Running From Trouble

Given how complicated my life's gotten lately, I've been feeling so overwhelmed with soap opera after soap opera. Then yesterday I had to go home-teaching (where you visit families in your church's area boundaries) and I taught a lesson from this month's church magazine Ensign.

It started with a story from President Thomas S. Monson. He talked about how he was once at a popular theme park and he was with his wife on a ride that sent you plummeting down a waterfall. As the cart reached the top of the fall and ready to take the plunge, he noticed a small sign that stated the rides theme and a rather interesting life concept. The sign read: "You can't run away from trouble...Ain't no place that far!"

Well, there sure ain't. And even though you always here it, every once in a while it's refreshing to hear that the Man Upstairs isn't picking on you—as Job of old discovered, "Man is born unto trouble (Job 5:7)." It's pretty much a given that every single human being who's ever walked the planet, walks the planet, and will walk the planet, has complications and trouble. Sometimes it seems like trouble follows you where ever you go. Kinda makes you worried about your kids.

So how can you even cope? We all know the answer to that one—trust in the Lord. But why put your faith and hope in a man who walked the earth over 2,000 years ago? Just think: He's gone through everything you've ever gone through. He's suffered the exact same way you've suffered; He knows the best out of anyone how to help you and comfort you. He really can make you feel better. Your perspective on life is much brighter when you look through heaven's eyes and have God's perspective. There's this song by Greg Simpson that says, "The picture is perfect when the Painter is near." I couldn't put it better myself.

Anyways, my companion remarked that a recent statistic says 43% of Utahns moved to Nevada so they could gamble. And in other news it becomes increasingly clear that this world's headed for a load of trouble. Seems trouble is starting to catch up with us and this season of peace is beginning to draw to a close. How are we gonna stand it?

Just stay on the road. Remember that all roads eventually go through Gethsemane. But you can know, just as I know, that there is Someone there. The Savior is there waiting to help you go through it all safely. For He has been there before. And if you let Him, He will make everything picture perfect.

Martin's Cove

[Taken from a Sunday talk that I gave last week.]
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"The week before the Martin’s cove I went to EFY and was hanging out with my roommate and his sister waiting for his shuttle to come get him and he and his sister were complaining about how when they got home their bishop would commence the torture of selecting someone to talk about their EFY experience. I laughed at them. Well, a few hours later my mom showed up with my sister and they told me that the second I got home I had to start packing for Martins cove. One handcart, two sets pioneer clothing, and a plate of sandy spaghetti later the bishop asked me to talk about my Martin's cove experience. So I guess the first thing I learn is how to jinx yourself into a Sunday talk.

The first day was an early morning wake up call to board the bus. Riding the bus wasn’t too pleasant because I was in the back of the bus where the beehives wouldn’t stop talking. It was hard for anyone to fall asleep as they rambled on and on. Lesson number two, you could say, was patience with girls. When we got to the site we were organized into families, given a handcart, and walked to the campgrounds. Pitching up tents was a nightmare for many families because of how hard the wind was blowing. Some had to wait for the winds to die down and others had their tents ripped or damaged severely. It was cool to see people from other families helping each other. That seemed to teach our even though we’re all in different families physically, spiritually we’re all one big family—which means that no one gets left behind and everyone needs looking after.

The next day we visited some pioneer history stations on the trail. I ended up learning a lot about the pioneers while visiting the different stations that were available on the trek. I don’t have any pioneers that crossed the plains in my ancestry—even though sometimes it feels like everyone else does—so I don’t hear a lot of those stories. I learned many stories of their bravery and their courage. It taught me a lot about the legacies we leave behind for our children and how the memories we leave behind for our kids make our lives have more meaning and worth. That means that we should be being good examples for our future generations and tell our story—like keep a journal.

I personally have kept a journal since I was eight and every few weeks I update it and talk about everything from my personal thoughts to my social dramas with friends to spiritual lessons. My main reason for working so hard on my journals is so that my kids will understand me better. Maybe when they’re going through something hard in their life at school or something they’ll never have to say—Dad won’t understand because they’ve read my journals and know that I’ve been there.

When we all were walking through Martin’s Cove, there was a very distinct, divine peace that settled in the air. I don’t think it’s possible that there was a single soul who walked through the Cove feeling nothing. Every single person felt something. It’s impossible to deny the feeling that was there in that sacred, hollow ground. All I could think about was how Brigham Young dedicated the site, which seemed to me to make it almost like an outside temple. As I walked, I recalled all the stories I’d ever heard about the pioneers and suddenly I was overcome with the Spirit. I developed an adore for the pioneers that goes far beyond a respect and admiration—I was full of love for them, as if I had personally been associated with them. It was a deeply spiritual feeling and I was grateful for it.

That evening was a testimony meeting, where the Spirit was present and many bore their testimonies. Everyone heard Peter Clegg’s “bus-or-walk” question—a question that came to him earlier in the day. The thought was that the bus came and you were given the option of walking all the way back home or taking the bus, and what three things would motivate you to walk home. That challenge was thought provoking for everybody listening.

After a good night’s sleep and one last long walk pushing the handcarts the next day we got on the bus and finally made it back home in one piece.

In closing, I want to bear my testimony of the stuff I learned. I know that we are all children of God, and that we have to help each other get back home or our salvation will mean nothing. I know that our future generations will look to us and that we must make sure our choices leave behind a good example to follow. I am grateful for this newfound love for the pioneers hereto unexpressable.I love the pioneers that died in the Martin and Willie handcart companies and also love the modern day pioneers in my own family—my mom and dad, who converted to the church and overcame their set of trials and tribulations. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

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Bring Them In—Nancy Hanson
Song For Martin's Cove, EFY 2002 "We Believe" soundtrack

November 1856, just west of Devil's Gate
A place they now call Martin's Cove—sacred ground of fate
Some hours ago we somehow crossed Sweetwater sheets of ice
At times it took away your breath
At times it took your life.
The sky is growing dark again, there's little food to eat
The chilling winds cut to the bone
I cannot feel my feet
I know that Zion lays just ahead as I rest and close my eyes
Will I wake to see the morn? Or maybe paradise?

And tonight I dream of Kirtland, Zions Camp's holy test
I dream of Independence, Liberty and Far West
Tonight I dream of Nauvoo—Brother Joseph's iron will
Tonight I dream of Carthage, and how we miss him still
And tonight I dream of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Galilee
Tonight I dream of miracles from our Master and our King
So where it starts to whispers and it turns to shouts so clear,
Wake up, wake up—it's not a dream
The valley boys are here...

And now it's me who walks these steps just west of Devil's Gate
A place they now call Martin's Cove—sacred ground of fate
In silence and in reverence, Sweetwater we now cross
And hear the echo of their prayers
Their tears and their loss
And night still needs the light that shines, it's truth we need to share
To honor those who came this way
We'll lift up and we'll care
On our backs and in our hearts, we'll carry and proclaim
And head a prophet's call once more: Go bring them in from the plains...

Go bring them in from the plains, go bring them in from the storm
Like a fire the Spirit's burning—bring them in and keep them warm
Go bring them in from the plains, go bring them in from the cold
Wrap your loving arms around them and bring His peace to their souls.

A More Excellent Way

My return to EFY was really cool. It was nothing compared to my last experience in 2002, though. This EFY was a lot like an upgrade from the last one. I was a lot more social and thus everyone was really social. So I ran into a drama or two, which I guess you could say was refreshing and nerve-wrecking.

Anyway, I also actually knew what I was doing this time as far as going to classes, so I ended up getting a ton out of those. Then the counselor's devotionals were amazing, too.

The following are some things I learned. One thing I learned that became a personal thing for me was that in the scriptures the word hope has a very different connotation than it does in regular English. It is somewhat synonomous with the noun "surety". So in a way it actually means the opposite of what it does in regular English.

This is why it's one of the three main virtues; we should expound continually on our faith until we have a hope. The only hope I have, literally, is Christ. He really is the only thing that I am absolutely sure of. This becomes personal to me because I take the song "Only Hope" from the chick-flick A Walk to Remember to be talking about Christ. The lyrics will be at the end of this post.

Another thing I learned is that if we develop our spiritual ability to revieve revelation, it has actually been promised to us (by a general authority, can't remember who, I think it's Elder Richard G. Scott) that we can have a sixth sense for feeling the Spirit and revieving revelation. Even cooler, according to this general authority, this sixth sense can become so powerful that we can come to recognize it better than one of our five senses.

So how do we develop such a sixth sense? Really what we have to do is communicate to the Lord that we cherish His revelations to us by writing them down. You'll find that you'll start writing down the revelation and then more and more thoughts will come. That's because more and more light will come to your heart and mind, because the Lord sees that you are listening. And I can testify that this is true. I can also testify that the more you practice doing that, the more the Lord will talk to you from time to time. He speaks with me in this manner everyday.

On Thursday, I prayed all day sincerly and fervently that the same Spirit which had been present at "We Believe" would be present at the testimony meeting that night. At the session director's devotional, the Spirit was there a lot more strongly than it had been in 2002. Brother Larson brought It's presence much quicker than Brother Bird had. Additionally, the entire 1500 youth in attendence singing the "Youth of Zion" song was awesome because with each verse the technician crew slightly raised the brightness of the overhead lights until it was full light like daylight. Simply wonderful.

Gratefully that night, Heavenly Father granted my prayers and the Spirit was just as powerful as it had been at "We Believe". I guess that until EFY 2002 I had never felt the Spirit so strongly. Then Heavenly Father took things a step further and in His mercy gave me a Baptism of Fire.

My roommate Evan communicated in his testimony what we were all feeling that night: that what we want the most is to show up in Heavenly Father's presence at the last day and with tears in His eyes say to us, "I am so proud of you." Walking back to the dorm, Brett and I were next to each other burning with the Spirit. He turned to me.

"Marcus? Will you do something for me?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, anything."

He looked up at me with his face radiating in the moonlight. "Will you sing with me?"

With a grin, I turned to face spike-haired Robert. "Hey Rob, sing with us. Everyone sing..." Brett and I began to sing "The Spirit of God" with such power and unity. I doubt that I'll ever do that again. The Spirit of God burned throughout everyone there and withing moments every male soul walking on that spot on BYU campus was singing the hymn. Our voices seemed to echo throughout all of Provo. It was incredible.

It made me sad to think that a teenager has to pay almost $350 to feel something that strong and be in harmony with the Spirit that much with other youth of Zion.

The theme for EFY 2005 is "A More Excellent Way". This is taken from the Book of Ether, chapter 12 verse 11. From this we learn of that more excellent way. I testify that the law of Moses was given to the world to teach, but because God so loved the world He gave His Only Begotten Son to show the world the way. That more excellent way is Jesus Christ, and if we follow Him then we will arrive in the Promised Land. That paradise which is promised to each of us if we are faithful. Amen.

Only Hope-Switchfoot/Mandy Moore

There's a song that's inside of my soul
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again.
I'm awake in the infinite cold
But you sing to me over and over and over again.

So, I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope.

Sing to me the song of the stars,
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again.
When it feels like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again.

So I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope.

I give you my destiny
I'm giving you all of me
I want your symphony, singing in all that I am
At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back.

So I lay my head back down.
And I lift my hands and pray
To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours
I pray, to be only yours
I know now, you're my only hope.


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To see my song that won the poetry contest, refer to my blog "A Poet in Wicker Park".