Bind My Wandering Heart to Thee

Good Morning!

I have to start this email with Boman. He's such a fantastic kid, lessons with him are some of my favorite ones in Ephraim. We sat down for our lesson with him and Boman turned and ran out of the room. We were super confused, until he returned wearing a white shirt! Then he said he wanted to be a missionary. That was the best. 

On Tuesday we did a mission Temple trip at the Cedar City Temple. It was a wonderful experience to attend and remember many of the sacred covenants I've made. It is always worth going to the Temple, no matter what stage of life, or the covenant path you're in. Spending time there will only bless you. 

We did set a baptismal plan with another friend, Duncan! We found him the second week of being in the area. He's a deep thinker, and it's very difficult for me to describe him because I see many traits in him that I have as well. It's like teaching my reflection, but he takes everything super sincerely. He reschedules appointments specifically to finish the invitations we give him, and adjusts his schedule to allow us to meet twice a week! He's ready for the gospel, now to help him get there. 

A hymn I love, but have never fully comprehended, is the hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." It's a beautiful song, yet I'm not always the most familiar with all the words. However, here is the last verse and the chorus. 

Oh to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be,
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love,
Here's my heart, Oh take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

When I study the lyrics themselves, I begin to understand more of the meaning within the song. I love how these verses emphasize drawing close to our Savior, and binding ourselves to Him. That is such an important action to take. The closer we are to Jesus Christ, the more He can strengthen us. That connection draws us closer to God. It is enabled by making covenants. These covenants (similar to promises) are made through baptism, and the various ordinances within holy temples, like marriage sealings. 

I love the covenants I've made with my Heavenly Father. They've changed and strengthened my life, and continue to support me when I'm in need. 

As I began my missionary service, I started seeking passages of scripture to relate to a monthly 'theme' if you will. Sometimes they coordinate better than others, but I love finding a new motivational scripture each month. This one was my scripture for July, where the Lord is speaking concerning missionaries. 

Doctrine & Covenants 112:33-34

33 Verily I say unto you, behold how great is your calling. Cleanse your hearts and your garments, lest the blood of this generation be required at your hands. 
34 Be faithful until I come, for I come quickly; and my reward is with me to recompense every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.

The calling of a missionary is one that requires everything I have. I seek to become more pure to better fulfill this call. I strive to remain faithful, and bold, and in reverence towards my God. I've absolutely loved missionary service, not simply because of what it is, but because of how it's changed me. 

We got transfer news again. Absolutely nothing changed on my end of things! I'm still in Ephraim with Elder Bagley. That's probably the most impressive transfer I could have seen on the board. It'll be nice to stay, we should have a couple friends baptized in the near future! The work moves forward, even if it feels harder at times. I haven't met everyone in Ephraim yet, but maybe I will after another six weeks here! Only one way to find out. 

- Elder Williams

Mailing Address:
881 South River Road
St. George, Utah 84790

Pictures:
1. Myself at the Cedar City Temple.
2. Final District Picture!
3. Elder Goodlad and I on exchanges!
4. We taught one of our friends while they were camping in the mountains. This is one of the views.
5. Elder Bagley and I; Sunday Selfie!
6. The Richfield Zone for our 4th of July celebration.
7. This is the sunset behind the rodeo!
8. We visited a rodeo (with permission) on the evening of July 4th. Elder Bagley won a free shirt!
9. This is most of the District at the rodeo. 
10. Boman dressed like a missionary!
11. Cedar City Temple trip!
12. We were asked to create vision boards, something to help us focus on the work. This is mine. 














Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#LikeFireIsBurning

Image
Good Morning! Our friend Manny was baptized on Sunday, and I was honored to perform his confirmation. It was a beautiful service, I couldn't have asked for a smoother final baptism to have attended. Everything just fell into place. I'm grateful for Manny's commitment to the gospel and his wonderful family. They're such an example of Christlike unity and have a sincere desire to follow the gospel principles in their lives.  I've given the past 2 1/2 years some reflection this past week, but oddly not too much. I am pleased with the mission I have served and the opportunities that I have come. I've made lifelong friendships among missionaries and my teaching friends. I was privileged to have two amazing mission presidents; President Kaluhiokalani & President Staples, with their wonderful wives. I have reaffirmed that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and is the most powerful source of strength, motivation, peace, healing, and guidance one could ever need. I...
Read more

The Forgotten Carols

Image
Good Morning!  Fair warning, I have been planning this and the next two emails for most of my missionary service. This will be a powerful opportunity to reflect on what I've learned as a missionary and share some of those thoughts with you.  To start off, I want to share a few memorable highlights from this week! I had my final Zone Conference and I'm very proud of the testimony I bore. As a departing missionary this transfer I was given the privilege of sharing my testimony right before lunch. I made it through without crying, but I could feel the emotion and spiritual weight I'd been carrying for the last 2 1/2 years very acutely. Those were some of the longest 3.5 minutes of my life. But overall it was great to see a bunch of missionaries and watch them continue to grow! We have a housing lead in Minersville, and I think it's going to work out. We might move in there next week, which means I might be packing one week earlier than I expected.  And I've officially ...
Read more

Key Indicators for Conversion

Image
Good Morning! I started the week feeling good that it was only Wednesday and the week wasn't over. Then it was Friday, then General Conference was almost over, and today is Monday. I'll stop discussing how time flies, but I feel it's appropriate that God lets each day feel long, yet the week vanish. I'm grateful for every second I still have as a missionary. What I want to share today is a bunch of statistics from my missionary experiences. As missionaries we utilize statistics, titled "Key Indicators for Converson" to measure our friends' progress and our commitment to spreading the gospel. Low key indicators don't the inherent worth of a missionary, just as high key indicators don't elevate one to a different status than another. These key indicators help us know where we are succeeding, and what we can do to improve. There's a lot one can learn from them, but the driving factor for missionary efforts is the conversion and covenant commitment...
Read more