Happy Birthday

 A significant life, with significant achievement, and with significant impact.

It is interesting to recall the fear and trepidation of those first uncharted days, not knowing what we could dream or what even we should dream. He has surpassed and altered our expectations all along the road. For that we have many to thank. Thanks to doctors and nurses, to teachers and aides, to friends and neighbors, to classmates and teammates, to brothers and sisters, to angels and God, and an incredibly tenacious and visionary mother. Twenty three years ago who would of thought that during his birthday week in 2011 he would: attend classes at BYU, work in the Athletic department, attend and work in the Temple, live 1,300 miles away from his parents, be roommates with Stuart, have 50+ people attend his birthday party, go skiing at Park City. None of that was on our radar. All of that happened this week.

Grateful for a great birthday of a great guy.

Love that Evan!

The Temple

I have been considering the Temple as we discuss and work preparing Evan to enter therein for his own endowments. He has gone through the old and new versions of Temple preparation classes; he has gone and participated in that which he already can; we have pondered and prayed; and we have discussed with others. In the process two conversations have struck me most profoundly, one with my father and one with the bishop.

First as to father. He and I were discussing thoughts on the ordinances and he commented: “ As I have aged in recent years many things have left me, however, the temple has never left me”. It harkened me to several writings one from Elder Bednar: The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and the ordinances of the Lord’s house. 

Another that predates that by Elder Maxwell: They may even pass through our holy temples, but, alas, they do not let the holy temples pass through them.

Father has the had the temple pass through him and as such it has changed and filled his heart, and has not left him. Though his age and health precludes regular attendance at this point, the temple is ever with him. He has “his tent facing the Temple” and has made it central to his learnings and personal revelation. Nibley proposes that this is our objective individually and collectively as societies. Civilization is hierocentric, centered around the holy point of the temple. The temple was certainly the center of things in Babylonia, in Egypt, in Greece—wherever you go. This was certainly so in pioneer Utah. This pattern descended, of course, from ancient times to the Latter-day Saint church. He goes on to explain how it is the wellspring of all learning. And clearly the proliferation of Temples in our day would reinforce his thinking.

This latter point was center to my discussion with my Bishop; I was concerned if Evan had sufficient mental capacity to grasp the temple. He spoke of his relative unlearned state as a 19 year old when he first attended, and how repetition and time have been great teachers and expanders of his understanding. Nibley speaks that: Ordinances are not the fullness of the gospel. Going to the temple is like entering into a laboratory to confirm what you have already learned in the classroom and from the text. The fullness of the gospel is the understanding of what the plan is all about—the knowledge necessary to salvation. You know the whys and wherefores; for the fullness of the gospel you go to Nephi, to Alma, to Moroni. Then you will enter into the lab, but not in total ignorance.

That Evan will learn similarly through repetition and time is certain – but – the Lord’s greatest concern for any who go to the temple is not their understanding but their worthiness. That Evan is worthy is the question and central to ability to attend. That question of worthiness is what should be most central to our daily lives and that such worthiness is our primary goal in striving to return to Heavenly Father.

(Dad and I then spoke of sealing sessions back in his day, of polish families waiting to be dealt with as families and not inventory – another story for another day)

Resume

Evan need to prepare a resume to apply for a job.

Here is how it stacks up

Evan Wilson 309 N. Fremont St., Naperville, Ill.  60540 630-470-9242
Objective
	Use my abilities to work with people
Education
	High School Graduation                                               June 2007      Armstrong High School                                           Plymouth, MN GPA- 3.4 on a 4.0 scale ACT- Reading 15, Math 15
Awards received
	n     Football and Wrestling Letters – Recognition of commitment and dedication n     Eagle Scout, BSA n     Duty to God Award
Work experience
	Set Up Crew Wilkinson Union Building, Brigham Young University                                         2007-2008 n     Reliable, never missed a day of work, 15-20 hrs./wk n     Set up chairs, tables and displays in the union building for banquets, meetings etc. n     Worked in a team environment Paper Delivery Sun Sailor Publishing                                                           2004 - 2007                         n     Proven reliability in consistently meeting all job expectations n     Client service focused n     Bundle sections - Bag papers - Deliver to over 450 homes weekly Backroom Stocking Dick’s Sporting Goods Store                                      2006 Holiday Season n     Seasonal stocking, unloading, tagging and preparing goods for display n     Dependable, Hard working, Diligent
Extracurricular activities. leadership  & Notes of interest
	n     Varsity Men’s Choir n     Homecoming King, Armstrong High School n     Early Morning Seminary  – 4 years, graduation, May 2007 n     Seminary President n     Church Youth Group President and Officer n     Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader
	n     Sports Enthusiast n     Baseball Card Collector

BYU freshman year

Evan's schedule for his first semester of college:

		Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday
8:00-12:00		Work		Work		Work		Work		Work
12:00-1:00		Lunch				Lunch				Lunch
1:00-1:50		Physical				Physical				Physical
		Science				Science				Science
2:00-2:50				Pearl of				Pearl of
				Great Price				Great Price
3:00-3:50		Bill		Bill		Bill		Bill		Bill
4:00		Dinner		Drawing		Dinner		Drawing		Film Lab
5:00		D and C				Book of
						Mormon

A season of success

HIGH SCHOOLS; Student-athlete is their teacher; Armstrong's Evan Wilson knows a thing or two about competition and victory, and shares his enthusiasm with his grateful teammates and coaches.(SPORTS)(John Millea)

Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

May 18, 2007 | Millea, John | Copyright.  John Millea

Minneapolis (Minnesota) Armstrong’s Evan Wilson knows a thing or two about competition and victory, and shares his enthusiasm with his grateful teammates and coaches.

Almost every step of the way, Tim and LaRinda Wilson wondered if they were doing what was best for their son, Evan. Through preschool, grade school, middle school and high school, they wondered if mainstreaming was the best path for their child with Down syndrome.

Would he be teased? Would he be pushed around? Would anyone help him, keep an eye on him?

Now they know. Evan and 539 other seniors celebrated their graduation from Armstrong High School on June 7. That day brought memories, cheers and some tears, but they were tears of joy. And they were shed by lots of people – including coaches and Evan‘s fellow athletes – at the public school in Plymouth.

Armstrong wrestling coach Bill McCloskey had a hard time keeping his emotions in check as he spoke about what he and his wrestlers have learned from having Evan on the team for four years.

“It’s an incredible thing,” McCloskey said. “I’m trying not to tear up here, thinking about him and all the special things he’s brought to the program.”

The coach added: “You can always count on him for a smile, whether it’s his smile or him making you smile. As tough as things can be sometimes, he’s an inspiration all the time.”

Evan also played football and was on the track team. Oh yes, he’s an Eagle Scout, too. This spring he played adapted softball, which is a typical activity for special-needs students. He might be the most heavily recruited athlete at Armstrong, with coaches tugging at him to join their teams.

Dan Enna, an assistant football coach, also is the adapted softball coach. Knowing what kind of spirit Evan brings, he convinced him to play adapted softball this spring.

“He’s a great kid, he’s a great athlete, he really contributes and it’s a pleasure to have him on the team,” Enna said. “He’s always smiling, he’s always leading. He’ll say in the huddle, `C’mon guys!’ He’s just a fantastic kid.”

Alex Rubin, one of Evan‘s fellow senior athletes at Armstrong, was a first-team All-Metro basketball player who helped the Falcons to a runner-up finish in Class 4A. He has known Evan forever, going back to a kindergarten-age soccer team.

“He’s definitely a popular guy,” Rubin said. “Everyone loves him.

It doesn’t matter; girls, guys, they all love him. There’s no reason not to like him.”

Talk to anybody who knows Evan and they’ll tell you a great story. Tim, LaRinda and Evan sat in their family room and spoke about the time...

• When Evan was a new middle school student and the subject of teasing by another kid. One of Evan‘s friends – who just happened to be the biggest kid in school – told the offender, “You mess with Evan and you mess with me.”

• When a few high school kids walked behind Evan in the hallway and made fun of him, only to turn around and find some football players walking behind them with a clear message: Lay off our teammate.

• When Evan scored a touchdown – “I scored four or five touchdowns,” Evan corrected us – because coaches and players from both teams knew it was the right thing to do.

• When Evan received a wrestling trophy from the nice people at Andover, and a large framed poster with photos of Evan playing football from the nice people at Wayzata, and on and on.

“As a parent, you can only be grateful to have people from other schools reach out and make it great for everybody,” Tim Wilson said.

McCloskey said Evan was not only an athlete, but also a teacher.

“With Evan, it was never about winning and losing in terms of how we think of winning and losing,” he said. “For him, it was about how many points he scored. If he got beat 20-4, well, he scored four points. Every time he wrestled, it was a celebration. That was another lesson we learned from Evan; he sees victory in another way.”

Evan, 19, is the middle child of five. This fall he is off to Brigham Young University, living with his big brother, Brigham, who is a student there. Evan has a job lined up in the student union, he will audit some classes and volunteer in the BYU athletic department.
And once again, he’ll be the most popular guy in school.

John Millea is a sportswriter and columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Reprinted with permission of the Star-Tribune.

Copyright ©2011 National Federation of State High School Associations. All Rights Reserved.

Mother's Day

Evan has always respected and loved his mother. And so it is fitting to post his tribute this mother's day.

In Evan's Words the talk he gave

Happy Mother’s Day.

Being part of a family is a great blessing.  You can

 have happiness in a family.  You can learn what is

right in a good place and you can prepare for eternal

 life. You can have a good heart and have love in a

family.  In a family you can together make plans for

 where to work and to go to college.

You need to do your part to have a happy home.

  Many problems happen in a family because people

are selfish and unkind.  Be nice to members of your

family.  Seek to bring peace in your family, don’t

tease, fight or quarrel. 

Honor your parents by showing them love, respect

and by being obedient and true.  Be willing to help in

the home with chores that need to be done,

homework and helping each other.  Be with your

family in activities, family prayer, family home

evening and family scripture study.  Set a good

example for other family members.

We need to love our brothers and sisters and our

moms and dads.  They can become your

closest friends.  Support them in their

activities and help them with what they are

doing.

 

I am  about mother's day 

ever good people Love mom

Heart feeling life for mother

Be true remember

BYU Bookstore

A great door-opener for Evan at BYU was his being able to get a job at the BYU bookstore in the Wilkinson Center his first semester at the Y. He did clean up and set up , basic manuel labor with a team of workers that allowed him to be on campus, contriubte, and be at the hub of activity. It was a wonderful start at the Y.

Getting the job was a result of multiple conversations with multiple people and interviewes and recommendations and prayers and massive effort by r?indy.

One interesting letter was a letter of recommendation to get the job by a dear friend.

Brigham Young University

BYU Bookstore – ELWC

Provo UT.  84604

Attn:  Roger Reynolds

Dear Roger:                                                                                                                         3/5/07

The purpose of this letter is to endorse Evan Wilson as a candidate for a position at the BYU Bookstore.  I have known Evan most of his life, and have worked closely with him as his Bishop, Scoutmaster, Quorum Advisor, and basketball coach. 

Evan is a good young man who has worked very hard in life to accomplish many things that haven’t come as easily for him as they might for some other kids.  He has earned his Eagle Scout, Varsity Sports Letters, Duty to God, has served as my 1^st Assistant in our Priests Quorum, and he will soon graduate from both our Seminary program and from Armstrong High School. He has greatly enjoyed all of these programs. He loves, and is greatly loved by his fellow scouts and quorum members who are also his best friends. He has been blessed with a good family that has been very supportive and helpful to him as he’s participated in all the above.  

Evan has had to overcome his own set of obstacles and challenges in life. While he may not be “the strongest or fastest”, he is the most reliable young man I know.  He never misses an assignment, he’s always on time, and (remarkably) he remembers the exact dates and times of upcoming events, practices, tasks and assignments weeks and even months in advance of their arrival. I was able to witness the huge level of excitement and commitment that Evan exuded recently when he worked a temporary position at a large Sporting Goods Store here in the Minneapolis area. He was thrilled and put his whole heart and soul into the job. He has risen to every challenge put in front of him. I believe that is due to his own persistence, and due to the strong support of his outstanding family.  Evan has been a singular source of kindness, fellowship and unity in our ward. He serves others; and others very much want to help him.  Also, Evan’s sense of good fun and humor make immeasurable contributions within his peer group!

Evan is willing to try anything from stage musical productions to Football, Basketball, Track, and Wrestling. He jumps in whether it’s his personal “strong suit” or not. His peers have demonstrated how they feel about him by electing him as their homecoming king at Armstrong High School. I fully endorse Evan for a position at the bookstore.  Given his developmental disabilities, consideration will need to be given to placing him in a position that will be the right fit for his skills and abilities. I am happy to discuss that with you further if needed; I recommend Evan to you as a good person, who is reliable, dependable and as one who loves to work and would be an asset to your organization.

Sincerely,

Brad Taylor

HR Director

General Mills Inc.