To Andy

          I recently responded to an email from my younger brother Andy, who is serving in Tampico Mexico.  He asked me "what can I do to help investigators get to church?"  I thought a little and prayed about what I might say.  The following is the letter I wrote to him.  I thought it a kind of epistle really.  I love my brother so much, and wanted to help him with his problem. 

      Hey man, sorry to hear about you investigator issue.  My only suggestions would be committing them very firmly to come, promise them blessings and teach them the truth that "si ama a Dios, iria a la iglesia.  Si realmente quiere ir a los cielos un dia para vivir con su familia para siempre, van a venir a la iglesia".  Make them feel like barro (mud) if they don't come.  You are just teaching them the truth, that if they really love God, they would go. 
     Our assistants gave us this training saying that if someone is sick, you would do better to treat the SOURCE of the illness and not just the symptoms.  The same is true for us spiritually.  If someone isn't going to church, isn't willing to pay tithing, isn't willing to progress beyond a certain point, then some part of their spirit is sick,  we need to treat the source of their spiritual illness.  This includes committing them firmly to read the Book of Mormon, I mean, to really read it.  Tell them that if they read it and feel nothing, they missed it.  Commit them to pray, to really ask Father what they should do.  I liked to use the word "rogar" (to beg or plead) when describing how earnestly we should ask for blessings.  Focus on treating the source of their spiritual retardation. 
         Even after you have used all your ammo on your investigators that you love so much, they still may not choose to come.  That's the simple truth of it.  I can relate to your hurt, disappointed and sad feelings, I have felt them before.
       When investigators really feel the Holy Ghost, stumbling blocks crumble away and they are filled with a desire to progress.  That is the theory anyway, but making it happen is the art of the dedicated and powerful missionary. 
      I love you bro, I pray for you every night.  I try to imagine what Mexico must be like, what the streets look like that you walk on every day, what the chapels look like.  I imagine you and me dressed up in white shirts and ties, contacting anything that moves and sharing a day together in the Lord's service.  If anything else Andy, when you feel down, my heart is with you.  Know that your older brother loves and supports you utterly and completely.  God bless you.
    -love, your brother,
         Spencer-

Start your engines!

      Like Timone, I want to put my hands in the air and say "it starts".  The war has begun, man v.s school.  It's kind of exciting actually, putting on war paint, wearing a loin cloth and doing all those cool fighting moves I've seen in action movies.  My kind of war.
       In my long-term plans for this war of getting educated, I had an epiphany; medical school.  I see no reason why not, and (almost sheepishly) liked the idea of earning a respectable salary.  A champion decision indeed.
        A few weeks ago in our stake conference, we were invited to pick a friend of ours, and to pray for them every night in hopes that they will find the gospel and accept it.  I chose my old guitar teacher, a short middle-aged southern man with a smokers cough, a mutilated left hand and a short fuse.  The guitar obeys him. His lessons were brutal, but that somehow made me love the man.  He's always stuck out in my memory as someone that I wanted to remember.  There is a lot more to the story, but basically, he needs the church.
      I have kept that commitment to pray for him nightly.  I really loved the guy.  Now, I feel like it's time to do something.  I need to find him and somehow, I have no idea where is lives now days, and I have no idea what to say.  Perhaps just start talking.  Golly heaven knows that I want him to feel something, I just hope that gets through.  And if not, then I did my best.  I'd be fine with that.
         All this sounds like a great adventure, right!  Medical school, an academic war, cyber-proselyting, now all we need is a villain and a western-style shoot out!   I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and give it all I got.

Getting started

         So here we go; thanks for taking the time to check this blog thing out, I'm still getting used to this whole thing.  The inspiration for this comes from various friends and family members who have blogs that I follow occasionally, which proves to be a convenient way of staying informed as to how they are doing, what they are experiencing, whatever.  Though I may have frequent contact with them person to person, reading what they write never fails to provide insights that I did no glean in person.  Hopefully I can return the service to you through this blog.
           The title says "the life of the champion".  I'm not asserting that that is what I have, but rather what I am trying to achieve.  I also try to celebrate my Spanish-speaking abilities, probably more than is welcome.  It's just a funny phrase to toss around with a heavy, gruff Spanish accent.  The title seemed adequate. 
      I suppose that, like my sister's blog, it should have some kind of theme, purpose and direction, without the "public vent session" result.  Nobody wants to read that.  Instead, in the fight to be a champion of life, I'll mention here (in an entertaining and worthwhile manner)  the epic and desperate battles against challenges, trials, inner demons and Bio265.  Perhaps you could view it like an adventure that you are taking one step behind me. The champion of life also has what's most important first in his life, which I believe to be missionary work; simply said, there is nothing else like it, and should be participated in every day.
       I hope you enjoy it and find it worth your five minutes every once in a while to read.  I am sure that all who find their way here are close enough to me to warrant an "I love you", which I really do mean.  And if not, then I just love you anyway.