Mission Memories

As some of you know, we're in the process of moving this month. (For those of you in the Arlington ward, don't worry - we're moving within the ward boundaries!) We signed on our new place on the 14th and could be moving stuff in, but this month is kind of crazy.

On top of generally being amazing (pretty much the story of her life), Jill is (1) preparing for the LSAT (less than one week away!), (2) teaching early morning seminary, (3) giving her last hurrah for singing time in Primary tomorrow, (4) workin' workin' workin' for the American Red Cross, (5) serving with me in the temple on Friday nights, and (5) putting up with my stress/angst/procrastination as I work on my grad school application and trying to get us packed and ready to move by the end of the month.

She's great, and I love her.

Our house, on the other hand, is showing signs of moving preparations. And, this post obviously shows that I am not really focusing (read: am procrastinating) on what I should really be doing. Jill is in the kitchen taking a practice LSAT test, and I'm about to share with you some things that I find fun and nostalgic.

I was going through stuff in the office and found the old 2.4 GHz cordless phone that I bought while as a missionary in the Oregon Portland Mission. Since we pretty much have only had a land line once since we've been married (it came with our cable Internet subscription from the local ISP we used in Boston), I figured we should donate it to the garage sale a member of our church is having. I plugged it into the wall to see if still worked. The machine still had a bunch of messages saved on it--all from my mission. If you've seen our house (and my in-law's basement), you know I have a hard time letting go of things. Not wanting to hand over the phone with my messages still on it, I created a "technology nexus" and decided to share some of the messages with you. [[I put the geek details at the bottom, if you're curious.]]

The first message that greeted my ears was from Sister Chambers. Her husband was a member of the Stake Presidency, and, if I remember correctly, had signed up (or been signed up?) to go on exchanges with us. It sounds like we had called to confirm that he'd be coming (or called because he hadn't shown up yet), and had this great message from his wife on our answering machine. I loved serving in their ward, and was able to interact with them frequently during my 7 1/2 months there. Anyway- I still find this hilarious:


I can't remember when this message was from, but I'm pretty sure I was Elder Simmons' District or Zone Leader at the time. I wasn't around Elder Simmons very much, but I remember his quick smile and great sense of humor. This is what he left us when we were out:


Speaking of smiling faces, one of my first Zone Leaders left this message on my answering machine. Your music selections are limited as a missionary, but apparently his family was in the habit of recording and sending him tapes with messages from them. This tape must have been something else in a previous life (awesome mix tape?), and a portion of a James Taylor song made it out to my Zone Leader. (I cannot assess with any degree of certainty whether or not the inclusion of some verboten music was part of some conscious plan his family had).


I had some other funny messages left on my machine. In my second area, we worked closely with the Relief Society President and her husband as we got to know the ward, find, and reactivate in the area. Wendell and Cindy are another great couple; I loved being in their home. In a previous life, he built and raced some fast cars. They had a neat picture of the Savior in their home, and I brought my mom by to visit when she came to Oregon to pick me up. Despite the fun we had (and there was always lots of fun to be had with Wendell), every visit to their home was a spiritual experience. That being said, here's a voicemail from Wendell:


Not only did The Wild One grace me with a voicemail, but I had some contact from a cast member of The Princess Bride:


You heard earlier from the Singing Elder Simmons; here's a voicemail from some Sisters in a Zone where I served briefly as Zone Leader. These Sisters definitely kept my companion and I on our toes:

I'll have to see if I can scrounge up a picture of the ugly gourds...

On my second birthday in the mission field, many members of the Zone I was serving in helped to make it a special day. I was greeted by a decorated apartment, treated with a freshly baked cake, and had this wonderful ditty on my answering machine:


Our Zone was so caring. A few of us seemed to like to share this white noise machine, and to pass it back and forth. I'm not sure if it actually helped me sleep any better ;-), but I can say that I think I'm pretty oblivious to the sounds of much white noise when I hear it now. Perhaps the creator of this white noise maker was a big EA Poe fan - hide the thing in the floorboards (or ceiling...) and you have yourself your very own Tell Tale Heart:


I also saved a message from one of our investigators in NE Portland. Steve was introduced to us by his neighbor, a member of our ward. Steve didn't look like who you'd think a "normal" (is there such a thing?) investigator would look like, but I remember how sincere he was, and how much he needed the Gospel. Steve spent the previous few years before we met him in and out of treatment centers, first for opiates, then for the methadone they used to get him off the opiates. He had family in the area, but was living on his own at the time. After a haircut Elder Fagerwold gave him and some new clothes, he cleaned up well and surprised everyone at church, who had seen him "pre-makeover". He was someone that I remembered seeing a physical change in his countenance when he began to pray and read the Book of Mormon. Despite his rough life, in some ways he was very childlike, and I remember his prayers when we taught him about repentance. He enjoyed church services and would tell us how he felt like being in church with everyone was "burning all the bad stuff out." Right before I left the area, he was admitted to the hospital for some other complications (liver?). I don't know what happened to Steve. But I remember hoping and praying so hard with Elder Fagerwold that he would have the strength to keep turning his life right, which was no easy task. We told him to call any time he felt like he was tempted (he had been clean from the hard stuff for a month or so at this time, if I remember correctly). This voicemail is pretty typical of the messages he would leave for us.

I wish we could have done more to help him.

This last message that I had saved was a "thank you" call from some of the Sisters. Without sharing too much here, I'll just say that I received a lot of packages from my mom--which I loved. She was always very thoughtful and including things like bookmarks and stickers to give our investigators and their children. I knew that a some Sisters were going through a hard time (one in particular), and suggested that my mom send some anonymous packages to them. After that, I didn't really know what happened. Apparently, she sent them several (many?) packages incognito (I think she even drove to other post offices, haha), but at some point decided to send one as herself. This voicemail was a thank you from the Sisters when they found out it was my mom. I sent it my mom today and made her cry (a good cry), as she thought about the bond she was able to form with these Sisters at that time in their lives.


Listening to these messages brought back memories, along with many of the feelings and spiritual impressions that I had formed those many years ago. I better understand the counsel to read the scriptures daily (even when you've "already read the book before"), to attend the temple frequently, and to keep a journal. Although I haven't been as consistent with some of these as I would have liked, I have felt--for lack of a better term--the "power of remembrance". Hearing those messages again reminded me of past spiritual moments, and brought back those same feelings. The same thing happens as I "remember, remember" the experiences that I've recorded in my journal. Or turn to the scriptures, or attend the temple. I have many wonderful memories from my mission. When time and the craziness of life seem to make some of them fade, I'm grateful for opportunities like this--finding a phone in the bottom of a box--that bring them back to mind.






[[The Geek Stuff: Ok, it's not that geeky. My "nexus" was playing the answering machine back while recording individual voicenotes on my Blackberry. Then, I downloaded the files from my Bb and converted them from the .amr format to .mp3 format with a free program called QuickMediaConverter. Then, they got uploaded to my Google Pages site, and I used the Apple QuickTime embed code to add the player. The HTML code I used was:

<embed src="YOUR FILE'S HOSTED HTTP:// ADDRESS HERE" embed height="17" pluginspage="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" type="video/quicktime" width="300" controller="true" autoplay="false" /></embed>

Notice the autoplay is false so it won't start playing automatically. That's another thing I'd add to the list of things that bug me -- music or other audio that starts playing automatically on someone's blog...

Wanna play cops and robbers?

The Washington Post had an awesome article earlier this week about playing cops and robbers.

I'm serious.

They called it "threat theater." Basically, some federal law enforcement and protective agencies in the area hire actors to help them train new recruits in near real-life scenarios. Sometimes, it's in a controlled environment. Other times, it's out in public. They call it "interactive behavioral simulations." (That's a fancy way of saying "role playing.")

Here's a good intro from the article, titled "For Security Trainees, a Threat Theater":

Every day, as Washingtonians go about their overt lives, the FBI, CIA, Capitol Police, Secret Service and U.S. Marshals Service stage covert dramas in and around the capital where they train. Officials say the scenarios help agents and officers integrate the intellectual, physical and emotional aspects of classroom instruction. Most exercises are performed inside restricted compounds. But they also unfold in public parks, suburban golf clubs and downtown transit stations.

Curtain up on threat theater -- a growing, clandestine art form. Joseph Persichini, Jr., assistant director of the FBI's Washington field office, says, "What better way to adapt agents or analysts to cultural idiosyncrasies than role play?"

The article is HERE--you have to click through a few pages, but it has pictures. A one-page print view is HERE.

The article has a video from one of the psychotherapists:

(Link to video on the WaPo website)

Interesting, eh? Now it makes me wonder if the bust I blogged about earlier was real or not....

What's buggin' you?

So I'm sitting here waiting to pick Jill up from work so that we can head to the temple, and I figured I'd post a quick blog.

Ya'll liked my "when bugs attack" post, so I figured I'd find out "what's buggin' you?"

This insect (6-legs, right?) was just chillaxin' on the screen slider this morning (outside thankfully!). It was the biggest fly I think I've ever seen. Mutant!

Anyway. So, people who stand on the (clearly marked) walk side of escalators or those moving airport walkways "bug me."

What bugs you?
Jeremy L. Erb
Sent from my mobile device

When Insects Attack

This guy landed on the car while I was riding with our elders quorum president to stake priesthood leadership meeting this afternoon. I thought it was going to try to carry the Honda away!

Ok, I cannot tell a lie. The bug just looks huge because I had the camera zoomed in and up close. Jill thought it was gross.
Jeremy L. Erb
Sent from my mobile device

Labor Day Holiday Weekend

Friday (04 September 2009) got off to a good start. Some government agencies had an early release day -- and the deputy and the chief strategy guy where I spend most of my days now were part of that group. Instead of going home early, we opted to have a "working lunch" (like those ever really work) that lasted from about noon until 1600 (that's 4:00 PM to those of you on 12-hr time).

I had arrived at work around 0700 that morning to get a few things done at my home office (i.e., the building where my company's headquarters is actually located). Then, I had a mid-year review with my Division Director. That went well (I thought); we talked about what I was working on, my plans for work and for school, etc. He offered to write a letter of recommendation for grad school; I took him up on that offer.

Hurried over to my off-site office. In some ways, it's nicer. I have two (and soon, three) huge (24" ?) LCD monitors, a bigger desk with more storage space, and my own office. No windows, though. But there's candy. The "guvvie" deputy brought back some Lindt and Toblerone chocolates from a recent trip overseas to share with the four (became five today) of us who are there. I miss being able to see the other people I work with, and having lunch in a lunch room, and a fridge to keep my lunch from home in. And JB's jokes. Anyway. Prepped for a meeting that started before lunch and lasted until I had to run that afternoon to pick up Jill.

Picked up Jill, went to the Distribution Center, got some new shoes, ate a quick dinner (courtesy of some leftovers from Jill's work), then started our first shift as ordinance workers at the Washington, DC Temple. It was a great experience, and the night went by so much faster than I anticipated (we're on the 1830-2230 shift).

Saturday was my day of labor on this Labor Day Holiday Weekend. A friend of mine has been involved in a family business ever since he was about 12. He even put himself through college with it, and still does some of the manual labor occasionally. Years ago, his family bought into a high-end wooden play set business, called Cedar Works. The structures use 100% northern white cedar harvested in Maine -- this wood was selected because of its natural long-lasting and splinter-free qualities. These things can be quite large, impressive, and expensive -- going for many tens of thousands of dollars.

However, they recently spun off a "Toyota" line to expand into a different market that their typical "Lexus" line wouldn't reach. This line, called Play-A-Round swingsets, comes in three standard configurations. [If you go to the website, you'll see better pictures than what I took after construction.]

Anyway, my friend picked me up at 0830 and we went to the first home in Arlington, VA, and built a Lookout structure, with the addition of the nicer tire swing and two child chairs. That took us until about 1230. We drove out to the next place in Laurel, MD, and grabbed some fast food on the way.

From Play Around

Thankfully, it wasn't as hot as it has been this summer. But, thanks to my genes and the general lack of exercise that's currently a part of my life, I was still sweating pretty good most of the day.

At our second (and final) stop, we built the Frontier Fort structure. This one is the biggest of the three Play-A-Round sets. This home also purchased an A-Frame swing to stand alone on the side. We finally finished this one up around 1930 or so. It was a little harder because the ground wasn't leveled off for us.

From Play Around

Got back home about 2030, nearly 12 hours later. I was so tired and sore - and a little bug-bitten. What a wimp, huh? And thus ended my Satur-day-of-labor.

Sunday is a day of rest and worship. For some, it's also a day of meetings. I participated in an elders quorum district leader training, a committee chair meeting, the typical Church block, and a Seminary kick-off fireside with Jill. She was able to meet all the freshmen she'll have in her class. They're in for a great experience; Jill is a wonderful teacher and has this way of connecting with the youth. After the fireside, Jill was set apart by a member of the High Council and a member of the Stake Presidency. It was a really touching setting apart. (Come to think of it, she's had three really good settings-apart lately, with Primary Chorister, ordinance worker, and Seminary teacher.)

We ended up playing Pinochle and enjoying some break-the-fast desserts and munchies with some friends. We're excited because we'll be moving very close to them soon. (Don't worry, it's just across town. No big moves here!) Thus ended our Sunday.

Monday was a real labor-free day / holiday. We slept in - yay! Then we got ready to head into the District to go on a tour of the Washington Monument. It was great - we got on-street parking right on 14th St NW, walked around a bit before our tour time, and were numbers 3 and 4 in line for our 1000 tour time. We read the Wikipedia article while we waited, and learned about how the walls were 15 feet thick at the base and 18 inches thick at the observation deck level. We learned how the project ran out of money and eventually became a government-funded operation. They weren't able to find the same quarry of stone to complete the monument with later, so the color changes about 150 feet up the 550 foot structure.

From Washington Monument Tour

We rode the 70-second elevator ride with a car full of other visitors and listened to one of the rangers tell us about the monument. Then, we were free to wander around the observation deck and look out the windows. There were two windows in each of the four sides for viewing. I thought the display by the window was neat because it not only identified the structures for you (so you know what you were looking out at), but had photos from the 1800s, early- and mid-1900s to show you what the District used to look like from the Washington Monument.

From Washington Monument Tour

(Us waiting for the elevator)

From Washington Monument Tour

The picture below is a good shot because you can see Jill's work (off to the left of the circle at about the halfway point, the small rectangular building with the half-circle driveway) and the White House:

From Washington Monument Tour

It was a little hazy still (some light rain throughout the day), but you could still see down to the Capitol building.

From Washington Monument Tour

This is where we went on the pedal boats the other day:

From Washington Monument Tour

Us at 500 feet up on the observation level:

From Washington Monument Tour

We weren't quick enough with the cameras, but Marine 1 (and its decoy) flew past the Monument as we walked back to the car.

From Washington Monument Tour

It was a fun activity. We walked back to the car (past a whole bunch of fat birds that were hanging around the popcorn stand!) and headed home. We spent the rest of the day doing chores and getting ready for Seminary. We made a yummy taco salad for dinner and watched some 30 Rock. Then, it was time for our holiday to be over.

It was fun to spend time with Jill (especially because I hadn't seen her pretty much all of Saturday). We've had some neat adventures around town =)

Enjoy some more pictures!

All the photos I took from building the swingsets:

All the photos from our Washington Monument tour: