Letter, October 6, 2010

Well...an interesting turn of events...little did I know...

 

In the fantastic movie "Stranger than Fiction" one of the characters rambles for some time about that phrase, "little did he know."  The quote is as follows:

 

"Little did he know, That means there's something he doesn't know, which means there's something you don't know, did you know that?"

 

You'll of course forgive the ramble, it builds something some writers refer to as "suspense" and others "shilly-shallying" or "beating around the bush."  A good friend informed me in a letter of the remarkable power of letters.  No matter what you write, the person or persons to whom you write feel completely compelled to keep reading, although, by all rights of human dignity they should just skip to the end...Ah, the power of words, letters and writing...hehehe. :)

 

A brief summary of recent events include the following, in chronological order.  We found a couple really good people this last week and invited them to conference, but for one reason or another none of them could come.  Conference was AMAZING :).  I am planning to download it.  I didn't get to see a few things because we caught a ride to our stake center with some less active members and got there late, but what I saw I loved :).  I was told Saturday that I needed to travel to the mission offices to sign for my visa, so I didn't have a preparation day this last monday.  I was there all day and got home at about nine.  Yesterday we had district meeting and went on exchanges with my district leader.  I went to his area and his companion came to mine.  We returned late to my house in my area to meet up and rest.  We found one of the elders outside the house and asked him what was up.  He then proceeded to inform us of the mysterious nature of the door being open when they had arrived at the house an hour earlier...having gone inside they found the house in complete order with nothing seeming to be out of place...nothing, that is, except for my iPod that I thought I broke, the one I bought to replace it, my MP3 player I brought from home, my bank cards, Elder Bryant's camera, and all the money we had left in the house.  That last comma is called an oxford comma...fun fact :).  I have officially, for the first time in my life, been robbed.  To say I don't feel a little shaken would be an outright lie.  Someone seemed to have found a window that wasn't locked (I was barely conscious of its existence), climbed through it, taken the things of value they found on the desk, and left quickly out the front door.  So...we're going to move.  We're fine, a little shaken, but fine.  God was merciful with us.  I had pulled out, by accident, extra back-up money from the bank.  They took my back-up money, but I was carrying most of my monthly funds and my back-up back-up money with me, so we have plenty for now.  Other than that, life's good. :)  We had a wonderful conference today with the mission president and his wife about a lot of things...primarily about working with the wards.  It was really good.

 

This week's going to be rather short for us, as we didn't get to work monday, not much yesterday nor today, tomorrow we're going to a specialist of some kind for Élder Bryant, Friday we have weekly planning, and Saturday we're going to take for our P-day...So yeah :P

 

This week's letter is brought to you by, the letter 'R'...I don't especially know why...but also the song "Keeper of the Flame."

 

Believing, receiving the burning inside
Learning and yearning for greater light
Melting the frost
Moving the lost

Through the winds of change
Encircled by the clouds of pain
I guard it with my life
I need the warmth I need the light
And though the storm will rage
I stand against the pounding rain

I remain a keeper of the flame

Inspiring fire blazing in truth
Living and giving
Leading to You
Filling my soul
Willing to go

 

Through the winds of change
Encircled by the clouds of pain
I guard it with my life
I need the warmth I need the light
And though the storm will rage
I stand against the pounding rain

I remain a keeper of the flame

 

It is that flame that I have in my heart.  I know of a surety the truth that I bear to the world because of the flame that burns in my heart.  I have asked, and for that reason, I know.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Kingdom of God on the earth.  It is the only church that has all of the authority so required by the courts of heaven to make eternal covenants.  It has been restored by God Himself.  Thomas Spencer Monson is a prophet of God, called by Him to be a special witness of Christ.  I Know in my heart it is true.  I Love my Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and I know They love me.  That makes all the difference.

 

All my love to you all!

Élder Sudbury