My "Little" Brother

My best friend in the whole world is my "little" brother Mitchell. From the earliest age the two of us were inseparable. My parents had the two of us share a room from the time that we were very little. At first I am sure that I was a little irked by the new arrival that showed up in my bedroom and took my crib, but slowly I warmed up to the little guy. One of my first memories is of my brother being rushed to the hospital. At the time I wasn't sure what was happening, but  I knew it had to do with Mitchell and I hoped that he would be alright. Luckily he was.

Me and my brother when we were little.

As the two of us grew together we found ourselves playing together often. The two of us would climb the apricot tree together seeing who could climb the highest. I always found pride in the fact that I could climb higher than my brother. Then when our parents would call us into the house from the tree where we were playing my brother and I would race to see who could get there first. Once again I took pride in the fact that I was faster than my little brother.

When the two of us entered elementary school I can remember thinking how cool it was to have my brother in the same school as me. Once again I showed my physical prowess over my brother by being the best in all the sports and by being a head taller than him. But when the school day was over I forgot everything I thought I was better at than him and the two of us would walk home. We would imagine that we were on an adventure together trying to save the world from space invaders. While I was the main hero against our extraterrestrial foes my brother was always there playing an important role. Then when we got home the two of us would play some more.

As we got older the two of us stopped playing so much pretend together. But we still made time for each other. We would go on hikes, talk about music, and talk about the things that happened in our lives. As the time started to go past my brother started to grow taller. Eventually the brother I had once stood over a head taller than was several inches taller than me. Along with growing taller than me my brother also became a much faster runner me. 

When I left for my mission my brother was no longer my little brother. He stood taller than me. He was a better athlete than me and he was working thirty plus hours a week as he finished high school and prepared to go to college. As my brother grew up there was one thing that I didn't notice and that was the growth of my brother's testimony of the Gospel.

My brother always made sure to fulfill all of his duties within the Aaronic Priesthood. While I had hated collecting fast offerings my brother always made sure he did his route, and he always collected fast offerings with a smile on his face. When an extra Priesthood holder was needed to pass the Sacrament my brother always volunteered. Now as it has come time for my brother to leave on his mission he hasn't turned away from the opportunity. Mitchell knows that he needs to go on a mission and he knows why he is going. He knows that he is leaving to serve his Savior. My brother Mitchell is my "little" brother and I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father let me have him as a brother.

My "little" brother.

Traditions

My Dad always likes to say that traditions can be bad. He often points to slavery as an example of a bad tradition. Because of this my whole family has kind of adopted the view that traditions aren't really all that great of a thing. So there are very few things that my family does ritually. The things that my family does are usually more spontaneous than anything and don't tend to continue to be done for very long periods of time.Somehow despite everything my family does to push back against traditions we still have one that we do every year without fail.

It is Christmas Eve day and the whole McConkie family has gathered together to my parents house for a celebration. From about ten o'clock in the morning to six o'clock at night the kitchen at the house will be full of activity. My Mom, my Dad, and my sisters busily work on making nutballs, toffee, fudge, and Norwegian cookies. When a batch of these sweets is finished they are placed on plates and wrapped in plastic. My brother and I then hurry out into the streets with the plates of sweets and deliver them to our neighbors.

Once all of the candy is finished and delivered my parents start work on the real reason everyone has come to the house. Lasagna noodles start to be boiled, sausage is cooked, and the french bread is buttered. All of this is in preparation for the Christmas Eve dinner that night. As the lasagna cooks the rarely used dining room table is set with my Dad's Finnish glass dishes. These dishes come out only once a year and are immediately put away after being washed. Everyone in my house can tell that we are going to have a good dinner tonight.

When the lasagna is finished it is placed on the table with many of the other foods that have been bought and purchased for this special night. My brother and I eat tons of lasagna and down lots of Cherry Seven Up. My Dad shares stories while we eat and these stories have us laughing and crying as we hear them. It is pretty easy to see why my family has waited all day long for this dinner. As we finish the meal my brother and I help clean the table and take the dishes to be washed in the kitchen sink.This is the only time of the year that my brother and I don't care too much about performing this chore.

Once the dishes have been cleaned and my Dad has carefully placed them back in the buffet it is time to go and brave the world. My Mom puts on her large winter coat and the rest of us put on our winter jackets and prepare to head out into the cold December night. We walk down the street from our house towards the courthouse. The whole way we toss snowballs at each other and slide on the ice. At the courthouse we look at the lights and make obnoxious comments about the silly Christmas displays that have been setup. This is just the first part of our trip this night. Once we have had enough entertainment at the courthouse we make the walk to the Tabernacle for our last stop of the evening.

At the Tabernacle my family finds the same old Nativity scene that sits on the lawn of the Tabernacle every year. My brother and I fight to see who can push the button in front of the Nativity. Once I finally am able to push the button a Narration echoes from the loudspeakers and begins to tell the story of the birth of Christ. Lights flash first on Mary, Joseph, and the Babe, then onto the shepherds, and finally upon the Wisemen. As we watch the scene it is hard to forget the true meaning for Christmas and why my family has gathered together this night. Once we have listened to the narration several times my family leaves and heads back to the house to go to bed.

It has always been funny to me that my family has kept this tradition because no other traditions have ever really lasted. But every year on Christmas Eve without fail we find time to get together as a family, to share a meal, and to then go see the Christmas lights. This is a tradition that I don't mind because it helps to bring my family together and to help us reflect on why we have Christmas. We have it for our families and to help remind us of our Savior, Who makes it possible for us to have families. I will always be thankful for Christ and His birth because without it I wouldn't have my family.

The Gift of My Parents

It was nearly thirty years ago that my parents were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Even though these two college students were married on the darkest day of the year they have enjoyed a successful marriage. I haven't ever and will never doubt whether my Dad truly loves my Mom. The same goes for my Mom because I know that they care about each other and will do anything for the other. My parents have been the best of partners and the greatest example to me and my siblings.

My Mom has always been the kind of women who tries to help everybody no matter what condition she herself might be in. As a child I watched her service to the people in the community. My Mom would spend many hours working and maintaining flower gardens at the local elementary schools. Hours that were already going on top of the many hours she spent working on the extensive vegetable and flower gardens that my family maintained at our home. On top of this my Mom helped to drive kids to school every morning and from the time I was in first grade to my senior year of high school she packed me a lunch everyday.

When I was in elementary school my Mom decided that it was time to return to college. She had been a student at the University of Utah when she and my Dad had met. But when my parents started having children my Mom left her education behind so she could focus on raising her family. With both me and my brother in school the time to finish her studies had come. This time in my Mom's life was one of the toughest that she had ever experienced and a time that made me appreciate my Mom even more.

I can remember my Mom would drop me and my brother off at school every morning and would then make the drive from Brigham City to Logan. She did this pretty much everyday of the year even when the canyon was filled with snow. While at school she filled her time with many studies as she earned her degree in photography. My Mom spent many long nights at the Utah State campus developing film and working on projects that she put her heart and soul into. When she was done with those projects she would then return home to see her family that she loved so very much. Despite everything my Mom was doing at school she still made time to be a Mom and to help out with whatever school projects me or my siblings seemed to be doing. I can really say I don't think I would have passed any classes if it hadn't been for my Mom.

I know that my Mom's return to school was very stressful on my Dad. When he was a student at the University of Utah he had fallen madly in love with my Mom. The two of them had married with the hope of spending their time together. With the majority of my Mom's time being spent at the college my Dad found that he wasn't able to spend time with the redhead he loved so much. Yet my Dad knew that school was where my Mom needed to be and that it was important to her and that he needed to help her out. Everyday my Dad would finish his teaching and coaching duties at school and would hurry home to help take care of his children. For several years it seemed as if my Dad exclusively made all the meals at my home.

I know that the years my Mom spent at college were hard times for my Mom and Dad as they missed the companionship of each other. Yet these times have been a blessing for them and for their family. Me and my siblings grew to love my Mom for the time and effort she spent to help us out even if it meant even later nights than she should have been doing. We also grew to love my Dad for the things he started doing for us in the absence of our mother. Yet the people who were blessed the most were my parents who were able to see just how much they loved each other during those years.

I and my siblings are grateful for my parents and for what they have done for all of us. Because of their brave examples all of us have turned into pretty good kids. My Sisters were both married in the temple and my brother is now preparing to serve his mission. I'm thankful for my parents and for them for raising my family in the Gospel.

Far Reaching Effects

When I was preparing to leave on my mission I had many people who told me that there were going to be a lot of changes in my life. Obviously I could see a couple of them such as I would have to wait a few extra years before I could start my career and I would have friends who would be moving on with their lives while I was out. Plus I heard things about gaining a better testimony of the Gospel and that I would probably gain some weight while I was out. So far each one of those things have come true. Some of them have been happy things to hear about such as the fact that I've gained a few pounds. But some of things have been sad too. It's a little sad not to be home to watch my friends grow up. But all of the things that I'm sad about have been outweighed by the positives from my mission. Because while I have been out many more positive things have happened because of my mission.

One of the things that has happened while I've been out is to see how much the Gospel can bless people in their lives. Growing up I had heard plenty of stories from my Dad telling me about his mission. He had some good experiences and I knew that his mission had changed him for the better. But on his mission he didn't ever have the chance to really share the Gospel with people. Most of the people he ever talked with weren't interested in the Gospel. So the entire time he was out he didn't get much of a chance to teach people.

I can remember coming out on my mission and thinking that I wasn't probably ever going to be able to share the Gospel with someone. I figured I would probably spend two years trying to declare what I knew and that I would just hear people say, "Not interested." Now this isn't the typical thinking of new missionaries. Most new missionaries are ready to conquer the world and aren't jaded by the cynicism that I had already. But when I got out I found that people actually were willing to listen the Gospel and that as they listened they began to change. Many of the people I worked with I could see them grow happier as they started to live the ordinances and principles of the Gospel. In many of them I saw a physical change in their countenances as they found the peace and happiness that they had been looking for.

I was pretty happy to see the changes that were happening in people's lives and was glad that I was able to be present to see these changes take place. As I saw these experiences I wanted to share them with my family back at home. Every week I was able to write my family and let them know how I was doing and about the amazing people I was meeting. My Dad loved hearing the stories especially since he was finally starting to see the fruits of his own missionary labors in his son's mission. Fruits that he probably wondered if they would ever be harvested.

But the greatest effect that my mission has had on my life is how it has helped my brother. My brother had heard all my Dad's stories and didn't think that a mission sounded as exciting as some people made it out to be. Now my brother has always wanted t go, but there has always been doubts about serving a mission just like there have always been with me. As I've served though my brother has heard my stories and the things that are happening with me. Because of that he wants to serve a mission. Unlike me he now has little concern about putting his life on two years to serve the Lord.

Now I know that there are many more blessings that will come from my mission that will affect me my friends and my family. I know that my missionary service will affect my future marriage, the kids that I will have, and will be the base of my testimony for many years to come. So I'm excited to continue serving and hope that I can continue to be a good example.

Now the reason that I share all of this isn't to brag about the things I've done, but to illustrate how our small decisions can affect the lives of others. I never knew what serving a mission would do for my life and none of us can imagine what our choices will do to affect our children and our neighbors. For it is "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6). Our small decisions have consequences that can help bring about the purposes of the Lord or hinder them. Making good decisions will bless our lives and the lives of everyone else for the better.

Me and my younger brother as kids.

The Blessings of a Modern Day Prophet

In the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon we read the writings of men called prophets. These were men who were mighty in faith and received revelation from God. These men were also given power from God. This power was called the priesthood. Because of this power prophets were able to heal, they could talk to God, and they were able to five counsel to God's children.

Stories about some of these prophets such as Noah, Moses, and Elijah are well known. Noah and Elijah boldly declared the words of God while Moses and Elijah performed great miracles. For a period of time though there were no prophets on the earth and many believed that there was no need for a prophet. But that is not so because it is said:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets
-Amos 3:7

Thus a prophet was needed and in the 1800s another prophet was called and his name was Joseph Smith. Joseph was given priesthood power from God and received revelation. Ever since that time there has been a prophet on the earth who has held the priesthood and received revelation. Today the prophet is Thomas S. Monson. Thomas S. Monson is a man dear to my heart and I would like to share an experience that helped me to know that President Monson was a prophet.

First off this experience I am about to share is one near and dear to my heart. Because it was only two years ago that I really didn't want to go on a mission. I had grown up hearing about how a mission was the most important thing that I could do. I had also heard that it was the greatest thing I could do for my life. I knew deep down inside that going on a mission would bring many blessings and that I would be able to help people to come unto Christ. But I didn't want to go. For one thing my testimony wasn't that strong and I realized that two years was a long time to be away from home.

So I pretty much decided that I wasn't going on a mission. I kept telling my friends that I was going to go to a year of college and then I would leave on a mission. But that was never in my plans. I was going to go off to college and never even think of going.

At first everything went according to plan. It seemed as if I was going to be able to enjoy a life without a mission. But that year something happened that would change my life for forever. An announcement was made that young men and young women could now serve as missionaries at younger ages. Most of my friends were ecstatic because of this change. I was not however. I just remembered feeling angry and I even called my mom up and told her that there was no way I was ever going to serve a mission.

Thomas S. Monson

It was a bad time for me as I felt alone. I can remember the next day watching what is called General Conference. I listened to tons of talks given by church leaders and I hardened my heart during the majority of the talks. I just kept wishing that they would stop talking about missionary work.

Near the end of the Conference President Monson got up to speak. For the first time that day I decided to straighten up and pay attention. Mostly because Monson always told stories and I love listening to stories. As he began to talk President Monson shared this story:

On one extremely cold Saturday night during the winter of 1983–84, Sister Monson and I drove several miles to the mountain valley of Midway, Utah, where we have a home. The temperature that night was minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit (–31°C), and we wanted to make certain all was well at our home there. We checked and found that it was fine, so we left to return to Salt Lake City. We barely made it the few miles to the highway before our car stopped working. We were completely stranded. I have seldom, if ever, been as cold as we were that night.

Reluctantly we began walking toward the nearest town, the cars whizzing past us. Finally one car stopped, and a young man offered to help. We eventually found that the diesel fuel in our gas tank had thickened because of the cold, making it impossible for us to drive the car. This kind young man drove us back to our Midway home. I attempted to reimburse him for his services, but he graciously declined. He indicated that he was a Boy Scout and wanted to do a good turn. I identified myself to him, and he expressed his appreciation for the privilege to be of help. Assuming that he was about missionary age, I asked him if he had plans to serve a mission. He indicated he was not certain just what he wanted to do.

On the following Monday morning, I wrote a letter to this young man and thanked him for his kindness. In the letter I encouraged him to serve a full-time mission. I enclosed a copy of one of my books and underscored the chapters on missionary service.

About a week later the young man’s mother telephoned and advised that her son was an outstanding young man but that because of certain influences in his life, his long-held desire to serve a mission had diminished. She indicated she and his father had fasted and prayed that his heart would be changed. They had placed his name on the prayer roll of the Provo Utah Temple. They hoped that somehow, in some way, his heart would be touched for good and he would return to his desire to fill a mission and to serve the Lord faithfully. The mother wanted me to know that she looked upon the events of that cold evening as an answer to their prayers in his behalf.
-Thomas S. Monson Consider the Blessings
As President Monson concluded his story I got the feeling that I needed to serve a mission. All my anger and all my fear about a mission melted away at that instant. I knew what I needed to do. When the talk was over I got up and I gave a call to my on to let her know of my decision.

Because of that talk my life has changed. I am now on a mission and I know that the counsel I received that morning from President Monson came from The Lord. I know it without a doubt. I know that President Monson is a prophet, that God inspired men in the past and that he continues to inspire men today.

I invite all to listen to Thomas S. Monson, to take note of how you feel and go ask God if he is a prophet. I know that if you try this that you can know that there is a prophet on the earth today.

A Family that Runs Together Stays Together

A couple of years ago on Thanksgiving my family started a tradition that I have come love. That Thanksgiving my family decided to go on a run before sitting down as a family to have some turkey and stuffing. It was an idea that may seem weird to a lot of people, but it does makes sense to try to workout on a day known for gluttony. Also I loved the idea because I love to run.

Altogether there were seven of us that day that went to run: my parents, my two sisters, me, my brother, and my sister's husband. The seven of us drove down to Woods Cross, Utah where we jumped on the bike path that ran along the Legacy Parkway. From that point all of us were off on a ten mile run to Farmington. All of us that is except my brother who was riding his bike.

The first couple of miles went really well as all of us stayed together in a pack. But the farther we went along the more spread out our family got. As we ran along my Dad fell to the back of the run and was far behind the rest of us. This was unfortunate because he was the only one who knew where we were going. So as me and the rest of my family blazed ahead on what turned out to be an abandoned railroad track our Dad followed behind trying to catch up and tell us that we had left the path.

The path that we were following slowly got harder and harder as we ran through the gravel that had once made up part of the railroad. I can remember thinking that the path had gotten a lot harder and seemed to be taking us a lot longer than anticipated. Eventually my Dad highjacked my brother's bike and rode up to where I was and told me that me that the entire family was now going the wrong way.

My family and I then were able to get back on the right path and make it to our destination in Farmington. From this first family run on Thanksgiving I was able to gain a lot. First I got a story that my family shares all the time. But most importantly I saw how important it is to follow leaders. If my family had waited for my Dad our trip that day would have been a lot shorter and a lot less tiring.

In our day and age we also have leaders that we have been given to follow. These leaders called Prophets are men called of God who have been given His authority to guide and direct His children here on this earth. These prophets have been given to us since ancient times when men like Moses, Noah, and Elijah guided the people and made sure that they stayed on the right path.

God has placed a prophet on the earth today and his name is President Thomas S. Monson. He has been given priesthood authority to lead and to guide Heavenly Father's children. As we follow the counsel of the prophet in this day and age we will be able to stay on the path that God has given us and not take detours. We will also find blessings as we follow God's chosen leaders.For:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7  

Me and my siblings.

To learn more about how there is a prophet on the earth today check out this link.

http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/restoration

Wornout Shoes

While growing up I went through a lot of shoes. I would put a lot of wear and tear on shoes just because of how much I moved. Plus on top of that I grew a lot which meant I could never wear any pair of shoes for an extended period of time.

I can remember these times pretty well. Every month it seemed like I was getting another pair of shoes to wear. As a child I never thought too much about how many pairs I went through. It was unimportant to me because all I really cared about was running until I dropped.

To my parents the shoes were a pretty big deal. They knew how much good shoes cost. They also had a mortgage to pay, gas to buy, and had four mouths to feed off of the salary of a middle school English teacher. My mom and my dad were often under a lot of stress. How could they realistically afford to keep buying new shoes for me and my younger brother who were growing up so fast?

Yet during these times my parents were always able to get me new shoes to wear. My mom can remember taking me and my brother to a local thrift store to look for shoes. Every time we went there was always a pair of shoes that fit me or my brother and had been lightly worn.My mother always rejoiced over this miracle while I just figured that this store just always had a good selection of shoes.

It wasn't until much later in my life that my mom told me why it was so amazing to find good shoes at the thrift store. That store had a very limited selection and the shoes that were there usually were in bad condition. So it was an absolute miracle that every time I needed a new pair of shoes that there was always a good new pair of shoes that just happened to fit me perfectly.

When my mom told this I could see that indeed it was a miracle about the shoes. But there was a reason why the miracle happened. Every month when my dad's paycheck came in my parents would take out ten percent for tithing to pay to the Lord. This ten percent could have easily covered the cost of new shoes and a few other things. But my parents always made sure that the tithing was paid.

My parents knew that if their tithing was given to the Lord every month that they would be taken care of. They had read in Malachi Chapter 3 verse 10:

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pout you out a blessings, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

So every month this sacrifice was made and my parents have never regretted paying tithing as they have truly received great blessings from the Lord.

Because of my parents' example I have come to know the value of sacrifice. Any sacrifice we are commanded to make to the Lord will lead to blessings and none of us can live without those blessings.

To learn more about the blessings of paying tithing checkout this talk by Elder Bednar.https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-windows-of-heaven?lang=eng

Cat in a Trap

Shortly before my baptism my family got a new cat named Kissa. She was a calico cat who was super independent. She was pretty different from the cat we had before. The prior cat named Sammie loved the family, always came home at night and was just super friendly. Kissa was nothing like that cat.

But despite the differences between the two cats I still tried to love Kissa. I can remember trying to hold here like I had done with Sammie and how Kissa would struggle to escape from my grasp. At night I would try to get that cat to sleep in my bed and she wouldn't have any of that as she thought it was much better to go and explore the house. Kissa also had a problem with coming back to the house at nighttime. Sammie had always know to come back in when the sun went down. If we weren't at home to let Kissa in then she would disappear.

The night that I was baptized I cam home from my baptism excited that I had just received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was excited to take on anything that the world would throw at me. I remember coming home and not seeing Kissa anywhere. My Dad and I went and searched for her out in our dark backyard, but she was nowhere to be found.

But I didn't lose hope. Having just been baptized I knew of my Heavenly Father's love for me. I got down on my knew that night and prayed that we would find Kissa. It was a little bit strange for me to do this considering that I had never really asked for anything in my prayers before. But I knew that Kissa would be found soon.

The very next day Kissa still hadn't shown up at our house. When school ended that day the cat was still missing. But still I knew that she would come back. That night as we were getting ready for bed we got a call from our neighbor down the street. He said that he had caught our cat in his cat trap. I was so excited.

My Dad and I ran over to the neighbor's and found Kissa wandering back and forth in this little trap. Boy was she happy to see us! We took her back home and from that time on she made sure never to run away again.

That time I took extra time to thank my Heavenly Father that my prayer had been answered and that Kissa had come back.

This experience as simple as it may be became an anchor in my life. As I grew older I've had time where I really doubted if God existed and if He really cared about me. But I can always look back on a time where God answered the prayer of an eight year old boy and brought his cat back.

God loves all of us and will never forsake us. If we are looking for something whether it be a cat or an answer our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers and will help us out. Put this challenge to the test and don't doubt and God will answer. I can promise this from my own experiences in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

My Dad

One of the most influential people in my life has been my Dad. He held me when I was a baby, taught me how to ride a bike, how to drive, and how to shop for apartments. He has always been there for me and to me he is the source of all truth and knowledge. Whenever I have a question or a concern I ask him to help me solve it.

When I was at home my Dad had never been too far away. If I needed to fix something on my bike or if I just needed life advice my Dad was only a shout or a phone call away. Out here in Oregon though he's several states away and I'm not allowed to call him.

Often times I miss my Dad. Because now when something goes wrong with my thirty year-old yellow bike I can't just call him up and ask him for help on how to fix it. Also when I feel down I can't just call him up and ask for advice.

The only way that I can communicate with my Dad now is via letter and email. It's a pretty slow process to receive an answer. But every letter that he sends me become an instant treasure. I store them away so that whenever I feel down I can read his advice to me. My Dad's advice to me always comes just when I need it. As I read my Dad's letters I can feel the love and concern that he has for me and how he really does care. The letters that he's sent me has helped me to appreciate my relationship with my father more.

Through the letters that my Dad has sent to me I have been able to see that even though we are far away from each other that he still loves me. Because of this I have been able to see how my Heavenly Father must feel about all of us. He like my Dad has sent his children away from home for a short amount of time. During this period of time each of us learns and grows and even though we are unable to see our Heavenly Father He is able to communicate with us and give us advice.

Our Heavenly Father knows that our time here on earth is short no matter how long it may seem to us. Eventually we will be able to go home and Live with Him forever. But for now we can rely on His advice and use this time to become the Men and Women that He knows we can be.

Just like our earthly parents love and care for us so does our Heavenly Father. So remember that whenever things are hard we can turn to Him and ask for advice just like we ask our parents and because He loves us He will answer. He loves each and everyone of us. Look to Him in prayer and you will receive comfort.