Marney's gone, but Jeffery's back!

Oh what a good week! I feel like the Lord has really been helping me throughout this week; I am so grateful for his mercy! The weekend was a blast, I must say.

Well, our movie planning meeting with Anthony and Calvin turned out pretty well. We originally planned to do a filmed version of Pilgrim's Progress modified in ways we wanted, but our final idea became even more exciting. The idea was that the three of us would each write our own script, our own life, in allegorical form, like unto Pilgrim's Progress. We would each write our own story up to the present time in the same style of writing as the famous inspiring tale. After we each would have completed our own versions of the script we would get together again, take the best chapters out of each of them and create a very unique teenage-version of Pilgrim's Progress. It's going to be so much fun.

After the planning meeting and dropping off the guys at their house, mother drove me over to the Wright's house. It's kind of funny that they ALWAYS seem to have delicious snacks lying around in their house. Savannah, Truli, and Carmen were watching a movie (which included scores from my #1 most favorite clay-movie, Chicken Run, for some reason), and Fa must've been upstairs when I got there. So I just sat there, partook of some of their chips and pumpkin-fudge bars, and read my book (He Did Deliver Me From Bondage), until Tyler Wright was ready to take me in his big truck to the house he was renting out. We were going there to take out a stove that was no longer wanted there. Once we were done with that job, we drove back to his house to stay for a few minutes, then we all got into Bro. Wrights BMW to drive to the dance in Medford.

As we drove, I asked Bro. Wright about his career choice: Dentistry. He explained that dental school is only 4 years long (which surprised me; I was under the impression that ANY kind of medical school was 8+ years), and that the most important things would be to be a good student overall, but to do well in Chemistry and Physics. I didn't understand why Physics would be important for a dentist though. I also found out that he played the trumpet in his high school band, which makes him a third fact to prove a trend that I have found: If you are in band at all, you'll get a high paying job.

The foreign exchange students are SO fun! It was the first time that either of them had ever gone to an American dance before, and they said it was okay afterwards. Fa got really hyper at some points; she is a typical Halloween character. In a funny, wholesome way, that is. I brought my wax earplugs to the dance, and when I got those out and opened up the little pack they were in I asked Fa, "Want one?" She took the earplug that I handed to her and ATE IT. Well, she almost ate it, she spit it out when she saw me laughing hysterically. It was so funny. Now we have an inside joke: "Hey Fa, want some candy?" "NO!"

At the dance I also saw good ol' Noah Smith and Hayley Peters from our stake. Noah is simply awesome: He did a cartwheel and the worm in one of the dance circles. He's just got the moves, to sum the rest of it up. Now HAYLEY was one who got really crazy. When her most favorite songs played, she swung her radiant red head around like a mad-woman, her hair flying around like a ball of fury. Today at church she said that her neck hurt, and I was not surprised. All of the typical mormon-dance songs were played that night: Cotton-eye Jo, Thriller, the Macaraena (spelled it wrong), and that one song that I don't know the name of that everyone knows the dance to. I had fun doing the dances to all of these. I even tried doing the dance for Cotton-eye Jo to other songs that were sung that night: Once for a faster, somewhat obnoxious pop song, and another for a slow-dance song.

I also was very happy to see a couple of my friends from youth conference at the dance: Kirsten and Riley! Both of them have seemed to be doing well; Kirsten with her socializing and Riley with her cheer-leading. Riley looks like her name; do you know what I mean? Short, glasses, colorful braces, blue eyes, smile-y. She was pretty talkative, but was fun to listen to. She thoroughly covered the topics of cheerleading, the guy that had a crush on her (who now hates her), and teenage philosophy in ONE slow dance. I know, I know. She's a good person; there should be more communicative, anti-norm people in the world. People that are honestly willing to just chat about life in a realistic way and see things in big-picture perspective. I know many, but the world could always use more.

We had a very good time at the dance; everyone was drowsy and Carmen was totally dead by the time Bro. Wright returned me to my house.

Today's sacrament meeting was VERY good. Bro. Neuenschwander (dang, spelled it wrong) gave a talk to us about not judging. I loved it, and it really boosted my testimony. I have made a commitment now to not judge or label people anymore and to have Charity for everyone. Charity=love in action. That just sounded really cool to me. It made me think of my most favorite scripture: Isaiah 40:29-31.

When I opened the door to the room that I go to Sunday School in I found a dim scene with many silhouettes slumped over on tables and chairs. Once my eyes adjusted I realized that I was in an unlit room full of teenagers; a large class of 12 or so! This week Marney Tripp and her family moved to Idaho. They were a good family, and inspired me a lot when they were here. But we found two new faces in our midst that day: Jeffery Fawson and Hayley Peters! Hayley had just moved into the Murphy Creek ward, and this was the first time I saw her there. Now let me tell you about Jeff...

Jeffery Fawson is a young man of 16 who lived in California before he came to live here in GP with his grandparents. He's one of those clever, likable characters who always knows just what to say in his natural, thick, raspy, Californian gangster accent. It was very good to have him back; he's been gone for a few months to his homeland. Today we played Jeopardy (Jeff-er-y, as Jeff called it), reviewing all of the stuff we had been learning for the past few months just for fun. The girl's team won.

In priesthood we learned about passing the sacrament.

Afterwards I talked to Fa briefly about a couple of gospel topics, but she still seemed confused about what I had tried to explain about the Godhead and about the Priesthood. I'm going to send her a link to mormon.org and lds.org; those sites will surely be able to explain better than I.

Today dad and I went to the Darby's house to administer the sacrament up in the tree-covered hills. Bro. Darby is a retired helicopter pilot. He had lived in many different places all over the U.S. and Asia with his dear wife, who he had known since high school, teaching aspiring pilots how to fly. He wanted to serve during WW2, but they needed him as a flying teacher more than a fighter. All of the stories he and his wife told about flying and living in Singapore were just fascinating to me. I love learning about the lives of those who have gone before me. I've been searching lately to find some kind of idea of what I would like to do in my life, and learning about what others have done successfully is very helpful. I would really like to serve my country for a time, but I'm still not certain about anything. But here's one thing I know: The more educated and skilled you are, the more useful you are to God and your fellow men. I'll find what God wants me to do eventually... I just need to keep looking!