9/5/11

mais uma semana em Parnamirim‏ Hey you guys!!! I can´t think of anything cool that happened this week, so I´ll just write you my testimony. I know that we lived with out Heavenly Father before we came to earth. He knew us perfectly, and loved us perfectly. He knew all of our capacities, and our potential. He knew that we could learn and grow a lot more if we left his presence, and came to earth. On earth we would be able to learn for ourselves the things that we could never learn from his example. He sent us to earth, to our earthly parents, for us to fulfil our true potential. In the same way that all of us left our Heavenly Parents to come to earth, I left my Earthly parents to serve a mission. There are many things we can learn from our parents. We can learn from their counsel, and from their examples, but there are also many things that we have to learn for ourselves, that we can't learn from other people. These things include testimony, faith, patience, and diligence. Just as I left my heavenly home to learn and grow, I left my earthly home, to learn and grow, and fulfil my true potential. Here on the mission, I´m learning about faith through study, fasting, and prayer. I´m learning patience through trial, and I´m learning diligence through hard work. It's incredible how the test changes when you don´t have your parents looking over your shoulder. You have to do things because of your own will, and not just because your parents want you to do them. I know that the mission is changing my life. It´s changing my character, and changing the way I act and think. I´m learning things that I couldn´t learn in any other place. I know that the church is true and that God answers our prayers. He has called a prophet in our day to lead and guide us. The scriptures show the way, and the Sprit is our guide. My mission is preparing me for the rest of my life, and the rest of my life is preparing me for eternal life. It´s important that we prepare now. (Alma 34:32) I love you guys, and I hope you all have a great week. Write me when you can! Love, Elder Forsyth