The Bishop

Well, it's not every week you get a pose like this out of the bishop, so I thought I'd better immortalize it here on the world wide web, even if it is a bit fuzzy. This is from our Wednesday night combined activity, a Birthday party celebrating about 6 different birthdays this month, including the bishops. We had Karaoki and Rock Band set up, and various other games. Here the bishops looking for the song "Sunshine on my Shoulders" by John Denver in the karaoki song list. He later sang it with near perfection. It was a real good time.

The Magic Flute

Saturday night I brought the Philharmonic club to the Julliard. We saw what might have been the best presentation of Mozart's The Magic Flute ever rendered. The stage was adorned with the face of a large cement building, and some caution 'sawhorses'and barbed wire piled in a corner, and a light on a metal structure like an oil well in the back. There Tamino, the California surfer dude is found by machine gun yeilding maids of the queen of the night. They tell the Queen and she sends them to him with a picture of her daughter, Pamina, who has been kidnapped by Sarastro, the King. He immediately falls in love with Pamina, or at least with her picture, and accepts the quest to rescue her from Sarastro. He teams up with Papegeno, the mine seeker who wanders the worn torn country in camo pants and a T-shirt, carrying a metal detector. He finds mines and puts pins in them as he goes, while dreaming of finding a Papegena. The queen gives a magic flute to Tamino and magic bells (aka a portable phone reciever box with a crank handle to send out calls) to Papegino.

Through various events Papegino finds Pamina, but is discovered by a guard. The guard and Papegino frighted each other so much that the guard hands the keys shakily to Papegino, and in return Papegino hands a mine to the guard. The guard runs off the stage and there's a huge explosion past the curtains. Papegino releases Pamina and they go looking for Tamino.

At some point Papegino finds Papagina, a Leopord-skin clad asian girl that mops the floors of Sarastro's temple. When they are separated by the guards of the temple he uses his magic bells, first to make all the guards answer their cell phones, then sing into there cell phones about how danceable the ringtone is, and finally dance off stage. Then He follows the magic bells with the phone to his ear, until Papegena answers her cell phone and they sing to each other through the phones - "Pa, pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-gino,Pa, pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-gina!" I don't think Mozart could have imagined it done in an any more fun way. I never knew opera could be so entertaining.

In the above picture is everyone who went from the school. In the bottom picture is Ashley and I with our friend Manny Torres. He loved every second of the opera. He hardly stopped laughing and begged to know when we'll go again.

Hiking Otis Pike Wilderness, Fire Island

Today we took to the wilderness of Fire Island. More majestic skys have rarely been seen by human eyes. This secluded island built by centuries of wave depositions is the habitat for unique and unusal flora. Despite heavy winds and dense fog, the air was warm and the company warmer. These are just a few glimpses at some of the majesty we experienced. Such are the blessings of being the Young Men's president in NY Town.

Where the Wild Things Are

Ever wonder Where the Wild Things Are? Try Fire Island on a windy day; winds from the north east. Or just ask the Young Men (or there leaders) from Olmstead 2nd Ward.

Notes from the dancefloor of the Youth Multistake Dance in Kingsbridge, Friday, 8 February:

I'm proud to be the Young Men's president of a much nobler strand of youth than I ever was. 'Why Nobler?' you may ask. I'll tell you why. Because Dillan, Giovanni's cousin on the far left, got his girl's phone number in the first 5 minutes at the dance. And Gio, far right, well, he got his number at the end of the dance, but the girl stuck with him through the last half hour of it all. (I'm proud to say I introduced them). And AJ, in front, well he insisted that there was a girl there that he was interested in and I found that by asking questions like "What's here name?" and "Where is she from?" and "How old is she?" would cause him to run off into the crowd, and then come back to me with the answer. Eventually, he went home with a myspace address as well. I think I managed to get a number at a dance for the first time just a few years ago. Where can you get better training in real life situations than in the Bronx. These boys are on the road to bright futures. Not to mention, they expertly dance merengüe, bachata, salsa, breakdance, and whatever you call the stuff you do to modern rock.

Men in Negro

This picture taken against the white back-drop of the church under the powerful Mexican sun is a notable memory from the mission. I served with these Elders in zona Los Olivos. Elder Colorado and I were the Zone Leaders. Elder Muñoz was training Elder Gomez, who was, as I recall, one of the most humble and honest men I'd ever met. Elder Colorado and I spent about a quarter of our mission together. First as Zone Leaders for three months. At the end of those three months we held our final Multi-Zone Conference with President Alonso, at which he concluded a powerful discourse with the announcement that he'd decided to call two new Segadores Mayores to the mission. Two missionaries who he could trust to reap the harvest where ever they were sent, and to set a standard and an example for the rest of the mission. Further, one of those two missionaries would be chosen from those present at the conference. That night Elder Colorado and I had finished a somewhat extensive planning session attempting to utilize all the training we'd obtained that day to improve the zone, and I had just climbed into bed when the phone rang. Elder Colorado took the call, during which he maintained a very serious, if not somewhat disturbed voice. "Okay Elder," he said, and hung up. "Que hay?" I asked, and he told me with utter solemnity that I was being transfered. I called his bluff. I was wrong. I was transfered to the dusty hills of Mañeadero as Segador Mayor with Elder Vazquez, an Elder I'd worked with only in exchanges. He finished his final 6 weeks of the mission with me.

After being split up for those 6 weeks our new mission president, President Carmack, put Elder Colorado and I back together as Segadores Mayores - called to continue Cosechando in Mañeadero. We continued together for 3 more months.

It's hard imagine, after retrospection, that little ol' me could have done so much. But pictures and writings reconfirm that we brought to pass much righteousness in these days of service. From simple things are great things surely brought to pass.



And missionaries have had such influence in this world that even Lladro, our Spanish sculptor friend, chose to construct this work which stands on display in the gallery in Manhattan.

Ashley

So, being always the obedient return missionary, I went to this single adult activity on Roosevelt island in search of a means of completing my eternal purposes, and obtaining for myself the promises of Abraham and all the fathers, and carrying out my work as a descendent of Ephraim, that I might procure a nice little local in the kingdom of Heaven; and being thus engaged in works of righteousness I met there a young lady named Ashley, who stole my little heart, and has yet to give it back ...



And so, we proceded to make jello together ...



And play Sixes with Andrew and Tamara ...



And so forth.