Elder Robert D. Hales was born in New York City in August of 1932. He was raised by loving parents who taught him the gospel and lived it. He spent a lot of time in Utah with his Grandparents and other relatives and so had experience on both coasts. As a young married man, Elder Hales served in the air force as a pilot. His squadron had the motto of “Return with Honor” stamped on each jet. They wanted to do their best to complete every mission and come home, not just safely, but knowing they did everything they could. It has become a motto for his life–so much so, that he has recently written the book, Return: Four Phases of Our Mortal Journey Home.

Together with his wife, Mary, Elder Hales has always gone willingly to serve where the Lord needed him. He learned as a young man to put himself in the Lord’s hands and then the difficulties he might be having would work themselves out. Along with their two sons, Elder Hales and his wife have lived all over the world and have been enriched by living in foreign countries. He has learned from his leaders as well.

Elder Hales loved baseball and was the pitcher for his high school team. After a streak of bad games, he was ready to quit, but his coach made some suggestions of what he could do to fix the problem. Elder Hales listened and learned. When he was a deacon, he learned from his bishop to treat all aspects of the sacrament with respect and reverence. He and the other deacons would climb up on stage and put the trays away and then jump down off the stage and repeat the process. His bishop caught him mid-flight and told him that as Deacon’s president he should set the example and be reverent when dealing with the sacrament, even something as simple as cleaning up afterwards.

He was called as an apostle on April 7, 1994 and has served faithfully in the many assignments he’s had since. Integrity and honor are still paramount to him. He said, “We come to earth to undergo testing. Through faithful obedience and enduring to the end, we can one day return with honor back into the presence of our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.” We too can follow his example and do everything we can to live so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. No matter where he’s asked to labor, Elder Hales will continue to serve and return with honor. To learn more about this book, click here.

Sometimes you see a film or read a book and you just fall in love with it. You want to find more films or books like it and you want to learn more about the artist behind them. So from time to time we will profile an artist. John Lyde has been making films since before DVDs existed. Some of his work includes One Man’s Treasure, Minor Details and Take A Chance. Following is an interview with John that will tell you a little bit about this unique filmmaker.

Tell us about yourself and what you’ve been up to lately.
Hi my name is John Lyde. I am the director of You’re So Cupid. I also picked up a few more roles on the film – producer, director of photography and editor. The film is a romantic-comedy about Cupid’s daughters.

How did you become interested in filmmaking?

My dad took me to movies since I was very young. He had two VCRs with flying erase heads and let me use them to edit my own films as a teenager. I saved money up over the summer and purchased my first camera, a Panasonic VHS OmniMovie. I would make movies all year long with my friends and family.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film.

I wanted to make a film that my 7 year old daughter would enjoy. A romantic comedy that would be cute enough for my mom and clean enough for my daughter.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film?

Weather was a challenge. We shot in the middle of summer and had to battle hail and rainstorms. We were on such a tight schedule that we couldn’t change anything and had to shoot. Luckily we were able to film around the storms and get the shots needed.

What do you recall from your first film that you’ve applied to each one following?

The first film I got distribution for had really bad audio and lighting. There was no crew, I did it myself. I really try and look at what didn’t work at each of my previous projects and improve on the next one. Luckily, these beginning projects had no budget, so I didn’t lose any money for investors. I made sure that I had a good mic on the next show. The following show I hired a gaffer to take care of lighting. Each little film I did, I discovered what was missing – Color Correction, a good sound mix, a better camera, professional actors. Hopefully each film I make is better than the last.

This coming Monday is Labor Day and in the past it has always been just another day off work or a day to labor in my parents’ yard. But it is more than that. It is a holiday set aside to honor the American worker. Labor Day became an official national holiday in 1894 and is traditionally celebrated on the first Monday in September. The holiday celebrates the working class contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well being of our country. It is not clear who founded the holiday. It has been attributed to Peter J. McGuire, general secretary to the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Many believe that it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as the secretary to the Central Labor Union in New York.

Regardless it was a day to honor the everyman laborer. So, as you sit in your air conditioned offices, or out on your porches grilling up burgers and hot dogs, take a moment to think of those laborers who make this country great.