And always abounding in good works

My son the lineman struggled. He loved to hit and block his opponents, but he always apologized after knocking them to the ground. 

Leaving on a jet plane

Leaving the mission field is one of the most bittersweet days a missionary will ever experience. There's the excitement of going back home to friends and family, but there's the sadness of leaving behind the people you've loved, worked with, lived with and prayed for — and you don't know when you might ever see them again.

But like many things we experience in life, it's a just another step.

One of the elders from my mission wrote a parody of Leaving on a Jet Plane* that summed up his feelings about the experience:

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go. 
I'm standing here beside the door.
I have to wake you up to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn.
The taxi's not waiting, it's blowing its horn —
Already I'm so trunky I could die! 

So write to me and I'll pray for you,
But the girls are waiting at BYU;
When you come home I'll wear a wedding ring!
'Cause I'm trunky, that's my name son —
Going home to have a little fun.Oh, boy, I can't wait to go...

There's more, but that's as much as I remember.

We're saying goodbye to a great group of elders who are leaving our mission this week. They're fantastic! They will be missed...but a mission is only the beginning!

*This is a John Denver version, he wrote the song. It was popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary.

The missionary circuit

It's true that missionaries often say funny things. But they're not the only ones doing stand up!

School's back!

But wouldn't that make it home school?

Sketchbook: The nine-iron rod

You know how the scriptures say that the Lord will speak to you in the language that you understand? Sometimes it speaks golf.

By the hair of your head

One step at a time

I know what a three-year-old can do with a Fit Bit — how much mileage could a missionary rack up on one?