Week # 53

Hola Familia,

I am so happy to hear the news about Connor. [Connor is a young man in our ward that played basketball with the boys. Last week he was in a very serious skateboard accident which resulted in severe skull trauma and fractures- we are happy to report that he is recovering and is being moved out of ICU this week. There are no signs of brain damage- he is able to walk and he remembers everyone- truly a miracle]   More than just the miracles of God saved him, but also the faith and prayers of everyone. There truly is power in a sincere fast. Thanks for being such a great example. The Grandview 6th ward is Zion!

Good luck with the heat. It´s getting pretty cold here, but it´s a pretty calm winter. With a jacket, it´s not too bad. But because we are close to the ocean, it rains super hard sometimes- and that´s always fun.... haha.

I learned a few things this week that I wanted to share with everyone. It was actually the day that it rained hard! In the mission, the rain is always a trial for me because being soaking wet and not being able to dry is the worst! But I´ve learned to truly love the trials like rain that we experience as missionaries. I learned this week that the Lord can bless us and encourage us IN our trials in ways that we can never expect. I´ll give you an example. We had to walk 30 minutes in a rainstorm that was brutal. But without even thinking, we started walking. Our shoes were filled with water, our jackets were soaked to the point that the rain was seeping through them, and there was a lot of mud. But as we kept walking, I don´t know what it was, but I got really excited. Something that I hated doing (walking through puddles of rain) was actually do-able. I realized that our mind throws fear at us when we start to face a trial. But as we face trials with gratitude, the Spirit changes the very nature of our mind. In place of fear, the Spirit fills us with Faith. And for this Faith, that only exists from the Atonement of Christ, we can overcome ANYTHING. This same faith is what helped the pioneers crossed the plains. This same faith helped Joseph Smith face all of the tribulation, and this same faith is what gives us strength to face and to overcome trials and tests (like Connor´s accident). As we face our trials with an attitude of gratitude, we are allowing the Spirit to change the way we look at things. He will bless us with an ETERNAL perspective.

I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ and it is the only gospel and church that has this ETERNAL perspective of all things. It´s my testimony that the Lord will take away the veil (spelling?) from our minds so that we can think eternally if we are always grateful.

Thanks for all the love and support. I´m so happy to be named an uncle again! 

Love Elder Bosco II

Farewell to Pres. and Sis. Parreno