When I stepped out of
my apartment to bike to work, I saw two cyclists up the way. Passing them was
easy; then, I heard the second guy’s chains, changing to another gear, and he
left me. That didn't bother me. His reaction and acceleration was impressive
especially since we were cycling up hill. Cruising along, I stopped at a
traffic light. Rolling down a long hill, I saw the competitive guy,
accelerating from stopping at a light too. I charged to pass him a second time,
going uphill again. Both hills tired me, but I almost finished it. The
competitive guy came on my left, pointing that he was going to turn right, and
he passed me again.
Today I have time to
write my full review of ThermaLeaf, since Jessica is at Cub Scouts. Yesterday
the church announced that the church will no longer encourage the youth to do
Boy Scouts after this year. The church is too international to continue to
endorse a program most youth can't do.
Mothers' Day, 13 May
2018
Early last week we
received the news that our tradition of eating dinner with their Ledesma family
was going to be broken for mothers' day to give her rest. Jessica was thinking
of preparing burritos. Her mother said that we could make spaghetti. When we
called to see what we should purchase, we received word from Mercedes that she
wanted hamburgers. Yesterday I went to Safeway with the grocery list. After I
got everything on the list, I went to the checkout line. I went to the Coinstar
machine to get rid of the coins that Jessica has been collecting. I collected
my Coinstar money voucher just before the two customers before me finished.
The total expense came
out about fifty-six dollars. I knew that I only had about fifty dollars from
our remaining of our budget. The Safeway customer loyalty card cut the total
down to nearly fifty dollars. I gave the cashier all of our food budget money,
saying that it was not enough. You might think that I may be a jerk, but I was
slow to pull out my debit card. When the cashier saw that the remaining balance
was eighty-one cents, she paid the remainder with a dollar bill. I was hoping
the buy flowers, but the barbeque meal consumed the entire budget.
On Thursday, the
sister missionaries visited us spontaneously, since they were in the area. They
got to know us. Jessica and I told our story, and the sister missionaries gave
us a bookmark, laying out the ward mission plan.
15 May 2018
On Sunday the
cheeseburger dinner was a success.
Oh, talking about
food. During the week Jessica texted me a link from lds.org, saying grains
should not be a man's sole source of protein. On Saturday Jessica and I
counseled about how we should get beans in our diet. As we looked into the
issue, we found that grains have amino acids in its composition, but it doesn't
have all of the necessary ones. Legumes oftentimes have the complementary amino
acids. Looking through lists of options, I realized that we don't get our
protein solely with grain. Soy milk is made with soy beans; therefore, we
should be safe.
After the cheeseburger
dinner, Lucas and Jasmine came by. I spoke about how pearls are made are a
metaphor to Joseph, the son of Jacob. Pearls are made when sand gets in the shell
of an oyster. Since the oyster can't spit it out, it covers the irritant with a
shiny hard substance, making it smooth. Joseph made his trials a pearl. I
didn't know how pearls were made before Sunday. When I shared this, John
Ledesma had a video to share, a Judaic perspective on Joseph's life.
While watching the
video, I grew to be not fond of the rabbi's instruction. John Ledesma said that
Judaism doesn't have modern prophets, but rabbis make commentaries on the
Torah. https://www.chabad.org/3872739
Mendel Kaplan was the instructor. My opinion of the instruction would make
people think that I am intolerant. There has been commentaries made by Mormon
scholars on the Book of Mormon. We have been told not to believe what they
teach. The study of scriptural commentary requires the spirit of discernment. Prophets
are the chosen people to give us the true interpretation of scripture as
revealed by God. Scholars don't have the authority to interpret scriptures. The
Kingdom of God ought to run by Jesus Christ as revealed to his prophets.
Religions should not be run by man without revelation from God.
17 May 2018
Late last week my
trainer from my mission asked if I would like to carpool with him. My trainer
is named Daniel Garcia. Jessica and I decided to go. Alex Boyd, my second
companion, recommended the catered food. I hope that there is good Jerk
Chicken. I have never had good Jamaican food in the United States except for
one dish at a Jamaican restaurant in my hometown. The dish was stew oxtail.
One coincidental thing
about my new website is that this week is Bike to Work week. The website is a
lifestyle blog, teaching thrift. Biking to work is a practice of frugal living.
Friends on Facebook don't seem to be supportive. My last journal entry got a
lot of views, but no one on Facebook liked it. Maybe people think that I am
trying to be self-reliant; therefore, he doesn't need our support. Do you
recall how long it took for the Mormon YSA Blog Spot to achieve a consistent
audience? It took several years. Many people supported me. I recall a girl
liked every post that I shared, when I started the media outlet.
19 May 2018
Today is the
twenty-sixth month celebration of Jessica and I's marriage. We should be on the
road to Spanish Fork, Utah for the missionary reunion, but Dan Garcia is an
hour late. I am writing as we are waiting. I wonder if his Facebook account was
hacked because he called Elder Lott's first name as Elton when it is Shawn.
That is like me forgetting the name of my elementary school, a very personal
historical thing. Elder Lott was his companion.
20 May 2018
I am not an
ultra-intelligent person. Maybe I am use to be informed of things the week
before. The missionary reunion is actually next week. I don't follow the mission
reunion updates on Facebook. Dan Garcia called me, and I didn't recognize his
voice. It has been almost ten years since we served closely, so his voice
didn't prove that he was not hacked. I am not the brightest or sharpest. A lot
of people can tell you how weak that I am. I just try the best with what I
have. Dan described our service together by my request. I am missing the
missionary reunion because I made plans to visit my family in California for Memorial
Day weekend.
My journal entries
don't seem to be organized well. I am going to listen to what I wrote already,
noting everything that I want to address.
I have been able to
figure out how to cook rice. On Tuesday, I transcribed a story by grandpa from
StoryWorth. I signed up for Teespring. I wrote a couple articles for my
website last week, signing up for the Amazon Affiliate Program. I finally got a
response from Ikea. This weekend Jessica and I went out a couple times. Saturday
I got up early. When we realized that Elder Garcia is not coming, I made
preparations for my Sunday school lesson; although, I got a substitute. Last
Sunday at choir, I learned that today was the last time that we were going to
perform until we start rehearsal until the fall, and I wanted to sing in the
choir, and we were able to. My lesson went well.
A lid for the pot did
solve the “water boiling out too quick” issue; however, at first, the rice seem
to come out like mashed rice. I have learned to make rice better.
Teespring is a
profitable business that I signed up for. I think that I have an audience for
my products, but an audience is required in my belief. Jessica came in as I
almost completed a design. I think my original idea is good for a design, but
Jessica thought it might be a humorous quote. My first attempt at a quote was
not humorous, so I didn’t go through with it. I don’t think that my idea is supposed
to be humorous; although, my first attempt tried to adopt some humor. I am
still working on the design.
Since last week was ‘bike
to work’ week, I wrote with beginner cyclists in mind. I was a beginner
cyclist, so I know some of their thoughts. Fun fact about me: I was thinking of
being a bicycle mechanic at one time. I have explored so many career options. I
think that it is ironic that I have started a cycling and lifestyle blog.
Signing up for the affiliate program of Amazon, I think that it is a good
opportunity, but I am still developing my audience with my website. I got
nineteen clicks on the affiliate links, but no sales yet. My website is not
designed well. I still need to work on that.
Ikea’s costumer
service for delivering missing parts is really slow. I requested the missing
part on May fifth, and they did not respond until May eighteenth. Their
original email said that it would take them five days to respond. Their respond
said that they started the process of delivering the missing parts, which will
require a few days to ship it; then, seven to ten days for it to arrive.
Since we were supposed
on the road on Saturday, Jessica and I celebrated our twenty-sixth month of our
marriage on Friday; although, Friday was the eighteenth. I asked a coworker for
a suggestion of where to eat, since she lived near Multnomah Village. She
recommended the Village Hut for their seafood. I think that it is weird that
restaurants don’t serve to fill you in Multnomah Village. My coworker did say
that Marco’s Café is not good for dinner, so I was not off on my review. I got
Ahi fish because I did not know what it was (of course.) I love exploring food.
Ahi was a sashimi type dish over rice, a bento. I enjoyed it.
On Saturday, the
nineteenth, Jessica took me out to the Wafflicious Food Cart near Multnomah
Village, since the nineteen of March is the day of our marriage, and I got the
sausage and mushroom entrée, since I love exploring food (of
course.) It tasted good. The flavor was not bold. I barely tasted the waffle,
mushroom, and cheese. The sausage seemed to overwhelm the other flavors, but I
liked it.
Today was Ward
Conference for Beaverton Stake’s Maplewood Ward. I looked sitting in the stand
next to the organ as a choir. I feel that our choir contributed a lot to the
sacrament meeting. The first song that we sang sounded a little off, but we
made it through it.
The Sunday school
lesson that I prepared was based on the doctrine that many ancient prophets are
types of Christ that we may learn of him. I taught from the life of Joseph’s
life, teaching about Christ at the same time as his life is a similitude. The
following list are some of the ways that Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ: I
got this list from a student manual. The apostle Bruce McConkie taught these
similitudes.
1.
Joseph was the favored son of his father; so was Jesus
(see Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17).
2.
Joseph was rejected by his brothers, the Israelites,
as was Jesus (see Genesis 37:4; John 1:11; Isaiah 53:3; 1 Nephi 19:13–14).
3.
Joseph was sold by his brothers into the hands of the
Gentiles, just as Jesus was (see Genesis 37:25–27; Matthew 20:19).
4.
Judah, the head of the tribe of Judah, proposed the
sale of Joseph. Certain leaders of the Jews in Jesus’ day turned Jesus over to
the Romans. Judas (the Greek spelling of Judah) was the one who actually sold
Jesus. (See Genesis 37:26; Matthew 27:3.)
5.
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, the price
of a slave his age. Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a
slave His age. (See Genesis 37:28; Matthew 27:3; Exodus 21:32; Leviticus 27:5.)
6.
In their very attempt to destroy Joseph, his brothers
actually set up the conditions that would bring about their eventual temporal
salvation—that is, Joseph, by virtue of being sold, would become their
deliverer. Jesus, by His being given into the hands of the Gentiles, was
crucified and completed the atoning sacrifice, becoming the Deliverer for all
mankind.
7.
Joseph began his mission of preparing salvation for
Israel at age thirty, just as Jesus began His ministry of preparing salvation
for the world at age thirty (see Genesis 41:46; Luke 3:23).
8.
When Joseph was finally raised to his exalted position
in Egypt, all bowed the knee to him. All will eventually bow the knee to Jesus.
(See Genesis 41:43; D&C 88:104.)
9.
Joseph provided bread for Israel and saved them from
death, all without cost. Jesus, the Bread of Life, did the same for all men.
(See Genesis 42:35; John 6:48–57; 2 Nephi 9:50.)
I expounded on Joseph’s
life in Egypt as the slave of Potiphar, observing his character, which led to
him ascending to obtaining stewardships over Potiphar’s house, prison, and
Egypt. We practiced the thirteen articles of faith, and I taught that Joseph
lived the thirteenth well.
I transition to teach about Joseph’s experiences with Potiphar’s wife by discussing the definition of, the word, chaste. I taught more about Joseph’s character, reviewing the seventh article of faith, since he interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker in prison. “We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.” Joseph’s benevolent nature was revealed in the record of Genesis chapter forty.
“6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.”
His character was a bold testimony of God as everyone recognized that he communed with their spirit. I concluded my lesson with the last two types of Christ. The lesson went well.
I brought the children Goldfish by their request.
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