20. And They All Lived, Happily Ever After

After a few months of blogging, I can now say that I am not completely ignorant about blogging. This is the fist time I have ever had any contact with blogging at all. I have seen mothers share their missionary's blog on Facebook, but that was the most contact I have had. This blog has been a place where I can share with the world how I truly feel about things in my life. I have shared my excitements, my tragedies, and my goals. As someone who struggles with the whole journal writing thing, the blog was able to get me motivated to write what I was thinking and feeling. I was also able to use the blog to share significant things I have come to understand. The blog has been a chance for me to share with the world my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and goals. Though it may not be the prettiest blog ever to be written, it means a lot to me.

19. Light on the Hill

Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m., what seems like an arbitrary time, will always hold a place in my heart. Because on Thursday nights at 8:30, a group of friends and I stop what we are doing, put on our Sunday best, and walk to the Provo temple. I have always done temple baptisms with my ward youth program, but in college I am learning the joy of regular temple attendance. It is here for the first time that I have been able to make temple work a regular part of my week. As I have began to get into the habit of regular temple attendance, I am seeing positive changes in my life. For starters, there is a sense of peace in my life, which is odd, seeing that finals are coming around. Tonight, when I had homework from multiple classes, studying, finals, and all the stress that comes with college life, I was able to put everything else aside and clear my mind with a trip to the temple. I am so grateful for the girls in my ward who got me to start coming to the temple regularly. They simply invited me to come with them, and my life was changed for the better. I bear witness that putting the temple in ones life is a sure way to improve. Though we all are busy, the temple is a place for us to worship and serve, and the blessings we receive by going will outweigh any loss we face by putting things aside. It's like sharpening your tools before getting to work. Though you could "save time" by jumping right into your task, by sharpening your tools, you are able to work more efficiently and get more done.

18. Getting the Ball Rolling

Today is a special day! I met with my bishop to start my mission papers! Now, equipped with my missionary handbook, I start the process of finalizing my mission preparation. My whole life I've wanted to serve a mission. My father served in Czechoslovakia right after to fall of the Iron Curtain, while my uncle served in Sydney Australia Mandarin speaking. Everyone I talk to tells me how difficult of a time it is, but without fail mention that it is completely worth it. I am personally of the belief that I shouldn't tell anyone were I want to go, because I might jinx it. But to be honest, I am excited to go wherever I am called. To me, a mission is more than just a chance to fulfill my duty to God. I see this as a chance to grow and develop as a man over these two years. While having my interview with my bishop, he taught me about the mission rules in a way that I had never thought of them before. In order for God to bless his children, he asks for us to obey his rules. On a mission, there are so many rules so God has even more excuses to bless us. Though sometimes I won't be able to understand why there are certain rules in place, I can always remember that the rules are there to bless me. I am so grateful for the chance to go out into the world and serve a mission. I am glad that my parents raised me to value and desire missionary service. I am so grateful my dad sat me down at age eight to set me up on a plan to raise my own missionary funds. After 11 years, I have successfully saved up the money needed to pay for my own mission, and I am happy that I will have some skin in the game when I head out. Though I still have a semester to go, I can't wait to head out!

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17. Importance of Multiple Witnesses

In the Book of Mormon, the idea of multiple witnesses is expressed multiple times. God knew that there were people in the latter-days who would reject the Book of Mormon. They would say things like “A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible,” (2^nd Nephi 29:3). In order combat those who say that there is no need of another testament of the Lord’s words, the Lord explicitly states in 2^nd Nephi that “Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also,” (2^nd Nephi 29:8). This scripture tells us that the Lord will not abandon his people. He states that he remembers multiple nations, not just the Jews in Jerusalem. By claiming that he remembers nations the same as others, he is promising that he will not leave one group of people alone, to wander forever in darkness. The Book of Mormon also tells of the benefits of having multiple witnesses. When Alma went proselyting to the city of Ammonihah, no one listened to his words. He was rejected, but as he left the city an angel commanded him to return to the city. When he got back, a local from the city who had been prepared by an angel took him in, and agreed to help Alma to teach the people. As Alma began to speak again, the people “were wroth with me,” (Alma 9:31). But once Amulek spoke, those same people “began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them,” (Alma 10:12). By having a second witness, Alma and Amulek were able to get the people of Ammonihah to at least consider the words that they had spoken, and even were able to get some of them to believe.

           

Multiple witnesses cause people to think differently about a subject. More than one witness complicates a story. At any time, an individual has the ability to say anything that they desire. However, if two people testify to the same thing, especially if there is no personal motivation behind their testimony, it is a lot more difficult to pin their testimony as a lie. In the story of Alma and Amulek, when Alma teaches to the people, the people were able to rationalize that this man is lying, or crazy or both. But when Amulek comes and echoes Alma’s words, the idea that those words are a lie becomes a lot less likely. Amulek faced no personal gain from lying to his fellow citizens. Because of this, the people were more willing to listen to his words.

16. A Note to 30 Year Old Dalton

Hey Dalton, how are you doing? This is you, 11 years ago. currently finishing up my first semester of college. I am a physiology and developmental biology major, planing on minoring in economics. I hope to get a consulting internship out of college, and within a few years, go to business school and receive my MBA. I start my mission papers in two days, and can't wait to have the chance to go serve my God for two years. I have hopes for my mission, but refuse to tell anyone, even myself, what those hopes are. All I will admit is that I hope that I am able to go out and do my best to help other come unto Christ. At this point in my life, school, sleeping, and females take up most of my attention. How's our wife doing? I wonder if I know her already, or if I am to meet her in the future. Its so weird to think of myself as a married man. At thirty, I have every expectation of being married, hopefully having already started a family. But I guess anything can happen, so if for some reason I am still single at 30, this is me, telling myself to get my act together and move on with my life. At 30, I hope that I have finished my schooling, and am well on my way into a career. Right now I assume that I will be starting to move up the ladder at a biotech business, but to be honest, who knows were I will end up. Wherever it is, I am confident it will be good. Dalton, if this note finds you in a bad place, remember that this life is important. Though we can't take our money or possessions with us when we die, we do take our experiences and growth. There is no universal scale of success. What I value now might not be the same thing as what I value in 11 years. Wherever life finds us, know that we can make it. Until then, good luck.

Dalton Mann

15. An Unlikely Angel

There is tragedy in everyone's life. Things people should never have to go through, such as death of family and friends, accidents, misunderstandings, illnesses; the list goes on and on. And though these things shouldn't have to happen to anyone, a quick survey of your peers will show that tragedy has touched almost everyone's life. A few weeks ago, my hometown was rocked with the news of one of these tragedies. Parker Moore, football captain, RA, leader, and friend of almost all who knew him was taken from us. While filling gas at a 7-11 next to his school, a man stabbed him repeatedly, then ran. When police arrived on the scene, the man returned, trying to attack the police, when he was shot to death. The police have been able to find no ties to between the two, and have deemed this to be a freak incident. Though we don't know all of the facts, what we do know is that a Child of God was taken from us. Parker was not a perfect person, but he did have a good head on his shoulders. As my older neighbor, Parker was somewhat of a role model to me. I was always a little jealous of his way of always getting people to like him. Through observation, I have seen that the this attraction people had towards him stemmed from his kindness. Parker was popular, yet it seemed that he went out of his way to befriend everyone he encountered. His short time on this earth touched the lives of hundreds. Thank you Parker for what you did for me. 

14. A Coach for Life

"Dalton, what do you want to get out of the next year?" Coach Christensen asked. "What are your goals?"
I'd just finished my junior year of wrestling, a year with more ups and downs then I could count. For the first time in my high school wrestling career, I was beating people. Not just any people, good people. I had placed at one of the toughest tournaments in the state, gotten to the finals in my district competition, and even competed in the state tournament. But it wasn't all fun and success. I had struggled all year with getting thrown, I had been given a concussion in the post season, and though I was able to recover, I got pined at State while I was in the lead one round before I would have placed. So when my coach asked me what my goals were for next year, I had a few goals in mind.
"I want to place in the top three at State," I said. "I want to develop a new shot, avoid getting thrown, and learn to up the intensity in my matches."
"Those are all great goals," Coach said. "But if your goals for the next year are solely focused on wrestling, how are you going to become a better person?"
My coach wasn't asking me how I was going to be a better wrestler in the upcoming year. Wrestling was extremely important to him, so I knew that in his mind, I needed to work hard to be a better wrestler over the next 12 months. But he made it explicitly clear that it didn't matter  if I came back as the greatest wrestler in the state next year if I wasn't also working on becoming a better person.
My coach taught me something that day that I will never ever forget. Perspective is important. Don't focus on one thing so hard that you neglect all others. True growth happens when you develop yourself as a whole, not only as a star-fill-in-the-blank.