Thesis Question [o, la necesidad de preguntar]

There is this song by Jack Johnson called Questions which has been on my mind and my speakers lately. The further I get into my project the more questions I have about it, and the more I realize I don't know what to do yet. Like Jack says in his song: "Please tell me that there's time to make this work for all intents and purposes--and what are your intentions. Will you try...?" And though I don't know all of the answers and outcomes yet--I will try.

So here goes. What are my intentions? First, before I give my "working" thesis, I'm going to put a few questions before you, my wonderful readers, that have been on my thoughts concerning this work and my intentions, as Jack puts it.

Q. What, with my given parameters, can my history of the LDS Church in Irapuato be? and what possibilities lie before me for what I can do with my project?

This answer must be prefaced with a little background. As I was looking into a field study I had no idea what type of project I wanted to do. I heard of the ORCA grant, which motivated me to find a mentor to help me on my project. I was lucky to find Librarian Mark Grover, who has done a lot of work collecting and compiling histories of units of the Church within South America. I was (and am) excited about doing a project connected with the Church, and especially one that focuses on communication like the interview based research of this project. I gladly signed up!

The problem here arises that I don't know exactly what the finished product will look like. I will be using the interview rubric that Mark Gover has used in his research, so I feel as if I need to be working towards a specific end, one that I am not familiar with. Entonces...

A. As my first order of business I need to get a better idea of what I can do with what I have chosen. I have had a few ideas like compiling a history of the Church with an analysis in patterns in growth and compiling a collection of short inspiration stories from early Mexican members of the church to name a few. But I will need to get a better look at what options are really available to me with the path that I have set out upon.

Q. What do I want my project to do? or What influence do I want it to make?

Answering this question will provide valuable insight that will shape everything I do with my project including the way in which I approach it.

A. I want my project to be meaningful to the members currently living in Mexico. I want it to be valuable to them in some way, whether it be a collection of inspirational stories from their fore bearers, or if it will provide an insight into what they can do to develop a rich environment for growth in localized membership.

All these things taken into consideration I have learned that I still need to think a lot more about what I want my project to be, in collaboration with my mentor of course. Because of this I feel as if I can at this time only present a working thesis question.

Thesis Q.

What is the cultural, spiritual, and historical significance of the historical experiences of the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints within the area of Irapuato, Guanajuato Mexico? And (optionally) what affect does this history have upon the current members of the church in that area?

A. ... ?

Yo vaya a mostrarles cuando la descubro.

Al Principio

¡Hola mis amigos!

Bién venidos al primer blog de "Altísimo: A Muse of Mexio" Usualmente este blog será en inglés, pero, a causa del gran "chido" de español, no puedo evitarlo (ní lo quiero). Entónces, a veces este blog será en "espanglish" que es muy mal escrito.

Well, first off, I am very excited to officially begin my Field Study with the prep course that is provided. I hope that as I go along in this course I will learn more of what I can do to maximize my experience in Mexico this summer.

Let me explain my research project. During my three month stay in Irapuato, Mexico this summer I will interview many long time members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints within the area of Irapuato, and I will compile a History of the LDS church within the Irapuato area.

In the past there have been some broader histories published concerning the Church in Mexico as a whole, but very few research has been done on the spread of the LDS faith within a smaller, more localized area of Mexico.

I will be working under the direction of Librarian Mark Grover, who has completed many similar histories in different parts of Latin America. He will teach me how to conduct the necessary interviews and transcribe them so that they may be used in my history of Irapuato.

That is my project, insofar as it is yet developed, in a nutshell. I have several questions concerning what I can do each day towards my project while I am in Mexico, as well as what type of things that I can do to get to know the people and the culture better. I also am concerned with enhancing my language skills and what in field methods will prove the most effective.

I hope that as this blog goes on through the semester, and is carried on in Irapuato, that both you and I will discover a little more about what it means to be an LDS member in Mexico, what it is like to be "the tallest," and what wonderful things we can learn of our brethren in Mexico from this upcoming cultural sojourn.

With Love,

Benjamín