To My Friends at BYU, As We Wrap Up

Wow, how time has flown by. Feels like just last week I was boarding a flight up to Utah. I was getting ready to begin a new chapter in my life. Now, I'm done with my first year of college.

This has definitely been the toughest part of my entire life. The transition between high school and college was not an easy one for me to take. I went from being a pretty well-known guy to just another nobody in a sea of people. I went from being a smart kid to just an average Joe in the class. It was a tough pill of humility for me to swallow.

Not everything went smoothly my first semester. I bit off a little more than I could chew. I took four extremely hard classes: Calculus 112, Greek & Roman Lit 110, Writing 150H, and Chem 105 (also known as the spawn of the devil). I was extremely overwhelmed by the workload that was given to me and ended up getting a C in a class for the first time in my life. I ended up losing a scholarship because of it. On top of that, my basketball career was cut short, something I was extremely disappointed about. 

I began to doubt my own abilities. Was I good enough to be here at BYU? At the time, I thought no. I had been through way too many disappointments and struggled so much that I felt like BYU was not the place for me. 

That's where great friends come in.

The friendships I have made here have been awesome. I have had the opportunity to meet so many different people here. 

To the guys in my hall. The guys in my hall are some of the greatest guys I have ever met. It's kinda funny because I chose this hall because I thought it was the closest hall to the Cannon Center. But I'm glad that I chose this hall. I don't think you could ever have a greater bunch of guys. Staying up until 2, 3 in the morning on a Friday night playing Age of Empires. Or having a group of 15 guys playing Apples to Apples for four hours until 2 in the morning. Or the endless pranks on J.R. Or hanging out in the Cannon Center after dinner and talking about the girls that walk by. Or the pranks on J.R. I think the greatest thing about this hall is the support they give to everyone else in the hall. When a mission call comes, all the guys are there to support you. When you need help with something, they will go out of their way to make sure you are taken care of. When you need someone to talk to, they will take the time to listen. I'm so glad that I have been able to spend the past couple of months with these guys. I have never known a better group of guys. I know that our friendship will continue beyond our stay at Budge Hall. Guys, you have been a great support for me in my times of weakness.
To the girls I have met over the time that I've been here. You girls are simply amazing. You have all the charm, beauty, smarts, and caring that I would hope for in a girl. All of you are wonderful people. It's quite a shame that 95% of you will be married and have two kids when I get back from my mission. The other 5% will only have one kid. Yes, including you Jamie, despite your emphatic declarations that you will serve a mission. And you too, Chelsea Sue. It's been awesome getting to know all of you.
To the people in my ward. You are my family away from my family. When I left my ward back home, I thought that no ward in the world could come close to the ward I had back home. I would say that my ward back home equals our ward here. It's hard for me to say which is better. Both have provided me with the help and support that I needed. I have enjoyed every minute of being with you guys, every Sunday going to church with you, and all the funny things said during sacrament meetings, or Sunday School, or priesthood meetings. And ward wrap-up was just so much fun. You guys have definitely been too good to me.
To everyone that's been there for me. You guys mean so much to me. You have no idea.
I'm sure there are so many more people that I have to be thankful for. And I wish I could individually thank you for all that you have done for me. But the time I have right now is limited. So, for now, I will leave it as a general thank you.
I have so many people to be thankful for. I just ask you do one more thing for me. Let me know when you're headed home so I can personally say good-bye to all of you. It's the least I can do.
My friends, God bless. 

Raised Speed Limits in Texas to 80mph

Normally, I wouldn't feel compelled to write anything in response to a news story. But this news story by ABC News about raising the speed limit to 85mph was so far off that I feel obligated to tell a different side of the story. Please note that this is completely my opinion and there is no scientific evidence behind anything I have to say.
Currently, the speed limit is 80 mph for portions of I-10 and I-20. These speed limits begin in Hudspeth County for I-10, to the I-10/I-20 junction, to Kerr County for I-10 or Ward County for I-20. In total, there is over 500 miles of interstate highway in Texas that has speed limits of 80 mph.
Highlighted on this map, you will see approximately where the speed limits are 80 mph (courtesy of my amazing skills with paint).

The green area along I-10 and I-20 show where the speed limit is currently 80mph. Notice how this is a primarily rural area, with no cities. No, Pecos does not count as a city. Having driven through there many times, I have seen firsthand that it does not count as a city. Sorry, to all you Pecos (or as you like to say "pay-kus") residents.
These are the only places that have speed limits of 80mph. Houston has speed limits of 55mph and 65mph. El Paso has speed limits of 60mph and 65mph. All the metropolis areas have speed limits no higher than 65mph.
What ABC News fails to mention is where exactly the speed limits are being raised. However, they decide to show footage of metropolis highways and rural two-lane highways.
I can assure you that they will not be raising the speed limit in these big cities or on these two-lane highways. That is just simply way too dangerous. I am terrified of driving 65mph on those two-lane highways. I would hate trying to go 85mph. The only areas they would be raising the speed limit is where the speed limit is already 80mph.
In the news report, it talks about stopping distance. Why would you really need to stop while driving along this barren, desolate area? No one is stopping while driving along this area. Stopping distance does not matter at all because no one is trying to stop. Very rarely does anyone have to stop in a short distance. I can only think of one time this has been necessary as I have driven down the interstate. A guy was hit by a car while crossing the interstate (which first off, it is illegal to cross the interstate). He did not survive. Later, I learned that the guy had committed suicide. The guy intentionally put himself in harms way, so even if the driver had been going 65mph, that driver would not have had enough time to stop.
I have never heard of more than a handful of fatal accidents along this stretch of interstate. I researched data for each county that contains interstate with 80mph speed limits in 2004 (before the 80mph speed limit was enacted) and 2006 (after it was enacted). Please note that this may or may not be accurate. This is based on data from city-data.com, which gives number of fatal crashes in a county per 100,000. We cannot use this number accurately because the population density for these counties inflates the actual number of car crashes there actually were. In order to make this work, I took the population size of each county from Texas County Profiles for those years and gave the approximate number of crashes during that year. They did not necessarily come out to round numbers. And they are not solely for I-10/I-20: This represents the entire county, including rural roads, neighborhood streets, or other highways.

Hudspeth- 2004: 7.64, 2006: 5.77 (-1.87)

Culberson- 2004: 0.96, 2006: 2.57 (+1.61)

Jeff Davis- 2004: 2.00, 2006: 2.00 (+0.00)

Reeves- 2004: 9.72, 2006: 6.75 (-2.97)

Ward- 2004: 4.64, 2006: 3.74 (-0.90)

Pecos- 2004: 11.31, 2006: 15.05 (+3.74)

Crockett- 2004: 0.00, 2006: 0.89 (+0.89)

Sutton- 2004: 2.01, 2006: 3.16 (+1.15)

Kimble- 2004: 7.07, 2006: 3.00 (-4.07)

Kerr- 2004: 7.29, 2006: 9.69 (+2.4)

Total- 2004: 52.64, 2006: 52.62 (-0.02)

As you can see, the number of crashes in these counties did not change much after the implementation of the 80mph speed limit. So don't say that the number of fatal crashes increases the number of fatal crashes. 

I love the statistic they give saying that speed accounts for 31% of all crashes in the U.S. Now is this for just driving over the speed limit? And a faster speed compared to what? I'd agree that if you're driving over the speed limit, yeah you're more likely to get into a crash if everyone else is going at the speed limit. But if everyone is driving at a higher speed limit, your chances are not significantly higher, perhaps only slightly higher. A higher speed limit does not necessarily mean more fatalities. 

Until they show me proven statistics saying that a higher speed limit in these areas has led to an increase in fatal crashes, I say go ahead and raise the speed limit to 85mph in these rural areas. Why waste your time in the desolate areas of rural Texas?
I'd love to hear anyone's comments about this. Comments, concerns, criticisms, I'm all for it.

My friends, God bless. 

Why Am I Serving a Mission?

I was recently called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the California San Fernando Mission. The San Fernando Mission includes everything from North Hollywood, Santa Clarita, Palmdale, all the way up to Mammoth Lakes.
Serving a mission for my church has been something I have planned on doing since I was a little kid. For the longest time, I have wanted to do this for my church.
I will be giving up two years of my life solely dedicated to service to God. I will be giving up school for two years. I will be giving up job opportunities for two years. I will be giving up girls and dating for two years. Instead of doing these things, I will be teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why would I give up these things for two years for something like this? I'll be pretty much in the middle of my college education and I might forget stuff after no education for two years. I could be working and getting paid for doing something and making a bit of a living. I could be dating girls every other week and preparing to get married. So why would I give these things up?
The person I have become has been shaped primarily by two things: my family and my church. The LDS church has shaped who I have become. I'm, for the most part, a good person that has the best interests of others in mind. I have become a loving and charitable person, one that strives to do what is best in the sight of God. That is not to say that other religions don't do the same for others. I'm saying that this is how my church has shaped me.
The LDS church has brought me so much happiness in my life. Some would say that my church is far too restrictive, so how could you be happy with that? "You're not allowed to drink a beer with us because of your church? That's so dumb." "Your church doesn't even allow you to have sex before marriage? You're missing out, Nate." My church does not force me to do anything. There is no one telling me I have to be this way. The guidelines are set, and you are free to choose whether you want to follow those guidelines. If you decide not to follow these guidelines, you must suffer the consequences. Sometimes the consequences are immediate, sometimes the consequences don't come until later, and some won't come until the next life after we die. But following these guidelines leaves you free from guilt, sin, and addiction. And instead of leaving me with a feeling of enslavement, rather it leaves me feeling free. Free from guilt. Free from sin. Free from addiction. My church is restrictive. Rather, it is liberating.
Some people will talk about The Book of Mormon and how it is not true, even to the extent of bashing what I believe to be true. My question to them is, have you read it? Have you taken the time to sit down and find out what it is really about? Or have you just been reading what others have said about it? Let's put it this way. Can you find out if a movie is really good simply by reading the reviews? Or would it be better to watch the movie and see for yourself if it is good? The same principle applies to The Book of Mormon. It is better to find out for yourself if the book is true, and not based on other people's opinions. I encourage those of you that have a negative opinion of The Book of Mormon to find out for yourself, rather than listen to the opinions of others. I will be more than happy to let you have a copy of the book if you want; just ask. If you read it and don't think it's true, fine. But I have read it and I know it to be true.

Also, some people think this Joseph Smith guy is a total fraud. Honestly, I can understand where you are coming from. It does seem a little far-fetched that a guy could dig up a set of ancient plates, translate it, and start a church based on a vision of he had where he talked with God the Father and Jesus Christ. I had trouble believing it at first. Now I know that it truly did happen. How do I know? I took the same advice that Joseph Smith took, which he read in the Bible. In James 1:5, it says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." I asked God. No, I didn't get the same confirmation that Joseph Smith got. I wasn't visited by angels. I wasn't struck in awe about the things that I had learned. Instead, I got a small, quiet answer. It was a peaceful feeling that these things were true.
God has a plan for all of us and He loves all of us. He loves us so much that "he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is through Jesus Christ that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father in heaven. I know that God loves me and He loves each and every one of us.
There is so much more I could write about that I want to write about, but it's the week before finals week and I have to study for tests. If you have any questions, you can go to the Mormon website which can give you more information. Or you can just ask me. I'm more than happy to answer your questions.
My friends, God bless.