pieces of silver.

Peter - Also one of the Twelve, and the eventual leader of the church.  Also as prophesied by the Savior, he denied Christ 3 times before the cock crowed, despite his forceful assurances just hours before that he would never do such a thing.

Pilate - The local ruling Roman governor whose responsibility it was to uphold or dismiss the accusations against Jesus.

What's interesting about Judas is that while we all remember him as the worst kind of traitor (indeed, his very name epitomizes the act) it's easy to forget that as a member of the holy order of the Twelve and as part of the Savior's inner circle he must have been incredibly valiant at some point and must have brought about so much good during his roughly 3 years as a special witness of Christ.  (The ultimate tragic example in the parable of the sower of a seed that fell among the thorns and got choked by the cares of the world.)  We know his fate because the Savior said that it would have been better that that man had not been born, but it's especially tragic because very shortly after the act we read that he repented by acknowledging his error and asking to give the money back, and ultimately hung himself for sorrow.  He certainly wasn't pure evil, and I think he is deserving of pity.

What intrigues (and frankly, worries) me about Peter is how quickly his rock-solid testimony could be shaken.  When I think about it in modern-day terms and I apply his situation to myself I can easily see how, for example, if someone told me that I would [oh, I don't know, drink a beer], I would probably tell this person that they don't know me well, and I would never do that; but maybe I would find myself in a totally new circumstance--and not so much out of rebellion but out of convenience and a belief that what I was doing was really just to minimize fuss and drama--and I would cave.  In Peter's case there's the interesting caveat that the Savior actually said, "thou shalt deny me thrice," and maybe it was a critical growth opportunity for Peter on his discipleship trajectory.

Pilate yielding to the crowd

Getting back to that concept of minimizing fuss and drama, I think this is what Pilate's tragic flaw is.  We can tell that Pilate marvels at Christ and recognizes some divinity in him.  His wife even had a dream the night before about Jesus, and tried to convince Pilate to let him go.  But despite Pilate's soft efforts to free Jesus, in the end he's more worried about pleasing the crowd and when he sees that a "tumult was made" he ceremoniously but ineffectually washes his hands of the act.  I tend to want to give him the benefit of the doubt and put the blame on the crowd and chalk it up to unfair circumstances, but ultimately the buck stops with him and he behaved everlastingly ignominiously.  Contrast his leadership with the Savior's who, when he saw that people were making his Father's house "an house of merchandise," drove them out forcefully with a whip and overturned tables.


Both Pilate and Peter (and I guess Judas too) serve as great cautionary tales to not allow ourselves to fear what man can do (D&C 122:9) and to strive to be steadfast and immovable in our testimonies.

One final insight from these two chapters is found in 27:42, where we read about the chief priests and scribes and elders mocking Christ as he hung on the cross, saying, "He saved others; himself he cannot save.  If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him."  To me this serves as a perfect example of mankind's desire to make our own logical deductions based on our limited perspective.  Nowadays someone might argue that God doesn't exist based on all the suffering they see, or traditional marriage is outdated, or any number of "logical" arguments, but it's important to first consider our limited perspective and that "even as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are [God's] ways higher than [man's] ways." (Isa 55:8-9)

Why Am I a Mormon? (2/2/14)

Today we were instructed by the recently released 1st Counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency, Daniel Harbuck.  Kudos to him for not only asking permission to still have the privilege of teaching the lesson even though  he had recently been released ,but for also earnestly praying and seeking inspiration as to what the lesson topic should be weeks in advance.  This preparation and humility really shone through in the lesson and helped to culminate in what, in my estimation, was one of the watershed moments of spirituality and testimony strengthening in this quorum’s history.

To help set the tone he asked everyone in advance to read one or more short lessons from Bro. Clayton Christensen’s ‘The Power of Everyday Missionaries’ website.  He also asked select people  to come prepared to class with a paragraph explaining, “Why am I a Mormon?”, with corresponding encouragement to post that explanation on their mormon.org profile page.  In addition, he asked a few class members if they’d be willing to read/recite the account of Joseph Smith’s first vision in either their mission language or their native or alternate language.

As the time for the actual lesson arrived, he began by citing Doctrine and Covenants, section 6; a missionary-minded section given in the very early history of the Church  in April, 1829.  The section is written by Joseph Smith in response to a request by Oliver Cowdery, his scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon, to gain a further witness of the divinity of the work in which they were engaged.  The Lord responded (through this revelation in section 6 to Joseph Smith), “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.  Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?  What greater witness can you have than from God?”  The “cast your mind upon the night” concept resonated, clearly with Daniel, and I think with many of us in the class as well.  Many of us in the Church have groped for answers to our peculiar and trying faith, often pleading with the Lord for validation and assurance.  Casting our collective minds upon the night we cried unto the Lord and remembering the peace that eventually followed was a provocative reminder of our human yearnings and the Lord’s continually outstretched arm (Isa 5:25, 9:12, 10:4).

He then asked for any volunteers that could share their prepared paragraph on why they are a Mormon.  David spoke up and shared his powerful story of how he had doubted his faith for many years, and was almost excited to leave the house and go to school, and was actually sitting on his bed making plans to leave the church for good when a miraculous thing happened -- he received a witness that the Lord needed him in the Church.  (And he has humbly and dutifully served in the Church ever since.)  [FULL STORY HERE.]

Daniel then asked a few previously selected people to recite Joseph Smith’s account of what is known as the ‘First Vision’ in which he went to a grove of trees in Palmyra, NY, to pray to know which church he should join and was visited by God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son, who instructed him to join none of them, but eventually to assist in restoring the same church which existed on and off in The Savior’s era and in Moses’ era, and with all the holy prophets.

Ben Burgoyne, who served a mission in Germany several years ago, commenced with a recitation in German.  He could scarcely get the first word before he was apparently flooded with a recollection of all the sacred, the challenging, the joyful, and the agonizing moments of his mission, and was nearly overcome with emotion before reciting from memory the all-important lines,

“...sah ich gerade über meinem Haupt, heller als das Licht der Sonne, eine Säule aus Licht, die allmählich herabkam, bis sie auf mich fiel. Kaum war sie erschienen, da fand ich mich auch schon von dem Feind befreit, der mich gebunden gehalten hatte. Als das Licht auf mir ruhte, sah ich zwei Personen von unbeschreiblicher Helle und Herrlichkeit über mir in der Luft stehen. Eine von ihnen redete mich an, nannte mich beim Namen und sagte, dabei auf die andere deutend: Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn. Ihn höre!”

"...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

All told, we had it read by the following members of the quorum in 13 languages:
Ben Burgoyne (German)
Rey Benitez (Spanish)
Han Lee (Mandarin)
Dan Kim (Korean)
Azzaya Nyam-Ochir (Mongolian)
David Sessions (Polish)
Karl Sneider (Turkish)
Elder Gledhill (Ukrainian)
Andrew Smith (Indonesian)
Andrew Cusick (French)
Anthony Latta (Russian) [I will not soon forget the image of an investigator reading the account in Russian while a nearby Russian-speaking return missionary wept with emotion]
Daniel Harbuck (Portuguese)
Elder Christensen (English)

Truly, this standard of truth will penetrate every continent, visit every climb, sweep every country, and sound in every ear.

It’s pretty remarkable to belong to a group of men that can be spiritual and emotional with each other in such a constructive way; and to catch a glimpse of their testimonies and their experiences which range the entire globe, really.

Hi, My Name is David, and I'm a Mormon (2/2/14)

I spent the morning watching “I’m a Mormon” videos trying to brainstorm as to why I am a Mormon. That I have to watch videos about other Mormons to discover why I am a Mormon is, well, somewhat shameful, and I realized that I have not seriously contemplated my reasoning for being a Mormon in several years. I guess Alma was speaking to me when he said  “if ye have experienced a change of heart, . . . I would ask, can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26)

I made the decision to be Mormon on July 4, 2004 when I was 18 years old. I had recently graduated from high school and was trying to decide if being Mormon was worth it. I had made plans to attend college where I would conveniently stop going to church  and be able to forget the whole church thing. I was somewhat like Amulek who recalled that he “harden[ed] [his] heart, for [he] was called many times and ... would not hear; ... [he] knew concerning these things (meaning the truthfulness of the gospel), yet [he] would not know; [and] ... went on rebelling against God.” I knew the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­day Saints taught truth and was God’s Church on Earth, but like Amulek I would not believe.  I was distracted  by the world; the commandments were restrictive, and I wanted to [be] free from it.

July 4th was a Sunday, and I was lying in bed thinking about my plans to leave the Church when I received inspiration from God. I remember specifically hearing a voice in my mind that said, “Do not leave, I need you in this Church.” It was a strange sensation at the time because my mind was talking to me in third person, but when I think about it now, I realize that the voice speaking to me was the Holy Ghost. I learned in those few seconds that God knew me, that He loved me, and that He had a plan for me. Learning these truths changed my decision to leave the church and consequently the trajectory of my life.

Since that summer day, I have had other experiences that explain my decision to be a Mormon. I have read the Book of Mormon in its entirety several times and know that it is from God because of the guidance and inspiration I have gained from its pages. I have felt the redemption of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as I have repented, and I have seen how the commandments protect us from difficult experiences, allow God to provide us with blessings, and bring lasting peace to our lives.

While I may have spent a little too much time this morning watching the “I’m a Mormon” videos, I enjoy watching them because they inspire me. The videos allow me to see how other Mormons navigate life and how the Church influences their lives for the better. I hope you know off the top of your head why you are a Mormon. But, if you [are] like me, and the question leaves you scratching your head, I hope you take the time to sit down, ponder, and write down why you are a Mormon.

My name is David. I am a law student, a father, a husband, and yes, I am a Mormon too.

B-Ball Champs! (4/4/14)

Honor: Restored

After coming up short year after year, we finally got the monkey off our back and beat our arch nemesis, the McLean 2nd Ward, to win the McLean Virginia stake basketball tournament.

Some season highlights:

• Winning our first game by Aaron Dodini stealing the inbounds pass with 2 seconds left and putting up a quick layup to win it.
• Christian Dees earning the nickname, “Coast to Coast” by doing just that, while also adding the flare of a 360 spin and a never-ending hangtime finger-roll.
• Any time Daniel Harbuck shot one of his patented, high-arching 3-pointers (with great accuracy, it must be added)
• The Abraham Smith no-look, over-the-shoulder assist
• The devoted fan club (special props to Aubrey, Penny, and Nelly)
• The increasingly disappearing shot clock substituted usually by some unwitting fan with an iPhone.
• Andrew Smith jetpack rebounds
• Devan Hanneman knowing his own deadly combination of rage and size and opting to leave the premises entirely when he was the victim of too many bad officiating calls.  
• Victory shakes at Burger 7 on Lee Highway
• Repeated weekly announcements in Priesthood opening exercises  to make sure everyone got the word that our team had won this year

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (6/1/14)

JFS Manual, Chapter 9

Because of the Relief Society's 1st-Sunday Visiting Teaching Conference, many of our quorum members had to go down to Primary and Nursery to spell the sisters from their normal assignments and free them up to attend their all-hands conference.  This meant that attendance in our quorum was poor; though the lesson itself was rich.

Andrew taught from the Joseph Fielding Smith manual.  Before commencing the formal lesson, however, he opened up the class for the sharing of any spiritual experiences that any of the quorum members might have had in the past week.  One class member, John, shared an experience about feeling inspired to suddenly call his father on Friday which somehow culminated in him doing temple work for his great great grandfather on Saturday; a day he described as, "one of the most spiritual days of my life."  Andrew then went on to encourage us all, in what has become his broken-record mantra, "I know the Lord is blessing you guys with spiritual experiences, and I invite you to write them down cause I know you're having them."

In diving in to the lesson we covered the background of the 3 witnesses and then the 8 witnesses of the Book of Mormon; men who were permitted to see and touch the gold plates, and who, though in many cases took issue with Joseph Smith and/or the Church, continued to affirm their witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

The 8 Witnesses

We then discussed what it means to be a witness and how one comes to 'know' a thing.  The method of trial-and-error was put forth as one way we can know, and the corresponding example of touching a hot stove to learn that it's hot was discussed.  From that, Andrew shared a neat experience of an incident on his mission in France when a man asked him to prove to him why he, Andrew, could say that he "knows" so many things (e.g. God lives, Jesus died for us, etc.).  In his best French, he shared the analogy of the wind.  He asked the man if he had ever seen the wind, to which the man admitted he hadn't; he had only seen the manifestations of the wind.  Andrew explained that this is like the principles of the gospel.  When we test our faith we often receive blessings, or we hear someone else testify of a principle, or we receive an answer to prayer, etc.  These instances are like the leaf blowing on the tree or the water rippling -- manifestations of a greater power at play.  It was noted, however, that the Book of Mormon is unique because it is not the wind, it is the hot stove.  It physically exists.  Though we don't have the fortune of handling the original gold plates we can read the divinely translated copy, and we can put Moroni's promise (Moroni 10:3-5) to the test and learn for ourselves that it is true.  As the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith said in 1956,

“I bear witness to you that the Lord has made it very clear to me by revelation which I have received, and many of you who are here present can bear witness likewise, that these things are true, and that is the privilege of any sincere person who will endeavor to read with a prayerful spirit and a desire to know whether the book is true or not; and he will receive that testimony according to the promise that was made by Moroni, who sealed the record to come forth in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.”

The missionaries, Elder Gustafson and Elder Black, were then invited up to demonstrate the typical way in which they share the story of the Book of Mormon with investigators.  They showed us the painting of Moroni praying over the plates before burying them around 420 A.D. in the hopes that they would be found by some future generation -- basically a message in a bottle.  They asked us to ponder what words Moroni might have said as he prayed over these plates and over the future generations that would read them.  They invited us to note the specifics of Moroni's promise in chapter 10 (e.g. remember the kindness of the Lord, ponder the words of the book, ask with faith, demonstrate real intent, etc.) and gain (or reaffirm) our own witness of this divine testament of Jesus Christ.

Ultimate Frisbee (5/7/14)

Can it still be considered 'ultimate' when it's just a 2-on-2 frisbee game involving halftime donuts: YES.

Motivation

The poor turnout (out of 50 or so invites) was really just a function of poor marketing & communication--an unfortunate hallmark of many elders quorums in the Church.  Had I not inadvertently marked the event on the evite calendar as May 24th (instead of May 17th) and had I not sent out the correction email at midnight on the eve of battle, there's no telling what kind of turnout we might have had.

As it was, we still had a great time.  The weather couldn't have been much better, and the donut: elder ratio  was indeed favorable.  Also, the field presented us with some nice bonuses to make things more interesting: a roughly 4-foot wide puddle on the visiting side's 10-yard line from the rainfall the night before, and an elevated manhole on the home team's 20-yard line.  We deemed that the puddle, if inadvertently trodden upon, would result in an immediate point for the team with the mud-bespattered player; no small consideration in a game where the first team to gain 4 points wins.

Halftime

Based on a very arbitrary heads/tails frisbee toss we split the teams into James and Matt ("JM") vs. Alfredo and Pace ("AP").  Both teams came out ferociously, gunning for the endzones and running Brady/Moss-style wide-receiver routes most every play, with a very low success rate it must be noted.  This caused both teams to tire very quickly and reconsider their strategies.  JM started running a lot of short-pass, Wes-Welker routes, often making passes of less than 2 feet in distance, while AP continued to try for the long bombs.  JM managed to win the first game (with the help of a Matt puddle splash) and then we all broke for donuts and whole milk.

Refueled and re-invigorated, AP came out guns blazing and things started to click for their long bomb strategy.  They won the next 2 games, and with enough collective panting between us all we decided to call it a day.

Game Notes

• The obscure ruling that any team with a player that vomited any of the halftime donuts during the 2nd half of play would be awarded a point did not factor in.  

Postgame Tricks (2 frisbees at once)

The Vineyard