Joy in the service

Dear family,

I thought of each of you today and hope you know how much I love you.

Dad

Sunday, November 15, 2020
8:30 pm

Today was a full day, and I enjoyed it very much.  Started with Bishopric meeting then Ward Council.  There wasn't enough time to cover everything, but I think we did some good and made some assignments.  I had interviews today and felt the power of revelation as I received specific ideas that I could use to help the people I was visiting with.  I am amazed and grateful for the power the Lord gives his Bishops. I've heard this for years, but it is totally different experiencing it.

At home I helped with dinner and played family go fish with Emma, Camilla and Isaac.

Thankful: I am thankful to be a Bishop.  It is hard work.  I worry about so many people who struggle in so many ways.  It takes a lot of my time, and I worry about that time away from my family.  But it is an opportunity to experience the Lord's care in a new and wonderful way, and to participate in his care for his children.

Ministering: I met with several people today and ministered in a way I had not expected.  As they shared the temptations they struggle with, we made a simple list – what are the "Triggers" that contribute to behavior they do not want to engage in, and what is an effective escape plan to help them avoid acting on those impulses?  The escape plan includes three basic steps:

1.       Think of someone you admire and who loves you.  Could be Jesus Christ or a family member.

2.       Engage in a wholesome activity.  This list will vary depending on the person, but the basics are the same – get your mind and body doing something good instead of dwelling on the unworthy behavior.

3.       Daily accountability.  Each day tell a parent, spouse, friend, or other trusted person how you did during the day.

It was so simple, and yet it seems like it could be really effective.  I think this is a template I will use often during my service.

More later…

The sunrise this morning as I arrived at Church was really beautiful.

New lights!

Dear family,

A highlight of today was getting the last of the new porch lights installed at the back of the house.  Did you see what I did there?  Channeled my inner Grandpa Fry, that's what!  Ha ha ha ha!

Love to all,

Dad

Saturday, November 14, 2020
9:43 pm

The kids had fun with Ella and Annie today, even if at the end of the day when it was past bedtime and they were totally exhausted they couldn't remember doing anything fun with them.  David taught the boys how guns work.  It's amazing how different people have different interests.  I have absolutely no interest in guns, and David loves them.  Julie helped the girls do a craft project, then we had mac and cheese for lunch.

After David and his girls left I put up the remaining three porch lights at the back of the house.  It went a little faster than the four in the front, but it was lots colder.  I like how the house looks with the lights on.

Thankful: I am at peace in the world and in following the counsel of Church leaders.  I know of many wonderful people whom I love and admire that are really struggling with the different responses to the pandemic.  Some bristle at government mandates.  Others struggle with Church leaders limiting attendance at meetings and encouraging mask-wearing.  Through it all, I see Pres. Nelson calmly, confidently, and optimistically looking to the future.  I love and sustain the Prophet and am grateful to draw strength and peace from him.

Ministering: I visited this afternoon with Ryan Watkins, my new Ward Clerk, to review his responsibilities and how I envision using him to carry out our responsibilities.  I'm not sure if I ministered to him or he to me, but I am grateful for his willingness to accept this calling and look forward to working with him.

More later...

The view of the new lights at the back of the house.

Mushrooms on your pizza?

Dear family,

Another work week is in the history books.  I can't believe how fast time is going.  Only one more full week then Thanksgiving and it's December.  Fast, fast, fast.

I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Friday, November 13, 2020
9:17 pm

Last night Spencer went to sleep early after cutting his finger and going into shock.  This morning I woke him up for breakfast; he only made it about 20 minutes before going back to bed.  Three stitches knocked him out for 18 hours.  He's going to be like Julie was when she got her wisdom teeth out – she slept for nearly 24 hours.  When I got home from work I could tell he was feeling better – he was playing ping pong with Neil.

I worked on policies today at work and updated the ones that need to be reviewed next week in Board meeting.  I also spent some time learning more how we can improve our file sharing in preparation for our Springville branch.  A major concern is making sure we maintain security.  I realized today that the design I thought of wouldn't be secure enough, so we had to figure out how to improve that.  Fortunately, the group I am working with is good and they are figuring out what to do.

Tonight David and his girls came down for dinner and to spend the night.  We made homemade pizzas, and they were very good.  Jessie likes fresh mushrooms, so we get them now.  I put them on my pizza, and they were delicious.  Then we played 20 Express and A to Z, then started the adventure we call "bedtime."  Julie, David, and the big kids are downstairs talking to Mark now.

Thankful: Yesterday in marketing meeting we had an idea to make our Angel Tree work since our lobby is closed and we can't do the traditional "take an ornament from the tree."  I asked Suzanne if she would spearhead an idea do that online.  She talked to Eliza, we brainstormed together a bit, and then Eliza took point on that project.  I'm thankful that my employees are taking these responsibilities and doing a good job creatively finding solutions to needs we identify.

Ministering: I talked to the new Sister missionaries assigned to our ward today and reviewed some of the opportunities in our ward.

More later…

Game night.  Abbie and Isaac both got 150 points on 20 Express.  That's the best I've ever seen.

A to Z was a hoot tonight.

 

Three stitches

Dear family,

What an adventure life is!  Today's entry is a bit introspective toward the end.  I'm grateful to be able to share my thoughts with those who matter most to me.  I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Thursday, November 12, 2020
9:44 pm

Record number of COVID cases in Utah today – over 3,900.  The high school announced today they are going to split days, meaning only half the student body comes each day. Monday will be A day for half the school, then Tuesday A day for the other half.  Nobody has classes on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday are the other half of the classes.  (Or some variation of that mix.)  So Abbie will only go to school two days each week and only have each class once per week.  Once she gets off quarantine, that is.  Church can still happen, but we are limited to fewer than 100 people and all our leadership meetings are going to happen virtually. 

I am amazed that some people still think COVID is a hoax or some government plot to take over our lives.  I visited with Holly Pike this week; she is a nurse in the ICU.  She can testify that this virus is not a hoax.  Makes me shake my head in disbelief to see that some people refuse to believe something because they don't like it.  I used to think Isaiah was exaggerating when he described how society would struggle in the last days with recognizing truth.  I don't think that anymore.

I got a lot done today at work, and that was really nice.  And tomorrow I'll have everyone in the office. COVID cancelled a trip Stacy was going to take, and Suzanne will be back since her husband Ryan's COVID test came back negative.  I'm really glad, and plan to celebrate by letting everyone else do their jobs well so I can do mine.  Great plan.

Tonight I was nearly home when my phone rang.  I answered, and it was Abbie.  After her first sentence I knew something was wrong, just by the tone of her voice.  Fortunately it was nothing catastrophic – three stitches were all Spencer's finger needed after accidentally running it past the router bit.  But poor Spencer got the same gene Mark has related to blood and pain – he passed out before I got home and was still totally woosey and incoherent as Abbie and I drove him to the doctor's office.  He came home, ate dinner, and went right to sleep.

Tonight I am ministering to Julie.  As soon as I finished reading to the kids I took Nathaniel and sent her to her craft room with Abbie to make cards.

Thankful: I am so grateful for the hope that comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost and the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I spent some time this week reviewing resources to help others overcome pornography or other addictions, and felt both an increased resolve to keep myself clean and worthy, and a strong desire to help others either stay that way or become clean again through repentance.  Just as Isaiah wasn't exaggerating when he described people mixing up black and white, he also wasn't exaggerating when he described Jesus' ability to restore crimson-stained sinners to purity as white as wool.  Without that certainty, there would be no point in my serving as Bishop or any of us trying to be good, because we all fall short of the glory of God.

Ministering: I think Camilla is finally asleep, so I can leave my laptop upstairs playing soft music while Julie and Abbie make cards.  I'm going to go listen to a Conference talk and fold laundry!  (Party animal to the core!)

More later…

Yeah, Spencer was so out of it, Julie had to hold his head up while Abbie and Jessie each tied a shoe before we helped him to the car.

No more onions

Dear family,

Happy Veterans Day!  I am grateful for those who have served and continue to serve our country, both in the military and in other roles.  Thank you for your example of goodness!

Love,

Dad

Wednesday, November 11, 2020
9:04 pm

Humph.  I had the day off for Veterans Day, and didn't get much done.  I can get by on six hours of sleep when I am busy.  But on days like today when I'm home playing with the kids and need to be self-motivated to get things done, six hours means I fall asleep while trying to rock Nathaniel to sleep.  I didn't take a long nap, but I also didn't bring up firewood or put away the summer clothes.  I did learn that onions now make me feel gross.  Blah.

Thankful: I am thankful for good people.  

Ministering: Today I tried to minister to Julie.  I watched the kids for several hours while she went shopping to find some new maternity clothes.  Sadly, nearly all the stores have eliminated the maternity clothes in-store, and have them available only online.  Not terribly convenient.

More later… 

"I'm not listening!"

One gallon

Dear family,

Sleeping time. Love to all!

Love,

Dad

Tuesday, November 10, 2020
11:06 pm

Good day.  Donated blood tonight, I'm now in the Gallon Club.  Proud me.  Tithing settlement was nice, also visited with some people to help them set good goals and progress in the covenant path.  While I was meeting with ward members, my wonderful counselors were considering other needs in the ward.  We had a 45-minute meeting after my interviews and they brought me up to speed on the items they discussed.  It was wonderful.  I am so blessed to work with these great men.

Work today was good.  I had a good meeting with Stacy and Reyna to consider things we can do to work better with our members, especially if they need a loan.  I felt like we came up with some good ideas.  The day went very fast.

Thankful: Have I mentioned how thankful I am for my counselors?  Also for my family.  Nathaniel likes to wake up early.  So does Isaac.  They take after their daddy.  This morning I read one of Nathaniel's favorite stories to him before work, then left him in Isaac's charge.  He did great.  I am a blessed man.

Ministering: See above.

   

Kit Kats for dinner

Dear family,

Oh, life is an adventure!  It was fun to write about some stuff today.  I hope you enjoy reading it.

Jessie, I loved the story of your snail necklace that you told tonight in FHE, even if it turned my stomach.  

Mark, I'm anxious to hear about how things went after our discussion today.  Remember: tsp's make a world of difference.

Love to all,

Dad

Sunday, November 8, 2020
9:15 pm

Today was a good day.  Some of the drama I was afraid of didn't develop, which was a good thing.  Bishopric meeting was good, and Ward Council was also good.  The time went very quickly, but I think everyone participated in a meaningful way and we made some specific assignments.  Tithing settlement interviews were nice again.  My visit with the Clements family was particularly nice.  They seemed to be aware of the burdens a bishop carries, and they offered to help the family in any way they can.  That is so kind of them.  I'm not sure how we could use that help because our kids don't know them well and the little kids are the ones that need the help most, but it made me teary anyway.

I really liked sacrament meeting today.  Bro. Heiss spoke about the atonement and shared several personal stories that were touching.  His wife passed away two years ago, today might be the anniversary of her death.  His talk was particularly relevant given some of the struggles I am aware of in the ward right now.

This afternoon

Monday, November 9, 2020
9:16 pm

So much for my Sunday entry.  Here are the rest of the highlights from yesterday.

After Church and a couple interviews we had Priesthood and RS meetings via Zoom then did some activities.  Julie put together a fun Thanksgiving activity to send to Mark.  We also did an activity where we imagined different scenarios where we had to make choices when no one was watching, and discussed alternatives.  We based this on Moroni's years alone, thinking about the choices he had to make.  Dinner was good, and we finished with homemade orange scones.

Governor Herbert declared a state of emergency last night due to increasing COVID cases and the fact that the state's ICU beds are nearing capacity.  That's the bad news.  The good news was that today Pfizer released some very encouraging preliminary results from a vaccine they are working on.  Hopefully that will prove very effective and we can get back to normal-er soon.

Today Suzanne and I met with the architects on our Springville building and nailed down some of the last design elements that were unfinished.  It sounds like we're about 4 weeks away from getting approval from the city, then another four weeks to finish the engineering drawings.  Then… I'm not sure what happens next.

A disappointing thing today at work – an adult member of the credit union threw a tantrum in his vehicle because we could not do for him something he wanted.  This wasn't a case of policy that we were enforcing; what he wanted technologically could not be done.  It was really pathetic to see a grown man so utterly irrational.  Dalley, my employee, handled it like a champ and didn't get angry back at him or take it personally.  I was as impressed with her as I was disgusted at him.  Reminded me of a quote from Mark's calendar just a day or two ago: "You can tell the size of a man by the size of a thing that makes him mad." – Adlai Stevenson

Dinner tonight was a hoot.  Neil decided he hates mashed potato omelets.  He insisted they would be better in tiny portions hidden inside candy.  I did the best I could and broke pieces of Kit Kat candy bars on each bite of dinner.  He ate it.  (Okay, only a few bites got Kit Kat, but it was more than one!)

FHE, then bedtime stories.  I hope to get in bed soon.

Thankful: I am thankful that one of the major issues in the ward had a positive development today.

Ministering: Today I ministered to Mark.  He called during my lunch and was exploring some of the challenges he is discovering as a trainer.  He wasn't complaining, just trying to figure out how to effectively deal with items that need to improve.  It was amazing – the challenges he is facing can be addressed very well by the same ideas I am learning with Dennis McIntee at work.  So, Mark got the advantage of executive coach for free.  I wonder if next week's challenges will align with this week's coaching session?

More later…

Neil and Nathaniel reading this morning when I left for work.

Mashed potato. Egg. Cheese. Kit Kat. Seriously.