{"chapter_no":"13","chapter_title":"Canoeing Down the Missouri River","book_id":"3","book_name":"Springville","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"444","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":5,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 13<\/p>

Canoeing Down the Missouri River<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

In their prosperous circumstances at Christmastime, the Chandlers ponder a change in Mark’s
career—They have two good paths to choose from in l<\/i>ife, but one offers the greater<\/i> reward.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

On Christmas Day, Mark and Kathleen woke early and exchanged a few gifts, then sat
leisurely in their favorite sofa chairs next to the tree and the warm fire Mark had started. The
family room was mostly cleaned up, and all unneeded pieces of furniture were stored away until
the next family gathering. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Unnoticed to Kathleen, Mark had closed the book he was reading some time ago and was
thinking to himself. Suddenly, he spoke up.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“I wonder what is possible?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Hmm?” muttered Kathleen, still concentrating on her knitting and not bothering to look
up.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“I mean in the stake,” said Mark.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Possible? What do you mean?” replied Kathleen, now looking over at him. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark wasn’t providing an answer, so she resumed her knitting.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Are you thinking about Ogden again?” Kathleen asked.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes.... It's been on my mind for a while.” <\/p>

 <\/p>

A few minutes later, Mark spoke again.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“We have things pretty good money-wise, don’t we?” he asked with a half-smile, hoping
to gain her attention again. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“All of our debts are paid, including the mortgage, and our savings looks pretty good now
with that check we got from the Dannehys last week. It’s got me thinking a little.<\/p>

“In my scripture reading of the Doctrine and Covenants last night, I came across
something interesting. Joseph and a group of elders were traveling in canoes down the Missouri
River on their way back to Kirtland. A revelation was received on the bank of the river in which
the Lord said, ‘It’s not needful that this whole company of elders move swiftly upon the waters
while the inhabitants on both sides are perishing in unbelief.’<\/p>

 <\/p>

“This typifies much of what I've been doing the last few years as the stake president. I’ve
been performing my priesthood duties in the stake every week as though I were navigating a
canoe through a fast-moving river. I’ve been like an office manager of the stake and not its
leader.\" <\/p>

 <\/p>

Kathleen nodded.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“And this, too, for so many years, is what I did as the manufacturing manager at the
plant,\" Mark continued. \"I spent my days, for the most part, handling administrative work in the
office and rarely got out among the operators, the techs, and the supervisors on the floor. I didn’t
work closely with them throughout the day like I do now, and I wasn’t directly supervising the
operations of the plant. <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Certainly, I know many of the members of the stake at a distance. But what struck me
with President Hancock was how well he knew everyone, member and nonmember alike. He's
developed a strong personal relationship with virtually everyone in his local community; he
knows them, and they know him. You can’t help but marvel at something like that. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“The marvelous work of building Zion that he's doing in Ogden is what I would like to do
here in Springville, having it become the focal point of our lives––you, me, and our family. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“That’s not to diminish the importance of the work I'm doing today at the plant. I really
love my job and the people there. But in the last two years working in this new roll, I have
learned more than ever before what can be accomplished through daily supervision. That's the
lesson I want to apply to the gospel here in the stake.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

Starting to see where he was going, Kathleen spoke up. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Well, there's one key difference between the Hancocks and us. They've been geared
towards this kind of life for many years, having started down this path when they first got
married. It’s quite a sweet story, actually, if you think about it.\"<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes,” said Mark, “they've definitely been at it for a long time and have a great story to
tell. There is so much we can learn from them.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Honey,\" continued Mark, \"the way I see it, we have two pretty good options here. We
can just keep doing what we're doing today. I have good friends at the plant, and I can keep
doing my job there for as long as they need me. That’s one option. And if that ends up being our
choice, then there’s a very strong chance that we’ll continue making a lot of money, enjoy <\/p>

financial security, and experience even more prosperity in the years ahead than what we have
today. Certainly, it’s very hard to argue with that kind of approach.\"<\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark grinned. “Orrrrrr” <\/p>

 <\/p>

Kathleen, seeing what he was about to say, smiled back.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Or we can consider following Brother and Sister Hancock’s model.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“I could express our deepest appreciation to the Dannehys for everything they have done
for us, but then notify them of my plans to retire, just as Peter did, and take a few months to train
my replacement. I would then work at a part-time job somewhere, leaving as many hours free as
I can to directly supervise operations in the stake every day. I imagine that I would be out on foot
in the stake for much of the day. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“My goal? It might seem idealistic in a sense, but like James, I would embark upon a new
career in life, to find out what is truly possible to accomplish in the gospel here in the Springville
East Stake. This kind of continuous improvement work in the stake intrigues me a lot and might
be something I could really enjoy doing every day. In fact, every stake president in the Church
has this same opportunity open to him if you think about it.\"<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes,” said Kathleen, her expression becoming circumspective. “I see what you mean.
When you describe it that way, it’s quite a wonderful thing. There are positive aspects to both
options.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark continued. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Do you remember that day years ago when I hiked up into the mountains to be alone? I
was pretty upset at the time about my job. I'd already started making calls around the valley to
find a new job and I had been on the verge of submitting my resignation to Thomas.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Boy! I'm so glad that I didn’t do that! If I had allowed my anger and pride to get hold of
me then, it could have been a disaster for us financially. Our circumstances today might have
been so much different. I'm very thankful to the Lord for the peace he gave me on that occasion
to help me think it through, to humble myself, and to overcome those bitter feelings. It took a
great deal of effort to let go of my pride, to adopt the right attitude, and to put myself into the
hands of the Lord.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes, I remember that,” said Kathleen. “I was really worried back then.<\/p>

 <\/p>

\"What concerns me, though,\" she added, \"is that we've had thirty-two years of steady
employment at the plant. I'd really hate to give that up.\" <\/p>

 <\/p>

Adopting a more logical, problem-solving approach, she continued. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Okay, so if we were to consider this seriously, what kind of part-time work would you
do? Could you work with your brother in his heating and air conditioning business?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Well, things are a bit slow for Steve’s business right now, so it probably wouldn’t be
that,” responded Mark. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“But yes, that’s the general idea. Something along those lines. It won’t be anything
glamorous, but I’m sure I can find something part time here in the valley that will be sufficient
for our needs. I have some ideas on that. Part-time jobs are much easier to get than full-time
ones.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

With a strong smile, Kathleen decided to bring the matter to a close.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Well, if you're wondering whether I will support you in this, the answer is yes, I will.
But I do worry. This would be a pretty big sacrifice in terms of money, career, and benefits. How
would we make up the difference?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

The two of them paused their discussion and became more solemn, realizing the
difficulties involved in what he was proposing.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Soon, however, Kathleen’s smile returned again.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Do you remember the day you asked me to marry you?” she asked.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes, of course!\" responded Mark. \"How could I ever forget that?” <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Well, isn’t the situation now just like that? You were just getting started in your career,
going to school, and didn’t have a stable, higher-paying job yet. I had no idea what I might be
getting into financially by marrying you. My dad, in particular, was deeply concerned that you
weren't adequately prepared to provide for me. So I had to take a lot on faith when I agreed to
marry you!”<\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark grinned. “I know. Back then I really didn’t know myself what would come of my
career. And you’ve been wonderful all these years, helping me and putting up with me as you
have.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Well,” continued Kathleen, “in hindsight, I can definitely say I made a really good
choice! So, it’s a lot easier for me to make the decision now with you on this, even with all the
uncertainties. I know that with you I'm getting a great deal either way. I know you'll work hard to
provide for me like you always have. And not only that, but we have so much more in place now
with the home paid for, and with our savings and so forth. Our children are all grown; so we can
find a way to get by. We always have. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“We've also learned a lot over the years, and we've grown in faith.\"<\/p>

Putting her knitting off to the side, she reached over and took Mark’s hand. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Once you retired in the years ahead, we'd thought about traveling more or getting an RV
or a boat. But I can honestly say I don’t really need any of those things to be happy. From what
you've told me about this stake in Ogden and the impressive things going on there, I do share in
your desire to be part of something special like that here. I know that's probably what you want
to do, and I’m willing to support you. <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"So we have two good options here. What if we go ahead and choose what’s behind door
number two?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

A bit tongue-tied, Mark quickly replied, “Kathy, I don’t know what to say. I'd feel guilty
taking away from you the financial rewards we've earned together because, clearly, there are a
lot of unknowns if we were to do this. But I’m sure of one thing––the Lord will bless us, perhaps
more than we know. It's hard for me to believe that, if we choose a path like this in life, that we
would be unhappy or in financial difficulties in the end.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“That's true,” replied Kathleen.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“So much will depend on us,” said Mark, “and upon me personally, to make this work
and have everything go smoothly. It will be our decision, so we’ll need to be ready to deal with
the consequences, financial and otherwise.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“In any event,\" he continued, \"we have plenty of time still to think about it. I'm in the
middle of setting up some new product lines at the plant, and that will take time to complete, at
least a few months anyway. So we can talk about this more over the coming months.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“That sounds fine,” said Kathleen. “This is something we will need to pray about. In fact,
you might consider doing another one of your little hikes up into the mountains one afternoon
like you did before. That seemed to work out pretty well for us last time. Shall I come with you
this time?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Wonderful idea, Kathy! And yes, for sure, let's both go this time.\" <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Fine,” said Kathleen. “And I have another idea. What if we were to invite the Hancocks
to come down here for lunch sometime? I'd like to get to know Beth better. I’m sure there's a
great deal we can learn from them and how they're able to manage things every day.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Yes, I'd like that,” said Mark. “Let’s call them tomorrow and set that up. I’m sure Beth
will be really excited to meet you and share her experiences.” <\/p>"}