Called To Serve

I received the call to serve in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission. I arrived in the Missionary Training Center in July 1980. I was beyond excited and loved every moment in the MTC. There were 4 of us in the MTC together who were heading to Louisiana. We were ready to set the world on fire and had that ultimate confidence of young men who have no real idea what is ahead of them. The MTC was a spritual feast for me. My testimony was strengthed in so many ways. Before I knew it we were on an airplane heading for Louisiana. I was certainly suprised when I was informed that I would be getting on a bus and heading for Mobile Alabama. I didn't even know that my mission went into Alabama. The first door we knocked on in Mobile was answered by a young women in her twenties. She let us in and we taught her the first discussion. It was amazing to teach on the first home I tracked to. I wish I could say that she was soon baptized, but we actually never saw her again. The work was challenging as you would expect in the Bible Belt, but we did have some success. The primary president of the ward invited two of her neighbors to be taught in her home. It was a wonderful teaching experience. Both of them ended up joining the church eventually. I really enjoyed Mobile and was there six months with three different companions. My next area was A real small town named Pounchatoula LA. I was made a senior companion and given a new missionary to train. This is where I began to struggle. My new companion ended up really sick and eventually was moved to a mission with a dryer climate. I then had a second new missionary assigned to me. We truly knocked on every door in the town with no success. We did eventually find a women to teach and things were going well until her husband told us to leave because he said "I would kill her before I let her join your church". Through all this I let discouragement take over. I struggled the rest of my time in that little town. I was next assigned to another small town called Eunice LA. It is truly in the middle of no where. I did enjoy this town and the two companions I served there with. I was then assigned to Gretna LA which is a suburb of New Orleans. I had three different companions there and looking back I fell into a really bad habit. I was willing to just go along. If they wanted to work hard, fine with me. If not, fine with me. I realize now that the discouragement I let get a hold of me earlier, was clouding my vision of what I was there to do. I finished my mission in Houma LA. I finally got back on track with help of a couple of great companions. I did finish my mission working hard again and came back to realize what I was there for. Serving a mission was truly a great experience for me. I came home with a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I came home with the confidence to live independently and move forward as a beginner adult. There is a reason the Lord sends young people out to teach the world. They are at a point where they just really don't know that this really shouldn't work. The spirit of the Lord can then come along with them and do the real teaching. I am so grateful for having had this experience.

School Days

I attended Lake Ridge Elementary school in Magna Utah. I was always a shy quiet boy and did not have a lot of close friends at school. I did have friends in the neighborhood, but we were not in the same class in school. That is not to say that I was left of activities. For the most part I enjoyed elementary school. There were two activities held every year that stand out. The Halloween costume parade was always exciting and also a little terrifying for me. Being shy and not liking to stand out, marching through the school in costume was not my favorite, but I did really like seeing everyone else in their costumes. In the spring each year the school held the "Spring Fling" dance festival. Everyone in the school did something. Each grade normally did something together. Of course this produced the same two emotions for me as the Halloween parade. I attended Brockbank Junior High for 7th through 9th grade. As with almost all junior high students I had no idea how little I actually knew. In junior high I made a couple of life long friends. Ron Nay and Neal Petersen. Even though they really were not close friends with each other. In 9th grade I took a typing class. Even though I could never type fast enough to get an A in the class, I have always been grateful for this skill. I attended Cyprus High where I seemed to just do just enough to get by. Ron and I did take auto mechanics all three years, in fact the last two years we took a three period auto mechanics class. The main thing I learned in this class was that I did not want to be an auto mechanic. I really didn't like being greasy and dirty every day. I didn't like parts that get stuck and won't come off or bolts that are put in a place where your arm really just couldn't reach. I enjoyed seminary every year and have great affection for my teachers and the testimony they brought with them. After high school I planned to just work until I would go on my mission. I got a job in a warehouse which I found to be a really bad environment. Many of the warehouse staff were pretty hardened. The UPS driver would come everyday to drop off and pick packages and chew me out. He said I needed to get out of there and go to college. I was lucky enough to get a part time job and M & M Prescription Service in the fall. This job came just in time for me to start the fall semester at the University of Utah. In starting at the U, I got a rude awaking. I had just floated by through high school and had no study habits. Floating by just didn't work at the U. I had to do homework. I had to study. I had to take notes in class. This was all new to me. My grades were just ok, but the experience was really important for me. I worked at the pharmacy and attended two semesters at the U while I waited to turn 19.

When I was a little boy...

I was born in the Holy Cross hospital in downtown Salt Lake City on May 25th 1961. I was 21 inches long and not quite 7 pounds. Really a skinny baby. I lived in our family home in Magna Utah until I moved out to be on my own. My parents stayed in that home for almost 50 years. That home had a long history. It was build by the Utah Copper company as a home for their workers. It was built on what was know as Magna row on the hill just below the copper mills. My parents purchased the house for $300. The catch was that they had to find a lot to put it on and had to pay to have it moved. The biggest expense was the moving of the house. That is why we lived in Magna. Our street was a great place to grow up. For most of my childhood all the families on the street were the same. We were surrounded by farmer fields which provided may day of "expoloring" for young boys. I remember catching tadpoles and even carp and catfish in the ditches. We played baseball in one of the fields. Dale Richards was the farmer who basically turned over one corner of his field over to us to play in. My childhood was filled with family. We would visit both sets of grandparents almost every Sunday. There were always many family parties with aunts, uncles and cousins. All of my grandparents were wonderful to me. I always felt their love. I have so many happy memories of those visits. Every Christmas morning we always looked forward to the grandparents coming over so we could show them all the wonderful things that Santa had brought us. Sharing that excitement with them was as important as anything we ever received. Christmas Eve was the big Crosby family party. The highlight of which was always grandpa's bag of presents. Grandpa Crosby always had something really special for each of us. A few that really stand out for me were my AM radio. It was really cutting edge for the time. Speaking of cutting edge, the year each grandson got a pocket knife was one where many of us learned what a sharp edge could do to a finger. I also remember the year that the girls all got little jewelry boxes that he told them were to keep "the family jewels" in. He laughed and laughed, but we had no idea why that was so funny. Christmas day always included dinner at Grandma Brackens.

Disneyland 2012

Last week we went to Disneyland as a family. We had Jane, Jordan, Amanda, Scott, Kaylee and myself. We also took Spencer with us. What a great time we had. It was a much different trip from last year. Of course going with a 18 month old changes things a lot. Also, Jane and I getting older changes things a lot. The good news is that both of these things work well together. Kaylee took my least favorite ride and made it my favorite. She loved small world. She giggled, clapped, jumped up and down. Watching her enjoy this so much was indeed the highlight of the trip. Even simply watching her walk around, touch and look at everything was great. By Friday evening Jane, Kaylee and I were tired, so we went back to the hotel and watched a movie. We did the same thing Saturday. That gave Amanda and Scott time to go ride the rides. I think we all enjoyed those evenings. With it being Spencer's first trip we got to enjoy seeing someone see this place we love with new eyes. That is also really fun. He and Jordan were able to just go and go. They rode everything. Overall it was a great trip.

Mother's Day 2012

This is the first mother's day since Amanda has become a mother and Jane has become a grandma. What an amazing transformation Kaylee has brought to our lives. She has brought so much love and joy. It is truly one of those things that just must be experienced. It can not be adequately described. She is now crawling, so is in full toddler mode. Going everywhere and getting into everything. If it fits in her hand it goes into her mouth. She jabbers and laughs all the time. Also this month Mandy Jensen delivered their second son Matteo as a still born. His birth and passing was a very difficult experience. This girl is made up of tough stuff. I was overcome by the love that this little boy brought into this world. He never took a breath, but helped each of us see and feel the great love that our Father in Heaven has for us and the miracle that the eternal family is. I am grateful to have these women in my life. Their strength and love makes the world a much better place.

Grandpa Belives

In church on Sunday one of the speakers talked about how in their family Grandpa would share the Christmas Story with the family each year and how this would be the first year that he would not be here to do it. This brought two thoughts to my mind. First, I thought what a great thing for a Grandpa to share. Second, I would like to insure that a time never comes when I can no longer share it.

So with this being my first Christmas as a Grandpa, I want to tell my grandchildren this. First, being a Grandpa is one of the most precious things in my life. Always remember that I love you with all my heart. You bring great joy to my life and I continue to thank our Heavenly Father for you. Second, I know that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. He came to earth to follow our Heavenly Father's plan. He atoned for our sins and broke the bands of death. Each of us will live again and can live with our Heavenly Father again if we will follow his plan.

Now, Grandpa wants to tell you a story.

Along time a go an angel came to the town of Nazareth to a women named Mary. and In Luke 1:30-33 we read.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then to verse 38.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

I often think how much better off each of us would be if we would simply accept and obey the Lord as Mary did.

Let's go now to the Americans just prior to the birth of Jesus.

In 3rd Nephi Chapter one we read:

9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

Always lift up your head and be of good cheer, for Jesus Christ did indeed come to the world and did fulfil all that the prophets had promised.

Now lets go back to Luke chapter 2.

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is aborn this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Let us always follow the example of the shepherds in praising God for this blessed day.

Merry Christmas from Grandpa...

Now I am old..

Ever since Jordan was small he has told us that you are not old until you are 50. Well, here I am. I must say, it is a pretty good place to be. I didn't feel like an adult till I hit 40 and now at 50, I feel like I have paid my dues and have a right to enjoy life.

What an amazing few months we have had. In May Jordan came home from his mission. He went right to work and quickly re-joined the human race. He is back to movie watching and playing video games. It was a great blessing for us to have him serve and it is great to have him home.

On June 22nd I became a grandpa. Kaylee is now the center of our world. What a wonderful thing to be a grandpa. The only problem we have is sharing time to hold her between Grandma, Jordan and myself. It will be along while before she will touch the floor at our house. As I look forward to her growth, I look forward to each stage of her life. I love today, when I can just hold her while she sleeps. (Her mom and Dad did try to put her in bed for a nap the other day. I was unable to stand listening to her fuss. She just need to be held and rocked to sleep by her Grandpa.)

This is an amazing time of life for me. I still have so much to learn and experience and so much to enjoy. As always, life is indeed sweet..