{"chapter_no":"7","chapter_title":"A Place in the Mountains","book_id":"3","book_name":"Springville","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"424","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":3,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 7<\/p>

A Place in the Mountains<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark hikes up into the mountains to seek guidance fro<\/i>m the Lord—The bitterness of his<\/i> job
situation <\/i>at the plant <\/i>overcomes him—He<\/i> then <\/i>recalls the great blessings of his life and is filled with
gratitude.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

In the weeks before leaving his home in Salt Lake City for the mission field, Mark, then a
young man of nineteen, took a day off work to hike up high into the mountains. Reaching a spot
near the top, he took time to rest and look down into the valley below. Like a scene from the
famous old movie Sergeant York<\/i>, a favorite of his, he sat alone in this solitary place for hours,
reading his scriptures, pondering to himself, and praying quietly. Taking the full day, a day free
of other things, he used this opportunity to strengthen his faith in God. He had been a strong and
faithful member of the Church all his life, but he needed this special moment in time to prepare
himself and reflect upon the great challenges that lay ahead. In this mountain setting, he could
see the handiwork of God below him, above him, and all around. He could see, like Moses of
ancient times, how unimportant were the courses of man in the world—a wonderful thing to
discover while still in one’s youth! It was also here where he felt the Spirit of God for the first
time. It bore witness to him of the truthfulness of the gospel. The memory of that day stayed with
him, helping to sustain him during his time serving as a missionary in Hawaii. <\/p>

 <\/p>

A few years later, while attending junior college, he hiked up to the same place once
again, but for a different purpose. This time, it was to decide whether he should ask his
girlfriend, Kathleen Atkins, to marry him. On that occasion, he carried his scriptures up with him
to the mountain, but he brought along a framed picture of Kathleen as well. He placed the picture
of her on the rock in front of him, pondering marriage and all it entailed. On the way up, he had
been somewhat unsure about what he was going to do, wondering if she was right for him. On
the trek down, however, his mind was made up. Later that evening, he took Kathleen to dinner
and proposed to her. To his delight, she accepted.<\/p>

 <\/p>

In the years that followed, there were other such occasions when Mark had taken time to
himself to think over important decisions or resolve difficult problems. He didn’t always go up
into the mountains, but if the matter was important enough, he usually would. The circumstances
with Thomas and the changes going on at the plant were very serious, so he needed to figure out
a solution. He was already sure of one thing––his heart wasn’t in it anymore. He needed to find
another job.<\/p>

Requesting a few days off from work, Mark set aside the first of these to hike up into the
mountains once again. Having lived in Utah County for a very long time, he knew the
surrounding mountains well, better even than those he had been familiar with earlier in life in the
Salt Lake Valley. As a family, he, Kathleen, and the kids had hiked the local trails several times,
so he had a pretty good idea of where he wanted to go. He prepared his backpack, filled up a
water bottle, grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, and placed his scriptures snugly in the bag.
He expected to be gone at least three or four hours and told Kathleen to expect him back around
dinnertime.<\/p>

 <\/p>

After an hour of hiking, he found a secluded spot a few hundred feet off of the main trail
with a nice view of the valley. His mind, however, was so filled with other things that he hardly
noticed the view. After unloading his backpack, he took a sip of water from the bottle. He next
pulled out his scriptures and opened them up on his lap. He tried reading them, but couldn't; it
was too difficult to concentrate. He was restless... so much was going on inside his head. In
addition, the rock he was sitting on was very uncomfortable, further disrupting his thoughts. He
returned his scriptures to the pack.<\/p>

 <\/p>

It was not just scripture reading that was difficult. He was unable to pray or ponder with
much feeling at all because of the problems at work. As old as he was, it would not be easy to
find another good-paying job like the one he had. He felt betrayed. The owners of the plant,
Frank and Ellen Dannehy, had let him down.<\/p>

 <\/p>

I <\/i>devoted<\/i> much<\/i> of my life to making this plant a success<\/i> and this is how they reward me?<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

It was <\/i>Peter and I who<\/i> helped make th<\/i>e<\/i> plant successful<\/i>, not Thomas<\/i>!<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

I <\/i>really <\/i>thought<\/i> Frank and Ellen liked me and were my friends. W<\/i>hy did they <\/i>have to go
outside the company and bring in a new<\/i> guy <\/i>anyway<\/i>?<\/i> Hadn’t<\/i> I earn<\/i>ed<\/i> the right to <\/i>run the plant
after<\/i> Peter retired?<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Mark was upset and he couldn’t think clearly. Never before in his life had he been so
resentful towards others as he was at this moment. He was angry, accusatory, bitter, and selfish,
and could only see the negative. In this state of bitterness, he was temporarily blinded, unable to
see the great blessings he had received from the Lord throughout his life. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Because, in reality, Mark had enjoyed smooth sailing in his career over the past three
decades. His faith had rarely been tested in this area of his life. He had received many
promotions during his tenure at the plant and regular biweekly paychecks year after year. He had
also been someone highly favored by management, receiving preferential treatment at times over
others around him. He had won in job competitions over others just as Thomas had won the
competition for the plant manager job over him. The watch on his right wrist, in fact, had been
given to him a few years before by the owners––along with a very substantial bonus check––at a
special twenty-five-year anniversary party. He had been treated wonderfully by upper
management and the owners of the plant for all of these years and had been blessed exceedingly
by the Lord. There was no doubt about that.<\/p>

Glancing at his watch to check the time, his heart was stirred as he remembered a few of
those blessings. Frustration, resentment, fear, and self-pity had dominated his thoughts since that
first staff meeting with Thomas, and he had brought those negative emotions along with him on
the climb up the mountain. But as he thought again of all he had been given in life, his heart
softened, and his hope for the future returned. He was ready to repent.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Within seconds, the Spirit filled his body, starting first within his bosom. The words “Be
patient” suddenly passed through his mind, startling him. As one very experienced in the
workings of the Spirit, Mark was grateful for, but not really surprised by the wonderful timing of
the Comforter. Surely, the Holy Ghost always comes when we need Him, even when we are not
as deserving as we should be! Ordinarily, the presence of the Spirit would have filled him with
delight, but in this case, as a man of God, he felt embarrassed before the Lord because of his
murmuring. His first instinct was to cry, but this was not a time for crying. He was having a
moment like that of Nephi, questioning himself as to why he was wallowing in self-pity<\/span>. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Throwing his hands up in the air, he exclaimed:<\/p>

 <\/p>

“I’m the biggest fool in the world! <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Here I am, a stake president, someone who is supposed to be setting a good example for
the members of the stake, and yet I’m filled with anger and bitterness.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

He paused for a moment, realizing that the Lord was listening closely to his every word.
Looking upwards towards the sky, he declared: <\/p>

 <\/p>

“Why am I complaining? I haven’t even been laid off yet, for heaven’s sake. I still have a
job at the plant. I’m asking the Lord to help me find a new job when I still have a good one... no,
a great one!<\/p>

 <\/p>

“If they still want me, I’ll be happy to serve the company wherever I’m assigned. I’ll
work together with my new boss to make this plant one of the best in the world. <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Oh, how selfish I am!”<\/p>

 <\/p>

In the last words that he spoke, Mark heard a timely utterance of “I AM” from the Spirit.
It paralleled his own speaking of those words, echoing somewhat throughout his body. <\/p>

 <\/p>

He placed his pack on the rock and knelt down beside it. Overcome with gratitude, his
eyes moistened as he prayed. <\/p>

 <\/p>

He had come here to the mountain to receive revelation from the Lord and, in response,
revelation from the Lord had been given. Mark was now ready to go to work on his new
assignment at the plant.<\/p>"}