New Policy

For many years, I have felt strongly about not giving money to panhandlers.  I have good motivation for feeling this way.  In one area of my mission, my companion and I knew a homeless man who regularly asked us for money that would almost certainly go to booze (he was at the stage of his alcoholism that he was having seizures if he didn’t drink every day).  I don’t want to help fuel an addiction, and since I can’t be sure where the money is going, I don’t give to anyone.

(Now, I do want to say that if a person on the street is playing music, I happily contribute.  They’re working as performers, which is a very different situation than simply saying, “Give me money for nothing.”)

However, just because I don’t want to unintentionally support an addict, that doesn’t mean that I’m unfeeling.  If I could lend support to the men and women I encounter in a way that can’t be used for drugs or alcohol, I would be interested in that.  Turns out, there’s something easy I can do that’s really a no-brainer, if only I had thought of it: water bottles.  Leah keeps a case of water bottles in her car, partly for her own use and partly so she has something she can give to panhandlers.  I thought the idea was fantastic, so I adopted it.  I was excited to be able to help out the destitute of my community, but since buying the case of water, I either haven’t seen a panhandler or I only see them when the light is green.  Even so, I’m sure that I’ll have a chance to give a bottle away soon enough.

I’m grateful that I have such a kind and clever girlfriend who inspires me to want to help those around.

A Lot of Fun

Saturday afternoon, I got a text from a member of the Bishopbric, asking me to handle Family Home Evening the following Monday.  I haven't been shy about complaining when I think an activity was less than ideal, so I knew if I was going to do it, it needed to be really good.  Following the advice of my parents, I talked to my little brother, Isaac, for some ideas.  He had several, but one in particular stood out: Pictionary.

In preparation, I wrote down 25 different scripture stories, ranging from "Nephi breaks his bow" to "The Mount of Transfiguration" and cut up the paper so that each prompt was on a thin strip.  I also baked some chocolate chip cookies for the treat, but that's just my style.  I put all the prompts in a trilby I inherited from my grandfather for people to draw out of and went to the church.

At the actual gathering, I gave a brief lesson based on 1 Nephi 19:23 about the importance of likening the scriptures to our own lives and even had a few people participate.

Then we played Pictionary, "likening" the scriptures by using drawings.  I counted everyone off to avoid friends being on the same team which might have created an unfair advantage, but it didn't really matter.  Team II dominated Team I.  Even so, members from both teams said more than once, "This is a lot of fun."  (For those curious, the easiest clue was "Jonah swallowed by the whale" and the hardest was "Paul seeks an audience with Caesar.")

I had fun preparing for Family Home Evening and I'm glad everyone had fun, but I'm also glad that it's not my regular calling.

Full Weekend

I know that it's a cliche that Mondays are so hard because they destroy our weekends, but I think Mondays are one of my favorite days of the workweek: everyone's coming back from the weekend, so expectations are lower compared to other days and it's the beginning of the week, so you aren't burned out from the corporate grind yet.  It's a nice balance.  And occasionally, it's nice to come back to work after a long, busy weekend.  The latter is what I experienced today.

What happened that wore me out?

• On Friday after work, I drove to DC for a joint-ward baptismal temple trip; afterwards, I went and got food with some girls from my ward, plus Jenn (the girl I met at the temple a couple of weeks ago -- we've decided to be friends, so it was nice to see her again)
• On Saturday, I went to the Post Office right as it opened in order to pick up a package (a new Kitchenaid stand mixer that my mom sent me -- thanks, Mom!) and then went to the church to help clean: I was the only representative from the Elder's Quorum (and I was late)
• Also on Saturday, I laid out by my apartment complex's pool; at my dermatology appointment last week, I was diagnosed with vitiligo and the doctor recommended that I get more sun exposure, so I figured that I might as well try to get a tan on my torso as well (yes, I'm sunburned, but only mildly so)
• In preparation for Sunday, I used my new mixer to make some double chocolate cookies
• On Sunday, I taught Sunday School -- it's not a new calling, I was just filling in for the regular teach who was on vacation; I incorporated the cookies into my lesson and then passed them out (and then I made sure the leftovers were passed around in Relief Society)
• My lesson apparently made an impact because after priesthood meeting, the bishop called me aside to tell me that he had gotten some positive feedback from some of those who attended the lesson (and he didn't even mention the cookies) -- I guess word travels fast
• After church, I asked if anyone wanted to go to a fireside at the DC Temple Visitor's Center that evening, saying that I would be happy to drive, I just didn't want to go alone
• I thought it was a YSA fireside; it wasn't
• My passengers were a sister who was baptized about about ten months ago and a brother who had just moved in the Friday before; I think they both got more out of the fireside that I did (I don't regret going, I was just really annoyed at myself for misunderstanding the nature of the meeting)
• After dropping people off, it was nearly 10 PM by the time I got home (for those keeping score at home, that's two trips to DC and back in three days)

As you can see, I had a valid reason for looking forward to starting work again today: I needed a regular work day just to take a break.

Chance Coincidence

I had the missionaries over for dinner last night (a different pair than before) and the Elder who gave the spiritual thought challenged me to share the gospel with someone soon.  I said I had a coworker in mind who might be ready, so I accepted the challenge.  Now, this particular coworker who I had in mind, is away at a trade show until sometime next week, so I didn't think too much of the Elder's challenge, at least for now.

At work today, I sent an email to someone and jokingly used the word moron (facetiously referring to myself).  This email was deemed humorous enough to be shared with a few friends, one of whom was the receptionist.  The receptionist responded back with a joke about how I left out the second M (making "moron" into "Mormon"), though only to her friend that sent it to her and not to me.  After all of this happened unbeknownst to me, I went and asked the receptionist an unrelated question.  Once she answered my question, she shared her joke with me, not realizing that it's a joke that I've heard off and on since high school.  And then, because I'm an explainer, I gave her a brief summary of the word Mormon (the prophet, the book, and the nickname for the church).

With that completed, I was going to walk back to my desk, but she asked another question: what do Mormons believe about karma?  (Not sure how she made that leap.)  So, I gave the Golden Rule as a quick answer, but then I delved a little deeper.  I explained that while we should do good, that doesn't mean that only good things will happen to us.  Sometimes bad things happen to us because of either our own or others' free agency or because God is placing an obstacle in our way so that when we overcome it, we're better for it.  I closed by quoting my current favorite scripture, 2 Nephi 5:27: "...we lived after the manner of happiness."  This seemed to really connect with her and she thanked me for sharing, adding "I needed that."  Before I walked away, I asked if she was interested in a Book of Mormon.  She said she was.

I wasn't planning that encounter and I'm not saying that it happened because the Elder challenged me to talk to someone, but it did all line up pretty well.  I don't know if anything will come of this exchange, but I'm glad I opened my mouth.

The Weekend Where Everything Happened

My weekend was long and full of adventure:

• I reduced my medication and was full of energy again starting Saturday.
• I met Ian, Sherlin, and the kids for lunch and playing.  The younger kids still make sure that I take turns flipping them around and fulfill my duties as the Fun Uncle.
• We went to a barbecue hosted by Jimmy, the guy who plays lead guitar in our not-a-band.
• We had a jam session in front of everyone (the only people who were really invested were the ones we brought).  We were missing our drummer, Joe, and his absence was really felt, but it still felt so good to play with a group again.  And I don't know if the others could tell, but my lessons are really paying off.
• I got home late because I stopped for groceries on the way home and my neighbor asked for some help moving a dresser into his upstairs apartment.  After the dresser was in its new home, he offered me money as reward, but I refused (as I did to his offer of beer); I did, however, accept a box of high-quality chicken breast -- the man works as a delivery man for a meat company and was allowed to use some product for his own purposes, so he used one box to pay me. I may have to help him again.
• I attended a Linger Longer after church on Sunday and stayed the whole time and talked and met new people -- it's amazing what happens when you're not depressed and have energy to do something about it.
• I cleaned up my dining room that had been messy for months due to my depression.
• I baked a loaf of whole wheat fig bread, a strawberry cake, and a double batch of cream cheese cookies.  I took them with me for my visit with my good friends the Simciks.  It was so good seeing them again.  In fact, when I got there, my arms full of goodies, I went right in their open door so I could put the food down before turning to see Mark and suddenly I was giddy with excitement.  Based on how he and Lori reacted, they were too.  It was just like seeing family that you haven't seen in a while.  It was so wonderful talking with them and sharing a meal (the loaf of bread was intended for Samuel, my old roommate, which they promised to pass on).  When it came time for them to leave for a dinner engagement, Lori started debating if they should flake out to stay and continue visiting, but I made their decision easy for them by making my way to the door.  Hugs were exchanged and we agreed that we needed to meet again sooner and not go so long between visits.
• On my way home, I stopped by a clothing store to return some pants that I decided did not fit as well as I had thought in the store.  When I was parking, I noticed a set of missionary Elders walking around.  I made sure to say hi them and ask how they were doing.  I told them what ward I attend and they named some of the Elders serving there, though I had trouble confirming all of them (we have four companionship in my ward).  It was about 5:30, so I asked them if they had a dinner appointment that evening.  They admitted that they did not, so I told them to wait while I handled the return and then I'd take them to dinner.  I had them pick the restaurant because I didn't know the area very well (I knew the store I had gone to and not much else), so we went to a Chinese buffet.  We talked about where they're from and what they're plans are for careers and education, but they mostly asked about me.  After they were sufficiently fed (I had a few pieces of sushi, but I was mostly full from my visit with the Simciks), I paid the bill and I drove the Elders back to their car in the parking lot where I had seen them earlier.  As they got out of the car, they asked for my name because they want to talk me up to the Elders in my ward when they see them at the next Zone meeting.
• I came home and made banana bread to take to work tomorrow.

Like I said, my weekend was busy.  Busy, but great.

Unofficial Third Calling

I found out from my bishop yesterday that the Ward Employment Specialists in my ward have appreciated the help I've provided in editing resumes enough that they have asked multiple times for me to be called as a welfare missionary.  In fact, just yesterday, the bishop had to tell them "no" twice.

The way he explained it to me is that I'm already fulfilling that need because I have the skills and I offered to help; I don't need a third calling to continue to do what I'm already doing.  Plus, by it being something for which I volunteer and not an official calling, I have a bit more flexibility on when I work on the resumes.  That's not to say that I put them off, just that I don't have to feel guilty for not getting to them right away.

Even so, I'm acting like I have another calling, even if it isn't on the records.

Without Burden

After church on Sunday, I was headed for the door when I was stopped by a brother I had met before but whose name I couldn't remember.  He asked if I had some time to spare to help him take the sacrament to a member who was in the hospital.  I was surprised that he would ask me specifically, but I agreed to assist him.  He was very happy I accepted the challenge and we went to the kitchen so he could pick up the slice of bread that he had stashed there.

As he drove us to the hospital, he explained that he had asked several priesthood brothers in the ward for help, but everyone was busy with their families (the assignment to take the sacrament to the member in the hospital had been delivered during the second hour of church) -- so my assumption that I was being sought out specifically was incorrect.  I was simply the first person he had asked without familial obligations, so I could actually lend a hand.

We administered the sacrament to a sister who was receiving help for complications with her diabetes (she was in high spirits) and we left.  We chatted for a few minutes, but it wasn't a long, drawn out thing: we had fulfilled our priesthood duty and soon were on our way.

While I do look forward to being burdened with familial responsibilities, I'm glad that I'm able to be an asset during the time while I'm on my own.

No Leads

Genealogy is now easier than it's ever been, according to everyone who speaks in church about it.  Why then, is it still so dang hard?

I admit, I'm new to the whole family history thing, so I have no memories of writing letters to archive offices for information and receiving a microfiche card that has to be taken to a library to use a machine to read a blurry image of a handwritten document that ultimately provides no useful information, but it's still proving trickier than just following hyperlinks.

Of particular trouble is my great-great-great grandfather, John Howard Byrd.  I can trace back to him without issue, but it's unclear who his parents are.  I have two reasonable candidates, but no documents to prove parentage.  I've prayed about it and I feel that I need to pursue the more obscure choice, which leaves me feeling even more lost than I already was.

I guess my point is this: if anyone has any experience doing genealogical research and has any tips for me, I could definitely use them.

Surprise Opportunity

My talk in church on Sunday got some surprising attention afterwards.  As I waited for Priesthood opening exercises to begin, a brother I had never met before sat down next to me and introduced himself.  He said that he had enjoyed my talk earlier, for which I thanked him.  Then he told me about his son who is attending the University of Maryland and studying engineering.  Unfortunately, he didn't graduate recently because he failed his technical writing class.  This brother asked if I would be interested in being paid to tutor his son.

When I was preparing my talk, I had decided to include the fact that I'm technical writer to simply be part of my introduction, but now I'm thinking that I was inspired to bring it up so that I could be of assistance to this brother's son.  If he had simply asked if I could help out, I would have done what I could to be of service, but I'm also not going to turn down his offer to be paid to do it.

Nothing final has been worked out at this point, but we have exchanged a couple of emails to get the ball rolling.  It's amazing what kinds of connections we make simply by attending church and fulfilling our assignments.

Repurposed

I am writing this post from the same computer that I've used for the past couple of years, but I'm using it from a new position: seated at a desk.  This weekend, Ian helped me pick up a desk that was being discarded from my office and take it back to my apartment.

A few months ago, I noticed that a lot of desk chairs had accumulated in one corner of the warehouse that's near my pseudo photography studio.  I jokingly referred to that part of the warehouse as the "office chair graveyard."  More recently, an unwanted desk, a couple of whiteboards, and a few pieces of abstract art were added to the collection.  I asked about what was going on with all of the stuff and was told that these were items that were no longer needed in the office and were being collected to make it easier to get rid of when a disposal service came to get them.  I was also told that if I wanted anything, I was welcome to it.

This last Friday, I visited the Larsens after work and ended up staying over until Saturday.  I helped Ian do some work to get rid of some cat odors from his carpet and I mentioned offhandedly that I could get a free desk if I arranged the pick-up with someone with a truck.  He immediately asked if I wanted to go pick it up that day.  I was surprised, not at his willingness to help me (as he has proven that several times over already), but I didn't expect him to jump at the chance to help so soon.  The kids were with their mom, so we finished the work on the carpet and drove to the office.

When we arrived, I showed Ian what was available and made it clear that if he wanted anything in the pile, he should take it.  I already knew what I was taking (the one desk and a particular desk chair), but Ian tested out several chairs before finding one with which he was happy.  With the furniture firmly strapped down, we drove to my apartment.

I honestly can't think of a time that I've had a personal desk of my own since high school.  Even if I'm forgetting of some time since then that I was properly desk'd, I certainly haven't had a desk since I was married.  Having a laptop has meant that a desk was a luxury, so I've been doing fine without one.  Still, it feels nice having an official place to sit and do computer stuff in my home.

Same Experience, Different Lessons

Since my job requires a substantial drive everyday, I've decided to move closer to it.  However, since all of my friends are in my Ward, I decided to still stay within its boundaries, just farther east.  With my notice given, I'm on the hunt for a new apartment.

Alone.  Samuel won't be coming with me, but that's mostly a good thing because his family should be approved to come to the US any day now.  Even so, knowing that our time together is limited has made me a bit too eager to for us to part ways.  More and more frequently I find myself saying silently to myself, "I won't miss you when you're gone."  Admittedly, that's unfair, but I'm mostly being sarcastic and just trying to vent (to myself?) about my frustrations.

That was my state when Samuel came home yesterday evening.  I had treated myself to some take-out from a local Korean place and was finishing up the large meal when he walked in visibly downtrodden.  I asked what had happened and he told me that he was at his final attempt to take the behind-the-wheel test to get his driver's license, but the tester refused to ride with him because he was "panicked."  I protested that of course he was anxious because he had failed the test twice before and if he failed again, he would have to start all over with taking the written exam and taking driver's classes.  He agreed, but, of course, it was in vain.  I encouraged him to cheer up and told him that things will get better.

Then he asked for a blessing.  I was surprised, but of course accommodated his request.  I cleaned up my meal and had him sit in the chair I had been using.  When I open placed my hands on him and opened my mouth, the spirit of revelation came stronger than I can ever remember experiencing it before.  I won't share the details of the blessing, but I will say that there were words of love and encouragement and also instruction for Samuel.  When it was all over, he was crying, but I knew that they were not tears of sorrow.

When it was all over, I realized how much of a jerk I've been.  No, I haven't said anything rude to his face, but I've thought the rude words repeatedly.  And despite my eagerness to be on my own again, Samuel came to me as a friend in need of uplifting.

The instruction may have been for Samuel, but he wasn't the only one to learn something from the experience.

Barking Dogs

Here's something to not try: run 7 ½ on a Saturday morning and then offer your help to a friend who has you mow his rather large lawn.  I know, I know: it seems like a fine plan, but if you try it out, you'll barely be able to stand by the end of the incredibly long day.

Thank goodness Sunday is the day of rest.

Rain, Rain, You Can Stay

After my knee problems on Monday, you'd think I'd hold off on running again this week, right?  No, sir or madam, I did not.  My knee made an audible "pop" sound Wednesday evening and nearly all of the pain I'd been feeling disappeared.  And since Thursday's weather looked so nice, I decided to go for another run, this time wearing the knee brace.

Just as I was starting my run, I noticed that the sky looked a little darker than I had first noticed.  I remembered that I had seen that there was a chance of showers that evening, but only 50%.  So I ran.  My knee felt fine and once again, it felt great being outside pounding pavement.  When I was a little past the halfway mark, it starting lightly sprinkling.  My fastest option home was just to finish, so I picked up the pace a little.  The rainfall increased to the point that by the time I made it home, the front of my shirt was damp all the way through, though I wasn't actually dripping.  I also wasn't in danger of hypothermia since the rain didn't really get heavy until right at the end.

I had barely stepped inside when I got a text message.  My friend, Lori, asked if I could come by to administer a priesthood blessing to her husband who was having an asthma attack.  I immediately turned around to head out the door, but first, I told Samuel to put on his shoes and come with me.  Even though Samuel hadn't been invited, I thought that bringing him would be appropriate and it would give him a chance to participate in a blessing for the first time (he only recently received the Melchizedek Priesthood).

We arrived, me in my wet running clothes, and were warmly welcomed.  After a quick explanation from Mark on what was ailing him, we administered the blessing, with Samuel anointing and me sealing.  Mark was clearly grateful and gave us each a big bear hug.  Not wanting to get in the way of his recovery, we soon left to go home, with Samuel talking excitedly about how he got to be involved.

These stories are connected in more than just their sequence.  My original plan had been to run two loops again, like last time, which would have taken me over an hour.  I did have my cell phone on me, but with my earbuds in and my legs constantly moving, the chances that I would have either heard or felt my phone (I have it set to both chime and vibrate) are low.  If the rain hadn't come, I probably would have lost the opportunity to exercise my priesthood and help a dear friend.  I was annoyed at the rain when it first started, but now I'm grateful it came.

Gaining More Than Losing

On Wednesday night, I was asked to participate the following night in what my ward calls "shepherding."  It mostly consists of visiting less active members and letting them know that we miss them, but we have the advantage of having the appointments made for us ahead of time.

When I was asked, I hesitated.  I've been under a lot of stress with the divorce and working out has been an important relief that I've come to rely upon and Thursday was a day I had scheduled for gym time.  After some ruminating, I reluctantly agreed, with the caveat that I might be late since I'd need to make it home in time to eat dinner and then make it to the church.

At work yesterday, there was a luncheon meeting, with lunch provided.  I was not part of this meeting, so I ate my regular lunch, but there were leftovers that were up for grabs.  That meant that I didn't have to worry about dinner, which certainly made things easier.

Once I got to church, I was teamed up with one of the full-time missionaries.  I had had a tiring day at work, so I wasn't in the best of moods to go out with some bright-eyed kid.  Surprisingly, it was exactly what I needed.  He asked a lot of questions about me, which gave me a chance to let off some steam, and neither of the appointments we had answered their doors, so I didn't have to awkwardly introduce myself to someone that wasn't really interested in meeting me.

While I still take my gym time seriously as an important way to manage my stress, I don't mind that I gave up one day to serve the Lord and His children.

Tears of Joy

Samuel's family are working on their paperwork so that they can come to the US.

The ward members donated to raise the necessary funds so that he can be reunited with his family.  I went with him to meet with the Elder's Quorum President today so that he could have the total amount told to him.  When he realized that he is mere weeks away from seeing his family after a long three years, he started crying for joy.

While this is a great blessing for him and his family, this is also a blessing for members that donated money.  It gave them a chance to do some service that would positively change the lives of four people.

Not only that, but one of the members that was involved with me in the administration of the fundraiser told me how it was good to see how quickly everyone gave to make this happen.  They further explained that they had been disappointed by the ward during a past service project, so this helped restore their faith in the people that we see at church every week.

This does mean that I will be losing my roommate soon, but it's probably about time anyway.  Besides, he deserves to have his wife and children as roommates again, and I'll gladly losing some help in rent to help him get that.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Christmas 2014

This Christmas was a little different than I've had in recent years, because it involved more family than usual.  With my family spread across the country in practically every time zone, it isn't easy to get together.  Despite the long trip, my parents and Grandma Bonnie came to visit me and my brother's family, as well as my sister's family in New Jersey later on.

The traveling trio arrived in Baltimore at around 9:30 in the morning on Sunday after traveling for nearly twelve hours.  Due to the timing of their trip, they arrived with a little bit of time before my ward started, so we planned on them attending Church with me.  I knew they would be hungry so I arranged with the Simciks to be able to use their kitchen to cook my family breakfast - my apartment is on the third floor and that's not easy to get to when walking with a cane, so I was very happy to have a place where I could still give my family a warm welcome.  I decided to take a page out of my time at IHOP and I cooked spinach and grilled onion omelets with bacon.  Everyone that ate was happy for the energy so they could sit through Church without falling asleep.  At Church, I sang two songs with the Ward Choir and taught my final Sunday School lesson before the visitors decided that they needed to get on the road and head south to Ian's if they were going to be alert enough.  I wished them "so long" until we'd see each later in the week.

On Christmas Eve, I joined my family at Ian's.  I was a bit overly ambitious with my baking that morning, but since I didn't have any physical presents for everyone, I wanted to make sure everyone had something to enjoy.  Before leaving my apartment, I made brownies, pfeffernusse cookies, and a double-sweet pumpkin pie to take with me.  Once at Ian's, I started making dinner, which was a roasted chicken with steamed quinoa, steamed carrots and apples, and a spinach salad (made by my mom).  Due to my overly ambition from earlier in the day, dinner was later than it should have been, but everyone agreed that it was tasty.

On Christmas day, we started the day with presents, mostly for Clara and Henry.  After presents were opened (to many screams of "This is just what I wanted!"), I started working on breakfast.  I hadn't planned on breakfast this day like I had for the previous Sunday, but I saw that Ian had some frozen blueberries and pancake mix, so of course I thought of blueberry pancakes - I made a quick compote and then just dropped frozen blueberries into the pancakes after putting the batter on the hot griddle.  Along with the scrambled eggs that Ian whipped up, it was a full breakfast.  Later that day, I put on a pork roast.  Not only was this meal ready on time, but it was really tasty, too.  It was served with steamed broccoli and buttered dinner rolls.

I know that I mostly wrote about food this post, but that's what I gave my family this year.  I do have a great job right now, but I only just started and it's difficult for me to give presents right now.  One thing that I can do, however, is provide service in the form of cooking and baking.  And my gifts went over very well with everyone - Ian even said that the two dinners that I cooked were some of the most complete meals he had had in a long time.  I was happy to provide some gifts that were not just enjoyable, but nutritious as well.

I hope everyone had a Happy Christmas!

Feeling It

What to feel really old, even though you know you're not that old?  Go on splits with the full-time missionaries in your ward.  The conversation may include the following topics:

• When you served your mission (I completed my mission about a decade ago).
• What it was like when you served (months after I came home, usage of the discussions was discontinued).
• What music you like (the same genre as them, but you don't recognize any of the bands that they name that don't count as "classic rock").

I don't regret my time recently spent with the Elders, but man is it weird being on the other side of the interaction.

Asking the Right Questions

Samuel has been working part-time as a dishwasher ever since he got his work visa.  He is qualified for better work, but he hasn't had any luck find something else within walking distance, so he's still a dishwasher.  Since starting work there, he's complained about how the managers haven't paid him all of his wages yet.  I told him that he would need to review his pay stub before he complained to anyone, to make sure that he had a claim to make, but I encouraged him to confront the managers to make sure that he gets paid everything he's earned.

As it turns out, Samuel didn't understand how earning an hourly wage works.  He's explained to me that in his homeland, everyone is paid a salary.  When you start work, they tell you how much you'll make each week and cut you a check for that amount.  I thought I had explained the basics to him (and how for a labor-intensive job like washing dishes, earning a wage is actually better than a salary), but I apparently was still making some assumptions about what he knew.  The idea that he wouldn't get paid for his thirty minute break was brand new to him and one of the reasons that he kept complaining that "they don't pay me!"  The bigger issue, however, was that he didn't understand the delay between a pay period ending and actually being paid.  Once I saw that missing piece it was easy to explain that every business needs time to process the hours worked and take out the right amount of taxes.  He saw that hours were missing from his paycheck and couldn't understand why he was being told that they would carry over to the next check.  He simply saw it as an excuse to not pay him.

Living with someone from a foreign country has been an interesting exercise in communication.  I can't use idioms and I try to cut down on using slang (though, like a true Californian, I never stop saying "dude").  On top of that, I just learned that when I think I've explained something thoroughly, I may have left out some vital piece of information.  Even so, I have it easy: Samuel has an even tougher time recognizing when he misunderstands a situation, so I do my best to help out where I can.

Serve 'Til You Drop

On Saturday, the Elders Quorum was assigned to help move a family that was moving out of the ward.  While Samuel and I arrived a little late, we arrived with most of the moving truck still empty.  After bringing out some larger pieces of furniture, I stayed behind to help with what I call "truck tetris," or arranging all of the boxes and furniture in the truck to be as tightly packed as possible.  It paid off, because a couple of hours later, everything was on the truck with only what seemed like millimeters to spare.  The family was very grateful for the help and thanked us for our service.

Afterwards, Samuel and I stopped for some lunch before heading to Baltimore.  He had asked if I would take him to an international market that specializes in Nigerian groceries and I was happy to assist.  We drove to the store, which was farther away than I anticipated (that'll be important later), and he was able to complete his shopping.

Before heading home, he asked me if we could make one more stop since to we were already in Baltimore.  I was very tired from the move that morning, but I agreed to drive him so that he could pay his phone bill.  We drove even farther and arrived at a mall.  Apparently, Samuel has a friend that runs a cellphone kiosk and he has been paying him to cover his phone bill.  However, when we got to the kiosk, we were told that Samuel's friend was on vacation.  Samuel looked at me apologetically and said that he hasn't been able to get in touch with his friend and was worried that his phone would be disconnected.  Since there was nothing we could do, I suggested that we leave.  Back in the car, rather than express my frustration with situation (or Samuel), I suggested that since he now has a checking account that he should simply mail his friend a check every month.  Clearly this was a new idea to him, but he immediately liked it.

Once home, I practically fell into bed.  No, we hadn't been out for the whole day, but I was exhausted from the move that morning and from driving Samuel around Baltimore to run his errands that afternoon.  After a well-earned nap, I took Samuel to the learning center that I sometimes tutor at for him to do some cleaning (it's a once-a-week job for him, but it's a good addition to his job as a dishwasher).

I slept very well that night having served nearly the whole day.

Additional Assignment

I was asked to attend Ward Council this week, despite the fact that my calling is just as a Sunday School teacher.  The reason?  I have volunteered my services as a tech writer to anyone who needs help beefing up their resume, so I was there to assist the Ward Employment Specialist.

I have not worked on too many resumes for ward members.  I've honestly helped with about three or four, but I'm now considered a required stop for all members seeking assistance from the ward.  The Bishop told me that I am performing an important service for the Ward, not just because I'm helping people improve their lives, but because I'm also acting as a gatekeeper of sorts: if members can't at least email me their resume to look at, then they may not deserve financial assistance.

Anyway, I attended Ward Council to confirm if certain members had contacted me with their resume or not.  Most had, though not all.  It was kind of weird being invited as an expert in my field and not because I'm serving in a leadership position.  I know that I've worked hard to obtain the skills that have but its still new to be recognized for it.  It's kind of cool.

As the meeting ended and I left, I reaffirmed my commitment to helping out anyone that needed it.  After all, it wasn't so long ago that I was in the same position.