sorry for not writing last week. the whole mission had an internet fast, so no one could use the Internet. but everything is well. here in chile it is the 18 of september which is the 4 of july for them. but unlike us they celebrate at least 3 days sometimes 5, this year it just happened to be 3. the bad news is that the 18 fell on a sunday this year. there were only 29 people in church and half of them were from los angeles visting from the stake. but you just got to keep working hard and not get discouraged. it is funny here, EVERY house has a chilean flag outside, adn they dance their national song all the time, and eat a ton of meat and empanadas, it is a lot like the 4 of july but just for 3 days instead of 1. this week was a little tough. my companion is different, but the last few days have been a lot better. since my time in the office i have been pretty spoiled with my companions so its good to get a difficult one, because you really do learn so much and grow a lot more. obvioulsy no one wants more trials or struggles but it really is the best way to learn and grow. i was reading in the liahona the talks of the last conference. there is one by Elder Christofferson, he tells a story about Hugh B. Brown when he was a gardener and had a current bush that was 6 feet tall was growing very tall and had tons of leaves. but he chopped it down. he said he thought he heard it say, i was growing so good i was making so much progress how could you do this to me, i thought that you were the gardener here. he replied i know what i want you to be, i dont want you to be a large plant, or a shade tree, i want you to be a current bush, and some day you will thank me. so life went on and a few years later he was in the canadian army and was going to be promoted general but didnt get the job becasue he was LDS. he was so mad and said the same thing that the current bush had said. the Lord responded the same way. He knows what he wants us to be, and the trials we have to face to become the person he wants us to be. We will not just be judged from the things that we do, but also as the kind of person we are. its not always just about what you do its about who you are. your character. so the Lord is refining me and helping me become more polished but the only way he can do that is by putting me in the fire and burn off all those impurities that i have. i know that He is always with me and will not allow me to go through more than i can handle, or make me suffer more than is necessary for my eternal benefit. i also know the same is true for you. trust in God, he sees what you dont he knows what you dont. be patient, lift up your head dont get down, keep chugging and you ll make it through. i really like a quote from President Swenson. If you accept and live the gospel there is nothign in your life that will be permanently bad, and if you dont there is nothing that will be permanently good. no matter what the cost, what we have to go through Heavenly Father promises us a 100 fold in His kingdom. Love you all thanks for everything
Elder Brimhall
