Good Friends Doing Good

I was looking on Facebook the other day and I noticed something from one of my friends, Andre Heard. It was a link to his blog. I clicked on it and started reading. Andre is living in Namibia, in the Kavango Region, as part of the Peace Corps. It is amazing to read about the experiences he is having there, and I appreciate the good that he is doing.

I thought back to the last time I saw Andre. When I was 14 me and my family moved back from Chile to Kansas. Andre was one of my close school friends in Chile. We worked on the eight grade science fair together when we made a solar powered boat. I was happy he was in that science class because when we got bored we would talk about our "perfect world" we wanted to create. It was full of silly things like dinosaurs, snow that wasn't cold, and a time machine. Its amazing to look at what he is doing now, eight years later. What a wonderful thing it is to see friends who are helping the world and living right.

In the Book of Mormon it tells the story of a group of friends. These friends were a bit more riotous in their youth but changed and went out to do a lot of good. They split up for a number of years and when they get back together Alma, one of the friends is so happy to see what his buddies have been up to. "Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding" (Alma 17:2). He is so happy to see his friends are still good people, doing good things, with their heads on straight.

At Dane's wedding. He is on the left
and looks so happy. 

I feel much the same way. Its so good to see people helping in the world, and its great to see your friends doing amazing things as well. I've been feeling like this a lot lately. My friend from Chile, Richard Hunter, got married recently and I was so happy for him. Another friend, Emmy, calles me every now and again. We like to talk about old times and its great to hear what she is up to in her life, school, work, relationships. My closest friend, Jamie Wheeler, is graduating this April and prepping to enter the workforce of the world. She's also doing something I consider to be very good, and marrying me. I certainly approve. My friend, Jeff Suppes, is part of a project that gets textbooks put in auditory format so blind students can listen to their books.

My little brother Tanner is serving a mission in Ecuador for two years, and I love reading his emails each week. I got an email the other day from a girl named Debra, who went to the Romanian orphanages this past year, and wants to involve herself by helping out with Longboard For Love. My friend I met in Romania, Dane Layton, got married this summer which is a wonderful life choice. I got to go to some of the festivities and it was so good to see one of my friends, doing something that was so good which made him so happy. "Mason did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren and friends. That they were of sound understanding, and did do many good things of their own free will." That is my own edition of how Alma feels.

We all can do something, we all should do something. Thank you friends and everyone, for doing such good things, and being an inspiration.