Vonage and Pythagoras

Over the past weekend we hooked up our vonage service to our computer and so now you can call us just like you did when we were at home.  Same number and everything.

Just dial 801-944-1836 and (if we're home and it's not the middle of the night) we'll answer.  

Tobi wanted me to let you know about my experience last week at Youth Conference.

There were about 160 kids from the Western Malaysia District and the Singapore Stake and we all met at a place called Bukit Fraser (Fraser Hill).  It's located up in the mountains (I use the term loosely).  It's a heavily forested (jungle) area with some condo-type apartments where the kids and leaders stayed.

About a month ago I was asked to fill in with the Young Men for a couple of months.  I said I would be happy to do that and had been teaching the Deacons and Teachers on Sundays.  A week or so later, Sister Tracy Friend, the District YW president asked if I would also help out by coming to YC.  Not being much of a camper anymore I was hesitant but when she explained about the circumstances I agreed to go.  I was also placed in charge of one of the three service projects to be completed at YC.  About half way to Bukit Fraser there is a village called an Orang Asli village.  (Orang Asli means original people).  These would be the aboriginal people of Malaysia.  The Malaysian government has provided homes for them which are nice little bungaloes with electricity, water, etc.  They have a field for their kids to play in with bamboo stick soccer goals at either end.  The project I was placed in charge of was to construct 2 soccer goals, complete with nets, for us to install at the field on our way back home.  I was given a small budget to work with and told to make it work.  We decided to do goals made of 3" PVC pipe and I set out making a drawing of how I thought it would work.  District YM President Chris Felt (from Houston) and Sis. Friend helped me to locate where I could get some supplies.  Sis Friend suggested that I make a small mock-up just to see if my design would work, which I did.  I'm not sure if she doubted my design ability or if she thought that I doubted it, probably a little of both, but it turned out to be a good idea.  It also allowed me to try out some net material and figure out how to do that part.  The design of the frame was pretty straightforward but the net had me up at night and weaving in my dreams.

After a lot of paper and pencil work and a lot of prayer for inspiration I figured out how to make the nets.  I would make a frame out of 1x2 wood to the size of the perimeter of the net.  (I couldn't believe it but the Pythagorean Theorem actually became useful.)   A 10' by 10' square with a 10' by 7' by 7' triangle on each end.  Then we would pound nails 6 inches apart around the entire perimeter.  This would be our "loom."  Then, using a single strand of 1/8" plastic string, and following a pattern I had put to paper, we could weave the entire net on the frame, tie off each cross point with smaller string, and voila, a soccer goal net.  I figured about 600 feet of string per net and bought a little extra.  (I bought a little extra of everything and was glad I did.)

At YC I had two groups of about 20 kids for 2 1/2 hours each.  Each group cut their pipes, put them together with fittings (using the mock-up as a guide) then glued some of the pieces together (we couldn't glue it all together because we still had to transport it down the hill on the bus).  Everyone helped with the net.  We had a lot of kids with sore fingers from tying over 400 knots at all the points where the string crossed itself.  Then we removed the net from the frame and carefully folded it up.

On Thursday, on the way back home, we stopped at the Orang Asli village again, carried the pipe and nets about 1/4 mile to the field, glued up all the joints, strung the nets on the frames, anchored them down with some rope and tent pegs, and the village had brand new soccer goals.  We also donated two brand new soccer balls and as we left there were about 10 village kids out on the field playing.

We all felt grateful for what we were able to accomplish, the service we were able to provide, and I thanked the Lord for his tender mercies on my behalf and on behalf of the youth of Malaysia and Singapore.  (And a nod to Pythagoras as well.)  Remember the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz after he got his brain?  "The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides."

Youth Conference was a huge success.  The kids had classes on dating, patriarchal blessings, made and performed puppet shows, put on a talent show, had relays and contests, and a big dance on the last night. The testimony meeting on the morning of departure touched me very deeply.  These kids have exactly the same hopes, fears, and dreams that any teenager in the world has.  Some are popular and outgoing, some are timid and shy, some are rich, some are poor, some are Chinese, some are Indian, some are Malaysian, some are Singaporean, and some are American, but they all loved and served one another for short, wonderful time.  I remember how I loved YC when I was a teen.  These kids had the same feelings.

The day we returned was Tobi's birthday.  I brought her some little pots I found at the resort.  It's probably about what Tobi has come to expect from me for birthdays.  She expressed her gratitude for my "thoughtfulness" as if I had given her a diamond bracelet. The next day we went out to dinner at a very nice buffet.  We celebrated the fact that she can retire in less than 4 years.

Yesterday at church we were given an assignment to Home Teach and Visit Teach all of the singles in the branch.  Tobi has a list of about 35 and I have a list of about 20 more.  Our plan is to have as many as possible come to our home once a month for a "fireside/family home evening/social" once a month.

We think of you all with love and happiness.

Scott and Tobi