Elder Rafael E. Pino: Faith in adversity
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True comfort in times of adversity comes from God, Elder Rafael E. Pino of the Seventy taught during the Saturday afternoon session of conference.
He related the story of a man with whom he once served in a bishopric who lost his daughter in a drowning accident.
Said the man after the accident: "What a blessing it is to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and to have received the ordinances in His Holy Temple! We now feel that we are much more committed to be faithful to the Lord and endure to the end, because we want to be worthy of the blessings that the temple provides, in order to see our daughter again."
Elder Pino said, "This faithful family came to understand that when adversity arrives to our lives, the only true source of comfort is God."
He also shared another story of a family who lost several members of its family to an automobile accident.
"In both of the experiences that these good families endured," Elder Pino said, "pain and sorrow left because of the light of the gospel, which filled them with peace and comfort, providing the assurance that everything would be well."
He continued, "Even when the pain of these families cannot be compared to the agony the Lord endured in Gethsemane, it has enabled me to better understand the Savior's suffering and atonement. There is no infirmity, affliction or adversity that Christ did not feel in Gethsemane."
Later, Elder Pino stated, "Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity. Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently."
He closed by testifying of the peace that comes from living in accordance with the teachings of the Savior.
"If we live in accordance with teachings of the Savior, we will surely find the peace and consolation that only God can give," Pino said.
