There is so much I want to write this week. Experinces I will never forget. Times we have been protected from danger, times we have been strengthened to do even more than we thought we could, times we have had more sucuess than some ever thought possible. There have also been times of hardship. Times of hunger. Times when I didn't know if I could continue. Times when I wondered just how much I could really bear. I can say now, more honestly than ever, that every second of this life really is a test and a literal battle between good and evil. I feel that we pass much of our lives unaware of the battle that rages around us. The war that started in heaven continues on Earth and is more subtle and more dangerous than ever. Whenever we do anything good, there is a real force of opposition that will try to destroy that good thing. What I'm learning most now is how to stay strong, and how to stay happy like I have always have been despite the trials we now face. How to stay strong and not be moved.
My mind has been drawn to reflect on the life of someone I know very well who struggles with many things. He has been drawn captive by the lusts of the flesh, and wonders why he can't procure the peace and happiness he is always seeking. Wikedness never was happiness. Satan creates a lie and tries to convince us that if we will just try a little less harder to do what is right, we will be happier. That we should just not pray tonight, becasue we are tired, or we shouldn't read our scriptures becuse time runs short. Perhaps that we shouldn't go to church or do our home teaching or try to help someone in need. He is very subtle, and he tries to convince us that a little bit of not doing what is right won't hurt. Well, this is a lie. The truth is that these things are critical to our survival in this world. By doing them, by paying proper heed to the spiritual, we gain happiness that grows and fills us in ways we never imagined possible.
For Satan to succueed he only needs good people to do nothing. By small means he weakens and leads away those who could pose a real threat to him. Happiness and freedom only come through doing what is right. There is no shortcut. When we are humble, repentant, and obedient to the principles of the gospel, we can find true happiness. This is the only way. Any other happiness is a false happiness and will not last.
I am continuously awestruck by how perfect the gospel is. By obeying it and applying it in our lives, we find true happiness. It is not always an easy path, but it is easier and infinitely less painful than the alternative. For this, I think life is easy. Despite trials, despite adversity, we choose our happiness by how we live. Being happy in life is therefore very easy: just learn what is right, and do it. Don't worry if it is hard at first, it get's easier as you get used to it. The period of change is the only period that hurts. Heavenly Father knows this, and he prepared a way to make the path easier for us: repentance. We can cast off any burden and overcome any obstacle. We are the children of an Almighty God and He has promised us His help when we do what is right. His power to overcome all evil, all sickness, all sadness. We have access to the infinite eraser - the Atonement - and so we should all be clean, without spot. Christ paved the way for us and set the perfect example.
I am so glad to be a missionary. Truly miracles happen. There was a lot of rain two days this week, so much that a city nearby named Xerém (cher-aim) was devestated by the resultant flood. Homes were destroyed, and many people lost all they had. When we first heard about what was happening, we had no idea how bad it was. As the days passed we heard more and more and it made me think about what happened recently on the east coast of the United States. A call for help was written and sent out to all the wards in this part of Brazil the morning the rain stopped, and read in the sacrament meetings. Our chapel is the closest to Xerém that was large enough to work as a command center, so it was selected and we spent a day at the meetinghouse recieving food and clean water and clothing from all over. We got to organize it, pack it, and send it in caravans to Xerém along with many members who went to help. I was amazed at how fast the members here in Rio de Janeiro responded. The call for help had gone out that very morning, and by mid-afternoon we were recieving carloads of food and water and clothing.
Saying you feel a little bit of the Savior's love in church on Sunday is good, but seeing the members act on it and bring relief to those who really needed, on a moments notice, was even better. That is what this gospel does: helps us act. Helps us be a force for good in the world. The message of the gospel is a message of peace and happiness. A message of healing and freedom and eternal progression. A message of hope.
Well, time is up! I love you guys. Stay strong!
All the best,
Elder Viglione
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