Get outside the Bubble

Day 10 - Jason

2009-05-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

1 - What miracles have I seen?

Where I am, right now, and what has happened thus far in my life—these are miracles to me. I see how God has led me, how His promises have been and are being fulfilled. I know that without His influence, I wouldn’t be where I am. He is merciful, caring, and wants me, His child, to succeed. I recognize His hand and am grateful for it.

At this point, I need to say that I recognize how it is sometimes popular to be turned off by gospel-related answers…maybe because people use them as clichés. I hope you know, though, that I’m taking these questions seriously. I really mean all of this.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

Wow, this is an interesting question. I’m not much of a worrier. I’m a doer. I believe that if I do everything in my power to achieve an appropriate goal that it will work out in the best way possible for me. As a continuation from my answer, above, I’ve seen God’s hand in my life too much to not trust in Him and in His plan for me. So, at least based off what my view of what worrying is, I don’t do a whole lot of it.

I am concerned about some things, though, like my little sisters’ futures. I hope they will make good decisions so they can have real happiness—not the kind the world, alone, has to offer. Even though I don’t have a whole lot of control in this area, I trust in the fact that even if they make wrong choices, God guides those who have made poor choices back to Him. I see how he’s doing that, now, with certain people I am close to. They have chosen a longer and harder road, but I have hope in their futures.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?

Medicine and the art of healing. There are lots of ways to help people, but when something is wrong with a person’s health, not a whole lot else really matters to them. Scotty, you know what I’m talking about ;). Anyway, while I readily acknowledge that there’s a lot even our “modern” medicine can’t cure or fix, there’s also a lot that it can and does. Taking part in this process—helping someone in this way—is exciting to me.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

A great family J. I don’t know how else to put it, but while having a job that I love is important, building a family in the Lord is what I envision. Teaching, having fun, spending time and growing together—“a great family” entails a lot, but I’m just going to leave it at that.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

So my initial thought was “that everyone would join the Church,” because wouldn’t that solve all the world’s problems? Don’t think so. I’m from Utah—Provo, no less—and I know that this does not, in and of itself, solve problems or, necessarily, change people. Actually living by the precepts of the gospel does.

So then I thought that I would want to change people’s motives, hearts, and lives so that they were all based upon a foundation of the love and compassion of Christ. Appealing, but pretty sure that is Satan’s plan.

I thought about it some more and realized that we all have the Potential to become such, that our motives, hearts, and lives are based upon a foundation of love and compassion of Christ. President Monson said “Our lives will depend upon the decisions which we make—for decisions determine destiny.” God has given us the freedom to choose what kind of person we are and will become.

So I think the best conditions for fostering qualities of love and compassion in people would be if the world was ruled by a government with the prophet at the head of it. If righteous men governed the world, so many problems (temporal, societal and otherwise) that plague people and inhibit the development of these attributes could be eliminated.

Day 9 - Ryan

2009-05-16T12:57:00.001-07:00

1. What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?
Hmmm, miracles. The Lord's plan is an ever constant miracle to me, the way that everything works out, the people we meet, the places we go, it all amazes me. He chooses us, he finds us, not the other way around. He found me, he brought the church to me, I didn't find him. Its such a miracle to me because I was just a kid when these Mormons started showing up in my life, I didnt know who they were or what they stood for, I just knew I didnt like that they couldnt play on Sundays, then I started going to church, and wow, how amazing. Like I said, he chooses us, he prepared a way for me to find the church and become a member thereof.

2. What worries you day to day / what worries you most right now?
Worries worries worries. I worry a lot about money, i know its dumb and everyone should have faith that the Lord will provide but I constantly fret over where my next paycheck is going to come from, or how I'm going to pay for rent. We are in hard times, no one is hiring, its scary and frustrating. The thing that worries me most right now is my truck and getting it fixed and prepped in time to get back to the coast for the EFY-ness.

3. What are you passionate about / why?
I love love love service, like love it. I know I have an eternal debt to repay, and no matter how much I do here I can never even repay a fraction of a percent of it, I still have to give all that I can to helping others. All honesty, I do it for a selfish reason, I like me when I serve, I can tolerate myself, I dont hate who I am, or what I do. When I serve I have fun, and help others have fun too, while making some kind of difference be it miniscule or huge. And i love nature, passionate about the green trees, beautiful warm rain, and the awesome ocean. What an amazing gift our Father in Heaven gave us with this most awesomely beautiful world to live on.

4. What is your vision of yourself and the future?
Hmmmm the future. This is an interesting topic. I would like to think I have a plan and goals, but things are ever changing. Career is my biggest vision and concern, as a man I am charged with providing for a family and I believe that if I do my best to get an education and secure a career that will provide for my family, Heavenly Father will fill in the gaps along the way... i.e. wife, jobs, and so on. My thoughts are if I focus focus focus on my education all will work out.

5. If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?
That is tough, there are many things that plague or societies and communities. Money and material possessions. I hate to sound like a socialist or communist, but we place too much importance on the things we have in this life, which then leads us to judge others on the things they have. "Oh hey that girl doesn't wear Abercrombie and Fitch, she must not be a good person or I shouldnt be seen with her." Material possessions and wealth can provide amazing opportunities to help others but more often than not it leads to problems and an immense amount of pride.

Day 8 - Rachel

2009-05-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?

Yikes, I consider so many things miracles such as nature, families, friends, and etc... Nature is amazing because of the way the world works in a circle of life (I know Lion King), but it is true. We have a great balance in nature, it is truly amazing. I consider my the idea of families a miracle. We are born in groups of people that we are "forced" to get along with and love. I have learned many lessons and principles from family. Friends are miracles, sometimes you think you don't have any, but then you do. When I was younger, I used to pray for good friends. Two years later, I was blessed with amazing friends. Since then, I have had many friends come and go in my life. Each friend I have learned something great from and we have influenced each other for good.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

Worries-Yikes, I have a ton. I try not to be a worry wart. I worried about friends and family members (I have a "save the world" complex.) Even though, I just graduated with my masters, I am not worried about finding a job. I worry about making sure I complete my list of things to do every day.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?

I am extremely passionate about basketball and volleyball. I love watching and playing them. I am passionate about spreading kindness throughout the world. Smiling and be kind never hurt anyone, why can't we do it more often. I am passionate about the my beliefs and it gets me up every day and keeps me going.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

The future is such a scary thing, every time I set plans, something changes. I hope to see myself married and with children, that is my desire. I would like to be a well-known author. I need to finish writing my book. Whatever is in my future, I want to be joyful and happy with any circumstances or difficulties that may face me.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

The world needs more kindness. I call it "Going Orange" instead of going green. We need to step out of our comfort zones and spread our kindess with others.

Day 7 - Dani

2009-05-14T05:53:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?
The first one that comes to mind is my job. The idealness of my job for me is nothing short of a miracle. Through what I am absolutely convinced was divine guidance, I stumbled on a job that suits me in almost every way, from location to schedule to dress code to workload to the fact that they let me take an entire month off to visit my family. I shake my head in awe just thinking about the unlikelihood of it all.

Also, I know that “the miracle of life” is totally cliché, but the idea that there is a human being incubating inside me is incomprehensible. I mean, really. Think about it.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?
I’m not much of a worrier. I feel in control of most aspects of my life, and as far as those things that I can’t control – I don’t see any point in worrying about them. But to say I’m worry-free would be a little idealistic. I worry about offending people with my bluntness and occasional inadvertent lack of tact. I worry about the electric bill (it’s hot as hades here). I worry about how the disintegrating moral fabric of the country will affect me and my future family. I also worry about getting fat.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?
I am passionate about truth. Truth is hard to find, but it’s liberating once you’ve discovered it. There is truth in everything from calculus to the Gospel, and the only surefire way to know you’ve found a morsel of truth is to have it ratified by the Spirit. I think that the Spirit and cold hard objectivity are the two keys to discerning truth.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?
Family, family, and more family! I’d also like a big yard and some animals. And summertime medical humanitarian trips to South and Central America. It would be nice to learn French, Chinese, and Russian, and someday I hope to bake my own really, really yummy bread.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?
Call me puritanical, but I think the disappearance of entertainment media would do us a lot of good. Not only do we waste so much time amusing ourselves, but movies, TV, music, magazines, radio, and the internet are the primary vehicles for exposing and then reinforcing sleazy, soul-destroying fallacies as truth (and you know how I feel about truth).

Day 6 - Amanda

2009-05-12T05:46:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have i NOT seen in my life? Only those that I have chosen (whether subconciously or conciously) not to recognize as such. The miracle of time has provided me a lot hope for healing...whether emotionally, physically or spiritually. Every miracle comes from the Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

2 - So, just keeping it real? I worry about my health. Not in an all-consuming way, but more of just a soft undercurrent that sometimes surfaces when I let my guard down. I've learned that worry is normal and at times, necessary for life..but service-filled action is better.

3 - Well, I hope it's okay that I share one of my passions that isn't all that deep..but it's BASKETBALL! I love shooting hoops, running lines with teammates and watching other people's success; it chokes me up to see athletic sacrifice.

4 - Lifting where I stand, continually learning/teaching and loving, following the Way to eternal happiness.

5 - Goodbye, anything and everything addictive, especially pornography. Eliminating such chains of the flesh would have a strengthening effect on marriages and families throughout the world

Day 5 - Heather

2009-05-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?

Miracles that I have seen in my life are so abundant. I'm not saying that I am some righteous person who witnesses miraculous events everyday, but when I step back and go over my day, there are constant miracles, both large and small. One that is consistent in my life is having people that I need to meet brought into my life at the right time. There is not one person that I can think of who hasn't taught me an important lesson, brought me laughter or made me better. It is a miracle that we get to cross paths with genuinely amazing people everyday sometimes only for a moment and sometimes for life.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

Decisions. Decisions make me crazy and that's mostly my own fault. I just let the fear get to me and feel like if I don't make the "right" decision for something big or small then there will be catastrophic consequences. I know that's dramatic, but I just like it when everyone (or most) are happy.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?

I'm passionate about doing what your passionate about. Pick your passion and make it happen. I've been acting since I was very young and performing really is my passion. I don't do it so much for the recognition (even though I used to), but it's a way for me to share my talents and show my gratitude to God for giving me those talents. True, acting is not a steady profession or one with a very good reputation, but I say do what you love and what you're good at because that is what brings happiness.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

I'm not gonna lie, the future is a little bit scary to think about. However, when I imagine my future, I imagine doing a lot of traveling to different areas of the world and seeing how people live and use their time and talents and helping them where I can. I also see me never knowing everything and continuing to make mistakes and learn and grow. Like others, I see a family a lot like the one I have now where we are not only relatives but friends and good human beings.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

I would change the idea that everybody has to be a certain way in order to be considered beautiful or desirable or cool or popular or strong or whatever else people tell us we have to be. This would mostly start with children and teaching them that as long as they are being their best selves and letting others do the same then it truly is okay to be different and maybe even better.

Day 4 - Staci

2009-05-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?

I see miracles all around me, often in the small ways. I am blessing to have the opportunity to pray and receive answers to my prayers. There is peace of mind in being able to pray to our loving Heavenly Father.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

Trying to do and be everything. I get overwhelmed in trying to do and be everything for everyone. I want to be better at coming closer to Christ by doing the right things. This requires finding a balance, which is part of the struggle.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?

Helping and serving others. I am a social worker and am blessed to help individuals and families on a daily basis. I love helping and serving others. To be in the right place at the right time is an amazing feeling.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

I want to have and raise a family in the Gospel. In addition, my ambition is to make a difference in the world, I just don't know quite ho to go about that at this point.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

Focus on the children. In my field, I see the devastating effects of abuse in all forms and the results of parents not taking responsibility and fulfilling their roles.

Day 3 - Jessica

2009-05-05T04:23:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?
I think being able to change is a miracle. In a recent class we learned about 'transitional people'. They are those who see their current state and see what they can improve, rather than wallow or sit where they are. This weekend I attended the baptism of the grandson of a sister I taught on my mission. I never thought the day would come when I would see her family change and join her through baptism in the church. I think we often limit others by thinking that they can't change, that they are too stuck in one spot. It reminds me of a devotional given by Elder Holland Jan 13, 2009. He talks about letting people change..
"When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound which the Son of God Himself died trying to heal. Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change, and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is it hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried."
That is a miracle to me. To be able to change, and to allow others that privilege as well.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

Am I using my time here wisely? I fear that I idle away my time sometimes, and it worries me. there is so much to gain here (BYU, and on Earth in general). I just hope I'm making the most of it.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?
Improvement. Of any kind. I have so many wonderful examples in my life of this. I have seen the miracles that come from improvement and repentance. I used to think it was a horrible thing - to have to repent and change. I thought it meant you had done something wretched. But no- it doesn't. It means you could do something better. It means you can become more whole. It's the most beautiful thing in the world.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

I see a happy home, with kids who are striving to learn and grow. I see my husband and I striving to teach them the gospel (among other things) through example and righteous living. I see laughter, fun, opportunity, growth, and I see a home that is an invitation to others to come learn and feel closer to the Savior.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

The disintegration of the family. There is so much to be learned in a family setting. The many distractions that the world (satan) has invented to take time away and pull us from our true responsibilities are rapidly on the rise. To see each family spending time together and growing together would be a great blessing, not only to families, but to the world as a whole.

Day 2 - Rachel

2009-05-04T04:51:00.001-07:00

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?

Miracles happen every day. After a semester where it seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong really did, I found myself at a low point in life. I was living too fast. The first miracle was that I realized that I was in a place I didn’t want to be. We are here to find and have joy, and I was definitely missing out. I was too much into school, and I lost touch with everything else that mattered. It was then that I set out with the goal of slowing down and changing. The second miracle was learning how to see and celebrate small victories and simple things. I realized that it was impossible to be perfect all at once. We don’t have all this time on earth for nothing. We wouldn’t need to stay here until we’re old and gray if we could be perfect all at once. It’s a matter of learning how to improve, and treasuring our successes, no matter how small. It’s also a matter of taking time to actually see the many things that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. These little moments are miracles in themselves.

Why are these miracles to me? Four months after my decision to slow down, I am a different person. I am happy. I have learned to live in a way that does not overlook the many blessings in front of me. These are miracles because of the joy they have brought into my life. They have brought me closer to my Savior.

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

In all honesty, I just got done worrying about a whole bunch. I’m free and I love it. It’s all about perspective.

3 - What are you passionate about? Why?

I am passionate about creative expression. Everyone is creative, no matter how strongly they might deny it. Creativity doesn’t just mean art. It’s a mental process. Creativity is problem solving. Problems aren’t always bad things, for example: What’s for dinner? How do I get from point A to point B? How do I solve this equation? Creativity is inventing. Creativity is imagining the unheard of, and doing it. As a future educator, I want every student in my classroom to find their personal flavor of creativity, and get them excited about expressing it. Creativity keeps this world moving forward. That is why it’s my passion.

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

For myself, I see a home that is full of life, light, love, and creativity, and a happy family along with it. I see a classroom that is a safe, innovative, and exciting place to learn and grow.

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

I would want everyone to take it easy and go outside. There is too much good being passed up by people living life at a million miles per hour

Day 1 - Me

2009-05-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post first as a model for others to follow. I created this blog because I felt very strongly that I needed to and that many people would be blessed by it. I hope that is true. For each post the highlighted person/group will answer 5 questions.

1 - What miracles have you seen in your life? Why are they miracles to you?

2 - What worries you day to day / what are you most worried about right now?

3 - What is one thing you are passionate about? Why?

4 - What is your vision for yourself and the future?

5 - If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

1 - I recently returned to the Philippines to visit the people I love. On the way home as we were waiting in line to enter the airport I discovered that I had lost my passport. I couldn't find it anywhere. We took everything out of my bags twice and still couldn't find it anywhere. I went over to the service desk and tried to explain to them that I had lost my passport and needed help. After 10 minutes of arguing and phone calls to different supervisors I was stuck - they would not let me in. I asked them to transfer me to the American Embassy (thinking to myself: America has never let me down before...) but after 2 rings all I got was an answering machine. It was Labor day and they wouldn't be in the office until Monday (it was Sat. AM and I really wanted to go home). After a few very worry-filled minutes and just standing there watching the clock tick down (it was now 30 minutes until our flight left and the time for boarding had already begun) the friend I was traveling with checked inside and Book of Mormon we had and noticed my passport tucked neatly inside it's pages. We dashed off and got to the gate just in time to board.

2 - I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I know I love to teach. That's about all - I don't know if I want to teach High School or Seminary. I don't know where I want to teach, what subjects for sure, etc.

3 - I am passionate about today's youth. We are losing so many of them to the world (drugs, violence, video games, sex, pornography, etc.) and it worries me. They grow up in a world of filth and it's so easy for them to be lost.

4 - I want to make a difference - to go to work everyday and come home knowing I changed someone's life for the better somehow.

5 - I would take away video games. They are a huge waste of time and as far as I can tell don't teach anything wholesome.

This is just a sample of what I hope will be many posts from all over the world. If you would be willing to contribute please email me @ getoutsidethebubble@gmail.com (include pics if you would like).