Blessings in Disguise

This weekend has been absolutely insane. It was wonderful, and I really wouldn't have it any other way, it was just a little...crazy.


Friday, like I planned, I went to the Logan and the Vernal Temples. Ogden was closed until today, so I just went to those two. I got to the Logan Temple around 9:30, read my scriptures until a little after 10, and went up to the baptistry. As I was ringing the doorbell, a lady came by and told me the baptistry didn't open until 11. I had an entire hour and nothing to do. I figured I'd have an early lunch, so I found a Subway and had a delish sandwich. After lunch, I still had half an hour before I could go back. So I drove around, and saw a store that said "Movies, Books, Music, Coffee" Well, I wasn't too interested in movies or coffee, but I love bookstores, and music is just a given. So I went inside, and quickly found that it was more "Movies" than anything else. I browsed around in what few books and CD's they had, but got bored pretty quick. They had another section at the back of the store that was kind of just a bunch of random stuff. Shirts, posters, shot glasses, etc. I thought I'd check it out, but after taking one glance at one of the posters, I just left. It was about time to go back to the temple anyway. I got to the temple a little after 11, and kind of just felt...icky. I hadn't done anything bad. I had removed myself from a compromising situation when I felt I needed to, but even though I hadn't sinned necessarily, I still felt...defiled. Impure. I prayed that I would be able to feel the spirit as I went into the Temple, and I did feel a little comforted, so I thought I'd be okay. I walked again up to the baptistry door and rang the doorbell. No one answered, and an older man who was probably a temple worker came up to ring the doorbell as well. They answered that time, and the lady inside asked me what I needed. I told her I was just there to do baptisms, and she said that all of the workers were just getting there, and the baptistry wouldn't open until 12. So I walked back to my car, determined that this time I would spend the next hour preparing for the temple, rather than just kill time and perhaps distance myself from the spirit. I drove around trying to find a place that overlooked the temple, where I could sit and ponder and prepare, but if you've ever been to Logan, you'll probably know that the temple is pretty much the highest thing in the city. There are some mountains to the east, but I couldn't find a way up any of them. I did find a beautiful canyon and a nice park at the entrance though, so I stopped there for a while, and did everything I could to prepare myself to enter into the house of the Lord and to have the spirit with me. When I got back at 12, I felt much more prepared and worthy to enter the temple. 


Blessing: The baptistry didn't open until 2 hours after I wanted to go in. In those two hours I learned a lot about temple preparation. Just because I had a recommend, didn't mean that I was prepared to go to the temple. 


The Logan baptistry is actually quite small. Despite its size, it's a very beautiful place. The work is being done, and the spirit is there. After doing baptisms and confirmations, I started on the looooooong journey to Vernal, Utah. Google maps says that from Logan to Vernal is about 4 hours and 45 minutes. That meant I wouldn't get to Vernal until around 6. 'Nother thing. Google maps also says that the quickest way from Logan to Vernal is through Wyoming. So I began the long drive, starting by going up Logan Canyon. I passed Bear Lake, I went through Wyoming,  two or three national forests, I saw a bunch of deer, antelope, ravens, and 3 bald eagles. Took a few wrong turns, learned some lessons in patience, faith, and prayer, went through Flaming Gorge at sunset, aka the most AMAZING time to go through Flaming Gorge. The sunset would've been absolutely beautiful without being in Flaming Gorge, and Flaming Gorge would've been absolutely beautiful without the sunset. Together, they were just plain freaking awesome. I got to the Vernal Temple at about 5:56 pm. Not bad timing, considering all the...detours I took. The Vernal Temple is really a beautiful building. It's definitely the smallest temple I've ever been to, but it's still very beautiful. So I went up to the baptistry doors and rang the doorbell, not knowing if there was even anyone inside. A temple worker opened the door, and said something to the effect of, "Is this all of you?" or, "Are you the only one?" Well, come to find out, there was a ward scheduled to do baptisms at 6:00 that night. Otherwise, the baptistry wouldn't have been open. So I was able to join the ward and do baptisms and confirmations. 


Blessing: The Logan Temple didn't open until 12, I got lost a number of times on my way to Vernal, and I stopped twice for gas and snacks. I got the the Vernal Temple at the only time that day that the baptistry was open. 


On my way home, I took another wrong turn, but figured out my mistake (before I got all the way to Moab) and got back on the right track. I learned something about myself that I never knew before. I really don't like passing cars in the oncoming lane of traffic. It scares me to death every time, especially in the dark. The drive home was only 3 hours, but after such a long day, I was tired. Luckily, I had my Fritos, honey-roasted peanuts, and a good friend to keep me awake. Well, the drive was pretty uneventful. I didn't fall asleep, I didn't hit any semis head on, I didn't even have to swerve to avoid any deer. As I was coming down Provo canyon however, on the last leg of my journey, a big chunk of ice appeared in my lane. It didn't really appear, it was just dark and I didn't see it until it was too late to miss it. I decided that instead of swerving to avoid it, I'd just place my tires evenly on either side of it and pass right over. Well, I either misjudged how much clearance my car had or how solid the piece of ice was, because I didn't just "pass right over." In fact, I don't think there was much left of that chunk of ice after I hit it. But, my car didn't start making any funny sounds, so I wasn't too worried. I got home around 11, said hi to my parents, and crashed. I really think I would've slept past 12, but I had work at 8, so I was up again at 7:30. I got in the car to head off to work, and it started right up, but when I pushed on the gas, nothing happened (yes, I was in drive, not neutral. :P ). I didn't have time to figure out what was wrong then, 'cause I'd be late for work. So I drove the van and my dad looked at it that day. Come to find out, my transmission started leaking fluid about 15 feet before I pulled up to my house and parked, and every drop had leaked out during the night. 


Blessing: A big chunk of ice ripped a hole in my transmission pan, but I got home safely, and didn't have any car problems. At least, not until after I was home. 


Sometimes things happen in life and we're not sure why. Sometimes we wonder why things don't go the way we want. But our Heavenly Father is there for us. He knows what's right for us, even if it doesn't seem right in the beginning. It may not even seem right in the end, but as long as we trust in His will, He will never lead us astray. There is a quote by President Ezra Taft Benson that says this:

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace." 

I believe this with all of my heart. He is there for us. We just need to make sure that we are there for Him. 


This wasn't all that happened this weekend, but it was a big chunk of it. There have been many other blessings and miracles to add to this list, but for now...have a nice day. :) 


-Joseph Morris Cannon 

There and back again...

Once upon a time, Bilbo Baggins wrote a book about his adventures. He called it 'There and Back Again'.


This is pretty much like that. Except...I didn't travel all the way to Smaug's lair and come home with trunks full of gold and silver...but I did have some adventures of my own.


Okay, so my adventures on the way to Rexburg, Idaho weren't anything compared to Bilbo's. Pretty much all that happened was that we drove to McCammon, stayed the night, started out for Rexburg the next morning, got lost trying to find Highway 20, remembered that we had an atlas in the trunk of our car, found Highway 20, and then finally got to Rexburg. 




So...is anyone else bored out of their mind?




I am.




Usually blogging is pretty entertaining for me. Today I'm just kind of feeling...bleh. meh. eh...


I've had a tummy ache all day. Maybe that's why...


Oh well. 


I'll say a poem. Ready?




GOD says to me with a kind 
of smile, "Hey how would you like 
to be God awhile And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.

Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"

"Gimme back that wheel," says GOD.
"I don't think you're quite ready YET."




There you go. 


I'm going to go play now.


Have a nice day!


-joey

Can Aida?

I'm pretty sure Aida can. At least, that's what Josie told me once. We must've had a boring day in zoology. Or...we were just yapping or passing notes to each other like we always did. :p

Um, so yeah. Canada. Pretty much like the U.S. but there are more...hosers. Plus the occasional 'a-boot'. More often it was 'a-boat', which, by the way is probably the most attractive thing I've ever heard a girl say. I know, this is kind of third gradish of me, but when you're listening to a girl talk, and she's talking completely normal, and then out of nowhere says 'a-boat', it just...I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sucker for awesome accents, but it's different than listening to a British girl, or an Irish girl. Um...yeah. Sorry about that little...side note.

The first thing we saw coming over the border was a big field of elk. But...they were fenced in. I guess they grow them there. Raise them. Whatever. Not much in Canada was different than here. They still had Subway, Red Lobster, Motel 8's. You know, the works. Red Lobster is so good, by the way. We were trying to find someplace a little cheaper, but everything else was closed. After Red Lobster we went to my great-aunt Lynne's house. We met and talked with a bunch of family members that I've known my whole life, but had no idea they were Canadian...

So, about the reason we went to Canada: Jeff Jacob (my great-uncle) passed away on August the 6th, 2010, after a year-long battle against pancreatic cancer. My grandparents weren't able to attend the funeral because of the mission they're serving in Berlin, Germany, so we went instead (we being all of my grandparents' children, plus me). The only reason I was able to go was because I got work off to be dewisdomized (that is, be stripped of the four large objects taking up space in my mouth), but my mom had to reschedule for the funeral, so I had the perfect alibi to take off to another country for a day or two. Uncle Jeff was not one of my close relatives, but family is family, and I wanted to support. Yeah, I wanted to see Canada, but I was really glad to be able to go visit with family and attend the funeral.

One of the biggest downsides to this trip was the drive. We didn't have money to fly, so instead we left at 4 in the morning, and got to Calgary, Canada at around 8 pm. We stopped a few times for gas and food, but other than that, we went straight there. That was probably the...funnest...drive. Ever.

Have you ever said something sarcastic to someone, but they totally took it straight? That's never a very good thing. Either they're extremely offended, and you have to pull yourself out of the huge hole you just dug for yourself, or they just, believe whatever incredible story you just made up, and you have to tell them that, no, it wasn't actually true. Then they're offended anyway, or just embarrassed.

So...that was kind of a long...something, just to say that it wasn't really the funnest drive ever. Funnest isn't even a word.

I'm gonna shut up now.

So, there you go. Canada was great. I couldn't find a tuke to buy. I was disappointed. But...it was August, and the average temperature during the day was probably 85. It's so funny to me, all of the sweeping generalizations we make about Canadians. I do it too, don't worry. I'm probably worse than most. It's just funny. We really have no idea what Canadians are really like. They're probably just like us. But more humble. They don't think their country is the best in the world, and they don't really care. They just hate us for overshadowing them all the time. Also, they think we're dumb for thinking they're so dumb.

I was gonna shut up, wasn't I...

Canada is pretty sweetawesome. That's all I have to say.

Oh, Canada...

Have a nice day, eh?

-Moscas

Wyoming is great. It feeds us...pink lemonade?

So, until yesterday, I was entirely convinced that when I discovered mint oreo's (at 1 in the morning), they were the greatest thing on the planet, as far as being hyper and crazy with friends goes. Well, I do believe that I have found something that might have topped the 'oreo's from heaven'. I was on trek, and see...normally when you're camping, it's like...tinfoil dinners, or baked potatoes, or some kind of mush made out of who knows what, but this trek was different. We had the Nicolsons cooking our food. The Nicolsons are most likely the most talented, organized, amazing camp cooks you will ever, ever meet. Hands down. Wait...then I should probably take out the 'most likely'. The Nicolsons are the most talented, organized, amazing camp cooks you will ever, ever meet. There, that's better. Well, anyway, for one dinner, we had pink lemonade to drink with our

Wow, there was lightning outside just now, and it was SO COOL!!!

delicious potatoes and bacon and...veggies. Watermelon. There was watermelon, too. Anyway, none of that really mattered except the pink lemonade. I filled up my whole PHS Bulldogs water bottle with it, and refilled once, too. Um, and then I was really hyper. And so was Tyler, and Craig. It's one of those memories that's just kind of like...what on earth was I thinking? But...oh. I wrote this story while I was...under the influence? (btw, we decided that we would never, EVER use alcohol, because...why would you? Pink lemonade made us more happy than any amount of alcohol could do. Also, we had a testimony meeting right after, and believe me, it would have been a different story had we been using alcohol) (btw...also...I am not in any way saying that alcohol could make one happy, it's just something that some sadly misled people use to make themselves think they're happy? Something. I wouldn't really know. Point is, I'm being ADD. Real point is, I do not in any way condone the use of alcohol, for myself or anyone else.) So...lets see, that was a lot of parentheses. Oh! Story. Here you go:

"Once upon a time, there was a magical 

place where there was lots of pink lemonade. And 

I went swimming in it, and then drowned. And

then I drank some more. Then end."

So...good memory? Kind of. Scary memory? I'm leaning more toward a yes. Memory that shows how much a little pink lemonade could do? Definitely. (I heard someone say 'fer def' once. Kind of like 'fer rills', but 'fer def', like, definitely. I was gonna just say that, but I wasn't sure if you would understand. Okay, we're gonna get back to...me!) 

The rest of this story goes a little bit like this: *someone walks up and gives us a weird look* 'Um guys, we're going to have a testimony meeting.' *Then we pretty much just snapped out of our weird, hyper mood, and put on our 'testimony-type' attitude.* I was actually kind of surprised at how good we did at not being hyper anymore, and just 'sobering up' if you will (sorry...again with the alcohol allusions...it just fits? ...idk, moving on). 

Our testimony meeting was really quite amazing. I teared up during my testimony, which has only happened once or twice before. I guess I just have some of my dad in me (I love you dad). 

So, in case you were all wondering, (which of course you were) (why am I using parentheses so much? I don't know. But why not? Okay...I'll shut up now) um...oh yeah. I have officially decided that Wyoming sunsets are AMAZING!!! There. It's official. Also, I was considerate and brought a camera, so you could all join me in my amazement. Um...actually, I didn't bring a camera, but I was considerate enough to bring a sister that had a camera (and she was considerate enough to take sunset pictures). So...enough with the considerateness. Just know that this shows that I love you, okay? Okay.

So, there you go. Amazing, isn't it?

The rest of trek was fun. We were climbing around on Independence Rock, and then it started raining these big, fat drops, and then there were more of them, and I had a flour sack baby (Katherine Kevin Jackson) to protect. I ran really fast to the van, and then in a few minutes it stopped, and the sun came out, and guess what? There was a rainbow. Here's another picture for you (Compliments of Emilyn Cannon):

That one is cool because you can see all the drops on the van window. :)

It was an amazing trek. It really was. It was the third pioneer trek I had been on, and it was by far the best. :) It was a ward trek, which made a big difference, I think. It was so much more tight knit than the two stake treks I have been on. We were all friends, we all knew each other, and we were all there to help each other out. 

I think I would definitely call this the greatest week of my life. Fer def. (haha...I said that again.)

I think it's late. I kind of want to blog more about this amazing experience, but it's late, and I'm tired from the sixteen miles that I pulled the handcart. hehe... :p

Okay bye.

Have a nice day.

Night.

Whenever it is when you have the misfortune of reading this post...

-Joey

Weather...and other things.

In Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth a character named 'The Whether Man' says this: "It's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be." It's not an incredibly helpful quote, but it makes one think at least (and for any of you who haven't read The Phantom Tollbooth, it's really quite an amazing book).

Anyway...there was weather today. 'Bad weather' as some call it, or 'Gloomy weather' maybe. Whatever the case, it was cloudy and rainy all day today. Just yesterday it was sunny and nice. There was some wind, sure, but it really was a pretty nice day. Nice enough to spend some time at Utah Lake at least. :) It just amazes me that one day I'm out on a wave runner getting sunburned and the next day I don't even want to go outside. Utah is just such a magical place... 

Almost as magical as Ecuador. Okay, not really. In Ecuador it rains every day out of the year except maybe...10. I'm exaggerating, I know, but it rains a lot there. Only, the cool thing about Ecuador is that it stays at an even 72 degrees every day. And that's not exaggerating. You never really had to wear a coat, unless you were from Cali and everything below 85 is chilly... 

Ecuador really is a magical place. I think that now might be as good a time as any to blog about the "Ecuador Experience". Here goes nothing! :)

Once upon a time, there was a family named the Cannons. They lived in Eagle Mountain (where the deer and the antelope play). One day, mama and papa Cannon were talking to some old friends of theirs, and found out that these friends had been to a magical place called Ecuador, and had served there for several weeks. This sounded like a wonderful service opportunity, so they signed up quick. They also signed up their 7 children. It would be somewhat difficult to leave the country with 7 young children at home. So we all packed up to go to Ecuador. We left on December 28th, 2006 at about 2:30 am. It was...really early. But we had to catch the red eye to Houston. 

So, after various airport adventures, we arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador on December 29th, 2006. 

We got off the plane and loaded our luggage onto a few vans to take us to the "OSSO House". This would be our home for the next 6 weeks. We moved everything into out downstairs apartment and got all situated. We had a gas stove (that had to be lit with a match), and fridge, a sink (with water that we weren't allowed to drink...) and a purified water dispenser (that we could drink...duh). All of the floors were hard, cold tile, and the walls were plastered cement. Nice and homely, I'd say. 

The OSSO house was big enough to hold the host family, the Roseros, 10-15-ish college girls that had also volunteered, and us. There was a living room with a couch that looked a lot more comfortable than it actually was, a couple of computers, and an internet phone (it was a phone with an 801 number, so you didn't have to call long distance to home. It was really nice). There was also a kitchen and a dining area that was always stocked with delicious fruits and breads. Yum! The mangos were my favorite. I hardly went a day without eating at least 2 mangos. And they weren't anything like the mangos here. They were almost as big as a pineapple, and orange and red. you never saw a green mango. Ew. Then there were the "monkey brains" that I didn't really like. I think they were called granadillas, or some such thing. They had a hard outer shell, and then a bunch of seeds in some slimy grey...stuff. Hence the name monkey brains.

So...now for the actual reason we were there...service! Yay. There were, I think 5 different orphanages that we served in there in Cuenca. Tadeo Torres was split into Cunas, Casas, and Pequeñitos. Cunas held children from birth until around 2, and then Casas held children from about 2-5 or 6. Pequeñitos had some infants and some special needs children. Then there was Special Kids that had more special needs children. Hogar Miguel León was an orphanage for girls ages 2 or 3 to 18. Remar was an orphanage for boys and girls of those ages. Oh, and there was Trinidad that was more of a day care, or a school, but we still went there to help out. 

I was in Casas for most of my time there. We would work in 2 shifts, 7 days a week. The morning shift was from about 7 until noon, and the afternoon shift was from 1-ish until 5 or 6. We would feed the children breakfast, help them brush their teeth, and then we'd spend most of our time just playing with them. We'd give them "caballo" (horse) rides, read them books en español, and bring them to el parque to play on the swings, teeter totter, etc. It was a blast. The children were so cute and sweet. Most days we just wanted to take them all home with us. (That's probably why we ended up adopting...but that's a different story.)

We had a lot of fun with the children, and there's really too much to write in one post. I'll have to touch more on this subject later, but in short, going to Ecuador to serve the children was one of the most life-changing experiences of my life. I got to see the world from so many new perspectives. It was incredible. 

Oh, and on a side note, if anyone is thinking about some kind of service opportunity, I would definitely recommend looking into this one. Go to http://www.orphanagesupport.org/. That's the website of the organization that we went down with. 

Anyway, it's time for bed, so I'll see y'alls later. I hope this was somewhat inspiring...or at least...not too boring. It was kind of just a bunch of semi-connected, random memories about Ecuador, but it's good to write at least some of the things that happened there...I guess. :D

Well, have a nice day,

-Moscas