To my best friends

Well it is Sunday night late, as it heads into Monday early morning.  I started in bed but the spirit had another idea.  In discussing this blog idea with Kristina, my goal was to reach out to you, and share with you my feelings, my inspirations, my dreams, and most of all my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people that I love the most.  Over the next year I want to share with you glimpses of my life that has made me who I am.  I am going to start with the earliest major event that made me know that I am a Son of God and that He knows me and love me.  My life as a servant of Jesus Christ began in January of 1977.  The Vietnam War has been over for about four years and the draft for military service was suspended.  Pres. Spencer W. Kimball received revelation that all worthy young men where called to serve the Lord in the mission field.  I was blessed to be on the earth at this time.  I remember opening my call to serve to the Hawaii, Honolulu mission.  I was reviewing my journal and recalled the following.  I was in the Utah Mission Home for 4 days and then sent on a plane to Hawaii.  In March, after two months in Hawaii, I received a transfer in person from my Mission President.  I was going to be transfered to Guam.  I had no idea that I would leave Hawaii at 12:00mid-night Saturday , Hawaii time, and end up in Guam at 4:00am on Monday morning.  Of course I crossed the international date line and missed all of Sunday.  Actual flight time was eight hours, alone - all by my self, I did not sleep at all.  I remember the feeling of being alone, probably the most alone feeling that I have ever had in my life.  When I got to Guam the elders were going to meet me, but they did not get the message, so one again I waited, alone, for them to come and get me.  My stop on Guam was brief, one month, and once again the Mission President contacted my from Hawaii to let me know I was on my way to Pohnape.  Great, but where was Pohnape?  Before leaving Guam, something happened that help me to know that I was not alone.  I have always remember the night my companion and I where traveling the jungle road from Anderson Air Force Base on the north end of the Island, to go back home to Agania located in the middle of the island.  The northern end of the island is dense jungle and I remember my companion pulling over the side of the road and telling me that we were going to spend a little time in the clearing and talk to our Father in Heaven.  I remember telling Father that I felt alone and lost and wondered why I was here.  I did not see a vision nor did I hear a physical voice, but the spirit conveyed to my that I was God's son and that he did know me and that he loved me.  I have never forgotten, nor have I questioned the fact that God knew me and cared about me and that I was called to the earth at this time to do an important work.  That work I was about to learn would be done of the Island of Pohnape, Eastern Caroline Islands.  I had been on the Island for a week and was transfered to the primitive part.  I was to work in Maund.  The road only went half way around the island and I would have to walk the rest of the way about 10 miles.  We did this once a week, going to Kolonia for supplies and return the next day loaded with food and supplies for a week.  One day we went to Kolonia for a branch party, gathered supplies, and started back for Maund the same day.  On the way over I had formed a blister on each ball of my feet, we also stayed at the party a little longer than we should have and so we got a late start back.  Pohnape is a tropical rain forest, so it rains and rains and then rains some more.  This causes the jungle to grow quick and dense.  On the way back it started to rain, the sun had set, we where in the densest part of the jungle and it was dark.  So dark that I could not see my companion in front of me, so he told me to put my hand on his back, which was a mistake for every time he slipped I would fall right on top of him.  We where in trouble, and I was a greenie and I was afraid.  You see my companion was also afraid but because he was not the greenie he could not admit that.  So I insisted that we stop and have a prayer.  As we arose out of the mud hole where we knelt to pray, we noticed something that we had not seen before.  In this part of the jungle a fern grew that absorbed light in the day and if dark enough gave off light.  We follow a trail of ferns that lead us to a house where we were able to stay the night.  Once again my Father had heard us and assured us that we where not alone and that He was looking out for us.  God loves each and every one of us, and I want all of you to know that He know you and loves you.  This does not mean that we will not have tests and time of trial but He will be there to comfort, to guide, to give peace when we feel that peace will never come, and most of all to let us know that we are not alone.  Love Dad, Grandpa