Thanks for Fasting

I want to thank everyone who helped us fast for the people in our Ward this past weekend. Just a little bit of information on these good folks: Crystal is in the hospital struggling with anorexia. Her family is struggling with it, too. She keeps losing weight, even in the hospital. Her dad, Don, has become very dispondent over this, and even has developed a serious infection that he is fighting as well. Fern is a 90 year-0ld lady who has lived in the Granger area all of her life. She is the sweetest lady. She also has Parkinson's Disease and yet she is always happy, and very cordial when I go to see her. You would love to talk to her. She lives with her 60+ year-old daughter, who cares for her every need. She got a new power wheel chair, which she does not know well. When she got out of it one day, she accidentally hit the power button, and it lurched forward, throwing her, and pinning her to the wall. It broke her back. She is still smiling, but in a great amount of pain. Lena is a mom of two teenage kids who has a very rare and horrible blood disorder that is often fatal. Her treatment has been having no effect. I told them all that not only the Ward Council was fasting for them, but also my family. They were very humbled and thankful for your help. Sometimes we feel so helpless, that fasting and prayer are all we can do. Thanks to you being a great family and helping me and these good people.

Another thing that I would like to ask you to do: I have heard that Becky's dad, Gene, had a stroke over the weekend. I don't know how many of you know "Geeno", but he is a great guy who really loves his family. He also needs our prayers in the near future. Please remember him. I am sure it will make a difference to him.

Dad

BYU Application

I thought I'd take the opportunity to let you guys in on what happened to me this weekend.

I have been trying to get a hold of the Assistant Dean of BYU's law school. I emailed him about 3 months ago to see if he'd be willing to review a few things with me before I sent my application in prior to the March 1 deadline. I didn't receive an answer, so I called and emailed again. Still nothing back, so I thought he was probably in the middle of reviewing applications already, so I let it go.

Then just last week he emailed me and said I could come see him on Wednesday. I decided to wait to submit my application until then and planned to take a day off work. A day later he changed it to Friday, and I changed my schedule because I wanted to be able to meet the man that would chair the admissions committee and decide whether I would have the Y as an option to attend for the next 3 years of my life.

Friday morning I left early and met with him about my personal statement. It was the last piece of the puzzle. I had finished the online application and all I had to do was push the submit button. Everything went well and I stopped by Dad's work afterward to discuss it with him and Dad bought me a meal.

After that I had some work to do, so I logged into my computer remotely and ran into some problems that took me late into the afternoon. After finishing up I went out with Kate and some old friends to get some grub. When we got home, I had Kate look over my BYU application to make sure I hadn't missed filling out any part of it. Much to my dismay, Kate found two errors, but they were nothing that was on the online application. I had overlooked two six-word notes at the top of the app that said "Print out and sign part 3" and "Print out and sign part 8". I was concerned. My application was due the next day by five, I was in Riverton, and I didn't have these two parts done. I was even more upset when I found out that BYU was requiring a form filled out by my Bishop (1 1/2 hrs away) and another by the Dean of USU (1hr 45 min away). By this time it was after 10pm and a Friday night. So after a brief nervous breakdown I started making calls.

My Bishop agreed to meet with me the next morning. That was the easy part. To get a hold of the Dean I called the head Physician at USU (a friend of mine) who gave me information to call the Dean (going on 10:35 now) who gave me the number for the University lawyer (10:45pm). I called him and he agreed to meet me at noon the next day to sign the paper. I would have to drive them down to BYU myself and hope I could get in to drop them off.

I called Dad to let him know how badly I had blown it. Of course BYU requires an ecclesiastic recommendation, everyone knows that. I had been told that several times, but it just didn't register in my feeble and sometimes spooky mind. So after a late night of calls, I got up early to make the trip North. I met with my Bishop and headed to USU. I met with the University's attorney and jumped in the car to head South to Provo. I made it to the Y around 2:45pm. Dad had done a lot of footwork in the meantime to find a contact at the Y that would timestamp my application and drop it in the right box for me. That was a huge lifesaver. I walked into the library, and the kid was waiting there with a note about what to do thanks to Dad's calls. He timestamped my envelope and dropped it in the correct box 1hrs and 15min before the deadline. I guess that's pretty good time when you consider I only knew I would apply to BYU for 26 years.

I called the admissions officer and left a message to make sure she was aware my documents had arrived on time. I drove to Kate's parents where it had all began and rolled up around 4:30pm. What a blessing that I didn't blow it all together (that I didn't blow it).

Thanks to Dad for helping me out. I'm sure there was other help involved with getting all of my contacts to be awake and willing after 10pm at night.

Here's the moral of the story: Don't be a knucklehead.

May you all prepare your applications months in advance.