How great the wisdom and the love of our Heavenly Father who loved his children so much that he prepared this world on which we could dwell and gain earthly experience. He gave us each  the  right to choose our own way and act for ourselves, providing a unique experience for each one of his children. Everything we experience is unique to us and will effect each person Just a little differently.

My Missionary companion and I were traveling by bus in the tropics of southern Mexico. We came to a little town and the bus was surrounded by street vendors selling all kinds of Tropical Fruits. I saw one young boy selling a fruit that I had never seen before. It was a little ugly fruit pale yellow in color. Out curiosity I asked the young man what it was. He answered eagerly that it was a delicious  "Granada China". He assured me that it was a very delicious fruit. I decided to buy one just to try it out. I handed him a 20 cent piece and he gave me two of those curious fruits.

My companion and I started to take off the outer dry shell which was about 1/8 of an inch thick but was not hard not soft. The shell came away easily in small pieces exposing the fruit inside that reminded me of large Frog Eggs. Each cell was clear with little black seed inside. Unlike Pomegranates it did not have any supporting net work between the sections of cells  Each cell was enclosed by a thin soft membrane and the inside shook like jelly when moved. My Companion insisted that I be the first to taste this strange new fruit. I took t bite of the soft gelatin like cells. Hmmmm! What an interesting taste. To a hungry young missionary traveling in that hot bus in the tropics, the cool delicate flavor was very good.  My companion asked eagerly, "What does it taste like. I  suddenly realized that I would never be able to explain what that fruit tasted like. I simple said, "Taste it yourself and then you will know how it tastes. After that at each little town that we stopped at we asked the vendors  if they had any Granadas Chinas. We never saw any of them again even though we were looking for them. 

When I returned from my mission I told my family about the experience but was never able to tell them exactly what that fruit tastes like. I imagine that they are not widely known because of the drab ugly appearance on the outside. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to taste a Granada China.      I realize that Our Heavenly Father knew that we would have to have earthly experience in order to know how things taste and smell. Even how we should feel under different circumstances.

Just because we came to earth to gain earthly experience does not mean that we need to experience all of the evil and harmful things of the world. We will be far better off if we choose the good things of the earth to experience,  There will be plenty of the bitter to help us appreciate the sweet.

One day I was having my vehicle lined up. A good mechanic and a member of the church was doing the work. We were conversing about the things of the Gospel when a friend of mine came to join in the conversation. He was a local farmer and noted for his frequent drinking sprees. Noting the tone of our conversation he interjected his views. He asked me if I had ever been on a drunk. I told him no that I had never drunk nor did intend to try it. He continues, "You should try it so that you can know how it feels to get drunk and have a good time". 

I thought for a minute and asked him if he had ever jumped off the high roof onto the cement below. He said, "No". I told him he needed to try it so that he could know how it feels.  He became flustered and was about to counter with some statement when my friend the Mechanic began to laugh uproariously. The drunk suddenly knew that I had him and he could say nothing more. He knew that it is not necessary to do things that are harmful just to learn what it feels like. My friend said I am sure that your analogy made him think of the headaches and raw feelings of the morning after.

I know the feeling of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for this wonderful world of ours by having many earthly experiences in His beautiful creation. I know that my experiences are unique just as each person is unique and has entirely different experiences. I have enjoyed how wonderful it feels to dive into a deep clear pool of a river high in the Sierra Madre. I know how it feels to ride mule back in the steep rugged trails and come down a mountain so steep that I had to lead my mule and scramble carefully down. I know the feeling of peace that a campfire brings at the end of the day. I know the feeling of having my family with me enjoying the beauties of the Mountains. I know the feeling of filling one large grill with tenderloin of Venison another with fresh caught Rainbow Trout from the stream and still another with Wild Turkey breast sliced into bite size pieces. Others may not have had or even desired those kinds of experiences.

I realize that what has made these experiences in the mountains enjoyable is to share them with others. We never went alone but always needed the excuse of taking someone else to share the experience with us. When I say we I mean my wife and family. The only time my wife stayed home was when I had a large group of explorers and she felt that she might be intruding. We always looked for opportunities to serve by taking people to the mountains. This has truly been an earthly experience that has increased the love and unity of our family.

I had heard much about love and the feelings we have when we fall in love. The night that my wife and I kissed for the first time, on the night we  became engaged to be married,  I had a new feeling and knew what love was. I still cannot explain in words what I felt like and it would be futile to try to explain it. We were married and then as I held our first child in my arms a new kind of love surged through me. As each child came along of our nine children our love expanded and grew. Each experience together has increased our love until now it is still growing. Now that all of our children have left home and have lives and families of their own our love grows stronger with each increase in the family. We now have 32 Grandchildren and 22 great Grandchildren. Our love grows with each day and each experience together. I realize that love can grow eternally and will if we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our capacity to love grows along with it and soon spreads out in a never ending circle.   The Lord has commanded us to Love God and our Neighbor as ourselves. The best way to learn to love is through the earthly experience of family life and service. The best way to extend our love is to serve others in our callings in the church and give personal service to others. The Savior has given us all the opportunity to follow His example and do the things for others that they cannot do for themselves. In His church we can only receive the ordinances and Covenants from one holding authority to act in His name. The greatest earthly experience is to represent the Savior and do his work by doing things for others that they cannot do for themselves. All those who go to the Temple and do the work for the dead know that this is truly an act of love and service. Both the living who perform this work and the dead who receive it are greatly benefited and will find joy in it. We cannot know the feeling of true love without the many earthly experiences from which this love springs. No one could have told us how it would feel to love for it cannot be explained in words. We must experience for ourselves this greatest of feelings continually and have it grow within us until we can inherit our exaltation, This can be done only through the earthly experience of living the commandments of our Savior.