Life in Utah

When I got a call to Utah I was told to be prepared to be treated like a rock star. so I was prepared to talk to every other person who sees me at Walmart for at least ten minutes. I was prepared when a kid sprinted 2 blocks to give Elder Tutt and I a donut. I'm prepared to get slipped a 5 every now and then.

But I was not prepared when Tutt and I got a call last night from a member. This Saturday, there is a parade in Clinton. Bro Burtan (no idea who he is) created a missionary float for it.  We get to be the stars :)  Then on the 24th we'll get back on the float for another parade in Ogden. It's gonna be cool from the sounds of it.

Not too much has happened. We have some more potential people to start teaching. Someone who was going to get baptized on this upcoming Saturday went back to go live with her mom, so it's a bit of a downer.  What is important is that she gets baptized. I just wish the Provo mission didn't get the baptism.

We've been working and talking to a lot of people. There was a cool story I heard in a talk on Sunday I wanna share.

There was a traditional American businessman at a pier of a small coastal Mexican village with a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied "only a Little while". The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I hang loose and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor." The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing with the proceeds buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger board you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise." The fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?"

The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions senor? Then what?" "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could hang loose and play your guitar."

We are commonly so concerned with what more we can have, we forget what we do have. What truly makes us happiest?  Will adding something add to our happiness or just make a mess and put us back where we were? This is a problem we all, myself included have. I want to try to focus more on what I have and not worry about what I could have.

I love yall, keep in touch.


Elder Pearson

Utah, Ogden Mission