Seeing Is...

(note from Liz:  if you read the scriptures daily, you can read this and get it done!  If not, these particular scriptures are well worth your time.)

Hello Everyone!

The Lord has blessed us so much in these last days. Yesterday, in sacrament meeting, I was looking at my fingers and moving them around. Wiggling, stretching, tightening, flexing, rolling, cracking, and feeling. I then started to look at all the details on my fingernail then wristwatch tan. I started to sit up straight and move my neck around. I touched my face and felt the heat difference from my cold hand to my warm nose. I blinked, wiggled my toes and then closed my eyes and saw nothing, but I could feel everything. My sensibilities seemed to be sharper and tuned at a higher level. Even when I did not see, I could hear the speaker. I could hear the speaker with more clarity because my ears were stretching to make good use of their function. I was not seeing anything, yet I could feel everything around me. The baby crying seemed softer as I focused on the rasp of the speaker at the pulpit. It worked. I walked out of the chapel and saw people on cell phones, driving cars, yelling at kids, running, crying, and people doing absolutely nothing. I closed my eyes and heard the birds in the trees, the sound of the wind and the two men chatting across the street. We don't need to see to be me more alert. We don't need to see to be more wise. We don't need to see to know proof of something physical. We can trust, feel, and think and have a confirmation in our heart. I know that Christ is our Savior, but here´s thing.  I haven't seen him. How do I know? I feel him. I know the the gospel is true because my faith is slowly becoming a perfect knowledge through the application of truthful and eternal principles. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know it to be the word of God and I know that it is the physical evidence that people are looking for. But the evidence just doesn't do it for me. When I play music or act I don't know if I am performing at a high level until I feel the confirmation between me and the crowd. Someone can tell me that I did well but if I don't know for myself what it's like to connect, I will never have satisfaction, right? 

Chapter 8

The Lamanites seek out and destroy the Nephites—The Book of Mormon will come forth by the power of God—Woes pronounced upon those who breathe out wrath and strife against the work of the Lord—The Nephite record will come forth in a day of wickedness, degeneracy, and apostasy. About A.D. 400–421.

 1 Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon.Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.

 2 And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed.

 3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold,they are gone, and I fulfill the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.

 4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.

 5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.

 6 Behold, four hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.

 7 And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.

 8 And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. And behold also, the Lamanites are at war one with another; and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war.

 9 And now, behold, I say no more concerning them, for there are none save it be the Lamanites and robbers that do exist upon the face of the land.

 10 And there are none that do know the true God save it be the disciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to remain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land no man knoweth.

 11 But behold, my father and I have seen them, and they have ministered unto us.

 12 And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

 13 Behold, I make an end of speaking concerning this people. I am the son of Mormon, and my father was a descendant of Nephi.

 14 And I am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord;the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.

 15 For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.

 16 And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.

 17 And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold,we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire.

 18 And he that saith: Show unto me, or ye shall be smitten—let him beware lest he commandeth that which is forbidden of the Lord.

 19 For behold, the same that judgeth rashly shall be judged rashly again; for according to his works shall his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall be smitten again, of the Lord.

 20 Behold what the scripture says—man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.

 21 And he that shall breathe out wrath and strifes against the work of the Lord, and against the covenant people of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shall say: We will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel—the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire;

 22 For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.

Read this. Then before you doubt your faith, doubt your doubt. It's a privilege that we have to know that God has opened the heavens once again to reach out to his people and bless them through HIS gospel. 

My invitation to you to know through the connection of the spirit. 

 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how ^amerciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ^bponder it in your ^chearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart,with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

 6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore,nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

 7 And ye may ^aknow that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost;wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God;for he worketh by power, ^baccording to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

Until next week,
Elder Forsyth 

Happiness is...

 Mother´s Day was a real treat. It was so fun and gratifying to talk to my familia over the weekend. I really felt their support and love for me as they told me I had a little accent (well, actually I think it was just Francesca that said that). But I really felt the power of eternal families as we laughed, joked, told each other uzi stories, and talked about our spiritual progression. 

This week I have a strengthened testimony about both the physical and spiritual challenges that face us. This is the 3rd time on my mission where I have been thrown into a new area without phone minutes and not much in the area book to direct us where to go, who to teach, or which members to talk to. Back when I was a little younger on the mission, I didn't really understand and got frustrated when something hard was thrown at me. A tough companion, new area, rocks, etc. This week the challenge was the sad vibes we felt from many people that we visited, investigators and members alike. Just sadness in general. I have a new perspective of my calling as a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ. We went on splits with the Stake President and he told us that we have "...been called to serve in the ward that needs the most help in the stake, and they NEED us." In that moment my head went down a little in humility and when my chin hit my chest (actually my neck because it's so stinkin long), I saw my name tag. What an important calling I hold. I thought to myself, what would Christ say to these people? Not what would he do, but what would he say and how would he help the spiritual growth of this ward? I am literally His representative. The Lord has confided in me so much and I cannot let Him down. Now, and after the mission. The mission is like a life class that you take. And it is possible to fail. There are many missionaries that go home spiritually weaker that when they came. So, as a servant of the Lord I need your prayers so that I can be the best that I can and invite ALL to come unto Christ. I thank all of you for your humble prayers -- I feel them with every step I take. It's a great support that I will never take for granted. 

This week has been full of "old investigator" seeking. We have found some incredible people along the way. We´re going to teach a "pastora" -- a woman pastor. A ward member invited her over tonight for family home evening. We called her to confirm tonight's appointment and she told us that she is so excited to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She watched The Other Side of Heaven 10 years ago and felt something when the main character is reading The Book of Mormon. Please pray for us so that we can teach her the true gospel of Christ with clarity so she can understand and be baptized. She seems like a wonderful woman who is animated. 

Also, please pray specifically for Eliane. And also pray for Marielle -- she has a baptismal date.

Love, 

Elder Forsyth

p.s. Children do amazing things when trusted. Think about it. 

Clapping Skills and Teaching Diego

Hello everyone!

The fourth was with me this May, but it was my last Sunday in the Estação Ward. President loves throwing me around to help out and learn from the other missionaries in our mission. I have had so many companions since the MTC. I think 13...14 including my new companion Elder A. Santos. He´s from Brasilia and worked as a band maintenance guy. He hooked up all the pick-ups and guitars and configured the sound board. He is a big music guy, too. I already love his style, he is super kind and loves to talk. I like talking companions, it makes the work seem easier and a little more comfortable because you can talk about any idea that's flying through your head. From the Savior´s atoning sacrifice to Spider-man to the sore feet. I was a little sad with the other transfer because the Lord had blessed us so much in that little part of his garden and I had to leave it all behind and start another adventure here in VILA ACORDES. 

Elder A. Santos and I are both new in the area. That means we are going to clap a lot. Everyone knows that they clap here instead of knocking doors, right? I feel bad if I haven't explained this custom from Brasil. If there is one thing that I have mastered on the mission, it's the effective clapping. Sometimes the gates in front of the houses are really far away from the front door and you have to clap a certain way so that it doesn't hurt but it travels as if it were going through a valley. Kind of like a big echo. 

DIEGO.

Diego. Certified Vigilante, or as they say here, Vigilante Certificado. To sum it all up he´ll be be on the security team squad when the World Cup games hit Curitiba. He is super pumped and got the job because he scored a 100% on all his exams. A Champion. 

Diego is an investigator that I have been teaching since I arrived in Estação. He was contacted by the missionaries 8 years ago and then again a couple of months before I got there. We saw him in our area book in the potential investigators section. He didn't have a teaching record but there was a little description that said, "liked the 1st visit, go and follow up". Yeah, well, when I went to his house he had just finished parking his motorcycle and was heading inside. He saw us, grabbed some pamphlets that the previous missionaries had give him and started asking us about modern prophets, but he was trying to tear down the doctrine. We went into a little New Testament/Bible bash and in the end he told us that he didn't believe in God. I realized he was pretty depressed and was into anything that related to God or religion. He really just wanted nothing with nothing (Ele queria nada com nada----many Brasilians say this). We invited him to find refuge in the Church of Jesus Christ and he cussed us off. Secretly I knew he felt the spirit with our simple and loving invite because when he was walking away he gave us a little look over his shoulder and kept looking for a couple of seconds.  I felt confident about our invite. 

That same week his girlfriend's brother crashed his motorcycle on the highway and unfortunately lost his life. He was also a member´s grandson, so the ward held the viewing that same week. Diego showed up right after our exit. We had left some Plan of Salvation pamphlets, Liahona magazines, and Book of Mormons. He felt a calm spirit from the members that were hosting the lamenting family members. He brought all of the materials home and began studying them. The next Sunday he showed up in Elder's Quorum and told us that he felt like he needed to be at church. After the viewing, he had wondered why our Father in Heaven lets us suffer. Well, he found his answer when he followed the invite in the end of the Book of Mormon. He found Moroni´s promise and asked his Heavenly Father with a sincere heart. According to Diego the flying sensation he received was all he needed. After his first visit he invited us over and ever since then he has been a devoted investigator that is doing everything in his power to resolve his life so that he can be baptized. Last night we read Alma 26 with him and he looked at us, crying a little bit, and said that if he went on a mission he would save many souls. Last night when I told him I was going to be trasferred, he said that if we didn't meet up after the mission we would meet up in the spirit world to give each other hugs and talk about our conversion stories together. He has already gone on home teaching visits. I feel extremely privileged to be the missionary that started to teach him. 

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