Brandon's Testimony

Missionary work is something that has been around as long as mankind. Whenever the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth, God commands his people to preach. Not only some, but all of us are children of God amd he wants all of us to be able to return to him. 

Before this life we were all with God as spirits. God created the earth so that we would have a place to come gain our bodies, and live in a state of probation, or a state of trials, learning, and growth in which we would have to walk by faith.

God has given us all a gift called agency, or the ability to make decisions for ourselves. If I want to eat a pizza, I can, but I don´t have to. If I want to go to church, I can, but I don´t have to. This gift is key in the plan of our Heavenly Father. This gift allows us to learn and progress. 

It´s natural for a parent to want the best for their children. That's why we set rules and have punishments when they´re broken. But imagine a child who had absolutely no choice in whether he wanted to or not, programmed like a robot acting with choice or thought. 

That isn't God's plan for us. He gives us commandments, and yes we should always obey them. But not programmed like robots that have no choice, rather, we should follow them out of love for our Heavenly Father and out of understanding that he always knows and wants what's best for us. 

Sometimes we may feel like God's commandments restrict us from doing the "fun" things in life. In reality, they are given in order to give us liberty from the things Satan uses to truly restrict us. A couple of weeks ago my companion and I were walking down the street when a lady approached us and asked us for had a lighter, to light her cigerette. We politely told her no, we didn't have one and my companion asked her if she´d like to stop smoking. She quickly responded, "Of course". her answer surprised me and I said "Of course? Then why don´t you?" She said, "The same reason my boyfriend doesn't stop drinking..." We continued looking at her until she finished with "it´s impossible". 

The commandments of God are here to save us from the things that really do restrict us. The things that take away our ability to choose who we want to be and what we want to do. 

I have asked a lot of people what they truly want in their lives and it is almost always the same answer. "to be happy". It´s not a bad answer because in fact that is the goal of this life. It's why we exist. (2 Nephi 2:25)

But how do we obtain this happiness?

Sometimes we think it´s money. "Man, if only I had more money I would be happy". Well I have learned that it really has nothing to do with it. I´ve met rich people who are very happy and poor people who are very miserable. But I´ve also met very miserable rich people and very content, happy poor people. So, what is it really?

There are many different ways of finding temperary pleasure and satisfaction, but the only way to find true and lasting happiness is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ:His teachings, his example, his love, and his Atonement.

I don´t have a lot of time but I want to share my testimony of this truth. I have seen people's lives change. Desperate saddened faces turned to sincere smiles. Darkened eyes filled with light. Tears of sadness turned to tears of joy. There are not many things that have made more of an impact in my life than seeing these changes happen to real people who I know and teach. When they do their part God always, always comes through on his part.

The most powerful personal testimony for me comes from my own experiences. I cannot doubt or deny the way my life has been guided, supported and consecrated by God.

I cannot express with words how it really makes me feel (especially because my english becomes more and more limited every day), but I want to invite everyone to search and find out for themselves. A lot of people say, "No, that's not for me". I want you to know that it is. That we are all children of God and he loves and wants each of us individually. We just have to accept Him and allow Him into our lives.

I love being a missionary here in Spain. The people here are great and I'm enjoying every minute of it. The hard times and the really good times. We can learn and grow from it all. I  bear this testimony in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.