Talk Nerdy to Me

I don't understand the equation A=pi r squared
Or why a squared + b squared = c squared
I have tried to understand what they mean for a decade now
When I try, my head just says OW
But when you explain what these mean
I just think this is obscene
But I like it when you talk nerdy to me
I like it when you explain x=-2+ or - the square root of 2 squared - 3X3X4 Divided by 2X3
When A is three, B is two and C is four
X equals either 5.75 or 5.25... Is that what I am looking for?
It is most likely not, because I don't really understand what that means
Ouch! My head did it again
Could someone please bring me an aspirin?
Because she keeps talking nerdy to me

- Righteous Fury

My Mission Experience June 26, 2012 to March 20, 2014

Zach's Mission experience

It all started in 'Da Bronx. On June 26, 2012 I landed in New York not knowing what was ahead of me. I remember standing by myself not sure what to do. Missionaries were everywhere in the basement of the
Kingsbridge Chapel. I was thinking to myself, "Why is everyone so happy? We are many miles away from everything we love." I was confused and scared.

 President Smith gathered everyone together and put all the new missionaries in a line. As I stood there, all I could see were hundreds of eyes just staring at me. I felt like butterflies were about to burst from my stomach. Finally, President Smith started introducing us. As I recall, I was second or third in line to be introduced.

  
President called each new missionaries individual trainer to come forward to introduce themselves and greet us with a hug.  All I remember is a blonde haired kid running at me, hugging me and then leading me into the crowd of missionaries.

Elder Trevino-Sims was an amazing trainer/companion/friend. His example was remarkable. He taught me how to truly love an individual for who they are. Each day we would go out and we would ask person after person if they knew where deaf people lived. We were faced with some really funny comments, and some strange looks from that question. Even though people would pass unfriendly judgment, Elder Sims always knew what to say and do. He always had the perspective that everyone is a Child of God.

I was able to serve with many wonderful people.

Elder Nielson and Elder Malm were great examples and we got along well together.

Soon, we had two new-comers. Elder Pemberton and Elder Marshall, two stellar Elders. I only got to know them for a few short weeks and then something mind blowing happened. Elder Sims, my beloved mission father and I were sent Upstate to open a new ASL area and program.

I would have to say at this point in my mission, I was very dependent. Elder Sims knew everything, he did everything, and I was his child. I would do whatever he said. I was supportive, and would always agree with him but never made any suggestions or comments. I just went with the flow.

It was a strange 6 weeks. Our goal was to find deaf people. We searched and searched and searched... We had no luck! There are signs on the streets, sometimes, that say "Caution, deaf child in area". So, we would search those streets. We found one or two, but they eventually lost contact with us after I had left the area.  Then we had two wonderful miracles. We found David Moffett and Robert Brentnall. I was not able to see them baptized, but I was blessed to be a part of their conversion. They are two wonderful deaf people that were able to find the church and God's love.

Right before Christmas, I was sent back to the city. I had to leave my wonderful companion. I was devastated.  I was then sent to serve with a deaf companion, Elder Nielson. It was definitely a nerve-wracking thing for me to get used too.

My companionship with Elder Nielson went well. We had an interesting experience together for a good 6 months. I remember being able to teach and bring many deaf people unto Christ. I had the opportunity to learn something great from him. I learned how to truly love. He cared for the members and Investigators like I had never seen before. He genuinely took the time to listen and care for each individual. He showed me great respect, and I to him. Now, he definitely is a different person, at least in my perspective. We both grew up differently, as does everyone. He has his "Deaf-isms" and my "Davenport-isms". At times, we would disagree on things, but our love for each other as companions never ended. I am grateful for his wonderful example and love. He is one to always think of others first. After our 6 months together, I humbly was able to "kill" him off his mission.

In early June with Elder Nielson gone, Elder Marshall who just a few months earlier, came from Newburgh back to the city, to become my companion. He was a hard worker! If he were to receive an assignment from anyone, he would do it! He was one to take charge. His example taught me to do the same. With our team work, we were able to bring an investigator into the waters of baptism. Sean White is his name. Elder Nielson and I were given his contact information from a member, Claudio. Sean went through the lessons quickly, but had some things that got in the way of allowing him baptism right then and there. After months of attempting to get him interviewed with President Morgan, Elder Marshall and I successfully achieved our goal! Sean was interviewed and approved for baptism. July 7, 2013, Sean White was baptized by MJ, our Branch Presidency's 2nd councilor.

After a wonderful 4 1/2 months with Elder Marshall. We were then split off. He with his new Trainee, Elder Aston, and me with Elder Sims! We would be starting a new ASL area yet again, this time, in NYC.

We didn't have much success. What we did, was our best. So we went about doing the Lord's work, teaching and preaching until the day was done. 

During this time a few of my Investigators that I had taught with Elder Marshall were then baptized. Alexa Patterson and Iyoba Howard. Two wonderful converts that are helping out the Deaf Branch immensely. 

Then something strange happened.

One day, on a split with Elder Higbee, and Elder Fortheringham (An awesome Elder who joined us a couple months earlier. He was trained by Elder Malm and Elder Sims when I was with Elder Marshall.) We received a supervising call from President Morgan. He said “ I have a David Moffett here..” and that “he is really excited to go on his "Mini Mission". Out of nowhere the Newburgh Ward that he was baptized in,
surprised President and the ASL missionaries with David. We then proceeded to make arrangements to have David stay with us for 4 weeks, doing missionary work and living a missionary schedule.

He enjoyed it, from what he has said. It was definitely a big adjustment. The companionships had to get switched around. Elder Sims was kicked out of our companionship, and was put with Elder Marshall and Elder Aston. David was put with me and Elder Fotheringham. It was like that for two more weeks. Then, all of a sudden everything in my life as I knew it, changed once again.

On the night of transfer calls, December 18, 2013, I was called to go back up to Newburgh and start a split area with ASL and English. My new companion would be Elder Gonzoles. All that went through my mind was, "how can I do this?", "I am leaving everything I know!” They were the same exact thoughts I had back when I had arrived on the mission.  I was leaving the people I had been living with for the past 20 months. I was once again devastated. I did not want to go, but I went along with it, what could I do? Stay in the
apartment and not go to transfer meeting? No, that would be silly.

Well, it actually wasn't that bad. Elder Gonzoles turned out to be one AWESOME Elder. We were re-opening the area or white washing as we call it. It turned out that we didn't even need to worry about it! We were set up with lessons, and a lot of work. Thanks to Elder Fuller and Elder Fox, two wonderful Zone Leaders. We were able to do a lot of work and meet many people, including Clarence Beverly. Bill Cosby's
airplane Pilot. We have been working with him for a long time, and he is enjoying the gospel.

At the end of our 6 weeks together, Elder Gonzoles flew home to Corona, California. I again, was able to humbly "kill" another Elder. May he rest in peace.

Then, Elder Reid came into my life. A tall, basketball, football playing, RNB singing, Hawaiian. He is one awesome guy. He has helped me a lot with my attitude, whenever I felt down or depressed, he was always right there to make me smile. I learned a lot about attitude from him. Together we started more deaf work. Together we taught a deaf man named, Allan Ramdharr. Allan was great! Moving to New York from Guiana, he had no knowledge of communication or education, because he is deaf. Then he met the
Jehovah Witnesses, who taught him how to sign. But, they would not allow him to be baptized. So we willingly came to him and taught him the lessons so that he will be eligible for salvation.

Being with Elder Reid helped me have a wonderful last transfer in the mission. Even though I didn't use my mission language toward the end, we enjoyed the blessing of teaching and blessing many people's lives with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The mission is really the best two years. I didn't witness
lots of people enter the waters of baptism but I found countless
other blessings. I feel like I understand more of what is expected of me
through this mortal life, which is too have Charity and find the true love of Christ. I understand better consecration and self-reliance. I understand 
what is expected of me and I know how to act on it. I personally feel like I have
found a sincere love of consecration and the joy of following the commandments. I am grateful that
I will be able to meet a God again someday with a joyful heart.

Once Upon an Afternoon...

Once upon an afternoon, a woman ate some pizza pie. Then a pig came and sang a lullaby because he felt sick. Then he found a purple dinosaur which ate a butterfly. Mister Butterfly died and went to Butterfly Heaven. Which actually is a Butterfly Heaven. Which actually is in New Switzerland. Then the dinosaur came to party at the Butterfly Heaven caf'e. A bomb fell upon an Avery with on Thursdays. Now Avery liked to obliterate Lexie. But Lexie was magical but not mortal because she hasn't punched any lepricons, and pink couches. So then a cow floated in on a stripped banana. The banana did a crazy dance with a pink unicorn on a blue whale. The music was so magestically intranceing that they started to burp big bubbles of green glowing glue blobs. This caused blue glowing babies to terrorize the pink citizens of Japan. But the citizens of Japan were training their rainbow rainbows to do death grips against the psychotic melons. The flying purple eating cavemen were eating worlds of purpleness. Purple people of Purpleville were drinking cashiers with magically sharpened electric toothbrushes. The toothbrushes were covered with pink Barbie  insides which tasted like little puppies on flaming pizzas. The pizzas looked gross. But tasted so amazingly that the Thunder Fish started to flip out. Then the glowing weasels flew across the night sky with giant lolliepops. the loliepops soon landed, then they created a giant baby, that they laughed hysterically at while burping blue portholes that leaked silver shiny slugs. They sparkled like a disko ball during a full moon. Soon everyone was sleeping on oily flaming tar. It didn't have babies because it was nudered on a pool table in the dark of the afternoon. the afternoon liked expanding funny endings. Babies will explode into Purpleville where the flying dragons poop rainbows. Those rainbows choked melons while the balloons swam through the golden happy gates of heaven. The End.

- A story written by Zach and Avery Davenport and Alexa Muir

Film Analysis

Hot Rod
Original World: Rod and his friends Kevin, Rico, Dave, and Denise are in a stunt man team, and they go around doing random stunts around town. Rod's step-father, Frank, doesn't respect his and pushs him around every day.

Call to Adventure: Frank's heart is giving out and needs a trasnplant, so Rod gets the idea to use his "Stunt" ablilties, and raise money to pay for Frank's heart transplant.

Refusal: Rod gets into a fight with his Frank and re-thinks on what he is doing. Does he really want to go through with saving the man he hates most?

Mentor: Rod's mentor in the movie is Denise. She is a really big support in the team and leads Rod into his big decissions within the movie.

Threshold: Rod decides to go through with his plan and save Frank. Rod puts fliers every where around town to let everyone know that he is trying to save money to save Frank, and that he will do stunts at Birthday parties and other events.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies: Johnathan (Denise's boyfriend) is out to get Rod throughout the movie. He is worried that Rod and Denise will get together and he wants Rod to leave forever. Rod's allies in the movie are his friends Denise, Dave, Rico, and Kevin. Tests that Rod had to go through is his training to get ready for the "Big Jump" he decided to do, to be able to earn money for Frank, and the emotional trails Rod goes through every day from Frank and Jonathan.

Approach: Rod and his stunt team (Excluding Denise) walks down the road singing "You're the Voice" with lots of other people, while bad things go wrong around them.

Ordeal: When Rod talks to his mother about his real father not being a stunt man. This depressed Rod and almost stopped Rod from doing his stunts and saving Frank from his sick heart.

Reward: When Rod earned enough money to save Franks life, and when Denise kissed him right before his "Big Jump".

Resurrection: When Frank gets better and loses a fight against Rod.

Return with the Elixir: When Rod wins in a fight against Frank and finally earns respect from him.

Ordinary World

The Righteous Path
Meet Righteous Fury. He is 18 years old and is just about to graduate High School. He doesn't do much with his life. He's taking an American Sign Language class (ASL) and is in love with writing, though he thinks he's not too great at it. He works as a cashier at Wal-Mart and is planning to keep working there for a long time. But hopefully not. Hopefully he will have a new plan stored in his head in the future and will be able to get on with his life. Hopefully he will be able to gain enough money to go on a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Hopefully it will be an ASL Mission. After his Mission, hopefully he will be able to know what to do with his life. He has a general idea, but he doesn't know how to get started. That idea is to become an ASL interpreter and a Writer. Hopefully he will be able to become a great and loving husband and father as well. After another year, Righteous Fury finally recieved his Mission calling. He got what he hoped for! He attended the Washington ASL speaking Mission, just as he hoped for. Now he's on the mission doing very well. He's learning many lessons, while teaching them as well, hopeing he will be able to teach his future family the same lessons and be the amazing husband and father he hopes to be.

1)Will Righteous Fury come home a better man with a plan for the future?
2)Will Righteous Fury become an ASL Interpreter just like he hopes to become?
3)Will Righteous Fury be the great husband and father he hopes to be?

Shake the Dust

STOMP ON IT
This is for the good Fathers that do their best for their families

This is for all the Mothers also.

For their hard work that they deal with from their Husbands and children

And are still able to get EVERYTHING done

Stomp on it

This is for the teachers

Every kind of teacher out there

For their hard work at trying to teach their students 

And to let them create a new world of creativity 

This is for the students teachers teacher as well

Because if their teachers weren't there then where would we get the motivation for our teahcers?

Stomp on it

This is for our righteous religious leaders

For the great examples they are to us

So that we can be guided in the right path to a happier life

For their teaching

So that we can know what we need to live by

Stomp on it

Stomp on it!

Stomp on your trials!

Dominate them!

Look up to these people

And live by what you know what's right

The Personalities of Ghandi and Other Righteous Leaders

When will we own ourselves completely? I believe it is through personal traits of goodness that we will become ourselves. Some of these traits are:
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity and Love
• Virtue
• Knowledge
• Patience
• Humility
• Diligence
• Obedience

Faith is believing in things not seen. I believe this is the start in building ourselves. Through righteous things, you are gaining faith, which helps us deal with everyday conflicts. Which is also building our hope in righteousness.

Hope is a trait to become ourselves because it leads us to become optimistic in our everyday lives. It lets us think about the best in things, and gives us confidence to be able to complete tasks. And to complete tasks with Hope and Faith lets us be able to Love what we are doing and to be Charitable.

Charity and Love go hand in hand in every way. When you do Charity, you are able to Love those you are being charitable to, and when you Love those around you, you are able to do more Charity for them more often. To love one another is the greatest Charity, and it also helps us create optimistic thoughts with-in our minds and desires, which is righteous Virtue.

When we are able to have these happy thoughts and desires, We are able to control our behavior and moral standards. To be able to have perfect Virtue would be such a great blessing in my life. To think clean thoughts and to be able to control my action more often in my daily life is the greatest thought ever!

To have Knowledge is very important in finding ourselves too. Knowledge helps us to be able to help others learn from our views and to be able to understand others from their views as well. We need Knowledge to be able to be successful in life as well. When we have Knowledge we are able to understand our jobs, religions, and life styles with-in our cultures.

To be able to have Patience is a great way to become ourselves as well. Patience is the ability to "endure daily obstacles and opposition, or suffering... without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious." When we are being patient with everyone and everything, we are able to grow our relationships with others, and even ourselves.

Another trait is Humility. To be able to have Humility is to not accept that you have done everything great you have accomplished. You have had help with everything you have done. Let others know that! You will gain great respect from your example, and will be able to become more ourselves.

Work hard and have Diligence! Work on your patience and you will be "Steady, earnest, and energetic, with great effort in your work." When we are able to be Diligent in every work we do, we will be able to find "joy, and satisfaction in all work."

And the last way on the list to become more ourselves is to be Obedient. Be willing to obey rules, and follow the council of any leader we have. If we follow our leaders with obedience, we are acting in Faith, which is going back to the top of the list. This is all connected! Did you notice?

If we are following these guidelines, we will be able to gain the attributes of a leader of so many. We will be looked up to, and we will most definitely own ourselves completely. I do keep forgetting to do many of these things and will keep working on them, but I do many of these things as well. Even now! And so tonight is not the last time I will see the light.

(Special thanks to Preach my Gospel)