Marc! How are you doing? I haven`t heard from you in a while. How is your summer vacation going? I heard you`re gettin really good at tennis. That`s good because I`ll need someone to play with when I get back in just a few more months. Time flys on a mission. It`s seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane in Mexico to greet my mission president. It`s been raining a whole bunch here lately, which kind of stinks when you`re a missionary because you`re always outside walking around all the time, but at least all the plants are growing again and there`s lots of green everywhere. I`ve been having some dificulties in the area I`m in right now. I really love this ward and, therefore, it really hurts me when there`s problems, but sometimes things happen in this life that are totally outside of our control. I suspect you might be in a similar situation. Some things are happening in the family that you wish weren`t happening or that make you sad, but you should know that none of those things are your fault and you should also know that your brother, and more importantly, your Heavenly Father love you and are very proud of the person you have become and the influence for good you have had in your family. Sometimes people we love do things that make us sad. All the heroes in the Book of Mormon had their sad moments, usually when people they cared about disobeyed the commandments of God and as a result brought upon themselves or upon others they cared about spiritual and/or physical destruction. But, afterwards, they were always able to find peace and joy through Christ. Even in the worst of circumstances they were comforted by a knowledge of the plan of salvation and the hope of eternal life through the redemption of Christ. Sometimes we just have to keep on doing what we know is right even when it`s seems useless and we seem powerless to change anything or anyone. We all excerise a much bigger influence in this world for good or for bad every day than we sometimes realize. My whole mission I`ve been trying to get better at listening to the still small voice of the Holy Ghost and sometimes it still seems almost impossible to discern, and I get sad and frustrated because I don`t know what to do and God doesn`t seem to answer my prayers very quickly or clearly. But there is one thing that the Holy Ghost has distilled upon my soul very clearly. That is that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon is true. That certainty has been given to me as a reward for obedience to God`s commandments, excersising the little bit of faith I have, and patience. That wonderful gift of a personal testimony has motivated when I wanted to give up and given me hope admist despair, but it took a long time to find it. So, whatever life throws at you just be patient and God will give you what you need when you most need it.
Love always,
Brett
P.S. I`m not sure why I wrote all that. I hope you can understand what I`m trying to tell you.
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