Dick Harmon: Adam Hine's short turnaround for the Cougars

"It will be an adjustment, I'm sure," he said.

I asked Hine if he thought he could ever high jump 7-2 (11 inches above his head) again in his life. He said if he concentrates on football, it would be tough.

"If I worked on the high jump and put some time into it, I have no doubt I could break my personal record."

Two years ago, Hine left Utah for Panama. The first few days of his mission he heard gunfire at night and he was concerned and a little scared.

But in the months that followed he came to love the people of that country: "They're just like anybody else, once you get to know them," he said.

Hine said he's grown since his high school days: mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically, although he's lost some weight.

What did he learn in the last two years?

"Well, when you are in the service of your neighbor, you are only in the service of God," he said.

Ironically, that's where Hine will start this weekend when he learns the names of his newest neighbors.

He begins a new mission.

email: dharmon@desnews.com

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