The Three MuskaLymans

I figure if I just show up at church enough, I will eventually see all the old youth that I love. (sorry about that split infinitive) Marca and I were sitting on our bench on the far west wall of the chapel during Sacrament meeting several weeks ago when a tall handsome young man caught our eye. At first Marca questioned if I knew who it was and my initial reaction was "it looks like Anders Lyman" yet that couldn't possibly be because this young man was too grown up. Well as you can guess, following the meeting Anders came over and brought us up to date. You know how shocked we all are when we see a loved one for the first time after we have missed the growing up years of their life? That was the case with Anders. Anders has completed a successful mission to Panama and is now living in Taylorsville with a cousin, preparing for school in the fall. I can't remember exactly what he was planning to study but Janae (his mom) thinks it will be something medical - probably Anesthesia or something like that. Boy did he look good - Manhood suits Anders.

Then a few weeks later both Nisha and Katrina came to our ward. I am not sure if they choose to attend our ward because their grandparents (Durrant and Elaine Black) still live in the ward or if they simply love being swarmed by people that love them. After the meeting, you almost had to stand in line to greet them. Since I had to go teach a class I had to wait till the second shift (after the block) to catch up. Katrina and her husband Kirk were just leaving for Ohio where he is persuing his Master's in Music Education. He has been teaching music for a few years and is now going to persue both a master's and a Phd. Katrina has two beautiful little daughters, 3 1/2 year old Amelia and 5 month old Sariah. We wish them luck. (luck nothing, the Lord takes care of His favorites)

Nisha only has three semesters left to complete her RN at Southern Utah University. She is working as a CNA right now but once she has her RN, I am sure the Lord will put her to work somewhere. For those of you like me who forget important stuff, Nisha served a mission in Winnepeg, Canada. Nisha, Katrina and Anders all had that wonderful light in their eyes, the light that comes from being square with the Lord.

Just to keep you up on the Lymans, they moved to St. George a bunch of years ago and are doing really well. Glen is still working with IHC down there and Janae is raising what her kids say is "another family." Glen and Janae have adopted a few more children. Either Glen and Janae are blessed with tons of love and patience or their older kids were so unselfish that it didn't take much to raise them and by the time they were grown there was a surplus. I figure it was both.

Funny and Faithful Joseph Thompson

We just got back from our every 10 year Father's and Son's Outing. Too bad we don't have them more often, we love our sons plenty and all. This time I was fortunate enough to have Josh and Caleb join me. We put them to work helping organize the parking. The place we went to was woefully short on parking, so Josh and Caleb had to help shuttle gear up to the camp sites with ATVs and trailers. They were great. Following their labors, they snagged Nash and the three of them, each mounted on a 4 wheel drive ATV, went exploring for a few hours. They reported watching the sunset from the top of some mountain. But that is not what this story is all about.

When we got done with parking duty and returned to the pavillion for dinner, I had the pleasure to spend some time with Joseph Thompson who looks as good as ever. He is now sporting a modified beard. I'm not hip enough to know what that particular facial hair style is called but I never fault a guy with hair on his chinny chin chin. But seriously, Joseph is doing great.

A month ago I had the chance to help with the scenery for writers and directors Garya nd Joseph Thompson. One of the great things that has never changed with Joseph is his great sense of humor and tremendous love and patience with Taylor. I don't know if Joseph is great because Taylor has helped him become so or if Taylor got to be Joseph's brother because Joseph is great. Either way it was wonderful once again to sit and visit with Joe. My first memory of knowing Joseph was when I was first in the scouts and we went on some bike ride somewhere. I remember that Joseph was not in very good shape and was really tired and was going really slow. (as if I was in any kind of shape) I was about to be out of patience but he was so happy and having such a good time, all I could think was - I love this kid! That would have been around 14 or so years ago and you know what - I still love that kid!

By the way he is still working his way through school up at the U majoring in Business. No, he has not left the preforming arts behind. I don't think you can get the theater out of the Thompsons. (by the way, our ward's road show was remarkable - what else would you expect?). Joe is managing a group of actors and managing to act every time he gets a chance. This year he is the producer for Hunt Mysteries which is a very popular Murder Mystery Troupe that preforms all over the valley.

Between acting and school however he is working for some finance company - I'm embarrassed that I don't remember which one or what he does, but if he does what I would do, he probably earns money and then spends it. He did say they love him enough that they let him conform his work schedule to his school schedule.

We didn't spend alot of time on his love life, probably because he said he is between "potential Goddesses." (those were not his exact words) What he actually said was the there are some great women out there - most of them are married however. Well, this tall, handsome, single, red-head is still true to the faith and the Lord will deliver.

BrieAnn Schiffler - our pageant tour guide

Marca and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Mormon Miracle pageant in Manti, Utah yesterday as we traveled down with the stake's Young Single Adults. Sadly we only had one person from our ward join us, but if we are not going for quantity, we settled for quality.

We were blessed to go down and back with BrieAnn. What a joy she was and I should say is. If some of you don't know, after high school BrieAnn went south to Snow College and got her Associates degree. Snow College is in Ephraim Ut which is a few miles from Manti. Following Snow College she's gone up to Utah State University and will soon finish her degree in Social Work. Right now her plans are to pursue a master's degree.

She has also served as a Stake Youth Leader at our Stake's Young Women's Camps for three years. Since Marca was involved with the Stake YW, Marca worked with her. Following the camps, Marca would return home with nothing but praise for the diligence and willingness to serve and her untiring dedication to make the camp a great experience for the other YW. BrieAnn is amazing in her ability to reach out and be friendly to everyone. That was demonstrated last night as we shared 10 hours together - driving down, hanging out, watching the pageant and then driving home. A brother and sister from the stake also joined us in the van. BrieAnn instantly made them welcome and together we all had a wonderful trip. Her sincere enthusiasm and interest in others was very evident.

Having lived in Ephriam while she went to school and having traveled back and forth many times, BrieAnn was a great tour guide as we drove from SLC to the pageant. We learned about the turkey farms, the pizza places that were best, where the hang out places were and even her dream home in town. Overall, we loved the pageant but mostly BrieAnn added a touch of joy to the trip. Thanks Brie.

Joshy & Nashy - Supreme "Validators"

The only reason I can talk about these two little guys without them whuuping me is that they know I love 'em. Josh Merrell and Nash Allen have been great friends for lots of years. Nash seemed to grow up faster and I mean up. For a while we wondered if Josh was going to kick that 'growth' thing into gear. Although Nash is still a bit taller, they both are about 2 feet taller than the camp picture. Take a look at these two shots - one from scout camp a number of years ago and their Olympus High School Graduation earlier this month.

The great thing is this. Even though they have had different interests and have hung out with different crowds from time to time, they have stayed fast friends and have set an incredible example for all the other youth. That example is what I want to talk about.

I refer to the principle these two guys exemplify as the "Validator" principle. In any activity that we attend (whether adult or youth) there is an element of thought, whether sub-conscious or conscious that has us thinking, "Is this where I should be? Is this the best place for me right now? Am I missing something better somewhere else?" We look around and assess the rest of the participants, looking for the right people to have made the same decision that we made. Once we determine that the right people are there, we can relax and stay and enjoy. Our decision to attend is "Validated."

"Who are the 'Right' people" for us and "what do they support" will ultimately shape the decisions we make for what we support and where we go. I cannot stress more powerfully how important this is. Think about it. When we go to a ward activity, are the "right" leaders there? When we go to a meeting, is it validated by the attendance of the right other people such as the Bishop? At a business party, do the bosses actually show up and get involved?

As younger kids are making decisions to be active in YM/YW, they naturally look at the older kids as "Validators." If some activity is supported by the older kids that it must be good enough for the younger kids. This type of "Validation" takes place in every part of our life. With the YM and YW, some older kids - due to personality, leadership, athletic or other skills, or perceived popularity may stand out differently to some kids more than others. Their importance as "Validators" may take on a greater role in a young persons life. But as a whole, the Deacons are watching the Priests. The Priests are watching the Elders, etc.

So now back to Josh and Nash. Time and time again, I watched both the younger and older kids watch these two very carefully. Activities succeeded and failed sometimes based on the attendance of these two. It's hard to go laying all this responsibility on a couple kids that are just trying to grow up themselves and so I am grateful that they took the role as "Validator" serious, even if they didn't know they were doing it.

They are now graduating to the next level which includes Melchizedek Priesthood, Missions and school. Both Josh and Nash have completed their Duty to God, their Eagle, Seminary Graduation and High School Graduation. That they will continue to be "Validators" for good and my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for having the chance to be part of their lives is my prayer.

Nate Allen a dad?

Believe it or not, our fun loving and crazy Nate Allen is not only a dad but he is so gentile and sweet with his new little "Lilly" that you can see why our Heavenly Father recommends fatherhood to all His sons here on earth.

A couple weeks ago Nate and Emily chose to come back to our beloved GHN to have their new daughter Lilly blessed. It was such a great opportunity to be there as Brad presented Lilly to the Lord and gave her such a sweet blessing! Then watching Nate be so gentile with Lilly during the meeting just warmed my heart.

A couple weeks later was Stake Conference and Nate's little baby brother Nash recieved the Melchezedek Priestood. Yes, Nash grew up, and boy did he grow up. In April, he received both his Eagle and his Duty to God award. He is aiming for a mission in October. I am sure I will up-date you all about it. But back to Nate. After the ordination, Marca, Josh and I went up to the Allen's where we of course feasted on a great lunch, but I had the opportunity to spend some time visiting with Nate. He outlined his education plans and some of his goals. What stood out the most however was his comment about how fatherhood and the responsibility to one of God's precious little baby daughters changes one's focus.

I have always felt and have said so publically, that I feel the Lord has a great work for Nate. It is going to be fun to watch the Lord's hand in Nate's life.

Way to go Nate! Congratulation's Emily and welcome to earth Lilly.

What's this blog all about?

Hello all you great ones! Here's the deal, for the past 15 years Marca and I have had the opportunity to work with some of the world's greatest young people. We have all heard that you are a choice generation and you were saved for these last days, blah, blah, blah. Well, that's probably all true, but what is important to us, is the fact that we have been able to share in your wonderful lives. So, this blog is about you, and in some cases it could be called - "the rest of your story!"

We are continually blessed to continue contact with you in various ways. So we are simply going to share these experiences with all of you that may care enough to hear a little here and a little there about your former partners in crime. I will tell you about Jacob Westover serving in Iraq, the baby blessing for Nate Allen's beautiful little daughter, Alisha Taase's European adventure and many more as they come along.

So please check in from time to time and keep up with your fellow future world leaders!

We love you all and thank your for making our lives richer!

Kent & Marca Merrell