Thursday, September 22, 2011

Week 13

Dear Family and Friends,

This week really did fly by for me. I can't remember very well where the weeks start and stop any more. It’s all one big process now. I was a little tired earlier this week. And by a little, I mean, a lot. But I’ve been doing better at being more alert and interactive lately. My perspective is changing so much, on the plan of salvation and other gospel truths. We watched a church video about truth and light that just made so much sense to me. It was talking about doctrine and cove nets, where it says that truth is knowledge of things as they are. And it says that truth is independent of other people’s perspective. in part 2 of the video it talks about how light and truth are connected, and how we do righteous things to invite light into our lives making it possible to see more truth, but when we don't act in righteousness, we lose light, making it hardened to discern between good and evil. It was a great video.

Yesterday was zone conference and it was amazing. We had a general 70 teaching us, his name is Elder Grow, and I can testify that he taught by the spirit. The spirit (for me) and my desires grew (no pun intended) during the meeting. I went back to Lawrence practically on a cloud it was so good. During the meeting President Wilkey and one of the assistants, Elder Dickinson, sang a duet, "Come Thou Fount" and it was sooooo beautiful. I wish that they still had it in the hymn book. At some point I want to find an arrangement of that song to that is in my range, either melody or harmony. Maybe I could get a copy from President Wilkey. The lyrics from the song, to my knowledge, were written by someone who wanted to express their gratitude for the Savior and their commitment to follow them. “Come thou fount,” meaning fountain of righteousness or glory or blessings or love (aka the savior)...later “here I raise my Ebi-nezer,” the Ebi-nezer was a stone that was a symbol of gratitude raised by the Israelites on a hill to express how thankful they were that the lord had delivered them in a battle. Later in the song it says something like "here's my heart, take it, seal it to the heavens..." and the love of the savior grew in my heart. That night I kneeled in very sincere prayer and told my God "here I raise my Ebi-nezer. I wish to give thanks for the things I have been given, I am thankful for my family, for my opportunity to serve a mission and most importantly I am thankful for thy Son. I am thankful for the love I receive from Thee and Thy Son. Because I have been given so much from you, I wish to give you my heart. Here is my heart. I seal it to you. I will only open it to the things you would have me love." and I meant and mean every word. In my mind I know I will fall short and end up opening my heart to something of the world at some point or another. But that is why we take the sacrament. In my heart, I mean every word. I gave and give my heart to the Father. I will only love the things he will permit me to love and I will love everything he instructs me to love. I will not open my heart to the things that will enter my heart, root it out, and leave it hard and dead, but I will preserve my heart for the precious things of God.

With the Love of My Heart,

-Elder Matthew D. Evans