Exodus 17:7

So, there are the children of Israel, wandering through the hot and desolate wilderness, not too long after more than 600,000 of them passed through the Red Sea on dry ground.  They have seen Moses find fresh water for them once already, and then saw the Lord give them quail and manna to eat.  Then, the next time they all get thirsty, these people come up to Moses and say "wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst... is the Lord among us, or not?"
    I wager that most of us read this and think "man, they really were a bunch of whiners.."  And perhaps that's true, although if I saw my wife and kids hot and dehydrated I'd be tempted not say angry things too.  However, I suppose the moral of this story is that we should remember the miracles that we see. If we see at least one big miracle, we should "remember remember", and know that if God has shown us His mercy and power once, there is no reason why He won't do it again.

End of my term

   I have about three weeks left serving in the SRC.  Elections are coming up; I have been watching the two teams going through the same motions and emotions that Jon and I went through.  Watching them meet with their campaign teams, seeing the sparkle of excitement and anxiety flash in their eyes.  I recall those feelings very acutely.  I recall feeling the soft nudges from the Spirit that things were going to turn out alright.
        I have started to look back on my experience in the SRC; we aren't quite done yet, but our term is just about over.  People have been approaching me and asking "are you relieved that you are almost done?"  I frankly respond "no actually, I'm not.  I feel that I have just started to get this whole vice-president-ing thing down, and now we are about to give up the title."
       This assignment has pushed me tremendously.  It has demanded skills and talents from me that I simply do not possess.  The only time that I can recall begging for heavenly help this much was during my tenure in the MTC.  As is always the case, under such pressures I have grow enormously, have shed some bad habits and have gained some better ones.
      In the end, I think that the single greatest thing I have gained from these last two semesters has been my testimony of relying on heavenly help.  I see more clearly now than ever before that I cannot do sufficiently what life requires by myself.  The simple truth is that I need Him.  I need every particle of help and support that He will send me.  I plead for help, for assistance in facing these challenges that will stagger me if I do it alone.  The feelings in my heart are "I must receive His help, and will do anything to get it".
        I can anticipate looking back on these experiences with fondness and gratitude.  There have been deep canyons and deep rivers carved into my heart and soul. It is somewhat alarming to realize how greatly this has changed my life, and how much it will continue to change it.  It has changed the course of it forever.  I'm still reeling at that realization.
       I suppose that from here, the only way to go is onward and upward.  I am so grateful for the privilege it has been for me to serve the student body.  

One versus four

I just spent the last couple hours watching my three nieces while my sister and her husband were out for a couple hours.  Mille and Joe are three, Hazel is almost two, and Samwise the Brave is eight months (the dog).  My mom and I watched them for about three hours, fed them dinner, read them books, bathed them and tucked them into bed.
      Being a male, I engaged in some rough house playing with them; the game we now play is called "ka-gunk", and they can't get enough of it.  I pick one of them up in my arms and gallop around the house as if I was a horse, making the clopping sound horses make.  They will now look at me, reach up with their hand and say "ka-gunk Spencer, ka-gunk!!"  They all want their turn NOW, and there is only so much "ka-gunking" I can do before I get tuckered out.  
      Sweet things. 

How do you get unshakable faith?

     By shaking it!

Let me tell you a story;
     Last semester was my first semester getting seriously involved at BYU-Idaho.  I served as a program manager for Get Connected Council, a branch of the Student Support program.  I also managed the show 'Music Outlet' during the semester, an open mic night every Monday after FHE.  In the end I was giving about 10 hours a week to the school.  It seems like a lot, but let me tell you, I feel like my life began last semester!  I enjoyed what I was doing immensely, it aroused in me some of the familiar feelings that accompanied my mission. 
       I have a testimony of getting involved.  It has enriched my experience here so much, and has given me so many wonderful experiences and opportunities.  As a result, I have seen a growing desire in me to get others involved.
      There are so many other students on campus that have merely a 'good' experience here at school, when there is so much potential for them to fully enjoy everything this school has to offer.  I have truly enjoyed fully investing myself in my experience here.  Now I find myself asking Heavenly Father questions like "how can I get my friends involved as well?"  And the coolest thing is, answers actually come!
      I hope that every student that comes here realizes how great an opportunity they have.  It's the greatest place ever!
      

Few quick experiences...

      Hello everyone, here are a few quick experiences that I wanted to share;
I'm currently the manager for the weekly show "Music Outlet" this semester.  Every Monday at eight thirty p.m I show up at the Crossroads stage and set things up, then from about nine to ten thirty I MC this show of different people playing original music; I love it, mostly because I have made so many great friends; Lorraine Ferriante, Kyson Kidd, Zack Morris, and other weekly players have become new friends of mine.  It's been such a great way to touch so many people in a simple way.
    I'm currently on Get Connected Council, and my gosh, it's been the capital of my semester.  It sounds cliche, but my experience with Get Connected has aroused feelings that I haven't felt since my mission; the hand of the Lord is in that program, and we see it everyday.  I love planning the trainings and activities and programs that we run, it's been such a blessing.
     I have been called to be the Family History Consultant for my ward, which has proven to be a wonderful calling; I have gotten more and more into family history, which has proven to be more exciting that I anticipated.  Now that I have my feet underneath me, I'm going to start training some of the folks in my ward, and later on have an indexing competition.  Fun stuff.
      No girlfriend yet, but hopefully that will change soon.
      All my classes have great percentages, except trigonometry; that will be the killer this semester.  I have some great excuses, but the point is that my wonderful track record since I have come home from my mission will have at least one definite scar this semester.
     All in all, I'm doing pretty darn well.  I have some of the greatest friends in the world, and am enjoying college more than ever.  I love you all so much!

The nose test

     So, this is what I call the nose test; It has taken me several semesters to refine the technique, but now I think I have it. I see it only fitting to share my discoveries with everyone else.
     In Rexburg, I often leave the apartment in the morning, often when it is the coldest and most miserable outside.  I now willingly accept the pleasant greeting I receive when I walk out the front door; an attack of frigid stratosphere-chilled air.  Whabam!!!
        On the best mornings, it is not uncommon for the air to be so cold that your nose hairs will freeze as you inhale.  It feels like your nose spontaneously fills with bogies.  I have done a little homework, which has helped me complete my theory; in order for nose hairs to begin to freeze, it must be 0 degrees (+-3).  Any warmer, and nose hairs will not freeze.  So, to check the temperature when I walk outside, I have developed a technique of sniffing sharply through my nose, then waiting to see if my nose fills with snotsickles.  Neat huh?