Fix it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!

This is an address President Packer made a month or two ago in a fast and testimony meeting. I think it would serve all of us well to listen to the words of caution and wisdom from this great man. We are probably heading toward some pretty rough times. I believe strongly in the country's ability to pull through whatever is thrown at us, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.


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“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear”
President Boyd K. Packer
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Sunday, October 12, 2008
When President Boyd K. Packer speaks, he always makes arrangements for a recording to be made. On Sunday, October
12, 2008, he spoke without having planned to speak in the sacrament meeting of his home ward. What follows is the
authorized version of President Packer’s remarks in that meeting.
I have attended fast and testimony meeting on
occasion in the ward, but I have never before
thought to speak to you in a testimony meeting.
If the spirit is willing and the power and
influence of the Holy Ghost will be with us, I
would like to talk to this my home ward in the
Church.
I may be the oldest man here today. I am old
enough to remember 1930. Recently that has
been referred to every day by the
commentators, that we are probably moving
into a severe recession. They have compared it
to the Great Depression.
I was six years old in 1930. I was number 10 in
a family of 11. My father was a mechanic. He
had an auto repair business. When the
Depression came, there was not much money
around. Almost everybody was out of work all
at once. There were some government
programs that were instituted. In Brigham City,
where we lived, they determined they would
put a new sewer line in the length of the town.
It would be about eight feet deep. It was dug
by hand, by pick and shovel. I remember that
very well.
There are scriptures which say, “My people
must needs be chastened until they learn
obedience, if it must needs be, by the things
which they suffer” (D&C 105:6), and, “After
much tribulation come the blessings” (D&C
58:4).
It seems like there comes a time when the only
time we will listen to the Lord is when there is
great difficulty (see Helaman 12).
The Book of Mormon has a history of the
Nephite and Lamanite people. Along in the
third or fourth chapter of Alma and the first
part of Helaman, it talks about the people of
the world, including the people of the Church
who were righteous. When they were righteous,
they were blessed. The promise is there, and
you can test it yourself. It is there for us and
the whole world.
I remember some years ago I was deer hunting
with A. Theodore Tuttle. We went up to the
Manti forest. I rode his horse up one side of
the canyon. He and another friend or two were
on the ridge on the other side. I could see
them. I rode up a narrow ledge, and then there
was a big cedar tree. I put my head down on
the saddle horn as the horse brushed by a cedar
tree on the trail, which was a wide trail. But on
the other side of the tree, there was not a trail,
just slide rocks. The horse moved out in that. I
had heavy shoes on, and I slipped my feet out
of the stirrups. I thought, “If she’s going to fall,
I don’t want to be glued to her.” So I did get
my feet out of the stirrups just in time for her
to go over backwards. I was thrown down I do
not know how far and lit on my head, leaving a
large cut. I had my rifle in my hand, which hit
on the rocks and broke my hand. I got up.
“IF YE ARE PREPARED YE SHALL NOT FEAR” PAGE 2
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They had seen it from across the canyon, and
Brother Tuttle shouted, “Are you hurt?”
I said, “I’m bleeding.” Blood was pouring
down over my eye.
Again he shouted, “Are you hurt?”
And I said, “I’m bleeding!” The wind was in
the wrong direction.
About the fourth time he said, “Are you hurt,”
I hollered, “No!”
He said, “All right!” So they went on up the
mountain. That is lesson number one.
Well, I found my way down the mountain. Half
way down the mountain, the horse was caught
in some brush. I sat there for a few hours
waiting for them to come back. We went down
to Manti to have my hand set and some stitches
on my eyebrow.
A week or two later I was going to California. I
was in line at the airport in front of an older
gentleman. He made a comment about having
my arm in a sling, and I made some remark. He
then said, “You can say that now, but let me
tell you something, you’ll live to remember that
all of your life.” And he was right.
Then he began to talk to me. I listened to him
and found out who he was. He was not a
member of the Church, but he talked about the
difficulties he had. He said that he remembered
the time when he was out of work and could
not find work. There was no work. He went by,
and they were digging a ditch. He said he knew
better than to go ask the foreman for his job,
so he just picked up a shovel and got in the
ditch and began to dig.
In due course, the foreman came along and
said, “Who are you? I didn’t hire you.”
He said, “I know you didn’t hire me, but I’ve
got to work. You don’t have to pay me, but
I’ve got to work.”
In the course of it, you can imagine what
happened. He was paid for what he was doing.
I took counsel from that old fellow. Now I am
the old fellow and will give you some counsel.
One of the things that I remember very well is
how frightened everybody was. Things were
bad; they were getting worse; and there was no
end to it. We began to be resourceful and make
use of everything we had. Being number 10 in a
family of 11, we did not have much. It was very
different then, in some ways, from what it is
now.
As I look forward, I think that we are all going
to learn that lesson in one way or another. The
patterns of employment are already showing
signs of major problems. There are men out of
work.
We know that bishops will have the
responsibility. Someone will come in and say to
the bishop, “I was laid off my work yesterday,
and we are in trouble because we have a house
payment coming up, and we can’t meet the
house payment.”
They will want help, financial help, and they
will want counsel. The financial help has
limitations. The Church does not have enough
money to meet all financial problems.
But the Church is in excellent condition. We
could not be in better condition if we knew
what was going to happen. The Church has
grown across the world. We broadcast
conference last week in over 99 languages.
I sat at a luncheon with some officials from
Indonesia this last Wednesday talking about the
PAGE 3 PRESIDENT BOYD K.
PACKER
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great tsunami, the tidal wave that washed away
Banda Aceh, the city of a million people.
I said, “Yes, I saw that.”
I had called a minister of the government. I had
his cell phone number.
He said, “I’m standing at Banda Aceh beside
President Yudhoyono, and you cannot believe
what I see.”
Well, shortly Elder David A. Bednar and I were
standing at Banda Aceh and could see what he
had seen, the place where a city had been. It
was not there anymore.
The first thing they asked for was body bags.
They had tried to get them and could not.
I said, “We’ll help you.”
With a phone call or two, we located 20,000
body bags in China and had them on a plane to
Indonesia. A day or two later he called and said
that he needed 30,000 more body bags, and we
were able to get those.
The next request they made was for
motorcycles.
He said, “We can’t get back into the hills”—
people had fled into the hills—“and we need to
get medicine and doctors back there. Motor
vehicles can’t get through, and elephants are
too slow. But motorcycles can get through. Can
you get us some motorcycles?”
I said, “Are they available in Asia?”
And he said, “They are.”
Within a day we had about 100 motorcycles on
the way to Jakarta. The Church has resources
to do things like that as an organization. We are
going to have to continue to be in a position of
support around the world.
What I want to talk to you about today is how
you can be in a position of support as
individuals. The counsel I would give you is to
live like the pioneers: Use it up; wear it out;
make it do; or do without.
You young people, in due course, things are
going to change a great deal for you. The things
that you have been used to and could have, you
cannot have.
I remember how we used to pass clothing
around. We do that in our family now.
Recently, one of our granddaughters sent some
used clothing to one of the other
granddaughters who had a new baby.
I remember when I was a little boy there were a
couple of coats that came. I was not in school,
and my older brother was in the first grade. He
got a cloth coat. The coat left was a plush coat.
It was a girl’s coat, and I wouldn’t wear that. I
cried, “I’m not going to wear this coat!” Well, it
got cold, so I did!
Donna’s father went through the same
experience, and he handled it a little differently.
He put such a coat on, then on the way to
school he hid it under the bridge and picked it
up on the way home.
We are going to have to learn to do without.
Use it up; wear it out; make it do; or do
without.
Now, if we have the resources, it is our
responsibility to look after others. Many of our
people are in lands where there is great
difficulty. A missionary couple from our ward
has been out in Africa, and they have worked
with members who had only one meal a day.
You can do all of the usual things that you do
under such circumstances. You can start
“IF YE ARE PREPARED YE SHALL NOT FEAR” PAGE 4
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turning the thermostat down a little and closing
the door. You can save what you have.
We have about 50,000 missionaries out. It is
very expensive to send a missionary out in the
mission field. At present, the sustaining cost of
a missionary is $400.00 a month; that is $4,800
a year. If a family has a missionary out, they
may question, Can we continue to pay the money?
Well, they will one way or another.
The thing we need to do is look after one
another. Some of us who have a little more
than some of the rest of us ought to be
watching our own families and our neighbors
to see if there is a need.
When Brother Tuttle wanted to go on a
mission there was no money. He lived in
Manti. He could not see how he could go on a
mission. There was just no money. On his own,
he said a prayer and went to the richest man in
Manti. He told him he wanted to go on a
mission, but there was no money.
The man said, “Well, then I could see you on
your mission.” So the money was borrowed
and paid back.
But you teenagers especially are going to have a
different life than those who went before you.
Now all of that is the easy part, to take care of
ourselves materially. The other part is that it is
time the Lord taught us a lesson. There is so
much wickedness in the world, so much greed
and avarice and mischief. You wonder if He
could get to us without shaking us up a bit. As
I have said a time or two in looking over the
world, I do not see how we are going to get
through this. It is coming now, naturally and
otherwise, but that is the only thing that will
wake us up. What I am saying to you is to wake
up and to tell you what to do when you wake
up.
Well, your prayers will be different. Your
prayers will be less selfish. Some of the things
you pray for that you think are so essential will
not seem so essential.
We have talked to our children and said maybe
this year we will have a much more modest
Christmas than they are used to.
The scriptures are very plain: “If ye are
prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). We
are not afraid. At the headquarters of the
Church we talk about all these things, and there
is no fear.
You need to renew your prayers. You teenagers
and youngsters, learn to pray. You can think a
prayer. You do not always have to get down on
your knees to pray. You can think a prayer in
your mind. Then learn to pray for the things
that are of most worth. There is a scripture that
warns us, “Do not spend money for that which
is of no worth” 2 Nephi 9:51).
You can use it up; wear it out; make it do; or
do without. But that is really talking about
clothing. Whatever you have got that gets
broken, why don’t you fix it? If you do not
know how to fix it, then learn or find
somebody else who can fix it. It might be that
you would want to get some basic tools.
One of our sons went to Michigan and bought
a small house. We went back to see them. On
the back corner of the house the bricks were
eroding. A half a brick had fallen out and some
of the mortar. He asked me what to do, and I
did not know. I would have known what to do
here, but in Michigan I did not know because
the climate is different.
So I asked him, “Do you have an old couple
around here?”
He said, “Yes. Down the street and across
there is an old man, an old couple.”
PAGE 5 PRESIDENT BOYD K.
PACKER
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I said, “Do you know him?”
He said, “No, I just see him now and again.”
“Is he a member of the Church?”
“No.”
I said, “Go to him and ask him if he could
come over and look at this wall, then take his
advice.”
He did, and the old man had been through that
problem, just like we have been through the
Depression. He knew about the climate, and he
knew what to do.
And so as we look at this, do not be afraid. Be
very alert and begin to shape your life and
change your circumstances so that you do not
always have to have things that are new.
When I was younger, we did not have our
shoes half-soled because by the time they got
to that point the tops were gone.
I remember going down to the cellar where
there was a dirt floor. Under the stairs was a
very dark place. I was afraid to go down there
alone because I did not know what was there.
But when I got a little older and got some light
down there, it was only a big pile of shoes.
When the shoes got too bad to use, they would
go in that pile. Then we would take them out
and use part of one shoe to fix another.
What I am saying is that as a Church now we
are returning to that kind of prudence.
Bishop, it might have been all right last year to
take all the youth to Nauvoo, as wonderful as
that is, but perhaps you cannot do it this year.
You are the one who is the judge in Israel. You
will determine what is wise to do and what
cannot be done.
Now I am trying to strengthen you, not
frighten you. If you are prepared, you need not
fear.
If you have not learned to pray yet, you have
got to learn to pray. There is a difference
between saying prayers and praying. Usually
prayers, real prayers, come from desperation.
The Lord is kind to us when He lets us get in
positions so that there is nothing left to do but
to turn to Him.
We have a wonderful period of time ahead of
us, and I believe it is not going to be short.
There are a lot of things we are going to have
to adjust. The Lord has been preparing us.
When I was called as a General Authority,
Elder A. Theodore Tuttle was one of the seven
Presidents of the Seventy. Well, now we have
eight quorums of Seventy. All over the world
are quorums of Seventy. They are wonderful
men. They are not members of the Quorum of
the Twelve, but they are ordained Seventies,
and they have conferred upon them the
apostolic authority. They have the right to
revelation and inspiration, and in counseling
the people, they will know what to do.
The Book of Mormon teaches us, “The Lord
doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation
and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom,
all that he seeth fit that they should have”
(Alma 29:8).
We see that happening. I just marvel at it. I am
a couple years short of 50 years serving in the
general offices of the Church. I see the
preparation that has been made.
We should take care of what we have got. Take
care of your home; take care of your buildings;
take care of your equipment; take care of your
clothing; and begin to save because the rainy
day is coming.
“IF YE ARE PREPARED YE SHALL NOT FEAR” PAGE 6
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We need to counsel with our children.
You young people, one thing you need to do
that is very hard to do is give up selfishness.
You want it, but you cannot have it. The
problem that we now see in the world is that
people grow up selfish with avarice and greed.
You can find all of the answers in the
revelations. If you have not read the scriptures
lately, read the Book of Mormon again.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said that a year
or two ago. Most of us did read it, but read it
again. You will see with new eyes what the
Lord did and said to the people in that day.
Now, we are going to be all right. We support
the bishop and his counselors and our stake
presidency. They will receive guidance. We will
have inspiration.
There are two fundamental ordinances which
we perform in the Church. One is “baptism by
immersion” (Article of Faith 1:4). That has the
effect of cleaning us, cleansing us, symbolic of
that. And how do we stay clean? Well, we have
the sacrament. The sacrament, in a sense, is a
renewing of our baptism to make our
covenants again. We can maintain our
cleanliness.
But that is not all. There is the “laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles
of Faith 1:4). The promise from the scriptures
is that the Holy Ghost will be a guide (see
D&C 45:57) and a protection to us. He will
warn us. You will not do anything wrong
without being warned. It is called conscience.
And so you young people get your conscience
dusted off. It will keep you from going some
places that you think you want to go, and it will
prompt you to go to places that you did not
think you wanted to go.
World leaders are trying to patch things up. If
they can, things may get better for a time, but
the situation will not be erased.
We have prophets and apostles leading the
Church. We can see ahead and know what is
ahead of us. We are grateful to know that we
have the Church. We can go through it
together, and we will be all right.
So I invoke a blessing upon you here in this
ward of the Church that you can understand.
As you see the coming things, comfort the little
ones in particular. Little children have a way of
being frightened. Have the courage now to turn
the television off and not look at unworthy
programs. Shape up your own morals and keep
yourself worthy and clean.
And then pay your tithing. The harder it gets,
the poorer you are, pay your tithing. Tithing is
equitable. It is 10% of what you have. If you do
not have anything, it is 10% of almost nothing.
But you pay your tithing. And the promise is
that if you do that you will be all right, you will
be watched over. But do not expect to have a
life that is free from trials, sore trials, difficult
trials. This is one we are all going to be in
together, supporting one another as we move
forward, and all will be well.
I bear witness that the gospel is true, that Jesus
is the Christ, that He heads this Church, that
we are watched over, that we are on the right
course. We will be led in the proper way by
those who are called to preside over us. For
this ward, it is our bishop. As we pay our
tithing, keep the Word of Wisdom, and pay fast
offerings, do the things we ought to do, then
we can have that comfort and assurance that
God is in the heavens and all is right with the
world, at least our part of it.
PAGE 7 PRESIDENT BOYD K.
PACKER
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Help one another. The Church has published
quite a few things on the Internet on welfare
affairs.
I invoke these blessings upon you. There are
prophets and apostles upon the face of the
earth. When there are sore trials, such as we are
moving into now, you will find that your faith
will increase, and your happiness will be
increased, and your security will increase, and
you will know that it is a good time to be alive.
It is a good time to be raising children and
taking care of all the normal things of life. I
invoke that blessing upon you with love and
affection and with authority, and in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.

Attitude of Gratitude

I saw this on a friends blog and am going to try it. you are supposed to start at the beginning of the month and every day list three things that you are grateful for. Well I am going to start today.

1. tivo. I know funny but I travel alot and to be able to come home and watch a show, without commercials is such a time saver.

2. My family. I have the greatest family. My parents are the perfect example of how a life should be lived.

3. This great country we live in. I figure I'll get all the standards out of the way today. Even with all the division that has happened over this last presidential election process We as Americans will pull through no matter what comes our way. That is what makes this country great. We make things happen instead of waiting for things to happen to us.

Another thing I am greatful for is my ancestors. I had the opportunity to go to Kansas City, Missouri on wednesday afternoon. I drove to the job site that we were working at in rush hour traffic at night so i didn't see my surroundings. When I headed home yesterday I wasn't in a rush so I took my time driving. I was pleasantly suprized that I was in Independence, MO. As i drove through the town I found my mind wandering 150 years previous. This was one of the gateways to the west. It was the border of the country and civilization. It also was a very integral part of Church History. I kept going and saw the sign for Liberty. So many things happened there also. Scripture was received in that town. The final thing I am grateful for is the people who were strong enough to not only withstand the hardships of the american west but were able to do it while being driven like cattle from town to town and state to state. I am proud of the heritage that I have.

Halloween

Those of you who have known me for a while know that halloween has been one of my favorite holidays. Unfortunatly this year dressing up just didn't happen for me. I figured since I don't have pictures to show I would do the next best thing and put a re-cap up here of my 3 costumes of the last 6 years.

In order from 2002.

I am on the far right in this picture. starting from the left you have Jason Sneddon, Jon McCauley, and Travis Breneman.



In 2005 Gavin and I were trying to figure out what to be at about 8pm on halloween night. we went over to a thrift store and i happened to see the walkers. It all went down hill after that. we ran to smiths and bought a pack of depends adult diapers, I buzzed the male pattern baldness into my head and then used a mach three razor to get it to shine. people actually thought I was an old man. I love halloween.


In 2006 Dave and I were trying to figure out what to be and these Ghili suits looked cool, and we figured we could use them in the future for random things. We never have put them to use for what they are made for but we won the costume contest at the UVU dance so something must have been right. Might have been Ashley Hovik standing in between us.

A Talk my dad gave In 2004. Amazing

Jesus found a resting place near the stern of the ship and soon fell asleep. A great storm arose; and still He slept. Meanwhile the storm increased in fury; the wind rendered the boat unmanageable; waves beat over the side; so much water was taken on that the vessel seemed about to flounder. The disciples were terror-stricken; yet through it all Jesus rested peacefully. In their extremity of fear, the disciples awakened Him, crying out, “Master, Master, we perish”, “Lord, save us; we perish”; “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” They were abjectly frightened, and at least partly forgetful that there was with them One whose voice even death had to obey. Their terrified appeal was not wholly devoid of hope nor barren of faith: “Lord, save us” they cried. Calmly He replied to their piteous call, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”
Then He arose; and out through the darkness of that fearsome night, into the roaring wind, over the storm-lashed sea, went the voice of the Lord as He “rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Turning to the disciples, He asked in tones of gentle yet unmistakable reproof: “Where is your faith?” “How is it that ye have not faith?” Three simple words, “Peace be still” uttered with supreme authority by the Master brought immediate and deep felt peace and comfort to a boatload of terrified men, who literally feared impending death.

One early spring night roughly 2004 years ago, in the city of Bethlehem of Judea, Jesus the Christ was born among men. In Holy Writ He is referred to as; “The Savior, The Lord, The Son of God, The Great I Am, Wonderful, Counselor, The Messiah and more”, but perhaps the title most applicable to those who mourn this day, is His title, “The Prince of Peace”. An angel of the Lord announced His birth to shepherds abiding in their fields and then the sudden appearance of a heavenly choir singing audibly to human ears introduced the consummate human desire-Peace on Earth.

Storms, winds and tempests in our lives caused by tragedy, death, accident and calamity are all a part of our earthly experience. In the midst of these storms we often suffer pain, anguish, sorrow and despair. It is natural for us to seek peace and comfort during our trying times. Is there really a safe harbor from these storms of life? Where is it, how do we find it? Is it really possible to acquire inner peace in this life when we are required to face such sorrows?

For centuries, ancient Israel dreamed of peace, their dream of peace was to be free of war and political domination. As a people, they looked forward to the coming of their Messiah or Savior. They believed this Savior would rescue them from the battles and conflicts with their neighboring enemies and then establish a powerful political kingdom. While the Jews still wait the arrival of their Savior, they failed to see the fulfillment of prophecy when Jesus Christ walked among them. He offered them not kingdoms and glories of men but “inner spiritual peace, or “the peace of God”.

Unfortunately, many alive on the earth today have, like ancient Israel failed to see and understand the source of true peace in their lives. By in large, the world has been deceived by the father of all lies. Satan promises us peace; however his is a false peace, obtained through mechanisms devoid of any real spiritual strength. He teaches that inner peace can be obtained through the acquisition of material things, homes, cars or large bank accounts. He has convinced this nation that inner peace is simply an extension of endless recreational delights. Satan, through his endless barrage has persuaded many that inner peace is the result of non-stop pleasure or the ecstasy associated with chemicals and toxins that provide temporary bliss. The big lie that Satan has hoisted upon us is that these things will bring us happiness and peace. While in fact, if our hearts are set upon these things, the opposite is true and real peace, true inner peace, will forever eludes us.

Christ, “The Prince of Peace”; invites each of us to partake of His peace. A real peace, a lasting peace. His words, “Come unto me, ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” is a personal invitation to each of us as individuals, as families, as communities, as a nation and even as a world. Our personal decision, whether to accept and act on His invitation or to ignore it will determine the depth and quality of the inner peace we find in this life.

At times in our lives, many of us find ourselves in a rut. Some of these ruts can be deep and difficult to overcome. A couple of nights ago, my 16-year-old daughter was on assignment to deliver a younger sibling to a mountainside home above Midway. As you might suspect, the snow depth the other night at that elevation exceeded 4-5 feet. As she left the main road, the plowed road, to deliver her cargo, her inexperience in real winter driving conditions became obvious. She had turned onto a snowmobile trail. The trail was wide like a road and had been tightly packed by the considerable snowmobile traffic. To a young, innocent, blonde and somewhat naïve driver, this “road” looked like a road. As the vehicle proceeded towards the intended delivery point, by staying on the hard packed center of the trail, everything went well. However, when she attempted to back, back down the “road”, difficulties began to ensue. An unsuspecting bump in this “road” caused a slight over steer, propelling the passenger side tires off the hard pack into the depths of the soft snow. Moments later, the jeep was listing to the starboard and was frozen in place, unable to move forward or backward. Four wheel drive and good tires proved futile in these conditions With the help of a neighbor and two young teenage boys, we dug, pulled, pushed and sweat in the sub zero night unable to free the jeep from its current rut. After digging a very long and deep trail that was designed to gently guide the vehicle out of the rut and return it to the hard-pack, failure was once again our reward; the jeep would not leave its rut. In the end, the vehicle finally came free when considerable momentum was gained and utilized, as another vehicle was able to pull the helpless jeep down the mountain path while still in the rut. The back end of the jeep looked and acted like a snowplow as it was pulled at fairly good rate of speed through 4-5 feet of snow backwards down the mountain. Some ruts are just plain hard to get out of.

Some of life’s ruts, especially those that prevent us from enjoying the inner peace offered by the Lord may be very difficult to overcome. We may need help from others, it may require untold energy and commitment if we are to free ourselves. Prayer, fasting, scripture study, priesthood blessings and changes in daily habits will almost certainly be required. Once free of these ruts, peace will come more easily. Bruce R. McConkie, taught: “Inner spiritual peace, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding is a gift of God to the obedient”.

This peace, this real, spiritual inner peace can be with you on an ongoing basis, minute-to-minute, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day. You can find solace for your soul. Will their still be pain and longings for loved ones lost; of course? However, there is a way to end that aching, never-ending emptiness. It can be replaced with peace, comfort and even joy. The Lord Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace has told us this: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He who calmed the wind and the seas those many years ago, can also calm our troubled souls. By adhering to the principals and practices of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can obtain His gift of peace. I bear you my witness that the Lord can deliver us from our afflictions and bless us with lasting comfort and send us the peace he has promised if we will follow him and keep his commandments. I pray that we may all have the strength and discipline to do so. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Life

This last weekend Paul, Dan, Spencer and I headed down to Little Sahara. As you come into the park the first sign that you see is this one to the left. It is supposed to be a vivid reminder of the dangers of riding and playing in the sand dunes. When we arrived Friday night that number was 4. Ambulances and police were passing us on our way to the dunes. We thought someone had cased it off a dune or rolled down the hill.
It turns out it was the 12 year old trapped in his sand cave. My heart goes out to the family and the struggle that awaits them. In the last month two very big role models of mine have passed. It is a hard thing to watch a family go through, knowing that no matter how much you are there or what you say there is only so much you can do.

Life is Precious. Time is the one gift that once it is gone we can never get back. Once the day is over its etched in stone. Make the most of it.

Going For the Gold part II

So after a very eventful Friday night it was time to try and find some of that elusive yellow metal.

We decided to go try and pan the stream where it ran through existing tailings from the original dig. Dan and I really tried but didn't know what we were doing at all. So in the end we spent more time exploring the ruins, hiking to the mine entrance, and just enjoying the surroundings.

The first picture is of a cave that Dan and Eli found, I didn't get to it because i was on a trip to Wendover to get more fuel. I spent a good six hours riding in a police cruiser. Actually the same cops who the night before had us on our stomachs with guns at our backs. He felt so bad he offered to buy my fuel.


When I got back from my little trip we went and found the entrance to the original mine. Queen of Sheba was the name of it. after getting past the entrance it opens up to huge rooms with tunnels going in every direction. there were old rails from the mining carts, a shaft going down probably 50 ft with a pully system to raise and lower items. We went down one of the shafts until we hit another room, the ceiling was probably about 40 ft above our heads and you could see the vein of quarts going all along one wall and down one tunnel. all in all a very cool experience. Dan was pretty worried about the safety and the liability of having people in the mine so we all left until we could come back with someone who knew the layout and we had the right equipment.

The other two pictures are showing our camp and the canyon looking out to the valley. everything from the bottom of the canyon on was reservation. This is in the middle of Utah's west desert. you come around a corner and all of a sudden everything is green. it is amazing.

Good as Gold

Let me tell you about a little adventure I had this weekend. First, I must let you know that the following tale is true, not embelished (much).

Dan Fishler, Eli (dan's friend) and I decided that we were going to go to Dan's family's mine.,
the Queen of Sheba Gold mine, and try our luck at panning for gold. Dan has been trying to get me to go to this mine for about 6 months. This weekend it finally worked out and friday night we loaded up my truck and headed out to the Ourray mountain range in West Utah.

We got to wendover at about 9pm. I had about a half a tank left in my truck (which runs on diesel). I asked dan "Do we need fuel?"

Famous last words "Its only a 60 mile trip we should be fine." so contrary to the feeling in my gut we headed out to the mountains.

After driving approximatly 60 miles we got to the litte town, and when I say town I am strongly exaterating, of Goshute, Utah. To get to Dan's family property we had to pass through the goshute tribal lands. To do this you must have written permission from the tribal counsel. We had it.

we drove through the reservation with no excitement passing only one other car. as we headed up the dirt road toward the mine we noticed a car was starting up the same road coming from town. Thinking it was just a local rancher we kept driving. After going almost 3 miles up the road we found a place we could turn around and stay for the night.

As we were sitting in the truck looking at the map of where we were the car that had been following us pulled into view. It pointed a spotlight at us then turned on its red and blues, A tribal policeman.

He got on the loud speaker and told me to turn off the headlights of my truck then approach his vehicle with my hands on my head. His headlights were shining right in my eyes and I couldn't see the road where I was walking. I looked completely inebriated and tripped and fell to my knees two or three times. When I was 10 yards away from him he came over his speaker and told me to lift my shirt to my chin and slowly turn all the way around. then he told me to do this again. Then facing away from him he had me kneel down then slowly lay flat on my face in the dirt. Eli and dan went through the same process. When all three of us were laying flat on our faces we heard a distinct Click Click of a bullet being chambered. It does sound just like in the movies and it does have just as much of a scare factor as they make it seem to. The officer that had been talking to us then walked, gun up and ready to fire, to my vehicle to search it. His partner had a 12 guage shotgun aimed at our heads and told us to just stay put. We had no problems obeying.

long story short (haha a little late for that I know) he asked us what we were doing here, where we thought we were, etc. found out he was on Dan's property and we knew exactly where we were. They apologized for the hassle and had us go try to start my truck so they could get by and turn around to go home. due to the haste with which we stopped the vehicle it got stopped on a steep hill and the fuel was low enough that it wouldn't start. We had to push it out of the way so they could get by. They told us that one of them would come back in the morning either with fuel or would take us back into town to get some.

that was friday night. I am going ot leave it at that for now and I will catch up on the rest of the weekend tomorrow.

Easter Weekend at Little Sahara

This is my first Post and I don't know exactly how or what to say in this little adventure i am embarking on in cyber space called blogging. Las weekend Paul, Bill, Spencer and I all went to Little Sahara to go four-wheeling. I got there about 10pm saturday night. Already people were showing up and the entire parking area around sand mountain was full of campers and trucks.
We decided to go on a night ride and went over to wheelie hill where I was able to roll my predator twice.

The yells and cat calls, reving of engines, and occasional firework were a continuous soundtrack to sleep to. they estimate that over 35000 people were there this year alone.

I am still learning how to ride in the sand dunes as this was only my third time. So far I love it and can see this being my most common activity this summer.

This is spencer catching some air on his banshee.