LDS Life February 2013

L D S LIFE UPPER VALLEY

A Christmas mission: Building a home in Mexico

February 2013

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Upper Valley LDS Life

2–February 2013

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I

n most respects, young people in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are just like their peers of other faiths – they study, play sports, hang out with friends and use every type of technology available. They are an integral part of a generation of digital natives, the first generation with no memory of life before cell phones and the Internet.

But Mormon teenagers are also different from some of their peers. Many attend scripture study classes each morning before school and meet with other young church members once a week outside of church. They often pray and read scripture daily. They also naturally turn to technology to explore their religious beliefs, posting and discussing videos and quotes from church leaders on social media.

Each month, church leaders and teachers will select from an online collection of lessons those they think will best meet the needs of the youth in their congregations. It’s a curriculum designed to adjust to the youth, complete with videos, music and graphics accessible via a church website and mobile apps.

For Mormon youth, religion is not a Sunday-only affair, but part of who they are. So when church leaders determined it was time to revamp the lessons taught to youth on Sundays, they knew they needed to provide tools for them to integrate their faith into their digital lives.

“Youth today face a never-ending stream of digital distractions that pull them in a variety of directions, many of which are destructive or unneces-

sary,” said Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“The church must play a significant role as a source of good for youth in a technological world. Our new onlinebased curriculum seeks, both through digital media and increased interpersonal interaction in and out of class, to help youth apply the teachings of Jesus Christ in their own lives.”

The curriculum, called “Come Follow Me,” focuses on providing teachers in the church with resources to teach gospel doctrines as Jesus Christ taught.

The title refers to Christ’s words in Luke 18:22 (see also Matthew 16:24; Mark 1:17; Luke 9:23). Teachers are asked to emulate the Savior’s way of teaching – loving and knowing those He taught, preparing by fasting and prayer, using the scriptures, sharing real-life examples, asking questions, trusting those He taught, inviting people to act and being an example.

The previous curriculum was taught out of published manuals, and the lesson materials were the same for every congregation around the world.

Manuals often did not include the most current resources and teachings.

The new curriculum can be updated as new resources and teachings are made available, and teachers are asked to use the online resources to create a lesson tailored to the individual needs of the youth in their class.

Each month, leaders and teachers now select from an online collection of lessons those they think will best meet the needs of the youth in their congregations. It’s a curriculum designed to adjust to the youth, complete with videos, music and graphics accessible via a church website and mobile apps.

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–3

In

Quote of the month

this issue

Feeding the hungry

President Thomas S. Monson’s announcement at last October’s general conference lowering the age of eligibility for missionary service is more than a mere policy shift, the executive director of the Missionary Department said.

Nothing is sold at this grocery store located in Idaho Falls.

It’s all given away. Known as the bishops’ storehouse, the church-run program is funded and staffed by Latter-day Saints who believe in taking care of those in need.

“As one who was an eyewitness to every step along this way, I can tell you that this was a revelation from heaven,” said Elder David F. Evans of the Seventy. “This is the Lord’s outreach to this generation, and this is the Lord’s own work of hastening His work by calling more servants.”

Pages 6-7

Elder Evans spoke Jan. 15 to departing husband-wife couples gathered at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, for the 2013 Seminar for New Missionary Training Center Presidents and Visitors’ Center Directors.

“The effect of this is going to be rather remarkable during the time you all serve,” Elder Evans told the missionary companionships. “You’re going to see more missionaries than we’ve ever had in the history of the church at any one time, probably more missionaries than have ever been called in the history of the earth.

“You’re going to see MTCs, if that’s where you’re located, that are crowded and strained to the maximum capacity or beyond. . . . You’re going to see wonderful, wonderful miracles as you go through this.”

LDS LIFE

Vol. 10, Issue 2, February 2013

Upper Valley LDS Life is a product of Targhee Publishing, LLC. The magazine publishes the second Saturday of every month in the Standard Journal.

All material in this publication is the property of Targhee Publishing, LLC. We welcome your comments, suggestions and contributions. To contact us, please call 356-5441 or send an email to ldslife@uvsj.com.

Publisher

Managing Editor

LDS Life Editor

Circulation Director

Advertising Sales

Graphic Design

Scott Anderson Mike Henneke Don Sparhawk Jeremy Cooley David Mecham Jenna Butler Jim Ralls Randal Flamm

Counting my blessings LDS Life Editor Don Sparhawk writes about his recent trip to Ghana, a country in West Africa. He said, “I hope I will never forget what I saw, and never forget the blessings we have been given.”

Pages 8-9

Also

in this

Issue:

Janie Fisher: Christmas work holiday . . . . . . . 4 Eric Erickson: Granite Mountain Vault . . . . . 10 Kelly McCoy: Teenage brains . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Dan Pearce: Getting ready for spring . . . . . . 12 Elaine Hawker: “Flipped” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Missionary report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Call us with your ideas Many of the ideas for stories in Upper Valley LDS Life come from readers like you. If you have a suggestion for a future story, please email it to ldslife@uvsj.com or call me at home in the evenings or on weekends at 313-1150.

– Don Sparhawk, LDS Life editor

4–February 2013

A work holiday

Upper Valley LDS Life

Rexburg family helps to build a home in Mexico

Editor’s note: Shawn and Janie Fisher and their children Daniel, Katie, Heidi, Sam, Ashley and Michael spent their Christmas vacation in Mexico building a home for a family they didn’t know.

JANIE FISHER Guest writer

S

everal questions filled our minds as we drove across the Mexico border. Will we really be able to help build a house?

Will the kids eat the food? Will this be the experience we are hoping?

Why isn’t it warmer? Why are there so many guards with machine guns?

Was this a good decision?

Following concerns that we had been having about our Christmases becoming “too big” and feeling prompted by our bishop’s repeated counsel to the youth to “get out of yourselves and get into others,” we joined with the group Builders Without Borders of Utah to spend our Christmas holiday in Mexico building houses and doing other service for the members of the LDS Church there.

Now we know that this was perhaps one of the best decisions we’ve made for our family.

Before going, we were asked to seek donations of both money and goods.

Janie’s brother, Steve receives a heartfelt hug from Sister Vela.

C

w s t t t b o The Fisher family of Rexburg and other volunteers gather for a group shot at the site of the new home. w n our Mexico project. I was so moved This seemed a bit daunting, but feelbikes including 10 kids’ bikes from t that they would spend an entire day ing so strongly about the good cause Bill’s Bike Shop, a half-fridge, sewing u working, and then donate it all. This this is, we used all of our connections machines and other miscellaneous b amount added to the other donations to do this. We sent e-mails, posted on items. put us over our goal.

Facebook and our son Sam used this The new worry was how to fit it o for his Eagle project.

For the Eagle project, the response all in the trailer we were taking. We t Personally, I was most concerned was again tremendous. The Builders were quite certain that we would p about receiving enough financial Without Borders group had requesthave to leave some of it behind M donations to meet our quota, but ed certain items: temple clothing, because we measured the dimensions t am so happy to report that we were missionary clothing, coats, blankets, of the boxes and there was no way to b quite overwhelmed with our commufabric, kitchenware, bicycles and fit them all. But we soon learned that t nity’s willingness to contribute. We clothing in general. Once the goods this is a very blessed project. As we w received donations in both large and were requested and gathered from began packing the boxes, they just f small financial amounts and each one just two neighborhoods, our family kept going in and going in until they u brought tears to my eyes. room was literally packed with boxes were all in – and there was still room o One that was very meaningful came and bags. for all of the bikes. We can honestly c from five families who ran a concessay that it was only through divine s The Scouts came to sort, fold and sion stand all day at a ballroom comintervention that everything fit. pack the goods. Some of these Scouts petition. After the event, they came hope they never again have to fold so We again witnessed divine intervento our door with an envelope full of many pieces of women’s clothing! In tion crossing the border. We pulled in cash telling us that they had decided all, these donations filled 76 moving to donate the profit from the day to boxes. In addition, we had several See A WORK HOLIDAY, Page 5

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–5

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Sam Fisher, right, helps to sift sand to be used for stucco.

A work holiday . . .

Continued from Page 4 with the group, about 15 vehicles and seven trailers. We were told to expect to spend two hours, a lot of inspections and some hefty customs fees to take everything in. There was a very brief peek into the trailer and writing on some forms. Within 20 minutes, we were all cleared to go with absolutely no fees being charged. The member of the church who was there to help told us that this was a great miracle. We believe him.

On to the real work! The first order of business was to sort and distribute the donations. Rexburg can be very proud of their generous contributions.

My heart was filled with gratitude to all who donated as I watched our boxes make a significant increase in the donations area. The stake and ward Relief Society presidencies came first to gather items for their specific unit needs. Then it was opened up for others to come and take what they could use. This was really moving to see them gratefully taking these items.

Then it was time to start building, the real purpose of the trip. We were assigned to the Vela family house.

Each site starts with a cement slab that must be in place before the

group arrives. Normally the houses that are built are very small, 400-500 square feet. But the Vela family had been given a slightly larger piece of ground, so the house was 26 by 46 feet, the largest that Builders Without Borders has ever built.

There were two other families on our crew, my brother’s family and another family from Utah. Thankfully, the third family had done this before and one was a framer and one a roofer. We would have been sunk without them! We were willing workers, but needed a lot of direction.

Our learning curve on the site was straight up. We remodeled a house last summer, but we only did the work that doesn’t require any real skills – tearing down walls instead of building them. We all learned to do everything: run a nail gun, skill saw, chop saw, chalk the lines, be exact with a tape measure, install insulation, apply stucco, put on tar paper, build trusses, hang windows and more.

At the end of the first day, when the outside walls had been framed, I asked Sister Vela how she felt. She burst into tears and said, “It’s a See A WORK HOLIDAY, Page 13

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Upper Valley LDS Life

6–February 2013

Feeding the hungry Bishops’ storehouse follows Christian teachings

DON SPARHAWK LDS Life editor

N

othing is sold at this grocery store located in Idaho Falls.

It’s all given away.

Known as the bishops’ storehouse, the church-run program is funded and staffed by Latter-day Saints who believe in taking care of those in need.

In following the teachings of Jesus Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has set up its own welfare program to feed the hungry.

Located in the former church cannery just off U.S. Highway 20 in Idaho Falls, the bishops’ storehouse serves people throughout the valley from Ashton on the north to Firth on the south. People living close by can visit the store to pick up their goods, while deliveries are made to cities farther away like Rexburg, Ashton and Victor.

Heber Andrus, president of the Idaho Falls East Stake and agent stake president over welfare services, said the facility mainly provides groceries “that will supply the needs of a family to sustain life.”

Many of the people who are helped are often short of money because of illness, accident or job loss, he said.

Providing food to these people often frees up limited money to pay other pressing expenses.

See FEEDING, page 7

Idaho Falls East Stake President Heber Andrus checks out food products at the local bishops’ storehouse.

Basic principles of church welfare (From 2011 Welfare Services Fact Sheet) • As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the sick and those in prison (see Matthew 25:35-36).

• The responsibility for each person’s spiritual and temporal well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family and third upon the church. When members and their families are doing all they can

to provide for themselves and still cannot meet their basic needs, they may turn to their bishop for temporary assistance.

care for those in need.

• The bishop, as a local minister, is in the best position to determine the nature and quantity of help required to meet the individual’s or family’s specific needs.

• To assist bishops in helping members become more self-reliant, the church has established storehouses, production projects, thrift stores, employment centers and family services offices in many locations. Church members volunteer their time, talents and skills to do much of the work in these facilities.

• Once a month, members of the church go without food and drink for two consecutive meals and contribute a fast offering at least equal to the value of the two meals. Bishops then use the fast offerings to

• The purpose of church welfare assistance is to help people to help themselves. Recipients of these resources are given the opportunity to work, to the extent of their ability, for the assistance they receive.

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–7

Feeding the hungry . . .

Continued from page 6 Those receiving food work directly with their local bishop, who places the orders. While mainly serving members of the LDS Church, others in need are also helped. Orders generally include enough food for two weeks.

Besides just giving away food, the bishop also works with the recipients in developing a resource analysis to help them to become more self-reliant.

In return for the food, recipients are often asked to give back by volunteering their time, helping care for church buildings or even working at the storehouse.

Charlie Olsen, field manager of the Idaho Falls Storehouse, said there are more than 140 such storehouses throughout the world. The commodities that are given away at the storehouses are supported through fast offerings donated by church members.

President Andrus added that church members volunteer their own time to work at the storehouse and at church canneries and farms where much of the food is grown, harvested and packed.

Close to 40 part-time church service missionaries serve in the Idaho Falls bishops’ storehouse and adjacent home storage center.

“A lot of the products come from church farms

and dairies,” President Andrus. “They raise the wheat, store the wheat and bake the bread.”

Most of the fresh potatoes in the church’s storehouse system are grown on the church’s Taylorview Farm located south of Idaho Falls.

Today, the church operates seven canneries and three production facilities. A large church cannery that cans fruit is located in Garden City near Boise. The bread is baked and milk is processed at the Welfare Square facility in Salt Lake City.

Meat is also processed at the plant in Utah.

About 80 percent of the food items are produced in church facilities and carry the Deseret label, but the rest is purchased from other manufacturers.

Besides helping families, the storehouse also supports other humanitarian efforts in the valley, including providing food to local food banks and a soup kitchen.

President Andrus said an approximate sixmonth supply of non-perishable items is kept in the Idaho Falls facility.

Olsen added that the facility is considered a Level 1 Storehouse and it houses emergency supplies such as generators, chainsaws, water, cots, blankets and wheelbarrows. These supplies can be shipped out quickly to locations of emergencies and natural disasters.

Charlie Olsen, field manager for Idaho Falls Storehouse.

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8–February 2013

Upper Valley LDS Life

Counting my blessings after an eye-o Editor’s note: For 10 days in January, I had the opportunity to travel to Africa on an assignment for BYU-Idaho where I work. We are in the process of planning a trip to Ghana for members of Collegiate Singers. I thought readers might be interested in reading some of my emails home to family members.

DON SPARHAWK LDS Life editor Monday, Jan. 14 – Accra It was a very long trip from Idaho Falls to Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. We traveled for about 24 hours to get here. What a shock to come from winter in Rexburg to a tropical paradise where it’s over 90 degrees.

However, I dare not complain of the hot weather.

I’m sorry to hear about the power outage at home.

There are blackouts here too. In fact, they are very common and some buildings and churches have their own generators for backup.

We went to the Africa West Area offices of the church this morning to speak with people who are helping us with our upcoming tour. The offices are

located next to the magnificent Mormon temple that is built in a prominent location along one of the most important streets in the city.

We had a very busy day looking at venues for concerts. Things went well, but we are finding there are very few traditional auditoriums where the choir can sing.

I will never complain about traffic again. It’s so slow that you can do your shopping from the car window. We bought extra minutes for our cell phone from a guy selling phone cards in the middle of the street. They sell everything from jumper cables to Scrabble games to candy bars. It’s actually quite convenient. I am going to suggest this concept to a student business group at BYU-Idaho. Of course, there aren’t really any traffic jams in Rexburg, so selling in the middle of the street might not work.

It is a very poor country by American standards. In fact, it is like seeing real-life scenes from National Geographic. I definitely need to stop complaining about anything after seeing the limited resources of most people in this country.

Tuesday, Jan. 15 – Koforidua I hope all is well at home and that you are warm!

I’m dreaming of home and a little cool weather. I have been sweating all day long.

It is interesting that in such a warm climate, the people dress very modestly. The men don’t wear shorts and many of the women wear lovely dresses.

This evening before arriving at our lovely hotel, we drove through some remote farm villages. Our driver, who grew up on a small farm, stopped so we could go meet some people. They were cooking their dinner outside over open fires. It smelled of camp fire and smoke. The huts had no windows, just open holes. There was no heat, air conditioning or running water.

Many people get up about 5 before the sun comes up, go out into the country and tend their plots of plantain, cassava, maize and yams.

There were chickens, goats and sheep running loose all through the towns.

People are selling everything you can think of in open shops and tables set up along the roads. I just can’t believe what I am seeing! The funny thing is, they seem quite content and they look healthy.

We are finding very few theaters, even in the larger towns. We may end up performing at several churches. It is going to be a challenge to bring 40 Americans kids here. But it will change their lives if we succeed in planning this trip for them!

Wednesday a.m., Jan. 16 – Koforidua

A woman carrying her baby sells freshly picked bananas by the roadside.

We are going to have breakfast and head off for another day of driving. The travel is very slow.

There are no interstate highways. You just drive on poor roads through every little country town where people are all outside hawking their wares along the street. It is slow going. Surprisingly, there is a lot of

BYU-Idaho Pathway students meet on Thursday nig can also check out laptops and have Internet acces traffic in the small towns. Because there are no traffic lights, things move very, very slowly.

Wednesday p.m., Jan. 16 – Kumasi I feel right at home in Ghana. It is hot and dry here in the interior of the country. The sky is filled with a haze, which I think is a combination of dust from the Sahara Desert and fires from people cooking. It is just like Rexburg in August during forest fire season. I am sorry to say this to those of you who are suffering from the bitter cold.

Today we went to the Kumasi market, which is one of the largest outdoor markets in the world. It was mindboggling. I have never seen anything like it.

By the way, funerals generally last for two days, and include funeral services and a party on Saturday and a church service on Sunday. They are very popular and the whole town turns out.

Thursday, Jan. 17 – Accra It was hot and smoky this morning as we left the city of Kumasi and headed back to Accra. We

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–9

opening trip to Ghana, West Africa

ghts in the stake center by the temple in Accra. They ss in the church building. stopped by the side of the road to buy bananas from a woman who was carrying them on her head. They were the best bananas I have ever had.

We were driving through an area with a lot of palm trees. We stopped at a very primitive business that makes palm oil out of the palm pods. It was all outside and done using cauldrons over a wood fire.

When the oil is finished, it is sold in bottles by the side of the road and used for cooking. It was hot, sweaty work being done by women and children.

Tonight we attended the BYU-Idaho Pathways program in Accra. Our university in faraway Idaho is offering degrees to church members in Ghana who do their work in class on Thursday nights and also online.

The university is offering online classes at a very low cost. Students can come to the church any day and check out a laptop to use on the premises. This truly an amazing way to bring a college education to the young people of the church. I can now see the great vision and the great need of this new program that is taking education to the people. I wouldn’t be surprised to someday see this program become even larger than the traditional campus programs offered in Rexburg!

Friday, Jan. 18 – Elmina Today was very difficult for me. It was very sad.

We came to Cape Coast, which is along the Atlantic Ocean. We took a tour of the Elmina Slave Castle where they brought captured Africans to ship off to America to be sold as slaves. It was a terrible story to see and hear.

It is hard to understand how Christian people could have treated people like they did. I do not understand. To see a chapel just above a room filled with prisoners is just incomprehensible. How could they justify what they did? And to think how some people are still prejudiced against black people brought to this country under such conditions. I don’t understand that either.

We stopped by the side of the road and bought some coconuts today. The boy hacked them open with a knife. We drank the milk and then ate the coconut meat. It wasn’t all that great, and probably not all that smart to eat off the street like that.

We were at a fishing port today. It has a strong fishy odor. We watched the fishermen set out to sea in their long wooden boats just before sunset to fish in the dark. While they had motors, these were not modern boats by any means.

Saturday, Jan. 19 – Accra Today we took a swim in the warm Atlantic Ocean after breakfast. There were nice waves breaking over the sandy beaches. We had breakfast outside in the warm morning sun. I have one more day to enjoy this weather before returning to the reality of an Idaho winter.

We drove to another city to check out a performance venue. It will be in a stake center that is in a town hotter than Rexburg in the summer. The church has no air conditioning. They open all the windows and turn on all the ceiling fans. You can tell the LDS churches because they are generally the nicest places in town. They definitely stand out.

While the church is less than 40 years old in Ghana, it seems to have established a stronghold here. It seems to be well respected and definitely growing.

There are three missions in the country, and we met President Daniel Judd of the Accra Mission the other day. He lived in our ward for a couple of years when he taught at Ricks College. His wife remembered Adam and his Primary class that she taught.

We returned to Accra in heavy traffic. The infrastructure is very poor and can’t handle all the cars.

Besides, there are people everywhere selling things, buying things, and just crossing the street whereever they please.

At one point our driver left the highway to travel along the frontage road, if you can actually call it that. It was very bumpy and I thought his shortcut would never end. I feel very sick from all the bumps, the hot weather and the food. I am definitely ready to come home tomorrow night.

It has been a great blessing to come and see this land and its people. I hope I never forget them and the lessons I have learned.

Monday, Jan. 21 – Denver I am sitting in the Denver airport waiting for our final flight to Idaho Falls. I am relieved to be back in the United States. Although it was a great trip, it was very hard. The final two days I got sick, which wasn’t a pleasant way to travel.

One thing that impressed me was the presence of our church in Ghana. It is very visible and I think well respected. I have never seen a country with such a visible Christian culture.

The radio stations and TV stations have many preachers. Unlike the United States, people in Ghana are not private about their religion.

Many businesses give their stores religious names like God First Hardware Store, The Hand of God Sawmill, He Is Able Restaurant, Vote for Jesus Bookshop, Clap for Jesus Motors, By His Grace Beauty Shop, The Lord Is My Shepherd for Agricare, and Lord Is in Control Motors. (These are real names that I wrote down.)

We take a lot of things for granted and forget that most of the world lives very differently than ourselves. I hope I will never forget what I saw, and never forget the blessings we have been given.

I look forward to getting home to Marsha, taking a hot shower and getting into my own bed. Having been up for almost 48 hours, I may even sleep in tomorrow.

The Accra Temple is located on a prominent street in the capital city of Ghana.

10–February 2013

Upper Valley LDS Life

Family connections

Archer native tells about Granite MountainVault

Editor’s note: Each month this column is written by a different family history consultant from the upper valley. This month’s writer is Eric Erickson, a volunteer at the Rexburg Family Search Center.

ERIC ERICKSON Guest writer

M

y name is Eric Erickson, son of Norman and Bessie Erickson. I grew up on a farm in Archer, just south of Rexburg in Madison County.

I developed an interest in genealogy and family history early in my life. My wife and I were married in 1968 and after marriage, we lived in Salt Lake where I got a job in a film processing business.

Another part of the same business had a contract with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to microfilm records of genealogical value throughout the world for the

A look inside the granite vault.

Granite Mountain Records Vault near mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Genealogical Society of Utah.

In 1970 I was given an opportunity to microfilm records in New Brunswick, Canada and in Massachusetts. In January 1972 we moved back to Utah where I worked as the microfilm lab supervior and later as the vault manager at the Granite Mountain Records Vault in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The Genealogical Society began microfilming in 1938 and needed a secure location to store the microfilm records. The main reason for constructing the vaults as defined by the late President J. Reuben Clark Jr. was that the church should have a safe record storage space in the event of an earthquake, fire, flood or any other disaster.

Active construction of the vaults began in 1961 and was completed the end of 1965. The location chosen was a granite mountain near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon about 23 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.

The vaults were drilled and blasted out at 6,000 feet above sea level.

When the excavation was completed there was a corrugated steel liner

created in the tunnels and concrete was pumped in to fill the spaces between the rock and the steel.

There is more than 30,000 square feet of storage area and over 35,000 square feet of work area. In the storage area there are six individual vaults (200 feet long by 25 feet wide by 15 feet high) that could hold about 1 million rolls of microfilm each.

It is believed that the vault would

be protected even in the event of an earthquake as there is a solid formation of rock 800 feet thick which would probaly move together in case of an earthquake.

The storage area is not heated or cooled. The natural temperature of the mountain ranges from 57 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The relative humidity is between 30 to 35 percent.

The temperature and relative humidity is ideal for the storage of the microfilm.

There are three bank vault doors allowing access into the storage area.

The main door weighes about 16 tons and is so well balanced that you can swing it open with a rubber band.

At the back of the excavation they tapped into some water. A 33,000 gallon reservoir was constructed and provides the water needs for the facility. In 1972 a seismographic station was set up temporarily in one of the empty vaults to monitor earthquakes. I found out that there is an earth tide as well as a water tide when the moon passes over.

In 1965 there were about 300,000 rolls and by 1991 there were 1,700,000 rolls. The masters and print masters are kept in the vault and copies are made for distribution and used throughout the world in family history centers. There are also digital copies of the films that are indexed and then made available for people to call up on their home computers for research.

Family Search Centers Rexburg: 656-3273 – Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday 3-7 p.m.

St. Anthony: 624-4396 – Monday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m.; Saturday by appointment.

Ashton: 652-7548 – 526 N. 200 E. (entry at northwest corner of building), Tuesday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

BYU-Idaho: 496-9536 – Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–11

Strengthening families: Teenage brains Editor’s note: This month’s column about families is written by J. Kelly McCoy, a member of the Department of Home and Family at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

J. KELLY MCCOY Guest writer

H

ow often have you become aware of something your teenager did and thought to yourself or actually said to your teenager, “What were you thinking!”

Even when we have evidence that our teens are very bright, we can still sometimes marvel at the very unbright things that they sometimes say or do. They can often make choices that cause us to wonder whether they are using their brains at all, or at least wonder whether they are using the right parts of their brains.

For years researchers believed that teenagers’ ofttimes bewildering choices were a result of the excess hormones that were racing through their bodies as a function of puberty.

While this reasoning is not completely incorrect, it is definitely not the whole story.

Researchers also long believed that little change was occurring in the teenage brain. This is because they had determined that by age 6, children’s brains have already achieved roughly 90 to 95 percent of adult size. But, while adult brain size is achieved at a very early age, we now know that there is a great deal still going on in the brain during adolescence (the teenage years).

With the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other ways of observing the brain in action, we now know that the teenage brain is far from complete, even if it is nearly as large as it is going to get.

What’s Going On? First, take hope, teenagers’ brains

are getting smarter. One of the things that is now better understood is that during adolescence the brain is becoming better able to problem solve and reason. For example, the corpus callosum, which is a collection of neuron fibers that connects the left and right sides of the brain, continues to develop during adolescence, allowing a teenager to better consider a problem using both sides of his or her brain, simultaneously.

But, in many other ways the teenage brain, because it is experiencing dramatic change, is more challenged in its ability to reason and make sound decisions than was the case in childhood or will be in adulthood.

Teenagers are developing higher reasoning as a result of the rapid growth during adolescence of the prefrontal cortex, one of the last areas of the brain to develop. This frontal lobe of the brain is where logical processing (self-control, judgement, organization and planning) occurs. During adolescence this area is very much “under construction.”

One problem is that while this area of higher reasoning is forming, teenagers do not seem to have as much access to it, or at least don’t yet understand how to effectively use the new thinking strategies that these frontal lobes can provide.

While teenagers’ frontal lobes are under construction, they appear to rely more on a part of their brain that is already more developed, the amygdala. The amygdala is the emotional center of the brain (fear, excitement, rage) and often leads teenagers toward choosing activities that provide greater emotional payoff. For example, nobody loves a good scary movie better than teenagers.

As a result of this increased use of the amygdala, teenagers are much more likely than are adults to make choices that provide an enhanced thrill, thus, they engage in greater sensation seeking or risk taking.

While teenagers temporary shift toward greater use of their amygdala often results in them making unwise choices, it also gives them the courage to try many new experiences necessary to successfully move into adulthood (like moving away to college or serving a mission).

So where do hormones fit in? The hormones of puberty do appear to play an important role in the chang-

ing thought processes of teenagers.

Hormones have been found to produce a great deal of activity in the brain’s limbic system, of which the amygdala is a part.

What’s a Parent to Do? So, based on this information, what can parents do? At a conference I attended a few years ago, the keynote speaker suggested the following: During adolescence, when the prefrontal cortex is “under construction” and the amygdala has a more active role, particularly during the early adolescent years, parents should help by serving as their children’s “prefrontal cortex,” the area of the brain that makes logical decisions.

This does not mean that parents should continue to make decisions for their teenagers like they did when their children were younger. If parents continue to do this, they will actually hinder their teenagers’ abil-

ity to make good choices.

What this does mean is that parents should talk with their teenagers about the choices they are working through or the problems they are trying to solve. Parents can help teenagers to think through these difficult issues using the more logical portion of their brains, rather than with the more sensation seeking portion.

Teenagers are capable of higher reasoning! Parents need to understand, however, that this ability is rather new to teenagers and they aren’t completely sure how to properly use these newly developing cognitive skills. Helping teenagers to realize this newly forming ability within themselves is one of the best things parents can do.

If teenagers are to be successful in adulthood, it is critical that this ability for higher level reasoning – as opposed to the more emotional-based reasoning so common in adolescence – be nurtured and developed.

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Upper Valley LDS Life

12–February 2013

The Gardener: Getting ready for spring DAN PEARCE LDS Life gardening columnist

G

oodness! January felt twice as long as usual. It was so cold! Someone told me that the first three weeks of January posted the lowest average temperatures in three decades. And then we got that big snowstorm at the month’s end.

So probably the farthest thing from your mind right now is the garden, but believe it or not there are a few things you could or ought to be doing to get ready for spring.

Spring is the busiest time of year for a gardener, so the more you can get done early, the better off you’ll be in April or May. One of the things you should be doing right now is ordering seeds.

If you enjoy starting your own vegetables from seed – something I highly recommend if you grow tomatoes or peppers – you should be ordering seeds now so you will be

ready to plant indoors in March.

You can also save a lot of money on bedding plants if you start your own.

This year, for example, we plan to start our own cone flowers indoors. Normally, these plants would probably cost at least $3 or $4 per pot at the local nursery. But we can do it for pennies a pot.

Also, if you are like Kathy and me and enjoy trying newly developed perennials, annuals and vegetables, it’s important to get your order in early because the new stuff usually sells out the fastest. So get those seeds and plants ordered within the next few weeks.

Another February chore is pruning. “But it’s too cold to

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prune,” you say.

Well, yes, in early February it often is. But believe it or not, the average temperature in this month is above freezing, and by the end of the month we are quite likely to have some days in the 40s. A balmy day in the low 40s in February is a great time to get out and prune fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs.

For ornamental trees and shrubs, clean out any dead or damaged branches (we’ve had a lot of winter damage this year). Pruning fruit trees is an art, but if you want to keep things simple, prune out any crossing or damaged branches as well as any “water spouts.”

Water spouts are young, fairly thin branches that grow vertically, straight for the sky. Water spouts are last summer’s new growth and are unlikely to yield fruit; they should be aggressively pruned out. Remember, most all of your fruit will be born on branches that grow horizontal to the tree’s trunk.

When it comes to pruning ornamental shrubs, don’t do anything dumb. February is not the time to

prune spring flowering shrubs like forsythia and lilacs. If you prune them this month, you will most likely be pruning off buds that would have bloomed in a few months. Prune back flowering shrubs after they are finished blooming.

Finally, if you know your tiller or lawnmower needs some service to get it through this spring and summer, now is a good time to do it.

Don’t wait for spring, because the folks that do the fixing can get real busy.

There are other February chores: cleaning out pots and trays for this year’s plantings, cutting of the dead canes of last year’s hybrid tea roses, or even scattering some wildflower seeds into your flower beds (I’ve sown poppy seeds right on top of the snow before).

But whatever you do, don’t let this month pass without getting a few chores done.

Dan Pearce lives in Lyman and teaches English at BYU-Idaho. In his spare time, he is a passionate gardener.

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–13

A work holiday . . .

Continued from Page 5 miracle. We never imagined we would have a house.” There is no greater paycheck for this type of work.

We only had four days to work, so we tried to get as much done each day as possible. When things were being figured out or measured, there wasn’t always a lot of work for everyone on the crew to do. On down time, the kids would sometimes play with the kids in the neighborhood – no common language needed for soccer!

They would also gather trash, which was one of the biggest differences our children noted from home. It was really dirty. In one front yard, they gathered four large bags of trash, and it didn’t appear any different from when they started.

Each day we worked, our love for the Vela family grew. They were there working alongside us. Sister Vela and the sisters from her ward made a lunch and brought it to the site every day. Each evening, the members made a large dinner for the entire group to eat at the stake center. The food was always delicious.

We stayed right at the stake center, families sleeping in the various rooms. It was always a little cold, which surprised us – we found out that 50 degrees near the coast in Mexico doesn’t feel like 50 degrees in Rexburg! The church wasn’t heated and it was set at 17 degrees C, which I found out was 62 degrees F.

We didn’t completely finish the house, but found out that this is the plan. They have learned that if they leave work to be done, the ward members grow by serving each other to finish the work.

The last evening we presented the keys to the house to Brother and Sister Vela, and dedicated the house.

It was very emotional for everyone.

They wanted to formally address the crew and Shawn and I were able to translate through our tears.

Sister Vela said, “I have always felt the love of God in my life, but never more strongly than these days that I have watched all of you work so that we can have a house. You are now my family. I will never forget you and will love you through eternity.”

Brother Vela said, “This house is not our house, it is the Lord’s house.

It will stand as a witness to this neighborhood and city that this is God’s church. We have had up to 30 investigators in our small house, but now we can fill this house with even more.”

The Velas have centered their lives on missionary work, and now feel that they have another great tool to spread the gospel. We were humbled to think what this house means to them – it is not just a house, it is a house of God. We don’t really remember what we got for Christmas last year, but what we received this year we will never forget. We learned that the gift of service is the sweetest gift of all.

Shawn Fisher, left, and his son Daniel, work on the frame of the house.

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Upper Valley LDS Life

14–February 2013

Young adult book review: ‘Flipped’ ELAINE HAWKER Children’s book review

I

think we can all admit that young love is confusing. It’s confusing enough trying to figure out what we’re thinking, but, all too often, we add new layers of confusion when we try to figure out what the other person is thinking.

“Flipped” by Wendelin Van Draanen is a young adult novel that takes young love and explains it from both sides by alternating chapters between the views and voices of Bryce and Julianna.

“Flipped” is the story of Bryce and Julianna, next-door neighbors for almost seven years. Bryce is the acknowledged cool kid of both the neighborhood and the school. He has spent the last five years trying desperately to avoid Julianna, even though Julianna has stuck like glue. She tries everything she can to make him want to spend time with her. Bryce has great hopes for eighth grade, where a bigger school and

more students will hopefully separate them. The novel takes place during this all-important eighth grade year.

Appearances and success matter a great deal to Bryce and his father.

Bryce looks down on Julianna because her yard isn’t very neat, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of money in Julianna’s household.

Julianna, on the other hand, loves Bryce. In fact, her words give the book its title. “The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic.It’s his eyes.

Something in his eyes.

They’re blue, and framed in the blackness of his lashes, they’re dazzling.

Absolutely breathtaking.”

When Bryce mentions her yard and the lack of money, Julianna does everything she can to fix things. When she asks her fam-

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ily about their circumstances, she finds out that their house is rented, the landlord is the person who won’t clean up the yard, and the reason finances are strained is that her father is supporting a disabled brother.

Julianna is a strong character. She starts an egg business that brings in extra money for both her and her family. She also starts looking at Bryce in a different way, although it takes her a while. One day, while she’s watching her father paint a landscape, he asks her why she’s so crazy about Bryce. After she talks about Bryce’s smile, his eyes and the way his cheeks blush, her father “told (her) in soft, heavy words that (she) needed to start looking at the whole landscape.”

Julianna and Bryce’s world changes when Bryce’s grandfather comes to live with them. The grandfather appreciates Julianna in ways Bryce doesn’t understand. In this important eighth grade year, Bryce finds himself alternating between admiration and embarrassment as Julianna fights to save a giant sycamore tree at the bus stop.

Julianna starts recognizing that perhaps the boy she has adored for the last seven years isn’t really worth her admiration. Can he become wor-

thy or will Julianna just have to get over her love for Bryce?

The title of the novel refers to several flips. First, the chapters are flipped between Bryce and Julianna.

It’s interesting to read the same event from two different perspectives.

The chapters are clearly marked as to who is speaking, so there’s never any question. The two voices are fairly distinct, and I appreciate the honesty in both Bryce’s and Julianna’s views.

I also appreciate the accuracy of what each person is thinking. If you’ve ever wondered what a boy is thinking and you’re afraid to ask – this novel is a great start.

The other flip occurs between the feelings of Bryce and Julianna. The more each of them really sees of the other, their feelings change. I also like the fact that each character grows. I also appreciate the awareness that each of them is growing up and trying to figure out that confusing first love.

This short novel is a great novel of first romance. It’s a good read for both boys and girls, although girls will like it at a younger age than boys will. So, for Valentine’s Day, light the fireplace, get some strawberries and settle down with “Flipped” to see what the opposite sex thinks.

“Flipped,” by Wendelin Van Draanen, Ember, 2011.

Elaine Hawker teaches English at BYU-Idaho and specializes in children’s literature.

BYU-Idaho devotionals Devotionals are held each Tuesday at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg at 2:10 p.m.

They can be heard over KBYI, FM 94.3, and KBYR, FM 91.5, at 2:10 and 7 p.m. each Tuesday and 5 p.m. each Sunday. They are streamed over the Internet at www.kbyr.org.

February 12 – David C. Frischknecht, director of North America Temporal Affairs, LDS Church 19 – Elder Paul B. Pieper, First Quorum of the Seventy 26 – Christopher W. Moore, director of LDS Philanthropies March 5 – Michael R. Otterson, managing director, LDS Church Public Affairs 12 – Greg Roach, Mechanical Engineering Department chair, BYU-Idaho 19 – Elder Craig C. Christensen, First Quorum of the Seventy

Upper Valley LDS Life

February 2013–15

Missionary report Missionary announcements are published each Thursday in the Standard Journal newspaper. The deadline for submitting announcements to the newspaper is Tuesday at 5 p.m. Email to announcements@uvsj.com or drop it off at our office.

Departing missionaries Kevin and Janice Call of Rexburg to Canada Halifax Mission.

Mack and Shanna Shirley of Rexburg to Family and Church History Headquarters Mission in Salt Lake City.

Kristen Bean to South Carolina Columbia Mission, daughter of Lane and Geri Bean of Teton.

Logan Castagno to Florida Tampa Mission, daughter of Leo and Becky Castagno of Rexburg.

Martin Orozco to Texas San Antonio Mission, son of Martin and Guadalupe Orozco of Rexburg.

Spencer R. Williams to Alaska Anchorage Mission, son of Greg and Kristin Williams of Rexburg.

Morgan Taylor Steiner to Philippines Cebu Mission, son of John L. and Judy Steiner of Rexburg.

Shelley Sonderegger to Uruguay Montevideo West Mission, daughter of Ferron and Paula Sonderegger of Rexburg.

Shad William Whaley to California San Jose Mission, son of Bill and Stephanie Whaley of Sugar City.

Jacqueline Lee to Chile Osorno Mission, daughter of Kevin and Julie Lee of Rexburg.

• Rexburg Kurt Barney to California San 175 N Center Missionaries walking the streets of Africa. The church operates 340 missions Jose Mission, son of Doyle and Terrie 356-3624 around the world, each with an average of 170 missionaries. To accommoBarney of Rexburg. date this new influx of missionaries that will result from the lower age requireDouglas J. and Earlene Smith ments, capacity for many missions will rise to 250 missionaries. of Rexburg to Germany Frankfurt Mission.

Keysha Stutz of Rexburg. to Canada Vancouver Mission, daughBryce and Sherry Holman Ryan D. McBride from Adriatic ter of Kevin and Suzanne Willmore. of Sugar City to Mexico Veracruz South Mission, son of Doug and Donna 175 N Center • Rexburg Mission.

McBride of Sugar City.

Trevor Lenz to Mexico Oaxaca 356-3624 Whitney Hawkes from Oklahoma Mission, son of Shaun and Jori Lenz of Tulsa Mission, daughter of Jim and Ashton.

Brennan Lynn Bean from Canada Kathy Hawkes of Ashton.

Cassi Ann Smith to Chile Toronto Mission, son of Brent and Loren and Anne Stegelmeier Antofagasta Mission, daughter of Brad Gaylynn Bean of Salem. of Rexburg from Family and Church and Sherie Smith of Rexburg.

Michael D. Stutz from Florida History Headquarters Mission in Salt Claire Anne Willmore of Rexburg Tallahassee Mission, son of Doug and Lake City.

Returning missionaries

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16–February 2013

Upper Valley LDS Life

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