Week 67

Hello family and friends, I hope after a week like this one, that this letter finds you happy and well. I was so happy and grateful to hear of the support that my family received upon receiving the news of the death of our loved Grandpa Dave. I thank you all for your love and support and your prayers that were made this week as well. I am so happy that God gives us trials and problems like these. But not because they are easy, but because they teach us a lesson that only they could teach us. There is no other way we could have learned the lesson we are meant to learn other than the death of a loved one. I know that our trials fit us like a pair of shoes, they are given to us by One who knows more than any. They are made for our growth and our perfection. That is the purpose of life. We are given this time to prepare ourselves for the day when we will stand before God once again. We are made to be tried in all things so that we can be worthy of the Glory that God will give us. We must hold on tight through the storm to be able to receive a spot in the Kingdom our Father has prepared for us. I am so incredibly grateful for the love my Heavenly Father has for me, I am thankful he has allowed me to serve Him, He has allowed me to carry the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has strengthened me and like it says in the Footprints poem, He has carried me this week. I wont lie and say this week was easy, as I told my mom there were moments when I thought about my Grandpa and just wanted to be sad, I thought about things that we will no longer have here because of his loss. But then I saw the bigger picture and thought about the lesson he is teaching us, I thought about the strength we can gain from the death of a loved one. I honestly have never felt so near or so close to my Father in Heaven then this week. I realized too like my sister Holli, that each day is to be lived one at a time. We never know when our mortal life will reach its end. We must be prepared each and every day for what will come. Each day is a miracle, each day is a gift and it will NEVER come back, we must use it and cherish it because one day or the other, it will come to an end. But as I said in my letter, its not the end, its only the beginning, its not goodbye its only see you later. I felt anxious this week, an anxious feeling a missionary gets when he thinks about his family, but it was an anxious feeling to be able to see my grandpa Dave again, I know that it will happen, but as for now, I am the one with the work to do, I am the one who needs perfection to be able to arrive prepared in the presence of God. I know and will always and forever testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is TRUE. Its more than just the word of God, it is HIS word and HIS Gospel and HIS TRUE CHURCH restored to the earth in these Latter days. It is what true happiness is. Its a happiness that cannot be bought or sold or stolen. Its a happiness that only God can give. I think that has been what has held me this week. I hope that we can all find the strength to move forward, I hope we can all use this situation as a time to grow and to better prepare us for that day. I love you all with all my heart. I am sorry, I wish I could write more but I have to be at a leadership meeting at 11 until 5 pm here in Los Yoses, my heart and prayers are with you. I love you all. con amor, Elder Falor