Trials

Daniel asked me to post this message as is:

Well this week was a challenge. Just had hot wet weather the whole week. But that is ok the work must go on. It has really been so hot everyday. The days that we do not have sun it is raining like no other but still hot. I love brazil. The new area is going good. IT has been a little hard with two areas combined in one. We have two wards and they are challenges at times but that is ok. I love a good challenge. I also know that the Lord will always help us when we need him. We have found some good investigators in these past few days that i am really excited to teach. The only weird thing is that i am really learning a lot here these past few days as a senior. I have to talk more. So the language is getting better and the lord has really blessed me to increase my knowledge of the scriptures. My companion and i are really different but that is ok i like him. We are having a good time serving the lord. These past few days i have been reading about some people in the bible who really had some difficulties. Man they had some tough times. The great thing is that everytime they had a hard time they counted on the lord and were freed from there trial. That is really how the world works. In helaman 12:3 it talks about trials. Unfortunantly one of the reasons why we have trials and difficulties is so that God can test our faith and that we could remember him again. How easy it is to forget our father in heaven when we dont have any problems. He put the opportunity for trials on the earth to grow and to really know who wants to live with him again. This life is a test. In Alma 34:32-34 says that this life is the time to prepare to meet God. A time for us to have trials and repent and have trials and repent and have trials and repent. It is that way. The church is a place for people that are making mistakes everyday but that want to change. A place for people to remember God and come unto him. The people in the church are not perfect but that church is perfect because it is Jesus Christs church. We can repent in alma 5:33 says that his arms are open for us. And also 3 Nephi 9:13-14 talk about repentance. How great of a blessing to repent and be cleaned and remember our God and our blessgings and be clean again. I glory in my trials as did Paul. yes they are hard. Yes they hurt and yes we can get through them. I want you to read about the church history and than tell me if our trials are hard. I want you to read about Christ and than tell me if our life is hard. I want you to read the Book of Mormon but not just read ponder and than pray and than tell me if this church is not true. After you have done this think.... Can Jesus really help me? If you have a doubt after you did all this read the book of mormon again and than read Doctrine and Covenants 121:1-11 and after you read that read Doctrine and Covenants 127 and see how much Joseph Smith changed. And than ask yourself. Can Jesus Really help me? Can i be forgiven? Can i do what is right? And can i live with my family and my father again? Once you have done this think really think. I will answer these for you. Yes Jesus Christ can really help you. He did not just suffer for nothing. Read Alma 7:11-12 and than read Doctrine and Covenants 76: 22-24. Jesus lives and can help. next questions yes you can be forgiven. Read about christ and what he suffered read miracle of forgiveness and read alma 5:33. or read about the story of the lady that commited adultery and went unto christ. HE wants to forgive us we have to want to be forgiven. That is the key. next question. Yes you can do what is right. Read Nephi 3:7. we can do all things. and than read almost about any prophet or in the bible that he will not give us anything unless we can pass through it to live with him again. Next question. Yes we can live as a family again. Christ died for us and lives again. We have the priesthood authority(Gods power). Yes i do not have one doubt in my mind that i will live with you all and megan and Grandma and God again. I know that God is just he would not take you away from me and nor could he. I love you all so much. He is so just all mankind will know Christ what a blessing. I know i will live with you again. We have to work together in this world. We were not sent here alone. I have brothers i have sisters and have a mom and a dad. But not all i have God and Christ. We need to use all our instruments to stay together. Satans goal is to tear us apart. Christ goal is the bring us together and that is my goal to. LIft where you stand an apostle of the lord said that. Dad lift where you are to bring us closer together, mom lift where you are to bring us closer together, and brothers and sisters lift where you are to bring us together. If one person stops lifting it gets hard. But if we all lift we can lift each other to live for all eternity together. All of us need to really think and repent and try our hardest to live with one another again. This world is tough. Satan wants to destroy our family and the families of the world. Buy why? Through a strong family comes strong warriors and through a strong family comes a whole family to God again. DOnt forget this. Do what you need to do. All of you. Christ didnt do his work alone he had apostles. He was Christ and he needed help. Are we better than he? We all need one another to get back in the presence of our father again. Without you justin, without you krystal with out Jason and without you Shane and without megan i can not make it to heaven again. But most important without you Dad and without you Mom i cannot and will not leave this life to live without you. We are one big eternal family. We are brothers and sisters. Lift where you stand. Take pride out of your life. Humble yourself and give the Lord and broken heart and contrite spirit and a want to change and he will take that and make a great man. Not just a great man or woman but a son and daughter that can live with our father again. The trick to this life is doing the little things. How many times in my life i fell into the arms of satan and was tricked to not do the things that i need. How many times now i have realized that without scriptures and without praying(personal and family), and without church and temple it is impossible for us to live with God again. Do the simple things that is my challege for you. Satan wants to teach us we dont need to pray just read 2 nephi 32 the last two verses. We need to pray. Read Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-11 we need to forgive others. i Will finish this with three scriptures and my testimony. First scripture. in Doctrine and Covenants 103:36 says the only way to win is to be diligent and faithful and pray with what? with Faith. I ask you all to do this. Next talking about blessings listen to what is said in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 about blessings. YOu can not gain help or blessing with out trying your hardest to do what is right. I love you all so much. i know you can all do this so easy. The last scripture in 2 Nephi 31:17-20 talks about endure to the end. After baptisms and temple and holy ghost we can not stop there. We have to keep going and do the little things not almost do them. Put the word almost in front of the words(i dont know exactly becuase i only have a book of mormon in portuguese) i think the words are endure(continue), perfect, all men, enduring(continuing), feasting, endure, (after behold says the father). Put almost in this scipture and it kinda stinks. You will be in front of you father in heaven and he will say you almost recieved eternal life with me. But why? Becuase you almost did all the things you needed to do. We can not almost do the things we have to do them. Especially the little things. i will finish this just saying. That all is well in the mission. I know that God loves me and i know that i need to be here in the mission. There are so many broken families in brazil and so many sad families. i have a message to brighten there day if they do the little things. I know that Joseph smith was a prophet and he restored this church. I love this gospel with all my heart. I know that we can be forgiven i know that God wants us to talk to him, and i know that the Book of Mormon and the scriptures have the power to change lives if we read them. I love you all so much. I know that we can be an eternal family. Stay strong and do the little thing. I love you all. Until next week.

Elder Parkinson