Christopher Columbus

Geoffrey just finished a unit at school (4^th grade) studying the explorers of the new world.  He dressed up as Ponce de Leon and told his story.  He got a bit dramatic, showing a scab and dying a fantastic death with each retelling, since Ponce de Leon died from an arrow wound to the leg.  

Because of his study, he is particularly knowledgeable about the explorers that found America.  To honor Columbus Day, we're going to share what we learned from him and his fellow students. 

An Italian young man named Cristoforo Columbo, or Christopher Columbus, had big ideas.  He grew up in the wool business.  His dad owned a wool business and traded with other nearby countries.  Christopher learned from his dad about trading, navigation and maps of the world.  He was one of the few people who believed the world was round.  Although he was laughed at a lot, he knew that the world could not be flat.  Traders often sailed to exotic India to trade goods.  Coming from Europe, they had to sail around the southern tip of Africa to get to India.  That was a long and perilous journey. 

Christopher Columbus knew that since the world was round, one could sail the other direction and hit the other side of India.  Columbus first asked Portugal for funding to sail ships WESTWARD to India.  Portugal refused because they were the ones who started sailing around the tip of Africa.  It was their idea and they weren't about to abandon it.  After three years of waiting, Columbus decided to ask Spain.  They said no because they were fighting a war.  After the war ended seven years later, Columbus asked Spain again.  This time they agreed to fund his trip.  

Spain gave Columbus 3 boats called the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.  The King and Queen of Spain ordered the crews to accompany Columbus, some of whom were convicts.  They promised to erase their crimes after returning from this voyage.  After all, it was experimental; some people still believed that they might fall off the world, since they thought the world was flat.  

Columbus set sail in 1492 and after one month the crew became restless.  Mutiny was brewing.  Fortunately, after a second month at sea, they spotted land.  It was AMERICA!  Well, more specifically, what we now call the Caribbean.  He thought he was in India because they didn't know anything about America being there, so he called the place West Indies and named the natives 'Indians.'  

Columbus came back to Spain with big news of their discovery.  Spain sent him on a second voyage with 15 ships.  Columbus was supposed to set up a settlement in the new world.  He brought Juan Ponce de Leon from Spain with him.  They landed in Cuba and tried to set up a settlement there.  

Other men besides Ponce de Leon were taking note:  Giovanni Caboto (or John Cabot) from Italy and Jacques Cartier from France.  They got funding and set sail soon afterwards.  Cabot found Newfoundland and Canada and Cartier found the St. Lawrence River which leads to the Great Lakes.  Vasquez Balboa from Spain and Henry Hudson of England got into the act.  Balboa found the Isthmus of Panama and South America; and Hudson found the Hudson River, Hudson bay and the Hudson Strait.  (He really liked his last name, didn't he?)  And Ponce de Leon set sail himself, from the settlement in Puerto Rico, finding Florida.  (We went to a cool monument in St. Augustine Florida devoted to him.)    

Columbus never set foot in what is now the United States, but he found the Americas.  He had to have great patience—waiting 10 years for sponsorship of his trip.  He also had amazing courage--  he was taking a great risk sailing into uncharted territory (that most believed didn't exist, in fact, that most believed the voyage would end in death by falling off the end of the world) with criminals as his crew, with worries of mutiny, hunger, sickness, sinking, bad weather, and so forth.  

He was inspired to come, along with the others, as part of Heavenly Father's plan for the restoration of the Gospel in the latter days.  Nephi saw it in vision in 1 Nephi 13: 

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and ^awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

 13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

 14 And it came to pass that I beheld many ^amultitudes of the Gentiles upon the ^bland of promise…

Heavenly Father was preparing the land for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored and then preached unto all the world.  Columbus and the other explorers would set the stage for later settlers to come, like the Pilgrims settling in Plymouth Massachusetts. Nephi is told further about the War of Independence to form the United States and the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith in a free land.  

Columbus and the other brave explorers were inspired by God to find America.  God needed to bring the gospel back to Nephi's seed through the Gentiles.  Columbus was an important part in the step of bringing Gentiles to the Promised Land.  

Did Columbus and the others know that they were fulfilling prophecy by sailing to unknown parts?  If they didn't when they were alive, they probably do now.  God knew that they would do it.  

We all have a work to do here, something to contribute.  No matter what our situation, we can be part of God's work. 

Peter Teaches Himself Piano

I want to tell you about a remarkable musician I know.  His name is Peter.  He is Korean, and changed his first name to an American name when he came to America.  After hearing him play the piano beautifully, I asked him if he had taken lessons to learn how to play.  To answer my question, he told me this story.

When he was a Middle School student in Korea, he took a music class at school that met once a week.  He loved the class and looked forward to it each week.  In the class one day he heard a classical piece played on the piano.  After he heard it, he could not get the melody out of his mind.  He had always thought of the piano as an instrument for church music, but this was something different.  He also heard his music teacher play other classical pieces.  He wanted to play the piano so badly that he would put small rocks in the window of the Music Room to prop the window open.  After school he would then sneak back into the room and teach himself how to play the piano.

Peter did this for 2-3 months before the school security found him in the room one day and made him stop.  He wanted to play the piano intensely but his parents were too poor to pay for lessons.  When he was a 2^nd year High School student, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  After he joined the church, he asked the Bishop if he could practice on the church piano after school.  The Bishop told him that he could.

Every day, Peter would go to the church at 3 pm after school and play the piano until 11 pm in the evening.  He would then catch a bus home, eat dinner and study homework from school.  He would get to bed at 2 am and wake up the next morning at 6:30 am to start again.  He loved playing the piano so much that he figured out that he could play until 11:15 pm and then run to the bus stop carrying his heavy student bags.  He did this to get an extra 15 minutes of playing time.  It was risky; if he missed the bus he had a long walk home in the dark.  He studied like this through the rest of his High School years.  He taught himself to play Beethoven Sonatas and Chopin pieces in 6 months.

Peter kept pestering his parents to buy him a piano.  His family lived in a one room house, he knew they didn't have the money, but he asked anyway.  Finally his father bought a used pump organ.  Peter played it until it broke.

Peter has a gift and a great love of music.  He has taught himself to play the flute, saxophone, drums, guitar, and trumpet.  He is a great example of what someone can do with determination, sweat, and the Lord's blessings.

 

Scott Johnson

Thomas S. Monson's Early Experience Helping Another

With Conference coming, I thought I'd tell a story you may have heard before.  But maybe not.  It's about being the right person, in the right spot at the right time.  And it's about someone who will speak to us this weekend…

President Thomas S. Monson hasn't always been the Prophet; in fact, he was once a boy.  He loved to swim and fish in the Provo River, like most boys would.  He was a pretty good swimmer and had a strong young body.

One day Tommy (as he was then called) had gone tubing on the river.  As he turned one corner he was surprised to see a group of people yelling and franticly looking toward the water.  When Tommy came into view, they started screaming at him, "Save her!  Save her!"  He realized someone needed help in the water somewhere, perhaps near him.  But he didn't see anyone in the water.  He looked closely at the water and saw hair float up to the surface. 

He reached in and pulled her up by the hair and hoisted her into his tube.  He paddled to the shore and helped the girl to the bank, where her relatives hugged her and cried for joy.  Then they came to thank Tommy with hugs and kisses.  Tommy, like most boys, was horrified!  He got away and continued his journey, likely wiping off the (disgusting) kisses with the back of his hand.  Later he realized the significance of what had happened. (Grow)

He said, "Heavenly Father had heard the cries, 'Save her! Save her,' and permitted me, a deacon, to float by at precisely the time I was needed. That day I learned that the sweetest feeling in mortality is to realize that God, our Heavenly Father, knows each one of us and generously permits us to see and to share His divine power to save." (Monson)

Tommy had no idea that he would save a girl's life when he headed to the river that day.  He saved her life, though, because he was at the right place at the right time.  What if he had come to the river two hours later?  Perhaps he was guided to get there, so he'd be in position to help her when she needed it.  I tend to think that happened, because President Monson is so good about helping others.  He has made it a habit to help people, often coming to them in the very moment of need.  When he gets a prompting to help someone now, he doesn't question it, he goes.  And often he arrives in the very knick of time!  Perhaps this experience as a boy is what has made him so attuned to the spirit.

I hope President Monson tells more stories of how he has helped people by listening to the spirit and following the prompting this weekend in Conference.  Perhaps his message will save someone, maybe not from drowning, but from other dangers we all face in this crazy world.  He called saving people by following God's promptings, 'the sweetest feeling.'  I'm sure that's why he does it so often. We can all try to listen to promptings so we can help God help others.

Works Cited

Grow, Adam. "President Monson Dedicates New Building." Universe-- universe.byu.edu 16 May 2010. http://universe2.byu.edu/node/8421

Monson, Thomas S. "Who Honors God, God Honors." Ensign November 1995.

The Catuzzi Sisters

Three sisters, Lauren, Vaughn and Dara Catuzzi grew up together in Indiana and Texas.  They loved each other but probably fought like siblings do.  They each married and moved away from each other when they got older.  But they stayed in touch and supported each other still.

Lauren was writing a book that she was really excited about.  She had been a Girl Scout and loved earning Merit Badges.  She decided that grown up women needed to earn Merit Badges too, so she had been writing a book that would allow women to earn Merit Badges.  Lauren loved to try new things.  As an adult, she skated around her neighborhood.  She became a trained Emergency Medical Technician.  She took classes in gardening, cooking, and scuba diving.  She hiked, jogged and kayaked.  She even went skydiving on her birthday once.  Learning these fun things to do prompted her to share the thrill with women everywhere in the form of this book she wanted to write.

She wrote up a sample outline and some detailed chapters and showed them to publishers.  One publisher, Chronicle Books, liked her idea so much that they agreed to publish it when it was finished.  Lauren quit her job as a marketing and advertising agent, and started to write full time so it could be published.  She was so excited.

Unfortunately, she was affected by the events of 9/11 and unable to finish her book.  She was on flight 93, that crashed in Pennsylvania.  Her family is convinced she was part of the heroic effort to divert the plane from the intended target (either the White House or the Capitol) because of her EMT training.

Without prompting, her sisters took the project over.  They met with the publisher, gathered up her papers and picked up the writing where Lauren had left off.  Fortunately, they had her outlines and knew what she wanted it to look like.  When they were finished, they turned the book in to the publisher.  Instead of putting their names on the cover, they put the author as Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, their sister.  It took a few years of their efforts, but it was published in 2005.  

Additionally, they made sure the proceeds of the book were donated to charities that Lauren loved, like the scholarships for high school senior girls.  They also donated some of the money to build wings onto hospitals dedicated to helping women and women's shelters.

The sisters wrote in the book foreward, "Lauren imagined a book that would boost women's self esteem by helping them achieve their goals, realize their dreams and embrace life's joys and challenges to the fullest.  We all knew how much this book meant to her.  It has been an honor to make it a reality.  Use it to help you do and be your best."   

I like this story because it shows the love and support these sisters have for each other.  When one couldn't finish something important, the other two stepped in and helped out. 

For more information, see Grandcolas, Lauren Catuzzi The Merit Badge Handbook For Grown-up Girls Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California, 2005.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2005-05-04-bchat-9-11-victim_x.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Grandcolas  

Welles Crowther, a Voluntary Hero on 9/11

Here is another story about a 9/11 hero for you.  Twenty-four year old Welles Crowther was born near New York city.  He enjoyed hearing the stories of heroism his fire-fighter dad would tell him over dinner.  His dad taught Welles and his siblings many skills that would help in a disaster.  For one, his dad always carried a bandana in his back pocket and taught his sons to do the same.  If there was an emergency, a bandana came in very handy.  Welles carried a red bandana in his back pocket, always, even when he wore a suit.

Although Welles always dreamed of being a fire-fighter like his dad, he went to college instead and got a job helping people make money on investments.  He was at work on September 11^th behind a desk at the World Trade Center when the disaster hit.  He was on the 104^th floor!  Because of all of the things his dad had taught him as a boy, Welles knew what to do to help get everyone to safety.  He pulled out his bandana and used it as a face mask to breathe in the smoky building.  Then he started helping people get out of the building.  He went down several floors, directing people to the stairwells, telling them to help each other to leave the building.  He urged the ones who weren’t hurt to help the ones who were.  At one point, he carried a young woman down several floors until someone else could help her get out.  He kept going back up stairs, helping people get to the stairwells and get to the bottom of the building and outside.  He exited and went back inside at least 3 times to help the trapped victims get to safety.  

That day, Welles saved at least 18 people’s lives using his unofficial training and his heart.  Most of his co-workers got out and went home.  Welles stayed to save others.   One blogger named Cassy Fiano wrote, “Welles Crowther was an investment banker, not a firefighter or a police officer. He could have easily just exited the building and got himself to safety with no shame whatsoever. Instead, he found the courage to go above and beyond what was required of him, helping many people out of the tower and saving countless lives.”  Granted, others didn’t have his training either, so they may not have been able to help.  Welles knew what to do and was there when it happened.  

I like this story because it shows that even things people learn when they are young can come in handy.  And, as one of the 18 he saved said, "If he hadn't come back, I wouldn't have made it. People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did."  His courage and compassion, combined with the skills his dad taught him made him a hero.  Granted, he didn’t save thousands, or even hundreds, just 18 people. But those people and their families will always be glad he saved them.

Sometimes the things we learn from our childhoods help us to be able to help others.

To learn more, see:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/america.remembers/stories/heroes/welles.html

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/09/11/5-heroes-to-remember-this-september-11/

Rick Rescorla saved thousands on 9/11

Because September 11^th is coming up, I wanted to tell a couple of hero stories from what happened that day 10 years ago.  That day, when so many people suddenly needed help, many people became heroes.  Today I will tell you about one hero named Rick Rescorla. 

Rick was born in England near an army base that was staffed with soldiers from America.  He came to idolize the American soldiers so much that he hoped to grow up to be an American soldier.  When he turned 18, he did the next best thing—he joined the British Army.  He served for a few years, becoming an intelligence officer and helping police borders.  When his term was over, he moved to New York, started a YMCA and waited until he could join the US Army.  He got his chance in 1963 when he was 25.  His service took him to battles in Vietnam and earned several awards due to his bravery and compassion for his fellow servicemen.

I mention all of this previous stuff because it sets the stage for his greatest achievements during the 9/11 tragedies.  His service in the military gave him the experience he needed in figuring out dangerous situations, so that he was hired to serve corporations to keep them safe.  He was the director of security for a big company that was headquartered in the World Trade Center. 

In 1992, Rick realized that the World Trade Center towers would make a good target for terrorists, and thought that they might even use a truck filled with bombs to do some damage.  He warned security in the building but they didn't listen.  Just a year later, this prediction came true and Rick was able to evacuate all of the employees for the corporation he served.  He knew all were out because he was the last one of them all to leave.

Rick still saw trouble and urged his company to relocate to another building, but the company executives ignored him.  So Rick did what he could; he forced all of the thousands of his co-workers do emergency drills every 3 months, so they could practice getting out of the World Trade Center quickly. He even made the company executives practice.  If he was responsible for their safety, he'd see that they were prepared for any emergency.

On September 11, 2001 the terrorists indeed attacked the World Trade Center.  Rick and all of his co-workers were ready.  Although the building security told everyone to stay put in the South tower, Rick got on a bullhorn and ordered his company employees to evacuate.  

He had 3700 people from 20 floors at the World Trade center in his company to worry about, and another 1000 people from his company in a nearby building.  He knew that the practice he had forced them to do would pay off now, and wanted everyone to leave calmly and unafraid.  He told everyone to be proud to be an American and that they'd be famous tomorrow for their escape of the attack.  Then he started singing the American National Anthem into the bullhorn.  (I hope he had a good voice…;) 

After the anthem, he sang an English fight song with these words:

Men of Cornwall stop your dreaming;

Can't you see their spearpoints gleaming?
See their warriors' pennants streaming
To this battlefield.
Men of Cornwall stand ye steady;
It cannot be ever said ye
for the battle were not ready;
Stand and never yield!

Indeed, the employees he served were ready.  Because of his foresight and training, all but 7 workers escaped. So he saved almost 5000 people.  The experiences he had as a young man in battle proved so important in the lives of the many people he saved that day.   

Sometimes people have to do things that irritate others in order to help them.  You might think that those who want you to do things like physical therapy are irritating.  But if you do what they say, you will benefit, like the coworkers of Rick Rescorla.  They probably hated practicing leaving the building every few months.  What an inconvenience!  But doing so ended up saving their lives later. 

Jeremy Maddox Keeps Racing Ahead

Jeremy Maddox loved to ride his Big Wheel at full speed when he was little, and his speed just increased with his age and equipment.  “Anything I could get on that you could go fast or jump or whatever, I always wanted to be on it,” he said.  He advanced to riding in Motocross races, eventually qualifying for the National Motocross quarterfinals here in Georgia in 1998.  But he landed badly after a jump during the race and became paralyzed at age 16.  Although he was sent to the best hospital in the area, the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, his spinal cord damage was done.  He was afraid he’d never race again.  

Some kids who faced being in a wheelchair for the rest of their life would be discouraged.  Some might just lay in bed than try to do anything in a wheelchair.  But not Jeremy.  He decided he would get an education and go on with his life, and even get back to racing.  Somehow.

So he hooked up with the Shepherd Center’s basketball team.  After playing a few wheelchair basketball games, he started looking into racing.  Now he’s sponsored by the Shepherd Center in races all over the country.  When he is in an airport flying somewhere to compete in a race, people notice him and ask him questions.  

He explains, “They’re just amazed that you’re getting back out, that you’re not letting things keep you down,” he said. “One thing I tell people is we all have issues — you can just see one of mine.  [Bad things] happen to everybody. There’s always another side and you’ve always got to look at the brighter side. You have to decide every day if you’re going to look at every day in a positive or negative way.  There are times to be sorrowful and mourn. But at the same time, you have to know what’s appropriate to mourn for. Sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up and go on.”

He said that wheelchair racing often feels like a roller-coaster ride.  Going up the hills is hard, taking lots of upper body strength, but coming down is crazy.  He chuckled, “You talk about getting over 35 mph in a race chair, it starts getting a little hairy, especially if you’ve got to turn and you’ve got people a couple of inches from you drafting. One person makes a mistake and you’re all going for a fuuuun, hospital-ending ride.”  

Jeremy has a good outlook on his life.  “[Some people] think just because you have a disability, you’re disabled and you can’t do anything.  It’s just awesome when you’re doing a race like [the Peachtree road race,] you’re pushing a four-minute mile and you know that there’s only a few Kenyans that are right behind you that can keep up with you.  It’s nice to know, people may look down at you, but at the same time in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, but I’m a whole lot faster.’”

So Jeremy took a rough break, adjusted to his new limitations and got an education, married a nice girl and became a father.  And he got back to his favorite sport, racing.  He helps others find their way through their new disabilities at Shepherd Center, giving back to the facility that helped him recover his freedom and racing passion.  

For more information, see:  Troyke, Christine Gwinnett Daily Post  With a Purpose, UGA Grad Uses Wheelchair Racing as Inspirational Tool.  2 July 2011, found at http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/headlines/With_a_purpose_UGA_grad_uses_wheelchair_racing_as_inspirational_tool_124926379.html

Chef Marcus Samuelsson Gives Back

I just got back yesterday from a family reunion.  On the airplane, I read about a young man who did some amazing things.  His name is Marcus Samuelsson, although it once was Kassahun Tsegie.  He was born in Ethiopia in 1970 to parents who struggled with Tuberculosis.  His mom died when he was just 3 years old.   He ended up in a Swedish-sponsored orphanage, where a young Swedish couple saw him and adopted him and his older sister.  They renamed him Marcus and his sister they renamed Linda, and they gave the two their last name of Samuelsson.  

Marcus had a completely different life in Sweden than he had experienced in Ethiopia.  In Ethiopia, food was scarce and the people worked hard to survive.  In Sweden, food was more abundant like we’re used to here in America.  Marcus learned to fish and cook the fish he caught.  His grandmother was a chef at a restaurant, and he loved to watch her cook.  He started to cook with her, and he learned how to make delicious Swedish meals from her.
 

At age 16, Swedish children choose their career paths, and he chose cooking.  He took the proper courses at a culinary school by day and practiced at local restaurants by night, as his career training dictated.  He was ambitious and worked hard.  After graduating, he apprenticed (or practiced being a chef in restaurants under guidance from an actual chef) in Switzerland and Austria, and then in New York City.  After his apprenticeship ended, he worked in New York City at a restaurant called Aquavit at the age of 20.  He rose quickly to the position of ‘Sous Chef.’

The goal of every chef is to become the Executive, or head chef at a restaurant.  It usually takes years of cooking and working under the Executive chef’s direction before a cook becomes an Executive chef.  Marcus proved himself quickly, becoming the youngest Executive Chef ever at the age of 24 at Aquavit in 1995.  If you’ve watched the Disney movie, ‘Ratatouille,’ you can appreciate how hard he must have worked to become the head chef so young. He also won the coveted ‘Best Chef New York City’ award.  Imagine how hard that would be in such a large city with so many great restaurants!  And he has written several cookbooks, appeared on TV shows including ‘Martha Stewart Television’ and written columns for the New York Times.  

But Marcus had other goals as well.  Coming from a country that struggles to feed it’s citizens, Marcus has always wanted to help out.  He said, “I always think, how can I give back?  I have an obligation that’s larger than myself.”  He donates time to the Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, which teaches young people how to cook so that they can find work to support their families.  

On an international level, Marcus has served as an Ambassador for UNICEF for over 10 years.  His emphasis is raising money for the treatment of Tuberculosis, the disease that affected his early life so dramatically.  The money is used to develop programs to treat victims of the disease in developing countries like Ethiopia.  

He said, “I appreciate my Ethiopian roots because I see how hard people have to work there to survive, and I understand just how fortunate I am to live in this country. I am inspired by the way the people of Ethiopia lead their lives, and how everyone tries to help one another in the community. Their drive inspires me to work as hard as I can to take the knowledge I have about food and to share it with those who want to learn how to prepare fresh, affordable meals.”

The next time we go to New York City, we are going to look for his new restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem and try to meet the owner.  He came from a rough beginning, took advantage of his opportunities and worked hard to made a better life for himself, and he shares it with others through his charity work.  

Sources:

“Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster:  Biography.”  Star Chefs.com August 2010: n. page. Web.  15 Aug 2011.

Samuelsson, Marcus.  “About Me.”  Marcus Samuelsson.com  Web.  15. Aug 2011. 

Zimmern, Andrew.  “Three Chefs Who Give Back.”Delta Sky Magazine, August 2011:75.  Print.