After a month of bed-rest, Ai was ready to get that baby out! We had a duffel with clothes for the new arrival all prepared and in the trunk of our car. We even had gone to the hospital to get our names in the system. Now, all we had to do was wait.
On Sunday, January 6, we went to church like normal, but Ai's contractions were more intense than usual so she left early. After I had finished my responsibilities for the day (including a two-hour nap), we decided to go to the hospital just to see if Ai was getting any further along. After nearly two hours in the hospital, and Ai going from "one" to "three-and-a-half," the nurses informed us that we were going to be admitted and the doctor contacted to come and take care of the delivery. We were so excited. The day had finally come: January 6, 2008!
At 2 o'clock in the morning we were sent home.
We were totally crushed. I went to school and then to work just like normal the next day. I was sitting in the middle of my first trumpet lesson of the evening when my cell phone rang. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't even have paid any attention to it, but I think you can understand why I answered. On the other end of the line I spoke to a woman who said she was my wife, but she was panting and speaking in broken sentences mingled with grunts and screams. I decided to do what she grunted and before my student had his horn off his face I was on I-15 heading from American Fork to Provo. My older brother was called to come and watch Caden while my best friend was kind enough to rush Ai and her mom to the hospital (on a side note, he was a nervous wreck thinking that he might have to deliver a baby on the side of the road. This is the same man who nearly passed out at the sight of a dissected worm).
This is all happening around 6:00 p.m. By 9:55 we had a beautiful baby girl. Well, she's beautiful now. When we first saw her she was all covered in blood and this pasty white stuff. Once the nurses cleaned her off it was a lot easier to be sincere in saying she was beautiful.
Born two and a half weeks early, Maya Blackhurst weighs 7 pounds 13 ounces and is 19 inches long. Here's her Japanese name: 真椰. She and her mom are doing great! Dad is wearing his little, pink hospital bracelet like it's a medal.
Try to beat that FHE!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
明けましておめでとうございます！
日本に「決意ある所に道あり」ということわざがあります。お正月といえば、新年の目標を作るという習慣がありますが、とてもいい慣行だと思います。今年達成したい目標を分かち合いたいと思います。
東京に住んでいたときに神権会で忘れられない経験がありました。レッスンをしてくれた兄弟が教義と聖約の聖句を読んでこう説明しました「聖霊に導かれたら従うほかありません。時々その導きは人をこらしめるために与えられるのです」と言ってレッスンを始めました。小さい紙とペンがクラス全員に配られその年に使った「教会の大官長の教え」を最初から最後まで読んだかどうかを書くように言われました。そして彼は机の下から３０冊ぐらいのテキストを出しました。その本が全部十分の一で作られて末日の主の預言者の言葉が書かれていると強く言いました。紙を集めて私たちが書いた答えを読み始めました。「いいえ」と書かれた紙がある度にテキストを1冊ずつゴミ箱に捨てました。２５人のメルキゼデク神権者の中から「はい」と書いたのはたった一人でした。その愛にあふれた兄弟が教えてくれたことは教会が出すテキストを読まないことは十分の一を無駄にし、預言者の言葉を無視するのと同じだということでした。
今年ジョセフ・スミスの教えをレッスンの前に読むよう頑張りたいと思います。
東京に住んでいたときに神権会で忘れられない経験がありました。レッスンをしてくれた兄弟が教義と聖約の聖句を読んでこう説明しました「聖霊に導かれたら従うほかありません。時々その導きは人をこらしめるために与えられるのです」と言ってレッスンを始めました。小さい紙とペンがクラス全員に配られその年に使った「教会の大官長の教え」を最初から最後まで読んだかどうかを書くように言われました。そして彼は机の下から３０冊ぐらいのテキストを出しました。その本が全部十分の一で作られて末日の主の預言者の言葉が書かれていると強く言いました。紙を集めて私たちが書いた答えを読み始めました。「いいえ」と書かれた紙がある度にテキストを1冊ずつゴミ箱に捨てました。２５人のメルキゼデク神権者の中から「はい」と書いたのはたった一人でした。その愛にあふれた兄弟が教えてくれたことは教会が出すテキストを読まないことは十分の一を無駄にし、預言者の言葉を無視するのと同じだということでした。
今年ジョセフ・スミスの教えをレッスンの前に読むよう頑張りたいと思います。
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
A New Year's Resolution
When I was a missionary, I went to an Elders Quorum meeting for one of the English speaking wards in Tokyo. The teacher started off by sharing a scripture from the D&C which says that sometimes we have to reprove people "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost." He then began to express his love for the quorum members and let us know that he really was worried about offending someone through the lesson, but, because he felt moved by the Holy Ghost, he would proceed as he had planned.
He brought with him a stack of about thirty copies of that year's Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual. He passed around small pieces of paper to everyone and asked us all to write on it whether we had honestly read every lesson. While we filled out our answers, he explained the process by which the manuals get into the hands of the members. He emphasized the point that we get our books for free, or for a very small price, because of faithful tithe payers, and how special it is to be able to study the words of the Lord's anointed servants in the Latter-days.
We all folded our papers and passed them back up to the front of the room. The teacher began to read each answer. "No. No. No. No..." and so on. Out of a quorum of about twenty-five Melchizedek Priesthood holders, one answered "yes." With every "no" the teacher dropped a copy of the manual in a nearby garbage can. We all got his point, but he once again reminded us of the sacrifices that accompany paying tithing and of the importance of listening to the prophet's voice. Each lesson we didn't read from the manual was like throwing sacred tithing money in the garbage and like ignoring the words of the prophet.
This year it is my goal to read each lesson from the manual before it is taught in church. It will be extra special to make that small effort because we will be studying the teachings of Joseph Smith. I hope it is not inappropriate to extend that challenge to you, as well.
He brought with him a stack of about thirty copies of that year's Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual. He passed around small pieces of paper to everyone and asked us all to write on it whether we had honestly read every lesson. While we filled out our answers, he explained the process by which the manuals get into the hands of the members. He emphasized the point that we get our books for free, or for a very small price, because of faithful tithe payers, and how special it is to be able to study the words of the Lord's anointed servants in the Latter-days.
We all folded our papers and passed them back up to the front of the room. The teacher began to read each answer. "No. No. No. No..." and so on. Out of a quorum of about twenty-five Melchizedek Priesthood holders, one answered "yes." With every "no" the teacher dropped a copy of the manual in a nearby garbage can. We all got his point, but he once again reminded us of the sacrifices that accompany paying tithing and of the importance of listening to the prophet's voice. Each lesson we didn't read from the manual was like throwing sacred tithing money in the garbage and like ignoring the words of the prophet.
This year it is my goal to read each lesson from the manual before it is taught in church. It will be extra special to make that small effort because we will be studying the teachings of Joseph Smith. I hope it is not inappropriate to extend that challenge to you, as well.
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