Hey it's me. I'm still in Salisbury. Transfer calls come in about two weeks, but
as of now I'm still here. Elder Larsen and I have had an awesome week full of
miracles. This week we have been teaching nonstop. I have learned a lot about myself and my relationship
to my Heavenly Father. This week we had
to exercise some faith and drop some investigators who just haven't been
keeping commitments. We didn't have much of a teaching pool at the time but
since then we have almost doubled our original teaching pool. I'm going to
steal some thing from Gabe this Email and do a...
Cool things found in studies/Testimony Time:
So this week I was studying in the New Testament in 1st
Corinthians chapter 13 and it speaks a lot about charity. The first footnote
about charity is that the Greek root is love. I learned this week that in
Ancient Greek there are four words used to describe love. The first word is
Eros (I have no idea if I spelt that right). Eros is a love that is full of
desire, it's like seeking some thing to "fill" you or give you
satisfaction, it is the worldly idea of love now a days that you see on TV and
in movies. The second word is Philos (I never took Ancient Greek so I have no
Idea if I spelt this right either). Philos is a brotherly love i.e.
Philadelphia is the city of "brotherly love". The third is agape
(Pronounced ah-gahp-eh, also probably spelt terribly wrong) and this is the
form of love closely associated with charity in Corinthians. Agape love is a
love that gives, it is caring for some one else before your own needs. I think
that the words in Moroni 7:47 when he says Charity is the pure love of Christ and
it endureth forever…is talking of this agape love. Heavenly Father a has enough
love for us that he sacrificed his only begotten son for us. Jesus Christ our
savior loves us so much that he went through infinite pain and affliction so
that by his mercy and a grace(Substitute the word Charity there) could help us
return to live with our Heavenly Father. Now how can we show our love for our
savior we can find the answer is in John 14:15 when he says if he love me keep
my commandments. If we love our savior in an agape manner we will follow him
and keep his commandments. Not because we want to be forgiven of our sins or
have a celestial marriage or peace in the home (those are outstanding bonuses
though) No we will follow him because he asked us to(emphasis added) and
because we love him enough that when he asks we obey. It's a choice of love to
sacrifice our Carnal will for his Divine will and as the savior says in Mark 8
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. It's definitely a difficult
journey but if we jump back to John 14:18 Christ says I will not leave you
comfortless: I will come to you. And that's the beauty of the atonement often
times I think that I have thought when I make mistakes it is my job to return
to the strait and narrow path but when I make a mistake Christ comes to me,
comforts me and helps me progress from a new starting point and I am so
grateful for that. I am grateful for Christ's charity and grace for me and how
he for the help he has given me all my life. I will always work to have genuine
love for my savior as well.
-Elder Dean
P.S. I have no Idea what the forth word or definition of love is.
P.S.S. How has your day/ week gone?
P.S.S.S. Mom use your spider web of power to get some Emails heading my
way
P.S.S.S.S. I love you guys in the most genuine way
-Trevor
