on-going Tender Mercies

So...the next day...after my test to see if I would trust the Lord... I get a call from the owner of Aspire Design, a subcontractor I worked with at SunCor for the past seven years and the owner of the home we are currently renting at Avimor.  He was asking about the prospects of construction starting again at Avimor and explained how he just had to let go of a couple key employees due to personal issues.  I half-jokingly suggested that he should hire me to replace them.  Then he got serious and asked if I was sincerely interested in working for him.  Aspire Design has grown in two years to be the nation's largest home remodeling company and that division of the company only repairs bank-owned homes.  They've been growing and were needing people.  He said he'd talk it over with a couple key members of his staff and would be back with me.

A few days later he called back and offered me the job of a regional manager over the east coast and asked if I would accompany him on a trip to Baltimore to get a feel for the job.  I flew out and met him there the very next day.  The job would require constant weekly travel which I knew would be a challenge. When I got back from Baltimore, Jessica and I went to the Boise Temple to make sure we were making decisions under the influence of the Spirit and not out of desperation.  We felt good about the job and we accepted the position.  Althought we felt good about taking the position, my gut wrenched into knots knowing that I would be away from my family a lot. 

I started traveling for 10 days at a time and then coming home for four days.  I did this through the first half of December.  The appeal of travel quickly wore off and life on the road and nights in hotels had no more luster, plus I was getting fatter.  The extra burden on Jessica of being a single mother was heavy.  I felt useless in my family and in the Church.  The job was not particularly difficult, nor fulfilling.  I was also lonely and bored on the road, but I was happy to have a steady income. 

I did enjoy visiting random wards in the south and enjoyed fellowshipping with the saints.  People in the south are just kindly folks who are so welcoming.  I was offered meals and a place to sleep at every turn and was able to visit some old friends in Greenville, SC where we lived right out of BYU.  One day in the Roanoke, Virgina 1st Ward, I saw listed on the program the Relief Society President by the name of Victoria Schwendiman. We have a Schwendiman family in our Eagle, Idaho 7th Ward, so I just had to ask if they were related.  I asked a very friendly elderly man who was chatting me up (who turned out to be the Stake Patriarch) if he could point out the Schwendiman family to me.  He did I and went over and met them.  He turned out to be the brother of my Schwendiman's.  I love discovering the smallness of the world!

My last trip to the east coast was a tough one.  The kids were giving Jessica a particular hard time and I had some contractors making me work extra hard for my money.  The move back east was still really tentative as we were waiting for a potential contract to go through in Baltimore which would require us to live near there, or if we should proceed to find a place in the Raleigh, NC area.  Not knowing where we would be moving was particularly distressing to Jessica who was trying to coordinate moving plans.  I was having a hard and strange day (where three of my contractors almost killed themselves with carbon monoxide poisoning due to using space heaters incorrectly) when I got an email from the head of our repair division asking about getting referrals for a position with the company in Salt Lake.  Again half-jokingly due to my rough day, I emailed back that maybe I should apply for the position.  Seconds later, he called me on the phone.  He knew I was kinda joking, but my email had triggered in his mind that the position would be perfect for a guy with my skill set and charming personality (he didn't really say that last part.)  If I was sincerely interested, he would talk to the owner of Aspire and see if they could make it happen.  He and the owner called me back a few minutes later.  Neither could explain the position very well, but it was an important role in the company as a liason to our main client, one were I would actually office in the office of the client and use their computer systems.  After a brief phone call to my shocked wife, we agreed to take the job in Salt Lake, still not really knowing what the job would be like.

Well, I just got back from Salt Lake before Christmas from a week being trained for my new role.  Turns out, the job is right up my alley, is exciting and fulfilling, and I work with great people.  This job allows me to be at home with my family.  Jessica flew down and was able to find a home for us to rent in Bountiful with little difficulty.  Things have just really started coming together. 

So, to recap, I got a job offer the day after a spiritual test...the job came with one gut wrenching challenge of being away from my family...that challenge has now been removed from out path.  We are so deeply grateful and acknowledge the Lord's hand in it.  He does open the windows of heaven and pours out blessings.  The adversity he allows us to struggle through can increase our faith in Him if we choose to act in faith and trust Him.  (I'm glad we studied the Old Testament this year, which has several repeating and related themes)

I have felt that my struggles in 2010 were heavy burdens and challenging.  They were faith promoting for me and my family certainly, but the Lord has a way of reminding us that our burdens can't even compare to those of others, especially those of Him who suffered below all things.  Recently in our Eagle, Idaho 7th Ward, we have been witness to faith promoting challenges which are heavier to bear than our own.  Our home teacher just passed away on the 23rd.  He wasn't much older than me.  A few months ago he was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment, but his cancer was a vicious one that took over his body quickly.  He leaves behind a wife and four children from a 17 year old stud of a righteous young man to a baby of just a few months.  We also had a girl in the ward who is a junior or senior in highschool from a wonderful family we just love...she just had surgery to remove a brain tumor on the same day the other brother passed away.  It was reported today that the tumor was benign and she should have a full recovery.  Many prayers and fasts have been given for both of these beloved families and miracles have indeed happened.  We now enter 2011 with increased faith and gratitude.  Adversity will be life's constant test and we pray to have the strength to endure it well.  May we all be so blessed.

more Tender Mercies

Back at the end of July I had posted about our then present struggles with employment as well as recounted several of the small little miracles that were happening in our lives.  (see that post here)

I would be remiss if I didn't record for posterity the continuation of this saga of adversity, tests, and increased faith and gratitude. (Plus, I was just reading Malachi chapter 3 for the last Sunday school lesson of the year and it brought all these things to my remembrance.)

After that blog post in July, the severity of our financial state worsened.  At times we were penniless and about to approach our Bishop for assistance from fast offerings, but miraculously some form of money would present itself just when I thought that all was lost. 

My uncle Dave gave me the opportunity to work for him pressure washing grocery stores and commercial hoods in the middle of the night and paid me a generous hourly wage for that type of a job.  It was really tough work which gave this white-collar boy a renewed appreciation for hard labor and for those workers in the night that keep our cities and towns so clean.  I re-learned that all work that benefits society is noble and good for man, no matter his station.

Emotionally I was struggling through this time feeling the burden of not being able to effectively support my family.  While basic family needs were being barely and miraculously met, the simple wants of our kids had to be ignored and they too could sense our despair.  I can't even pretend to understand the deep worries and concerns of my bride through all this as she remained strong and supportive of me.  I sometimes wanted to break down and cry in a corner.  One particular night while pressure washing the dumpsters behind a store, I had to shovel up old rotten and partially liquefied moldy fruit that smelled so wretched I gagged all the way through the chore.  I caught myself asking, "How have I come this low in life?!"

Around this time, discussions at Avimor (they master planned community where I live and worked) began with my dad and me about building a home or two for the new owners.  These meetings renewed my enthusiasm and it was a relief to have my mind occupied once again.  There seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel, but the money for these efforts would still be a ways off.  My testing was not over.

One Saturday in September, I had been helping a young man in my ward with his Eagle project of putting up bluebird nest boxes at Avimor.  While driving around in the truck, the gas gauge light came on telling me that I had about 20 miles or so to drive before the tank would be empty.  Well, I used up those 20 miles and I could feel the truck starting to chug while running on vapors.
That night, the Young Men's President called me and asked if I could attend Ward Council meeting in his place.  When I jumped into my truck the next morning I suddenly realized my predicament.  I'd have to take the truck so Jessica and the kids could take the minivan and meet me at church.  But the truck was out of gas! 

Our church building is about seven miles away and it is mostly downhill from our house to there.  I figured I could coast all the way to the closest gas station.  Sure it was Sunday, "but buying gas doesn't require anybody to work on Sunday's anymore, 'cause you can just slide in your card," I began to justify.  I made it down the hills easily enough.  The engine was still running on fumes and I was about to pull into the gas station when a powerful impression came into my heart and mind that I should not stop.  The spirit whispered in that still small voice, "Robert, don't you trust me?"  I attempted a few more justifications in my head, but the prompting carried me and my truck right on past the gas station to the church parking lot where my truck puttered to a stop.

In the Ward Council meeting, Bro. Marchesci started the meeting with a scripture and spiritual thought. He too had been recently struggling with unemployment and his message was certainly deep felt on his part. The timing could not have been more providential to me as he shared Proverbs 3:5-6 which reads "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths".  Tears filled my eyes as I knew and felt that the Lord was talking directly to me.

At the conclusion of church my hope was...if the truck would start up... to get the truck to the gas station because I just knew that driving back those seven miles, uphill, would be impossible on my empty tank.  Once again, as I approached the gas station, that still small voice came back again "Robert, have you still not learned to trust me?" 

My mind went right back into justification and murmuring mode and I thought, "Well, if I run out of gas I will have to walk several miles uphill." 

Then the Spirit questioned again, "Wouldn't you be willing to do that for me?" 

"Yes, I suppose I would" I said aloud.  At this point I was deeply humbled and I determined to accept the Lord's challenge and proceed with faith. 

I passed the the gas station and entered the highway.  I watched with amazement as the gas gauge indicator began a steady climb to a quarter tank.  It was a real modern day miracle!  The powerful presense of the Spirit feeled me and the air around me and I heard the audible voice say, "You have passed the test."  My heart burned within me and tears streamed down my cheeks.  While expressing gratitude in vocal prayer, I drove all the way home.  As I parked in front of the house, the gas gauge dropped with a thud back below the "E".

The next day yet another miracle would occur.
To be continued...

German Father Castrates Teen Daughter's Old Man Boyfriend

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/8197617/German-man-castrates-teenage-daughters-57-year-old-boyfriend.html

Don't we all "think" about doing this in similar scenarios?  But this irate father actually did!  Now he faces an attempted murder charge.  Darn...the down side of a just punishment carried out, but outside the law.

San Francisco, CA kills the Happy Meal

While folks who care about the Constitution and about freedom and free market turned out in droves yesterday, we still continue a steady march toward socialism.  Here is the latest from California...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101103/us_nm/us_mcdonalds_toys

I think I mentioned this before, but when I was in the 4th Grade, I wanted to be President so I could tell everybody what they should do to be good.  Then I grew up and learned the eternal principle of agency...the freedom to chose between good and evil. 

We don't need government micro-managing every little thing we do.  So when you take your kids to see the Golden Gate Bridge and then want to take them to Mickey D's, the kids won't be getting a toy with their Happy Meal unless it meets to nutrition guidelines.  Now I hate McDonald's burgers.  They taste gross and who would want to eat them anyway, but these new laws are ridiculous!

I am possibly moving to this?

Could I be moving my family to the Socialist City of Baltimore Maryland?

The city health department now fines food establishments that have too much trans fat in their butter!

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/25508790/detail.html

What happened to individual responsibility with food choices?  Oh wait, I forget that it is the tendency of government to think that its citizens are dumb and need to be told what to do and how to do it.  The great nanny-state!

Funny Video: Tom Cruise on Home Teaching program of LDS Church

Funny interview cuts made to appear as an interview about home teaching.  The interviewer's personality made me bust a gut:

Right out of Atlas Shrugged!

This recent news story about Harry Reid "saving" Ford Motor Company seems like it was lifted from the pages of Atlas Shrugged, written 53 years ago.

If you haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet, ya just might wanna real soon.  It lays out exactly what our Big Government is doing.  Sickeningly prophetic it is.  While I don't agree totally with Ayn Rand's 'objectivism' and her utter rejection of charity and a Savior, the stuff on free market and freedom of the mind and of the will is really good stuff.

California's Prop 8 Struck Down by Judge

So let me get this straight....when the people vote to add an amendment to their constitution, it becomes part of the constitution and therefore "constitutional", right?

So how can it be that one lone judge, or even a panel of judges, has the authority to declare the people's amendment as "unconstitutional"?  I don't get it.

Tender Mercies

Back in mid-March I was laid-off along with almost all my co-workers in four states as our company awaited being purchased.  Since then I have been providing sales/marketing services for a friend who owns a landscaping company and I've helped out my dad a little with bidding and supervision for his home building company.  Once the severance package money ran out, we reluctantly plundered out meager retirement account, and since that well has run dry we have been check to check.

It has been an interesting and a sometimes wrenching experience that has brought us new levels of humility , the blessing of recognizing true priorities, and opportunities to exercise faith.  Just when we get to the edge of sanity and despair, when no solution seems possible...in those very moments we witness the miracle of the promise that the Lord "will not leave [us] comfortless" and he comes to us in many ways.  Many of those tender mercies of the Lord are performed by you, our family and friends.  We have started to "consider the lilies" and "behold the fowls of the air" (I'm pretty good at that!) and see that Lord feeds and clothes them and so to feeds and clothes us.

We are a family that is far from perfect, but we strive to seek first the kingdom of God, knowing that the Lord will fulfill his promise to "prove [him] now herewith".  This is our witness that the windows of heaven do indeed open and pour out blessings upon us.

Family and friends, knowingly and unknowingly, have been the Lord's angels in helping us in very touching ways.  Here are some of the many recent examples of miracles for which we are eternally grateful:

Friends and family randomly providing food items and clothing.
Friends inviting us on outdoor adventures and to their cabin for a weekend of fun.
Friends that brought horses to our doorstep fulfilling the greatest birthday wish of a little girl to ride them.
Friends inviting us out of the blue to swim in their pool.
Strangers willing to stop and offer assistance to my wife and kids when the car was broken down on the side of the highway after we hit a deer.
A brother that took my family to dinner on my daughter's birthday when I could not afford to do so.
Family that brought a nice dinner and the opportunity for my two oldest to learn how to enjoy shooting guns.
The miracle of unexpected insurance and tax reimbursements showing up in the mail just at the moment of greatest need.
Talks and lessons at church that buoy me up and recharge the spiritual batteries.
A friend and father that have provided me some employment which has kept us in our home.
New landscaping contracts obtained by timing that most would consider luck, but I consider providence.
Friends who took another one of our birthday daughters for pizza and arcade games.

A brother who way overpaid me to help with a project at his home.

A father that secretly had my brother pay me his share of the labor, even though the physical labor took its toll on him.

Financially, we are not out of the woods yet, but we are filled with hope at the prospects on the horizon.  Thank you all for your help in fulfilling the Lord's promises.  We love you!

Book Review: "Caribbean" by James A. Michener

I finally finished reading "Caribbean" by James Michener.  It took me several months as I read many other books during that time too. Michener is known for his historical fiction novels where he starts at some ancient date and works his way to modern day all the while focusing on a few families as their lives intertwine with each other and with the place.  His books are generally very long.  They are not quick reads, but they are good enjoyable reads.  You come away feeling like you learned a lot and the stories are all very thought provoking.  "Caribbean" was fascinating and makes me want to go on a cruise there someday to see some of these islands for myself.  If you're going on a cruise there, read this first to get more out of your trip.

A Hollywood Guy with Standards!

Neal McDonough has lost acting jobs because he refused to do sex scenes.  He is a Catholic family man!  Good for you Neal! Read the story here.

Who do you think you are?

Some of the best TV I have ever seen is NBC's new series "Who do you think you are?"  They help celebrities trace their family genealogy and uncover the lives of their ancestors.  Ancestry.com is a main supporter of the series.  It is really inspiring!  I love seeing the hearts of the children turn toward their fathers.

You can catch up on the shows on Hulu here.

A New Game I wanted to share with you all

We played a game, new to us, with relatives during the holidays.  It's called LCR "Left Center Right Dice Game" - you can get it about anywhere and this is their website: http://www.dicegames.com/

After a couple rounds of playing this fast-paced fun game, I noticed that it had some timely political analogies.
As you play the game, it involves the forced redistribution of wealth which results in everyone getting poorer while money continues to disappear into a pit of unknown bureaucracy.  Even if you are out of money you aren't totally out as the forced redistribution of others hard-earned wealth occasionally allows you to still be in the game.  The game ends when only one person has any money left, which is usually one coin and all the other money has dissappeared and everyone is destitute.  That's why I have dubbed this "The Barack Obama Game"