Post-Mish & Pre-Logan

Wow. It's still weird to me that my mish is over. In fact, a month ago today, I was released.

July 15, 2014- Day I was set apart

July 19, 2015- Day [after] I was released

I loved the time I served. Absolutely loved it. And if I had the chance, I'd go back and do it all over again! I learned so much about the gospel, about myself, and about life. Here's an update of what I've been up to in the last month:

• I got a job. I'm an "Office Assistant" at Precision Development. I scan, file, clean, do odd-job tasks, and advertising. I'm the one that's been posting on social media lately! Huzzah. And yes, this is a job I got from my dad. It still counts. It's a legit job. Someone asked me yesterday if I got paid "under the table", and the answer is no. I'm on payroll, I get taxes taken out. (booo)

• I still love photography. Oh, guess what? I bought a new phone. My old S4 has a majorly cracked screen, and I found one for $20. Well, the $20 phone sucked. It did it's job, but I hated the picture quality. So, I spent $120 and bought a new S4 off of eBay. It's worth it to me, because it's basically like buying a new camera as well. And I love having a phone with a nice camera again. Here's some of my cool pictures.

• I'm still working on my Book of Mormon reading. Can I tell you how IMPORTANT it is to read the Book of Mormon every single day!? This book is many things: it is another testament of Jesus Christ, a great teacher for us, and most importantly-- truth. I love this book so much and I just want to share it with the world. Every time I reread it, I find new lessons and truths all the time. It's almost like God put something in there that wasn't there before. But that's the joy of it-- I learn something new every time I read. I've recently discovered a new way to study the Book of Mormon, and I love it. I've learned so much. I won't give you the details today- it deserves it's own special post. I will tell you this, though- it's really helped me focus more than I ever have on this blessed book.

• Prepping for Logan. I told you I'm moving to Logan, right? Well, yeah, that's next week. Time flies. I seriously am really excited. I'm so excited to move, but I am going to miss the heck out of my family and home. I've never lived more than 10 minutes away from my parents, so it'll be an adjustment. But that's life, right? Learning, growing, and experiences that teach us how to become like God. I'm jumping right into my major, I'm going to live in the most social apartment complex on campus (at least what I've been told), and I'll be in LOGAN. I mean, come on... Logan. I've been applying for jobs like a mad-man and hope to at least get something. I'll sure need it- I just paid the rest of my tuition last week. :/ [PS.... the greatest gift of moving to Logan is that the temple is a minute drive from where I live.]

• I've still been able to keep on my goal of attending the temple at least once a week. I cannot tell you how much I miss going four/five days a week, but one day is still really amazing. I love the blessings that come from the temple, and I know that we are blessed when we give service. Temples exist on the earth for a reason. Utilize it.

• RUNNING! Half marathon here I come. It's so great to get back into shape again. And health update: I've truly felt the best I have in months. I feel like the "same old Erik" again. Aah I love it. And as you can see from the picture above, my hair's grown in quite nicely. I still haven't cut it since chemo.

I have been so busy since my mission ended. Seriously, I get up, run, go to work, come home, play with the nephews, eat dinner, play with the nephews some more, read, go to bed, and repeat. But it's been a blessing. During my temple mish, I had no idea how slow/fast/busy/not busy the month between mish and school was going to be. But I'm grateful that I've stayed busy, made some money, and even went on a date. ;)

Once again, I'll testify to you that Heavenly Father loves us. I know that He knows me; He knows my strengths, my weaknesses, what I need to become, what I need to learn and grow. I am beyond grateful that He is involved in my life every single day. Not a day goes by where I don't notice God's hand in my life. If you look hard enough, I promise you that you'll see it, too.

Life is not all easy, but it is good. It's good with God.

Keep running.

Two Days, People

After a six-month hiatus from my missionary service at the St George Utah Temple​ (with the exception of about three Fridays in January), I am excited to announce that I am resuming my mission on THURSDAY! Two days, people.

I'll continue on until the end of my mission in mid-July. It's been a long six months, but I've learned a lot and have never felt the missionary service stop- just come about in different ways. I know that my experiences in the last ten months as a service missionary have not happened by accident. The Church is true, God is good, and the gospel is amazing! Thanks for praying, fasting, hoping, believing in my behalf. See you at the temple... come often!!!

PS- Hallelujah, my hair is growing back!

-----

Some cool pictures I took last week at the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple in South Jordan, Utah.

Keep running!

Have You Seen What's Happened in Just ONE Week?

I don't know how many of you are aware of a social media miracle that happened in just over one week.

I follow the account Humans of New York on both Facebook and Instagram. In this account, a photographer named Brandon photographs people on the street and tells their stories. It's pretty unique, and pretty interesting: "New York City, one story at a time."

On January 19, 2015, Humans of New York posted a picture of a boy asking who is the person who has influenced him the most in his life. He told about his principal, Ms. Lopez. 

Here's an outline of the last week for Mott Hall Bridges Academy- keep in mind today's date while reading this:

• January 19: First post about Vidal and Mott Hall Bridges Academy
• January 22: Decide to start a fundraiser for trip to Harvard every year for students (goal on fundraiser website says $100,000)
• January 23: $365,000 hit."...this is the most warm hearted group of people on the internet." Anything raised beyond $350,000 (ten years of Harvard trips) will go toward a summer program costing $40,000 per summer
• January 26: $700,000 hit. Funds over this amount will go toward a scholarship fund for graduates of Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

And for the total, as of 9:02 a.m. on January 28, 2015 (with NINE days left of the fundraiser)....
$877,916! And counting. How incredible, right?

Some facts about this fundraiser:

Current running time: 5.5 days. Total current amount: $874,916.

Average amount donated per day: $159,075.

Total amount of donations: 29,255. Total current amount: $874,916.
Average amount per donation: $29.90 (not that much out of the budget!)

In just five days, "these donations have provided funding for ten years worth of Harvard trips, and ten years worth of summer programs.".... plus the start of a scholarship fund.

Blown. Away.

To best portray the full story, I've taken screenshots of seven posts directly from the Humans of New York Instagram account, with the caption of the photo written underneath. To check out all the pictures from this story, check out the Instagram account itself.

[Some housekeeping: All pictures and captions that follow the specific picture are taken directly from the Instagram account entitled Humans of New York, unless otherwise noted. I do not take credit for anything said from the account, I'm just portraying this story to you.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On January 19, 2015, Humans of New York posted:

"Who's influenced you the most in your life?"
"My principal, Ms. Lopez."
"How has she influenced you?"
"When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter."

-----

January 22, 2015

I spent yesterday afternoon in a brainstorming session with Ms. Lopez and her assistant principal Ms. Achu, trying to think of creative ways that the HONY community could help further the vision of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Our discussion covered many needs, but we kept returning to one in particular-- the limited horizons of disadvantaged youth. Ms. Lopez’s school is situated in a neighborhood with the highest crime rate in New York, and many of her scholars have very limited mobility. Some of them are very much ‘stuck’ in their neighborhood. And many have never left the city. “It can be very difficult for them to dream beyond what they know,” Ms. Lopez explained. 
So the three of us struck on an idea. (OK, it was Ms. Achu’s idea, but we all agreed.) We want to create a fund that will provide each incoming 6th grade class at Mott Hall Bridges Academy a chance to get out of their neighborhood and visit a new place. And that place is Harvard University. “I want every child who enters my school to know that they can go anywhere, and that they will belong,” said Ms. Lopez.

So we’re going to try to make it happen! Let’s help this visionary educator enrich the lives of her students. 
Please consider donating.  Link in bio.

-----

January 22, 2015

A couple days back, I posted the portrait of a young man who described an influential principal in his life by the name of Ms. Lopez. Yesterday I was fortunate to meet Ms. Lopez at her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy. “This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’ Our color is purple. Our scholars wear purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even if they live in a housing project, they are part of a royal lineage going back to great African kings and queens. They belong to a group of individuals who invented astronomy and math. And they belong to a group of individuals who have endured so much history and still overcome. When you tell people you’re from Brownsville, their face cringes up. But there are children here that need to know that they are expected to succeed.”

-----

January 23, 2015

The note included with the flowers:
"Thank You For Being An Inspiration To Your School And Community.
Keep Doing Amazing Work With Your Scholars. You're
Simply Amazing. -A Fan Of Humans Of New York"

Just came back from a quick meeting with Ms. Lopez at Mott Hall Bridges Academy, so we could discuss how to make the most impact with the amazing success of our fundraiser so far. ($365,000!) There was a wonderful energy in the school today, everyone was beyond thrilled and overwhelmed by your generosity. My favorite part of the day was when I walked into Ms. Lopez's office, and discovered that some of you had taken it upon yourselves to send her bouquets of flowers. I've said it before-- this is the most warm hearted group of people on the internet.

-----

January 23, 2015

We've raised enough money in 24 hours to make the Harvard trip a permanent part of the MHBA curriculum. With two weeks left in the fundraiser, I sat down with Ms. Lopez today to learn the best way that we could continue to help her secure a bright future for her students. “We have a major need for a summer program,” she explained. “Learning stops during the summer for my scholars. We have what is called a ‘summer slide.’ My scholars can’t even go outside. It’s too dangerous. As an exercise, my teachers broke into small groups and took a walk through the community. We wanted to understand how our students live. We went inside the housing projects. The parks and playgrounds were empty because it’s too dangerous. Even the library isn’t a safe zone. Just last Saturday, one of my scholars had two guns pulled on him while he was walking to the community center. In broad daylight. It’s just too dangerous to be outside, so my scholars stay inside all summer. They aren’t learning to ride horses or drive boats, and they certainly aren’t traveling. They miss out on the enrichment available to children from more affluent neighborhoods. They need a safe place where they can do activities and continue to grow their minds. I tried to put together a program last summer, but I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t really put together any activities, and I could only use teachers-in-training. I need the funds to put together a program with my own teachers so my students have a safe place where they can continue to grow outside of school.” Ms. Lopez estimates that an effective summer program will cost about $40,000 a year. So every $40,000 beyond the $350,000 we’ve already raised will provide another “safe and productive summer “ for the students at Mott Hall Bridges Academy.

If you hadn’t already donated, please consider helping us continue to empower this visionary educator in her quest to transform her school and community. Link in bio.

-----

January 24, 2015

I only had a few minutes to speak with Ms. Lopez yesterday because she was hosting a conference for the district’s principals. (Because that’s the kind of thing Ms. Lopez does.) Attending the conference was Ms. Mauriciere de Govia, the superintendent of Brownsville’s school district, who was kind enough to speak with me for a few minutes in a quiet stairwell. I asked for her opinion on Ms. Lopez: “Nadia is fearless. When she says that every kid can learn, she means it. And not only does she mean it, she puts systems in place to make it happen. It all begins with high expectations. When students arrive at this school, many of them are very behind. But Nadia sets high expectations on every one. She never says: ‘This student lives in the shelter so he deserves a break.” Or ‘Because of his parents, this student can’t be expected to keep up.’ She says: ‘This is how we do things here, and there is no sidestepping.’” ------------------------------------------ We are currently profiling Mott Hall Bridges Academy, a very special middle school in a very tough part of Brooklyn. As we learn about the school and its inspiring leader, Principal Lopez, we are also raising funds to help leverage its impact on the community. Please consider donating. Link in bio.

-----

January 26, 2015

I asked Vidal if I could photograph him in the same place that I met him for this next announcement. In only four days, we’ve raised over $700,000 for Vidal’s classmates at Mott Hall Bridges Academy. Nearly 25,000 of you have made a donation. Taken together, these donations have provided funding for ten years worth of Harvard trips, and ten years worth of summer programs. Your donations have given a heavy boost to a group of scholars and educators in their battle to establish a culture of success in a disadvantaged neighborhood. There was an assembly today where the full impact of the fundraiser was explained to all of the students, and it was quite emotional. (But more on that later.) I wanted to announce that all funds raised over $700,000 will be reserved for a final purpose. We are starting a scholarship fund available to the graduates of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. A committee of MHBA educators and administrators will choose the recipients each year. We’re going to use the money from our campaign to get the fund started, but we’re also going to lay tracks so that it can continue to assist scholars for years to come. It will be called The Vidal Scholarship Fund. And the first recipient will be Vidal himself. If you’d like to contribute, please click on the link in the bio.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How neat is this?

There are good people in this world. Sometimes with all the bad we see in the news, the good gets pushed aside and people, myself included, forget the little things that happen everyday. This story is more than a fundraiser, more than photography, more than popular social media. This story shows the value of education, hope, love, unity, and selflessness. Thank you to Vidal, Ms. Lopez, Brandon from Humans of New York, and everyone who does good for their fellow men.

Thanks for all you do to make this world a better place.

For the full story of the Humans of New York fundraiser, check out the links provided throughout the article and listed below:

Instagram     Facebook     Donation Site

Keep running.

Picture Post

Wow. It's been quite a while since I last wrote. How are you all doing??

Since I last wrote:

Dental Implants! They're in! And they're better than ever.

Adventures:

Chip Hunting

Climbing to the top of the world! (or at least Zion)

Cathedral Gorge, coolest place ever

I got my Associates. And Chris got his Bachelors!

Meeting new people

Offroading!

April Fools

Improving my photography:

And probably my favorite:

Went through the St George temple!

I cannot explain how grateful I really am for this gospel. Life is hard. Life is difficult. That's just how it is. But everything that I love, everything that makes me happy, ESPECIALLY the gospel, makes this hard life that much better. That much worth it. Keep on keepin' on.

Keep running!

Nine Surgeries Later

In my photography class, one of our assignments was a self-portrait. And this is the idea I came up with, I think it's pretty applicable to the contents of my blog:

"Although the focal point of this picture is my neck, the key point is my smile. This photograph is a big, bold step for me ... although it is bold, it is effective; this image is important to me because it reveals more than just my imperfections, but also my character. Throughout the nine surgeries I have had on my neck, including the reconstruction of one half of my jaw, I have seen a lot of damage and scars on my body. But through it all, I have kept a smile on my face. Life is hard, but I choose to be optimistic." 

(excerpt from my artist statement)

Keep running!

Dental Implants Phase Five & Some Other Updates

We made our way up to Dr. Egbert's last Wednesday. The metal piece has come back finished.

(hey look, that's my name! :D )

About a month ago, the doctors made the impression of my other teeth, of where the posts

were, and of where the metal piece needed to be put.

All we did this appointment was try the metal piece in. And you know what? It felt weird feeling something inside that side of my mouth again. I have been with all of 4 of my bottom teeth missing for 16 months, plus another they removed for the implants last August.

When they screwed in the metal part, I felt like I was in my own superhero movie. With just the metal in, I felt like it was an upgrade into me becoming some type of titanium werewolf. (My college friends, I hope you laughed at that part-- werewolf, see what I did there?)

Now that I tried it in, and it fits, the next step is for making it look good. They put the actual teeth on (well, I guess not actual teeth). But do you want to hear the BEST NEWS? I have a date. A date to get my teeth PUT IN. In my mouth.

I WILL HAVE A FULL SMILE AGAIN. And if you can't tell how excited I am, give me a call and I will fill ya in. Countdown to April 24th begins now. #23days

-------

Some part of me still does not know why I have had to go through this, why I am still around Cedar, why I'm here and not in the mission field. But I have had a few answers. When I first was getting ready to move out, I thought, Man, I'm going to make so many new friends. Just ready to embrace the whole college experience, you know? But last semester was hard. I loved church, I loved school, but I just felt alone.

Throughout the last few months, I've been struggling. But I went to church. I went to FHE. I went to ward prayer. I kept doing the things I know I was supposed to be doing and where I was supposed to be. And fast forward now, April, I have seen some of my prayers answered. I have made friends with some outstanding people. If I had not been going to church, ward prayer, or FHE, I would not have started hanging out with them.

My life is incredibly blessed. I've said many times that I am not where I thought I would be right now. BUT I am finally, finally happy with it. I know without a doubt that I am where I am for a reason. For a few reasons.

Life is good. Seriously.

--------

I joined one of those Facebook bandwagons. It's a challenge called "100 Happy Days." (website is here) The challenge entails just what the title says. Choosing a platform such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, post a picture or status EVERY DAY for 100 days. It can be something you're grateful for, someone you went to lunch with, just about anything.

"It is not a happiness competition or a showing off contest. If you try to please/make others jealous via your pictures - you lose without even starting. Same goes for cheating." (100happydays.com)

I've enjoyed it so far. It's given me a chance to appreciate even the little things I am grateful for (and also a chance to improve my photography!). I have noticed that even in just eight days, I've seen a change in me already. Sometimes I've thought, Huh, what can I post today? And I look for those moments. Just the last few days I've thought, Hey, I want to do that! Well, I've had to do that tomorrow. Or Wednesday. And basically I have the next five days lined out... but I'm loving it.

Here are some of the pictures I've done so far. I'm not posting them here to boast or anything because, like that quote says, I would have already lost. I'm showing because I'm telling you because I want to show you just a few tidbits of what I'm grateful for...

And with that, keep running.