Strength and Growth

Dear Mom and Dad, 

- The name of the foundation that provides for the surgery is called the Mabuhay-Deseret Foundation. Mabuhay is the Tagalog verb "to live".

I don't have much time!!! We have a baptism this Sunday for JR who will be the last member of his family to be baptized, and  Brother S. as well!!

I'll just share a quick experience I had this week. I interviewed a sister for baptism this week. She's 18 years old and is about to graduate college (that's normal at her age here). Her parents were both members but have passed away. She's been living with an aunt and uncle and other family who used to be active, but have since become preachers at an evangelical church. Over the past month or so, she's been taught by the sister missionaries. I had the privilege to meet her. She has been so changed in this short period of time. We've had a big focus in our mission on teaching the doctrine, and teaching it simply and clearly in such a way that people come to live by that true doctrine and are changed as a result. As I walked into the room to interview her, something just felt different with this sister. She just had some sort of presence about her. She understands the Gospel very well, and really knows her stuff. This past week as she's been preparing to be baptized, she has been met with so many challenges. The night before her interview, she told her family that she was going to be interviewed, and hopefully be baptized the following week. Her family just exploded and told her if she did, she'd be disowned and have no place at all in their family. Even though she knows it's true, it's still very hard for her to choose. She's already lost her parents, and now if she continues with this, she loses the only family that she has left.

The Lord does not give us trials we cannot handle. Joseph Smith endured some of the most extreme trials, the pioneers crossing the plains, and of course the very Savior himself. My sports analogy (of course!) to this, no one remembers Michael Jordan sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 1998 Playoffs, because it was easy. However, everyone, especially Utah Jazz fans, remember his shot in game 6 to come from behind and win the NBA finals. Anyone can be good and do good when things are easy. It takes someone special to rise above all else when circumstances seem impossible. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said,"But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it."

The Lord chooses us in the furnace of afflictions. We must all pass through it. Some are meant to pass through deeper ones than others. But all of them have the same purpose, to prove us all whether we will do what the Lord commands us. If we look with a broad perspective, seeing the way the Lord sees, we have no reason to fear or to be afraid. All we need to do is press forward faithfully, doing the very best we can, and we have the Lord's promise that he will always be with us. Keep holding on, not just holding on, but enjoying every moment and learning and growing!

Love,

Elder Yost