June 16, 2018
Family and
Friends,
It’s been
quite the four weeks passing here in Curitiba. It has been an opportunity
unlike any other to have the presence of two apostles, Elder Holland and Elder
Cook, back to back in a matter of this short time period. We are on a fourth
week of a full plate of work every day, and we are only now starting to see the
downwind of it all. Other fun highlights have included a plane trip to the
Federal Police Headquarters in Piracicaba, São Paulo, to help some missionaries
serving within our mission work on some legal documentation. Ill include some
pictures at the end of this email for that. It isn’t easy to keep a mission
running and being able to serve in an administrative position has been a true
blessing as well. NEVERTHELESS, none of us are perfect, and it is only a matter
of time that something goes wrong or tests us. This week I would like to share
a couple of thoughts on Success, and how exactly we can be more successful in
our day-to-day lives.
Recently in
General conference, Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy quotes famous leaders
such as Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill saying, ““Success isn’t the
absence of failure, but going from failure to failure without any loss of
enthusiasm.” “With his invention of the light bulb, Thomas Edison purportedly said,
“I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Charles F. Kettering called failures “finger posts on the road to achievement.”
Hopefully, each mistake we make becomes a lesson in wisdom, turning stumbling
blocks into stepping-stones.”
In its most
basic form, our mistakes are necessary for our improvement. Moreover, our
improvement is necessary for our progression; and in turn, we are nothing, and
will never come to be nothing, without progression.
Knowing
that the trials and failures would be a daily re-occurrence for us, our savior
paid an infinite atonement for us to be able to continue “Re-Trying” every day.
However, just how many times will He forgive us? How long is His
long-suffering? On one occasion Peter asked the Savior, “Lord, how oft shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” of course those
of a biblical knowledge will backhandedly know the answer: “Jesus saith unto
him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
In this instance, the Lord uses the math of seventy time seven to represent his
infinite atonement and not the number four-hundred ninety. We must also
remember, as we will go from mistake to mistake learning, others will as well.
Nobody is exempt from a sinless and imperfect life. We must be forgiving and
meek as we seek with humbleness the same forgiveness and meekness.
Nevertheless,
it does us no good to repent without that key word I spoke of at the beginning
of the message: Progress. It is okay
to make mistakes. We learn that accidents happen, that we are human and will
succumb to human nature, and that we will fall in an imperfect world. HOWEVER,
Christ paid for our sins that we may learn, arise, and try again. We will of
course continue to make mistakes. None of us after repenting a handful of times
will learn to be perfect, that is not what the Lords atonement is designed for.
His eternal plan is designed for us to continue growing through our errors, and
to “Rise each time we fall”. Let us seek the best out of the situations and
ordeals we face. May we learn from trial and error and improve so that we will
be stronger the next time we face temptation, sin, or natural adversity;
affliction, anguish, annoyance, stress, difficulties, burdens, sorrow, misery,
misfortune, grief, or any other sort of complications or hardships.
My promise is
that if we learn from our mistakes and rise each time we fall, keeping an
eternal perspective and continuing to progress, while forgiving others along
the way, we will deal with tribulation with a stronger and more spiritual
intent, understanding better the reasoning behind our father in heaven’s plans.
Hope that
everyone has a great week as always. Hope to hear from you soon. Love you.
-Elder
Matthew Arscott
Pics:
Lunch at the local buffet
São Paulo Check in
Plane ride with sleeping Sisters
Campinas - Viracopos
Capibaras in the local park
No power so we had to climb through the window to get into our locked office. 
View from my apartment
Another picture from the Airplane
Elder B.Silva…..
Elder B Silva
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