There is good in the World

On the way back to Utah from Reno, Jamon Stacy and I stopped at Arby's for lunch. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so i bought a $0.99 hamburger. A young couple in the back of the store turned one of the advertisements inside out and wrote "hungry! :(". I noticed it and judged them immediately.
"oh they are probably just wanting free food...they ran away from home... punk kids...wait, they could be telling the truth. either way I need to be nice. if i was hungry, i sure hope some one would help me."
I decided that I would buy them some food. Then a person from the other side of the restaurant brought them some food. What a nice guy. I don't know what religion he was, or if he even worshiped a Supreme Being. I immediately appreciated his act of service. The kid woke up and started eating immediately.

I was traveling back from Southern CA after visiting Ammon with Adam Frenza. I was cruising, about 90 mph when a semi cut me off right when i was going to pass him. I slowed down and got upset that he would do that. after 15 seconds i noticed that there was a cop on the side of the road that i couldn't see. The Semi driver knew that i would get a ticket if he didn't slow me down. That was really thoughtful.

I was traveling east on I-80 when a big rig, traveling west, flashed his lights at me. I quickly thought of all the reasons why he would flash me. my brights weren't on...I slowed down immediately and saw a cop hiding behind some trees. The Big Rig saved me.

I learned a few things from these experiences. One, there are good people in the world. Two, i shouldn't judge so quickly. That semi saved me a ticket. Three, there are good people that really want to help.

It is the Service that Counts

One of my friends likes to cook. Every time she cooks, she takes some of the goods to her next door neighbor. Unknowingly, her neighbor was struggling with the loss of her father. The cook came over as usual and shared some or her baked treats. Her neighbor then informed her of the situation and said she came over at the perfect time and that she really appreciated the treats.

Though it didn't take away her sorrow, it brought light to her day.

“In actual fact it is the service that counts—the Lord’s service. This is the service that counts, brethren—the service to which all of us have been called, the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thomas S. Monson – Ensign Nov. 1989

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=c0d92150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Operation V-Day

Fact 1: Guys don’t care about Valentines Day like girls do.
Fact 2: If a girl received a valentine she would be happy.

If girls were taking tests on the night of Valentines Day, they probably didn’t have a Valentine. Ammon and I decided to go the BYU testing center and give Valentines (Candy) to girls as they came out of the testing center. It was pretty fun! We only had 3 rejections. We met two girls that were inspired by us who joined us and gave candy to guys. Bless their souls.

Lesson we learned:
At the beginning, we were standing outside. The responses were great! Almost everyone enjoyed it. Then we got cold and went inside. The results inside weren’t as great. Our valentines seemed to come off generic and canned. Ammon pointed out an interesting concept. Our service was accepted more and had a bigger affect when it was more inconvenient for us.

The Gutter Episode

Elise's Story:

So, last night I was driving from my parents' home to ours. As many of you know, the weather here has been quite cold and very snowy. Yesterday was one of those blizzardy days where you hate driving. Well, when I was just a few blocks from our house, I had the unfortunate accident of sliding into the gutter during my attempt to turn right. I was probably 20 feet from the intersection of 7th East and 7th North. I tried to get out of the gutter and continue onward, but my wheels were entrenched in the snow and ice and there was no getting out. All they did was spin and spin while I cursed the ridiculously deep gutters that tunnel around all of Provo.

After a few minutes of failed attempts, Violet was screaming in the back seat. I tried to calm her down with the pacifier, but WOW was she mad. I don't think I'd EVER seen her that mad before. It was like she knew we were stuck and couldn't get home. I tried sticking a phone book under the wheel, but to no avail. Thankfully, a nice man pulled over and tried to help me. He pushed and pushed the end of my car, but nothing was happening. A nice student walking home with his backpack on also came over and helped push, but still nothing. I borrowed a cell phone (a fancy one where I couldn't find the "back" button, and therefore felt like an idiot!) from one of them and called Dan to come pick me up. He was with his mom at our house where they were waiting for me to come home and eat J-Dawgs with them.

Right after I talked to Dan, another guy drove by in a huge truck with a snowplow on the front of it. He had everything we needed to get me unstuck (the horsepower, the chains, the helpful attitude). Right then, Dan drove up with Mom Roberts. Dan got out to take the wheel of the forlorn Pontiac (damsel in distress) whilst we were being pulled by the courageous white truck (the hero). Soon we were up and out of the gutter and on our way home again. I am SO glad that my prayers were answered so quickly through such wonderful, willing, and able people. Hurrah for such kind Provo guys! I love them all!

Just Giving a Ride

Last Monday, I was on my way to Lowe’s to buy a snow shovel. I saw this lady using a crutch hobbling through the snow; that is, 5 inches of show and it was still snowing! I turned around and picked her up. She was traveling about 1 mile to a physical therapy appointment. She was hit by a car 2 years ago and is still feeling the effects from the accident.

Wow! After dropping her off, it made me grateful for what I have. It seemed to reduce the size of my shortcomings and weaknesses and made me grateful for all that I have.

“…[S]ervice helps us generate love and appreciation. We come to know people by serving them—their circumstances, their challenges, their hopes and aspirations.”
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=39812150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

It was really easy for me to give her a ride. It was impossible for her to give herself a ride.

Smiling!

Ammon was walking home one day from school and saw a girl. He didn't know her and felt like he wanted to talk to someone. They had small talk and that was that.
1-2 weeks later, Ammon heard a very interesting story. It was about a girl that was having the worst day when this nice kid talked to her and smiled. It changed her whole day around and she ended the day on a good note. She said the kids name was Ammon.

"A smile brings cheer to the weary, comfort to the discouraged, and hope to the despondent. People are more likely to confide in a smiling listener, reach out to a smiling stranger, and help a smiling neighbor."

http://gospelink.com/next/doc?doc_id=292588&highlight_p=1

Why News for the Soul?

After getting upset at all the negative media, I thought, why isn’t there any positive media? Sadly, it’s because negative news is more excited to hear even though we get upset at it. It’s ironic! My idea started 3 years ago to focus on good media. I thought it would be cool to create a newspaper focusing on just good things; unfortunately, not enough people would buy it. The easier way to go about my plan was to create a blog that tells heroic stories of those who sacrificed to help others; or those that just simply went out of their way to make someone smile.