I am so loved and truly do appreciate your love and support.

Hey Fam!

 

This week was incredible!  It was definitely winter for 2 days but then it changed it's mind and it's now 45 and sunny .  Can't really complain because it is absolutely gorgeous here.  

 

This week was full of miracles from Heavenly Father.  An investigator that I have been able to teach for the last 5 months will be getting baptized this weekend!  He had an incredible thing happen to him this week.  He has been investigating the Church for 10 years and was hard to work with at first but he has now allowed himself to progress to a point where he allows God to answer his prayers.  As a logical thinker, I still think it is kinda funny how we sometimes think God will answer us if we have not qualified ourselves for that answer.  He has worked very hard and has been diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord these past few weeks and the Lord rewarded him with a miracle.  His entire issue with the Church is knowing if the Priesthood is Restored and if we truly do have a Prophet today.  We had invited him to fast last week to be given an answer to this prayer during General Conference.  He decided to fast on Sunday.  Unfortunately, on Monday he found out that one of his relatives had passed away and there would be a funeral service held this last weekend, in Salt Lake City.  That very same day a Bishop from another ward, Bishop Larney, felt impressed to call and invite him to conference.  Somehow he had 2 extra tickets to the Sunday sessions and Priesthood session.  Because he qualified himself for an answer, the Lord was able to work a miracle and allow him to see and hear the Apostles and Prophet live.  We have not had a chance to see him yet but I know that he received his answer and will be baptized this weekend.  I am so grateful for this formula that we have to allow God to work miracles in our lives.  I have seen it work in many of these amazing people's lives here and know that if we will only qualify ourselves to receive the blessings the Lord has in store for us that the windows of Heaven will literally be opened and we will feel the Joy he sent us here to earth to feel.
 

Heather will also be baptized this weekend, we are super excited for her.  

 

One other miracle happened to this guy named Dave we have been teaching.  Dave was very less-active for most of his life.  In the passed 5 months we have been able to read the entire Book of Mormon and about a third of Doctrine and Covenants with him.  His faith has truly increased and he just recently began to qualify himself for all the blessings God has prepared for him.  He is very blessed as it is but I have been able to see even more blessings appear in his life.  He has had a terrible addiction to cigarettes for most of his life.  He has recently decided to quit and it has been very hard for him. We got to go visit him yesterday and he told us how he had gone the entire day without smoking a single cigarette.  He said  he woke up and made it till about 10:00 a.m. until he just had to go buy a pack.  As he stood up to leave his home there was a knock at his door.  His neighbor was at the door and said, "Hey Dave! I know we do not usually hang out but the Firemen are having a free breakfast until 11 this morning and I feel like I should invite you, wanna come?"  Dave said yes.  He had a great time and somehow completely forgot about the urge to smoke his cigarette.  

 

I know that the Lord uses people to accomplish his great and eternal purposes.  This story only adds to the testimony I already have that Angels truly are helping and inspiring men to do good.  I know that the work I am engaged in is of God.  The Church I belong to is truly the Church of Jesus Christ.  I can not express fully how grateful I am for the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and the quorum of the twelve Apostles.  They are inspired men.  I pray that we may all qualify ourselves to constantly receive the revelation and blessings that our great and eternal Father has in store for us.  

 

Thank you all so very much for your Birthday e-mails, cards, and packages!  I am so loved and truly do appreciate your love and support.  

 

Love,

Elder Holland