Elder Brandon Clark Serving an LDS Mission in Lima, Peru South: My Cheesy Basketball Analogy

Learned so much over this past week that's for sure! There are many missionaries here at the CCM who only have a testimony of this wonderful gospel. Not many missionaries are Converted! Many people fall here as their testimony is tested, many don't turn to their God to help pick themselves back up, but others do their best & put their 100% trust in God to help them get back on their feet.

"Why do we fall, so we can learn to pick ourselves back up" this is probably one of my most favorite quotes not just because its from batman but, however we cannot pick ourselves back up without the help of the Lord. It’s like laying on the ground without any arms or legs and trying to get up.. It’s impossible. This past week I failed because I needed to be compelled to become humble. When I got ill so did my humility. However like in Alma 32:16 "blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble." I am striving to stay humble without experience. Become "TRULY HUMBLE"

Learned a lot this past Sunday as we got to listen to Elder Holland, my favorite. here are some notes:

-I am a 1st grade Surgeon & we are all the "HOPE" of Isreal

-Do you love "me"?---then Feed my sheep- forever!
-Don’t turn you back on this Gospel, stay your course, you can’t go back.

We also got to watch the "Joseph Smith, Restoration" movie. There were a lot of different things that touched my heart that i had not really noticed from the times before. When Alvin dies I felt a piece of his pain… And I imagined how that would feel if that was me.. My testimony grew of the plan of Salvation& how we are only here for a short amount of time. Another thing is when Joseph says, "Lord, where art thou?". And the Lord promises this is nothing compared to the reward you will receive in Heaven. We will go through pain & sorrow but it will be nothing compared to the happiness and joy we will have in the thrones after this life.

The other day I had a very powerful but sad experience the other day with one of my other closest missionary friends Elder Hill. He is a very powerful and strong missionary with a huge desire to improve, serve the Lord, and helps and lift others. All he does is talk about his family and all of the wonderful experiences he has with his family. He would always show me pictures of his family going hunting up in Idaho and what not. But then yesterday he gets called in by the President (pres. Pratt) and finds out (from his stake pres. on the phone) that his parents are getting a divorce. Family means everything to Hill. It just tore him to pieces as he was in complete shock. He never thought this would happen. I felt so bad for him... He keep telling everyone "if my brothers fall away just like my cousins , I am going to be so mad!" He kept saying that all those memories he shared are all gone now and they mean nothing.. I felt terrible.. He got offered to go home, but he said what help would it do for me to go all the way home when its not good enough to be here out on a mission, it won’t make a difference. I got to talk to him a little bit as I tried to give him a piece of advice or some comfort and help. I could feel his pain and anger… I only had about 5 minutes tops to talk to him.

I told him that his story reminded me of Alma the older & how he had so much faith & power of prayer, and praying so hard for his son that he came into the church. I told him you do the same through your faith & prayers for your brothers and family. Then, out of the blue i came up this cheesy analogy, about basketball, because that’s all I can relate to haha. I told him, life is a game of basketball, you have your coach, which is your mom and dad and they get a technical foul and are out of the game. And you are that player on the team who steps up, you are that team leader who brings your team all the way to victory, and in the end you get to come back into the locker room and celebrate with your "coach". You come back and get to rejoice with your family in the end! Hill was a baller back in high school so he liked that, however after that he told me he was just so worried for his brothers and if they would end up like his cousins who fell away and are now drinking and partying. And I told him that you got to tell yourself that "you are going to win the game" not "Im not going to lose this game". Try and flip the perspective of I can do this, my family will be back together. I tried to help him gain some more faith. Kinda told him how you can’t have fear & faith at the same time.

However as the day went by, his testimony grew 10 fold! He bore his testimony later that night and wow was it powerful. He said things like "now that this happened, I would not want to be anywhere else in the world except here. And when I get home and get married, my family is going to be the strongest family this gospel has ever had! My wife and I are going to be the Best companions in the world! No matter what happens we are staying together. And I am going to Peru and I am going to convert everyone I meet because I know this gospel is true!

You could feel the power and strength in his voice and power and strength that he had received from the Lord from this terrible and selfish act. I have a testimony that everything happens for a reason! Everyone experiences something difficult and challenging whether good or bad, to test them and bring them higher in this gospel. These trials are blessings, however it is very challenging to see them at this time for Hill, but his testimony is booming right now, and it was a blessing that this happened right now instead of in the field, or else he wouldn’t have all of his friends to love and help him.

Ether 12:6 ---"for you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Crazy week. But it’s crazy to think that my time in this prison is coming to an end haha! Feels like I have been in here for an eternity but at the same time I thought I just got here. I am so excited to be in the real world and serve the people of Peru. I can’t wait. Wish my Español was a little better, but I just can’t wait to be out there bearing my testimony in my terrible Spanish!

Matthew 10:39

Matthew 11:28-30

Elder Clarl<