THE CULTURE OF HACKING

"Hacking" is a common way to get a ride in Baltimore

In today's world of sophisticated computer programs, there is an underground group of people who seek to exploit weaknesses in systems and networks by "hacking" into those programs for a multitude of reasons such as profit, protest, or challenge. In the unlicensed cab culture in Baltimore, however, hacking has a totally different meaning. To get a ride by hacking, the person stands outside either on the sidewalk or near a parked car, motioning rapidly with one down-turned index finger, indicating to passersby that he would like a ride up, down, or across town.

Although hacking is illegal, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in jail, there is a booming economy built around people in the Charm City's black community who prefer to call or flag down drivers of unlicensed vehicles for hire rather than taking public transportation or using licensed taxicabs. Church missionaries and everyone else who travels on Baltimore's city streets and encounters those finger-wagging people looking for a ride, know it is a common part of life here. Hacking can be dangerous, too, both to the drivers and passengers. While people sometimes get killed driving illegal hacks; more frequently, carjackings, robberies, and assaults often go unreported.

So why has this illegal and dangerous activity become part of Baltimore's culture? For those individuals without a car, hacks are perceived to be convenient, less-expensive than legitimate cabs, and will deliver you directly to your destination. It is a fact that black people often have difficulty catching cabs in predominately black neighborhoods.

If our ultimate destination is to arrive at the Kingdom of God rather than some street address in east Baltimore, there is but one legitimate way to reach that place safely, and it is not accomplished by standing on the street corner rapidly waving our turned-down index finger at a passing car. 

Anne C. Pingree, former Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency tells us, "Where else would we look, where else would we reach, where else would we come but to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith? He pronounced: 

Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.                                                            - 3 Nephi 9:14

"His promise invites us not only to reach towards Him but also to take the all-important next step: to come unto Him. This is such a motivating, cheering doctrine. The Messiah extends His arm of mercy to us, always eager to receive us—if we choose to come to Him. When we do come to the Savior with full purpose of heart, we will feel His loving touch in the most personal ways."

There is no free ride or reduced fare from this life to Heaven. All of us must enter by the straight and narrow path, accepting Jesus Christ as Our Personal Savior, repenting of our sins, being baptized by one having the proper authority, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and by living the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the best of our ability for the remainder of our days here on earth.

THE EXIT INTERVIEW

Maryland Baltimore Mission President Mark Richards

It is difficult to deny that your mission is coming to a close when you get called into the mission president's office for your final interview. Monday morning we had that experience with President Mark Richards who treated us with much kindness as he expressed his sincere appreciation for our service to the Chesapeake Ward and the Maryland Baltimore Mission during the past 18 months. Most missionaries have mixed feelings about going home at the end of their mission call, and we readily admit that we are having similar thoughts and emotions.

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

                                                         - Theodore Suess Geisel

We were told that both President Halsey, the Stake President, and Bishop Fox of the Chesapeake Ward have said that we have made a positive difference while serving as a senior couple here in Baltimore on our mission. With less than a week left until we pack our car and drive home to Greensboro, North Carolina, this is certainly a difficult time for Sister Lindsay and me as we continue to say goodbye to ward members.

       

We have also made many friends among the young elders and sisters as well as with the other senior missionary couples in the Maryland Baltimore Mission during our time here. President Richards also thanked me for the photographs that were taken with my camera during mission activities. Sister Richards has posted many of them on the mission blog and some of these images were included in the recently published 2012 mission yearbook.

And so, we are about to make the transition from teaching missionaries back into our role as Church members supporting missionary work in our family and home ward. But the importance of the message of the restored gospel remains the same, and our testimony of its truthfulness continues.

RAISE YOUR VOICES TO THE LORD

Evan Stephens (1854-1930)

Raise your voices to the Lord,

Ye who here have heard his word.

As we part, his praise proclaim,

Shout thanksgiving to his name.

Shout thanksgiving! Let our song
Still our joy and praise prolong,
Until here we meet again
To renew the glad refrain.

Thomas S. Monson, president of the Church, has counseled all of us to fill our minds with truth, to fill our hearts with love, and to fill our lives with service. Truth is found by searching, studying, and living the revealed Word of God. Peace is found in this troubled world when we lose ourselves in the service of our fellowmen.

THE MULTI-COLORED QUILT MADE OF LOVE

Elder & Sister Lindsay with the multi-colored quilt made of love

Near the conclusion of last Sunday's fast and testimony meeting at Church, the ward leadership invited Sister Lindsay and I to come forward onto the stand. The congregation was then asked to stand and sing the closing hymn, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." It was a difficult, emotional moment for us, and we could tell from our vantage point that there were members in front of us who were having as much trouble as we were in trying to sing that song.

We have been associated with the Chesapeake Ward for the past 18 months and have grown to love the saints who worship here. We have laughed with them, cried with them, taught them and in turn been taught by them during this year-and-a-half. As is the case with most missionaries who live and work among the local people in any given community, many of the individuals and families here in eastern Baltimore have become dear friends with whom we will stay in touch in future times.

Following Church services, the congregation gathered in the cultural hall to bid us farewell in an informal but touching way. It was there that we were presented with a beautiful multi-colored homemade quilt designed and stitched together with love and kindness by individual ward members . . . a treasure to cherish.

PATCHWORK QUILT

Our family's like a patchwork quilt,
With kindness gently sewn;
Each piece is an original,
With beauty of its own.
With threads of warmth and happiness,
It's tightly stitched together
To last in love throughout the years,
Our family is forever.

                                        - Unknown Author

It is difficult for us to imagine that we have been able to give more to others than we have received from them during our mission. Friedrich Nietzsche suggests that true friendship is seen through the heart, not through the eyes. Our hearts are full!

BRIEF TRANSFER BEFORE OUR JOURNEY HOME

Our sons Peter & Andy load our household items onto a pickup truck

The young elders and sisters appear to get used to the idea of being transferred from place to place multiple times during the course of their 18 to 24 month missions before they go back to their families; however, senior couples, like us, typically stay at one location for the duration of their missionary service.

While we are in the process of wrapping up our missionary activity here in Baltimore this month, we have been having some rather unique experiences that are making things interesting for us while we are in transition back to civilian life. We had anticipated staying in our apartment until our departure for home on March 9th, but the Church Missionary Department notified our mission president that the replacement senior couple would arrive on February 26th and need to be in the apartment the very next day.

So essentially, we were "evicted" from our apartment on the morning of February 27th. Fortunately, there is a wonderful family in the Chesapeake Ward that immediately opened their home to us, so we wouldn't be homeless and have to sleep on a couple of city benches. Their home has a finished basement with a spare bedroom and a full bath, so we have been well-cared for since moving out of our home away from home. Our host family is from Brazil; and as an added blessing, they cook the most wonderful food imaginable and have kindly invited us to eat with them whenever we are available at mealtime.

We found shelter at a Church member's home rather than a park bench

Because senior couples must set up housekeeping rather than move about with a couple of suitcases like the young missionaries, we have some "stuff" that came with us from North Carolina and ultimately either goes back home at the end of our mission or must be disposed of by some other means. Sister Lindsay and I had to move all of those boxes to one of the missionary apartments until two of our sons could come and load it onto Andy's pickup truck over the weekend.

Moving on, is a simple thing, what is left behind is hard.

                                                                -  Dave Mustaine

So, on Saturday we will pack our clothing and other personal items into our car and drive back home to our family. All things considered, the transition has gone very well especially with the help of the Lord who has guided us through the process.

THE HOPE CHEST

Lynda Rieder's hope chest that once belonged to her grandmother

The theme for the February Young Women's New Beginnings program was "Hope Chest." Prominently featured in the room where the young women and their parents were gathered for this special activity was a beautiful antique hope chest that once belonged to the grandmother of the Young Women's president, Sister Lynda Rieder.

First called "Glory Boxes," the origin of the hope chest dates historically back to large decorated and showy chests associated with dynastic (wealthy) marriages in 15th century Italy. Dutch (kast) or German (schrank) chests were tall wardrobe-like chests with double doors that were larger than most hope chests intended for regular service in the home after marriage. In America the peak of the hope chest as folk art came with the waves of European immigrants to this country.

Using her own needlework skills to construct a trousseau and stock her glory box was for the working girl the equivalent of planning and saving for marriage on the part of a provident and ambitious young man. The collection of a trousseau was a common coming-of-age rite until the 1950s. The contents of a hope chest included items such as clothing, table linens, towels, bed linens, quilts, silverware, and occasionally dishware.

During the New Beginning's program, each young woman came forward and showed the group something that had previously been given to her that she now cherishes because it has special meaning to her. Among those special gifts were a ring from a beloved grandmother, a special necklace from grandparents, a beautiful dress,  great-grandparents wedding certificate, and a grandparent's chess set.

Afterwards, the girl's parents came forward one at a time, went to the hope chest, and removed a special item to be presented to their daughters. Some of the treasures given to these young women included a multi-generational family picture, a video expressing the parents' unconditional love, a folder for a future temple recommend, and a 3-dimensional picture of the daughter in the future being married in the temple.

Faith is the very first thing you should pack in a hope chest

                                                          - Sarah Ban Breathnach

THE "EMPTY NESTERS" LUNCHEON

Kathy Wessel presents Sister Lindsay with special apron

This week we attended our final Church "Empty Nester" group luncheon at the local Golden Corral Restaurant. There was a nice turnout of 16 seniors present at this monthly gathering; and among them were some of our closest friends in the Chesapeake Ward.

During the meal, Sister Kathy Wessel made a presentation to Sister Lindsay of an apron, with the following machine-embroidered message:

Baltimore Empty Nesters . . . Thank You

The apron was personalized with the signatures of everyone who was present at the luncheon. Of all those things we have been able to accomplish during our mission here in Maryland, some of the most satisfying work we have done has been associated with encouraging senior members of the Church to become more involved in fellowshipping one another. Having them actively engaged in spiritual discussions and group luncheons on a regular basis has made some of the seniors more outgoing and improved their self-esteem.

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve tells us that through the infinite love and grace of Jesus Christ, we can become more Christian Christians . . . Regarding Christian love. the Savior valued everyone. Kind and compassionate to all, He left the ninety and nine to find the one, for “even the very hairs of [our] head are … numbered” to Him. Despite temptations, trials, and persecutions, the Savior trusted our Heavenly Father and chose to be faithful and obedient to His commandments.

We can and must become more Christian Christians by reaching out to others, especially those who may be bent over with age and infirmities, as well as individuals who are discouraged and feeling unwanted or unneeded. As we now prepare to return to our home in North Carolina, we will leave a piece of our heart with the senior members of this congregations whom we have loved and appreciated while we were blessed to be among them.

OUR LAST ZONE TRAINING MEETING

Jones Falls District is one of four districts in the Baltimore Zone

As Sister Lindsay and I near the completion of our mission for the Church, we now find ourselves doing many things for the very last time. Recently, we participated in our final training session with the other missionaries in the Baltimore Zone. Looking around the room during this instructional meeting, I reflected upon the many people changes we have observed during the past 18 months in this part of the Maryland Baltimore Mission.

As a senior missionary couple, we have been assigned to the Chesapeake Ward in east Baltimore for our entire mission; however, the young elders and sisters with whom we serve in this area have come and gone many times during this same year-and-a-half. On average, missionary transfers occur every six weeks; and with each transfer, there have been several elders and sisters arriving and departing. As a result, we have been blessed to meet and work with a significant number of wonderful young adults who are fully committed to bringing the message of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of those individuals who are seeking truth but don't know where to find it.

The missionaries of the Church are earnestly seeking to be totally obedient to both the letter and spirit of God's commandments. In effect, proselyting elders and sisters try their best to live the principles of truth that they know to be true. It is not possible to teach that which we have not already learned; and yet, even the Lord's servants are imperfect people who are seeking to become more Christ-like each day.

President James E. Faust (1920-2007), a former member of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has said that all who seek to rise above themselves must make a humble and honest inquiry to determine where truth lies: an inquiry in their hearts as well as in their minds and in their lives. May each of us consciously seek to know the truths of God and to courageously live those truths in love and thanksgiving.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

                                                                                                                John 8:32

The freedom that most assuredly comes to anyone who seeks to live the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just found in the words written in the holy scriptures but also by the supportive association with fellow Church members who help sustain and encourage their fellow believers in times of trial and hardship. Some of the sweetest memories we will retain from our being missionaries will be the recollection of the unselfish love and kindness shown by missionaries to members and total strangers while we served here in Baltimore.