Scandinavian Festival, a crazy Ratfink Reunion, and a neat live broadcast...
As I've reflected on this trial with cancer over the last few weeks, I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm truly grateful for this trial. Has it been tough at times? Sure. All trials are. However, this trial has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus Christ, my wife, my family, and many other individuals. I have become more aware of just how involved in our lives God truly is. I know that He is aware of us and that He is ready and willing to carry us through our struggles. My testimony of the Atonement has grown. I have been blessed with strength and peace beyond my comprehension as I have struggled through this. All in all, this trial has transformed my life and I'm grateful for it.
That being said, there's another aspect of this trial that I am grateful for. It has provided me with a platform to bear my testimony, share the gospel, and connect with people. A few weeks ago, I posted about being asked to share my story on a FB page called Hi Five Live. That was a really neat experience. While I was told to talk for 5-15 minutes, I accidentally talked for 25 minutes. I thought I was doing pretty well, but time got away from me apparently. I did my best to just talk about what I felt was important and to follow the Spirit. Here is a link to the video....
https://www.facebook.com/HiFiveLive/videos/620528871781129/
At the time of this blog, my video has been seen 5,678 times. It is neat to be able to share my story with that many people. I hope that at least one of them found some form of strength in what I shared.
A week and half ago, we started handing out our #FaithOverFear wristbands at the Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim, UT. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what happened was incredible. It was amazing to me just how many people were willing to share their stories and struggles with cancer...most of them unsolicited. Kim and I were able to connect with so many individuals from so many walks of life and we loved every minute of it.
Everyone has struggles in this life and I've decided that most everyone needs opportunities to share their struggles. I think that so often we don't share our struggles because we don't think anyone will understand what we are going through. I have learned over the last couple of weeks that if we are willing to open up about what we've gone through, we will find that other people have been there too. Not only that, but I know our Savior perfectly understands our struggles and can perfectly succor us as we turn to Him and rely upon His grace. I would encourage everyone to open up about those things they are struggling with, no matter how small the problem may seem or how insignificant you may feel. You are not insignificant. You are loved and needed. If we can all learn to open our hearts and ears and be patient and loving with those around us that struggle and are in need of help, I believe more people would be willing to share their burdens. And you know what? I believe sometimes it takes just one person to open up about a struggle for others to feel safe doing so as well. I oftentimes wish more people at church on Sundays would share their struggles. (Not their sins, but their struggles...) I wish we were okay accepting that none of us are perfect and we ALL fall short or deal with difficulties. And I wish we could all accept that everyone struggles with different issues...some that we might deem rather inappropriate or disgusting. That being said... Who are we to judge? Do we really know why that person struggles with said issue? Chances are we don't. And if we judge the person because of the crime, we never will. I hope we can all learn to separate the sin from the sinner and become "physicians" as we try to emulate the Savior in all that we do.
After a few days of recovery from the Scandinavian Festival, we were able to participate in the annual Ratfink Reunion. I have to start off by thanking Ilene Roth and her generosity. I reached out to her son, Cody, to see if we could set up a booth at the reunion. Ilene came back and said they could do one better and they'd have a fundraiser dinner on my behalf. What an example of selflessness and service. Not only did she do a benefit dinner for me, but she also did one for one of her artists, Dan-O, on a different night. Very kind of her to do that. I learned an important lesson from this reunion... I'm not sure if you are familiar with Ratfink. He's an interesting character and can bring in an interesting crowd. I wasn't quite sure how our #FaithOverFear message would be accepted. But I learned my lesson right away...
As soon as my banner went up, a man by the name of Paul opened right up to me about a big struggle he's had in his life. And I found throughout the course of the weekend that it doesn't matter how someone looks or what interests they might have, we can all relate to the ideas of faith and hope. Once again, I connected with so many incredible people and found so much support in the Ratfink family. It was an incredibly humbling experience.
It all culminated with the benefit dinner the last night of the reunion. This was a very humbling experience. To help us with the dinner, there were 12 families in our ward that offered to bake potatoes for us. We also had some family friends come to the actual dinner to help us serve the food. I'm very grateful for the love and support these families showed us with this dinner. Once at the dinner, as I greeted people who came through the line, it brought tears to my eyes to see so many people sacrificing in order to support me. Complete strangers, people I'd met just a day before (some a week before at the Scandinavian Festival), and family and friends. God truly does use each of us to support and help those around us. I hope that we can all pay more attention and look for opportunities to serve those around us. I know I'm trying to do better...
All in all, the Ratfink Reunion was three of the best days of my life. I truly came to feel like a part of the Ratfink family because of how I was treated by Ilene, her family, the artists, and the true die-hard Ratfink followers. It was just an amazing experience! OH! AND... I got to meet the artist of the Ninja Turtles! hahah He was awesome. Talk about meeting a childhood hero! Not only that, but he surprised me with a drawing of the Heroes in a half-shell at the benefit dinner. It'll end up framed on the wall before too long... Just a wonderful experience. I plan on attending the Reunion every year and doing what I can to help out!
That being said, there's another aspect of this trial that I am grateful for. It has provided me with a platform to bear my testimony, share the gospel, and connect with people. A few weeks ago, I posted about being asked to share my story on a FB page called Hi Five Live. That was a really neat experience. While I was told to talk for 5-15 minutes, I accidentally talked for 25 minutes. I thought I was doing pretty well, but time got away from me apparently. I did my best to just talk about what I felt was important and to follow the Spirit. Here is a link to the video....
https://www.facebook.com/HiFiveLive/videos/620528871781129/
At the time of this blog, my video has been seen 5,678 times. It is neat to be able to share my story with that many people. I hope that at least one of them found some form of strength in what I shared.
A week and half ago, we started handing out our #FaithOverFear wristbands at the Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim, UT. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what happened was incredible. It was amazing to me just how many people were willing to share their stories and struggles with cancer...most of them unsolicited. Kim and I were able to connect with so many individuals from so many walks of life and we loved every minute of it.
Everyone has struggles in this life and I've decided that most everyone needs opportunities to share their struggles. I think that so often we don't share our struggles because we don't think anyone will understand what we are going through. I have learned over the last couple of weeks that if we are willing to open up about what we've gone through, we will find that other people have been there too. Not only that, but I know our Savior perfectly understands our struggles and can perfectly succor us as we turn to Him and rely upon His grace. I would encourage everyone to open up about those things they are struggling with, no matter how small the problem may seem or how insignificant you may feel. You are not insignificant. You are loved and needed. If we can all learn to open our hearts and ears and be patient and loving with those around us that struggle and are in need of help, I believe more people would be willing to share their burdens. And you know what? I believe sometimes it takes just one person to open up about a struggle for others to feel safe doing so as well. I oftentimes wish more people at church on Sundays would share their struggles. (Not their sins, but their struggles...) I wish we were okay accepting that none of us are perfect and we ALL fall short or deal with difficulties. And I wish we could all accept that everyone struggles with different issues...some that we might deem rather inappropriate or disgusting. That being said... Who are we to judge? Do we really know why that person struggles with said issue? Chances are we don't. And if we judge the person because of the crime, we never will. I hope we can all learn to separate the sin from the sinner and become "physicians" as we try to emulate the Savior in all that we do.
After a few days of recovery from the Scandinavian Festival, we were able to participate in the annual Ratfink Reunion. I have to start off by thanking Ilene Roth and her generosity. I reached out to her son, Cody, to see if we could set up a booth at the reunion. Ilene came back and said they could do one better and they'd have a fundraiser dinner on my behalf. What an example of selflessness and service. Not only did she do a benefit dinner for me, but she also did one for one of her artists, Dan-O, on a different night. Very kind of her to do that. I learned an important lesson from this reunion... I'm not sure if you are familiar with Ratfink. He's an interesting character and can bring in an interesting crowd. I wasn't quite sure how our #FaithOverFear message would be accepted. But I learned my lesson right away...
As soon as my banner went up, a man by the name of Paul opened right up to me about a big struggle he's had in his life. And I found throughout the course of the weekend that it doesn't matter how someone looks or what interests they might have, we can all relate to the ideas of faith and hope. Once again, I connected with so many incredible people and found so much support in the Ratfink family. It was an incredibly humbling experience.
It all culminated with the benefit dinner the last night of the reunion. This was a very humbling experience. To help us with the dinner, there were 12 families in our ward that offered to bake potatoes for us. We also had some family friends come to the actual dinner to help us serve the food. I'm very grateful for the love and support these families showed us with this dinner. Once at the dinner, as I greeted people who came through the line, it brought tears to my eyes to see so many people sacrificing in order to support me. Complete strangers, people I'd met just a day before (some a week before at the Scandinavian Festival), and family and friends. God truly does use each of us to support and help those around us. I hope that we can all pay more attention and look for opportunities to serve those around us. I know I'm trying to do better...
All in all, the Ratfink Reunion was three of the best days of my life. I truly came to feel like a part of the Ratfink family because of how I was treated by Ilene, her family, the artists, and the true die-hard Ratfink followers. It was just an amazing experience! OH! AND... I got to meet the artist of the Ninja Turtles! hahah He was awesome. Talk about meeting a childhood hero! Not only that, but he surprised me with a drawing of the Heroes in a half-shell at the benefit dinner. It'll end up framed on the wall before too long... Just a wonderful experience. I plan on attending the Reunion every year and doing what I can to help out!
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