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Corrada Favaloro, a Church member in Rome, Italy, recounts a time of trial when her 16-year-old son left the Church. She faithfully prayed and hoped for his return, finding comfort in the words of President Boyd K. Packer during a conference address to parents:
“It is not uncommon for responsible parents to lose one of their children, for a time, to influences over which they have no control,” he said. “They agonize over rebellious sons or daughters. They are puzzled over why they are so helpless when they have tried so hard to do what they should.
“It is my conviction that those wicked influences one day will be overruled” (“Our Moral Environment, Apr. 1992 general conference).
“I know that all the trials Heavenly Father gives us are necessary for progress,” Sister Favaloro testifies. “And so I am calm when hard trials come because I know my Heavenly Father is close to me; He never abandons me.”
- Read President Packer’s entire address.
- Read Elder Bednar's article "Faithful Parents and Wayward Children: Sustaining Hope While Overcoming Misunderstanding"
- Read "With All the Feeling of a Tender Parent: A Message of Hope to Families," by Elder Robert D. Hales.
Published February 19, 2014
