Reasons I am a member

My Bishop asked a very simple and profound question to me a week ago and these are my thoughts regarding the question. As a preface some of these answers may seem generic and cliche but they are things that I have really pondered and that I deeply believe.

The question is: Why are you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

• Because the lord has blessed me with so many intimate moments of love and the feeling of his  spirit. It is in these moments when i feel the spiritual connection to the eternal and know that God knows and loves me.

• Because I have been given a testimony and know through the spirit of the things I must do, and those things are pertaining to this church.

• Because I want to live with my family for all eternity.

• Because I fear God.

• Because I love God and Christ.

• Because I was raised in the church and it is my culture.

• Because it brings me peace when I need it.

• Because I need the ordinances.

• Because I want to go to the celestial kingdom.

• Because I want to live forever with my future wife.

• Because my savior has suffered, died, and rose from the dead so that salvation can come to me. With the restoration of the gospel I know that the atonement is fully offered to me through the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament. I cannot be perfect, so through the atonement, I have a weekly cleansing which is the vehicle of my exaltation.

• Because I have had a profound spiritual experience and now know through the spirit that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration. 

• Because I have had a profound spiritual experience and know that there is a living prophet today.

• Because it's true.

• Because I feel the love and bond between church members.

• Because I am a sinner.

• Because I choose Christ once before in the pre-existence and I have a testimony of that.

• Because I have been baptized and have made a covenant and promise to God to obey His commandments.

• Because I've been given the priesthood and have made a promise to God to honor it and use it.

• Because I have made covenants and promises to God in the temple and I must strive to keep them.
  

That old wind

when I meet my true love how will I know?
some say its like the feeling of the first time you see snow,

some say its like the mountains, so firm and tall,
standing in their shadows makes you feel so damn small

some say its like the ocean, vast, wide, and deep,
who can take your precious life away with one foul sweep,


I think its like that old wind, without a face or form,
I can feel its power well before I fear the storm,


your innocence infectious, your beauty steals my speech,
I pray to God everyday to keep you within my reach

The Line

The lions leap and dance,
As my old  body rests,
On paper and rolled up pants,

The boy's faith is strong,
In my old arms,
Sometimes I wish you knew,

Chorus:
Move Hands, legs please hold,
Head last for me don't get fogged,
Back please don't give on me,
I wish the Boy were here to see

Pulling me across this blue,
My hand is bleeding through,
The line connecting me to you,

When loneliness clouds my mind,
I see the birds fly by,
The sea, she'll never leave me alone,

Chorus

The devils are rushing in,
They circle round,
Come to take you from me,
My arms are too old,
I swear they know,
That I will lose this fight

Papa (Final)

Desert drive, what a dread,
How I miss your smile,
Windmills spin all through the night,
Hunting snakes in the glow of your headlight

Windy roads and new faces,
George cursing with a smile,
Lake Isabella they gone the way of the earth,
Please take them and keep them well


Chorus:
Papa the hills stay gold,
Sunset still takes my breath,
Winter's chill eats right through my skin,
And I am still missin' you

And those times your face get somber,
Tears form in the pit of your eye,
As you told me life stories of regret,
So you say to live my life right



Chorus

I know the earth now holds your body,
And your spirit's soaring home,
I swear there are times when I feel you near,
I know I'll never be alone

Chorus

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

I recently finished reading this book and absolutely loved it. It was a short read, but I feel that I was immersed into the story, I was invested in the character of Santiago and tried to understand his relationship with the the boy, Manolin, and the fish. I thoroughly enjoyed the language and imagery that Hemingway articulated throughout the book. I love the ocean and all that it offers. I love the idea of people who understand the ocean so much that they can read it like a daily newspaper. Also, the endurance of the old man was inspirational to me to press forward and to always give life my full effort. I read somewhere that one concept of Santiago symbolizing Christ. I found this very interesting; The old man would carry his mast across his shoulders, his hands getting cut, the boy's attitude of worship towards him, it was a three day ordeal, and other subtleties. Some of my favorite quotes are:

"Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated."

"He left the smell of the land behind and rowed out into the clean early morning smell of the ocean"

"It is better to be lucky, but I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready"

"Fish, I love you and respect you very much, but I will kill you before this day ends."

"He looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water,
then blurring, then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea."

"Let him think I am more man than I am and I will be so"

"You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or calmer, or more noble thing than you, brother...I do not care who kills who."

"He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long gone pride and put it against the fish's agony."

"But man is not made for defeat...a man can be destroyed but not defeated."


I also plan on writing a song about this book, but I am very picky and since I love the book so much it will probably be a long time coming cause I want the quality of the music and lyrics to do the book justice and also reflect my personal experience with this book.

Aloha Monday

I have Monday's off from my internship and this Monday was my first one off. It was absolutely Bitchin'! It started with a logging session at Chuns with bruddah Trey and bruddah John. The sun was shinning and the crowd wasn't too heavy. We then went to lunch at Stortos which is always a delight. We then rushed back to watch the LA Kings game, they beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in game #2 of the semifinals!!!! I was ecstatic!!! After the game Aaron, John, Todd, and I went to Pounders and body-surfed. It was big out, and there were some more bruddahs and friends in the lineup, Mark Winchell and Caleb Bishop. Aaron and I stayed till it got dark, just enjoying one of the many activities that fuels and strengthens our friendship. After Pounders we went home and changed then Matt, Aaron, John, Sophie, and I all went to Haleiwa Eats for john's going away dinner. We witnessed a gnarly fender-bender. After dinner we went to Trey's FHE in the CAC and had root beer floats, then we went to the backyard house and played ping pong and hung out. Just a day full of great activities, some would call it a super Monday and I would say to them, "that's probably good".

Blessings for days

So I realized recently that I will never really comprehend how blessed I am. I look around me everyday and see such beauty and I go out in the water and participate in one of the most dreamed about activities (surfing on the North Shore of Oahu). To be here has been a blessing and has come at the cost of others, both directly and indirectly, but still because of them. I have worked hard at my schooling these past 2 1/2 years here at BYU Hawaii and I have worked a few jobs while I have been here to help support what I can of myself, but the reality is, there would be no way I could have finished my schooling so fast if it weren't for certain individuals and tithing from the church. Recently I have been really short on money, leaving me to have two scoops of peanut butter for breakfast and sometimes dinner. I don't want to make this more than it is, but it has been for about a week and a half now. I have had $30 in my desk drawer set aside for tithing, which has proved to be very tempting at times, but since I have been withstanding the temptations I have been receiving blessings like crazy. I have had a few friends offer to buy me dinner, even at my refusal they still insist. I have had groups in my classes present on their project then bring food for refreshments, I have had my boss at work show up with Polynesian bread and lilikoi jelly, and today I had someone leave a note on my car with $2o in it. I can not stress enough the blessings of the Lord. I have faith and trust in the Lord that as I am faithful and keep his commandments I will be blessed and taken care of.