I feel a bit like a Jim Rome clone here, "long time listener, first time caller" which we all hate to hear, but I finally feel I have something of value to share CB and figured I would finally take the plunge.

I had the chance to attend the Jabari Parker Fireside last night in Oakland, CA and I must say that Jabari is a very special young man from a very special family. If last night is any indication, he has the potential of being a HUGE force for good and for the church around the world.

I am the YM president in my ward and when I found out that Jabari was coming to town I immediately alerted the troops and made it a mandatory activity. I also took my 8 year old son with me. Needless to say Jabari and his family did not disappoint. The meeting was very spiritual, fun and was one of those "so proud to be a Mormon" moments! Here is a quick rundown of the night.

First, it was hosted by the Tongan stake in the bay area and the Oakland stake center was packed, which is no small taks since it seats a few hundred/thousand and even has balcony seats. Jabari's Mom is from Tonga and served her mission there so this was a bit of a homecoming for her and her family. The Tongan stake did an awesome job hosting the event and you could tell they are very proud of Jabari's polynesian descent. Jabari's mom also seemed to know every one in the room. She spoke first and recapped the story of how she met Sonny (similar to what was in the SI article) but shared some other interesting stories. Two that stuck out were when she asked Sonny if raising her family in the church would ever be a concern for him. He said it was not, to which she re-inforced that if there was ever day he told her she could not take her kids to church or raise them in the gospel would be the day her and the kids would leave him. She said it with so much power and conviction that you couldnt help but feel her deep commitment and love for the gospel, it was pretty powerful. She also shared experiences when she was a relief society president in Chicago and how Sonny would accompany her on visits to sisters in the "projects" despite the concerns of the local church leaders for their safety. It was pretty cool to hear how supportive Sonny is of their faith and commitment to the church. The second experience was when Jabari and Chris (Jabari's older brother) where young kids she had a sister in the ward that needed help moving. It turned out that nobody showed up to help so she grabbed her sons from the basketball court and they drove over and helped the sister move her entire apartment up 9 flights of stairs. She really emphasized the importance of service and being an example of service to your children. It was a GREAT talk for the adults in the room.

She did say that she gets calls from coaches constantly but has stopped taking them because it takes time away from her family. She said time with her family is most precious of all and so if need be, she will take 2 weeks to respond to coaches calls. She also said she told Jabari and all of her children that they should use their gifts and talents for one thing and that is to bring people to Christ. She was very humble, but extremely bold and powerful.

Christian, Jabari's brother spoke second and shared some great stories from his mission. He was extremely well spoken and sounded like an EFY speaker. He shared how he and Jabari were talking about how amazing it was that they were doing a fireside and was very humble about the fact that they were the "main event". He then went on to share some great stories and experiences from his mission which was great for our young men that attended. He shared how he was pranked as a new missionary and was told to wear an orange vest and use orange airline light cones everytime his trainer needed to back the car up. He said this happened for more than a month and even in a walmart parking lot. It took him a month before he realized he was being punked by his trainer. It was a really funny story and everyone got a kick out of it. He also shared how important it was for us to honor our commitments and how our agency is weakened or strengthened by the choices we make. His fun and engaging demeanor was a perfect balance between his Mom's more serious tone. He provided a great "warmup" for Jabari.

Christian then showed the ABC feature on Jabari (which Jabari said was the first time he had seen it) and the crowd gave a huge round of applause afterwards (pretty standard for Non-Utah firesides). He then introduces his brother and shared his accomplishments. He was very proud to be "Jabari's brother" and seemed to be a strong influencein Jabari's life.

Jabari was your typical 17 year old, a little awkward because of his size and not too eloquent, but definitely had a humility to him that was very atypical. He only spoke for about ten minutes but shared experiences that anyone who serves with the youth would die for! He basically made it cool to be Mormon, cool to be different, cool to stand up for your beliefs. He shared how Proverbs 3:5-6 helped calm his anxiety before a state championship game. He also shared how we has not giving his best recently in preparation for the U17 world championships and his coach called him out on it. Afterwards he worked super hard in practice to the point that he ended up with a fracture in his big toe. He said this left him in a "very dark place" because he could not play or help his team. While in his hotel he decided to turn to the scriptures and prayer to find happiness (yeah, you cant make this stuff up! ) and shared Ether 12:27 with everyone. He said after reading in his hotel all day he was uplifted, filled with the spirit and ready to cheer on and support his teammates. He also went to the doctor that night and x-rays showed that his foot was miraculously healed and he was able to play in the final few games of the tournament. He also told the youth that "We all need to stick together, because in the end we are all the same" all believers in Jesus Christ which was really cool for our youth to hear.

He did not mention where he was going to play of course, but I was hoping! He did say that he gets frustrated with people asking him about his mission because in his mind, "Why Can't my mission be right now." This did seem a bit like he was suggesting he didnt need a mission to bring people to Christ, but I dont want to read into it too much. Finally, he encouraged the youth to build their talents and to be the "Diamonds in the rough" and to not fold under the pressure that society brings and to be shining examples of faith.

After the meeting he was swarmed for photos, but given that I am that obnoxious Dad who uses his son as an excuse to fulfill my own desire for autographs and cheesy famous people run-ins, I positioned us perfectly to get the first pic with Jabari. The photo sums up everything!



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You could tell Jabari expected the response, but was till young and naive enough to enjoy it. It could not have been more different than my recent encounter with Jimmer, who could not have seemed more annoyed when we met him! I realize they are on different levels, but I truly hope Jabari never loses this excitement and kindness. I introduce him to my son, told him he loves basketball and that he was just baptized. Jabari congratulated him and then instantly picked him up in his arms. At 6'9" this was pretty cool for my son. I took a pic of him and my son and then took a pic him with my YM group. We were all ecstatic to meet him and the way he made us all feel. Again, as a YM president, not living in Utah, you are constantly fighting the battle that it is cool to be different. Jabari's presence, demeanor and attitude taught this principle far better than any lesson I could have ever prepared or given in Sunday school/Priesthood quorum.

I know this post is way too long, but I seriously have been on cloud 9 since the meeting last night. It was such a great moment and I truly hope Jabari lives up to the hype, no matter where he goes. I am a die hard BYU fan, season ticket holder (out of state), Cougar club member, etc but I can honestly say, after last night, I dont care where he goes, I will be his biggest cheerleader. He made a believer out of me and my son last night! (Of course I am hoping beyond hope that he comes to BYU, dont get me wrong.)

I hope this was helpful and worth the read. I figured it was about time I contribute to the craziness that is the BYU fandom! Cant wait to make the long drive from the bay area to Utah for the home opener against WSU, I have a feeling this is going to be a special season.

PS For those of you who mock the BYU Football firesides, I think it is important to remember how special nights like these are for us not living in Utah. I spent 4 years in PG and recently moved to the bay area. You forget how much those of us outside Utah have to stand up for our religion every day. Nights like last night once again make you so proud to be a member of the church and help you stand strong in your beliefs. I know the football firesides seem like a distraction, but I attended the Ole Miss fireside and can tell you the same spirit of pride and encouragement was there as it was last night here in Oakland. It really does strengthen the members who dont often get access to everything that is in Utah. So next time you dog on Bronco, keep this in mind, it is nice for us outside Utah to feel that connection to the church.