The Land of the Prophets

He leaves the MTC tomorrow (Thursday 9/23) for SLC.  I love that he referred to our family motto. (And Lauren also used it this past week in a BYU writing assignment).  If anyone doesn’t know, the Fine Family Motto is:

We’re going to do the best we can with what we have to work with.

This came from a few experiences where whining set in, and we heard things like, “Wow, this is hard”, and “It would be easier if….” – to which we would say (insert motto here).  We said it so many times, we started calling it our family motto and it has apparently stuck (much to my delight) – My kids actually remembered something I taught them, Hallelujah!!!

Thanks so much for your love and support.

Candice

From: Brandon Fine [mailto:brandon.fine@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 1:46 PM
To: Kevin Fine
Subject: Re: Letter from Mom 9-20-10

Mother, Father, Brothers and Sisters,

Today is my final day in the MTC.  I'm not feeling sick anymore, and my voice is back, so I'll actually be able to talk when I get to el campo.  Estoy tan animado para salir al campo.  I do not know the address of the Salt Lake City Mission, but I suspect that is something that you or I could easily find out by asking the right people or researching.  I saw the Patchetts yesterday!  They will be great missionaries.  That would be pretty crazy if I saw Dad and Ethan in Salt Lake over conference weekend.  I'm not sure how conference in the mission field, especially in Salt Lake, will be, but I'm sure it will be different.  I want you to know that I am not discouraged or disappointed at all in my reassignment to Salt Lake City.  Some of the Elders are, for some reason, thinking that preaching the gospel in Zion is less cool than Mexico.  The way I see it, God knew long ago that I would be called to Mexico City, but needed to serve first in Salt Lake.  There are people waiting in both of those places that I promised to teach the gospel to before I came to this earth.  I am not going there to wait until I get my visa.  I am going there to bring people to a knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  Scriptural thought of the week:  "Why is missionary work so hard?"  Jeffrey R. Holland answers:  "Because Salvation is not a cheap experience!  It was not easy for the Savior.  How dare we think that we can do it without even coming close, experiencing an ounce, a tiny drop of the cup that He drank"  Similarly, President Simon Peter, the first president of the church after Christ, declared "Think it not strange considering the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.  But rejoice in that ye are partakers of the suffering of Christ" (1 Pet. 4: 12-13)  I'm pretty sure both of those are quoted wrong, but the message is there in both of them.  I do not expect it to be easy.  But I will happily and faithfully do the best I can with what I have to work with.  To paraphrase the apostle Paul, "The time of my departure is at hand.  I will fight the good fight.  I will finish my course.  I will keep the faith"  I finished reading the new testament all the way through today.  Good book.  The biggest thing I learned from it was that we REALLY need the Book of Mormon.  Also, the ministry and atonement of Jesus Christ are just amazing.  I like the manner of prophecying among the Nephites quite a lot better than the manner of prophecying among the Jews.  Like Nephi, "my soul delighteth in plainness."  Oh I almost forgot:  Adam, the tutor for our zone, Brother Warr, served in Baton Rouge.  I think he left right before you got there, but he knows a lot of the Elders from your mission that were there before, like Elder Fife.  Probably knows a lot of the members and investigators too.  Anyway, you're all Awesome.

Con todo el amor de mi corazon,

Elder Brandon Fine