Elder Christian Fyffe

01/06/2014

                It still boggles my mind how many people exist in this world, and how much of an impact one person can actually make in the lives of others. God put me in an amazing family; I lived with them for 19 years and never understood how much I meant to them and how much they meant to me. Then God decided to help me get the picture because I was too dense to figure it out on my own, so he sent me away from my family for 2 years just to get the message across. May I just testify with the 50lbs that I have gained on this mission that I understand now! I will try my best to never take advantage of this beautiful family the Lord gave me. I love my cousin Austin so much, and am so proud of the example he is setting for his family by going on a mission. I thank my parents for loving me enough to spend a pretty penny just so that I could enjoy a Christmas here in the south pacific with my own little pine tree. And most importantly I thank My Heavenly Father for loving me enough to cut me down. The mission is a very humbling experience. 

            I have an investigator whose name is Jean-Pierre who reminds me every time I see him, how much I have changed his life. Every time he tells me that, I correct him and say that I was just there doing my job, but it’s The Lord who you should be thanking. A lot of experiences that I have been having lately have been showing me how small I really am, and how magnificent the Savior is. For example, a few weeks ago, I gave a blessing to a father of a family, who has had an addiction to smoking since he was 15 years old. The next time I saw his wife, she ran up to me crying saying that her husband had completely stopped smoking. Now this family comes to me every time they need a blessing because they say that im powerful haha. But I correct them every time, The Lord is the one who is powerful, I’m just an instrument in his hands. I’ve felt the power of The Lord pass through my fingers and his words come out of my mouth as I give blessings to his children here in Tahiti. Every time it’s a reminder of how important it is to be worthy to hold the Priesthood. The Lord isn’t going to use a bat to dig a hole; he’s going to use a shovel. So I do my best every day, so that I may continue to qualify for this work, his work. I realize that at times I was using a bat before my mission, I wasn’t quite qualified for this job yet, but the second the Lord called me to be his representative, he began to qualify me.

            This has definitely been the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life, but all pearls start out as grains of sand, and little by little, year after year, we become that pearl of great price that God always knew we could be. I’m thankful that he never gave up on me, I’m glad I never really gave up on him either. It just helps me know that there really is a time and place for everything. Everything is planned out in God’s Calendar, and I know my sister’s name is written somewhere in there, maybe this month, or even in a few years. All I have to do is stay ready for that day when she finally opens her heart and gives this stuff a try. You can ask any Tahitian what the ocean tastes like and they will all say salty. Because they’ve all tasted it. But, if you ask them where the true church is, not all of them can say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, because not all of them have "tasted it," yet. But that’s what I’m here to do, invite others to taste the truth, I’ve tasted of the One and Only True Church, and it definitely is sweet! God doesn’t expect too much from us, just a little bit of effort at first, then with his help, it will become a great desire, then we will no longer call it work, but salvation.

            I love this gospel; it really does set one free. I’ve never been happier, and this joy is something that will continue to grow at the same rate as my testimony. So I see a lot of joy in the future! Anyway, I’ve started taking Pictures of my investigators for an album I want to put together after my mission, so you shall all being seeing the beautiful people I serve! I love you all, stay safe this week! Also the two boat pictures are of the service projects ive been doing, painting boats for people!

Elder Fyffe