Happy New Year! 2015

Hey Fam!

This week was so much fun! Our Ward passed around these sign up sheets to spend an hour with the
missionaries on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so we got to go around and do all kinds of fun stuff with the members in our ward. We played apples to apples, phase 10, Scum President (wearing hats), ping pong, we sang sooo much, and my favorite, we launched mini  pumpkins loaded with fireworks out of a sling shot :)

The weather here has been super funky.. In the passed 48 hours we have received at least a foot of snow and the temps keep going from like 30 to -5 and back. I'm not sure if it has to do with the weather but my body pretty much shut down for 2 days and I slept like 35 hours out of the last 48.. Good news is I feel great today :)

I finished the Book of Mormon! It was one of my goals to read it 3 times this year. While I was about halfway through my second reading President Mecham asked me to start over and do a specific scripture marking so I technically only read it 2.5 times this year but I'm okay with that :)  I have really become a fan of making goals as a missionary. I have some pretty lofty goals set already for 2015.  I invite you all to take the time necessary to prayerfully set goals for this upcoming year and then hold yourself responsible and do your best to achieve them. One of my favorite quotes from President Thomas S Monson is found on page 150 of Preach My Gospel where he says,"When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement increases." I have def found this to be true! I have learned that when I give an

accounting of my day to God in prayer at night He shows me many things I did not realize throughout that day. I usually am led to realize, with His help, I accomplished a lot more than I thought that day, I see His hand in my life and the lives of others, and I feel I am much more capable of having the righteous desires of my heart. Planning is so important and I feel when we counsel with God and do our best to align our plan with His plan then we set ourselves up for a future full of Joy and Happiness.

It was so awesome to Skype with you all on Christmas! I really enjoyed hearing your voices and seeing you all together as a family :) I am so excited for what this next year will bring! Thank you all for all you do for me. I am so blessed and feel so honored to have each of you in my life. I love you all and hope you have a happy and safe new year!

-Elder Holland

Merry Christmas! 2014

Hey Fam!

Well things are still going great here in Great Falls!  The weather has been super warm and I am loving getting to know my new companion, Elder Fox.  I still laugh at our age differences but we have a ton in common.  He is 18 and has been out on his mission for about 5 months.  He grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California.  He really prepared well to come serve a mission and I am very impressed with him.  I am looking forward to all I will learn from him this transfer. 

Our ward here is amazing!  They sent out a Christmas sign up sheet to have the Elders and Sisters over at different hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas.  We have a packed schedule of families to go visit, play games, and share a message on Christ with.  I'm sure I will eat a ridiculous amount of food.. again.. but it will be worth it :) 

I am sure by now all of you have watched the Christmas video the Church put out called, "He Is The Gift."  We have been sharing this with literally everyone for the past few weeks and it has had a profound influence on me.  Learning and teaching others how to Discover, Embrace, and Share the Gift has been life changing.  I am so grateful to KNOW that He is the Gift.  To know that God loved us so much that he sent His Son to make it possible to for us all to return Home to Heaven once again.  The Gift of our Savior is amazing to me because it is meant for ALL of God's children but it effects us all personally.  Salvation is for everyone but we receive it on a personal level.  Yes we are all brothers and sisters here and we help one another along the journey but ultimately it depends on what we each do as individuals that determines if we will be able to return to Heaven. 

I know so many people in life, especially those I have met on my mission, who are hesitant to move forward in the Gospel because they feel they will be leaving a loved one behind.  Many of them simply will not make or keep sacred covenants with God because they are waiting for the day that a sibling, or spouse, or friend will do it with them.  I feel this is one of the greatest tools Satan uses to keep people from progressing in this life.  In Matthew 19:29 the Savior said,"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."  I don't believe the Savior is saying we need to leave everyone we love in the dust.  He is simply saying TRUST ME and it will be worth it.  There has never been an instance in the history of man where God has promised man something and did not deliver.  He says when we follow Him we will inherit an hundredfold and Eternal Life.  In my opinion, to TRUST him is not to leave others behind but to show them the way.  As we get closer to Christ personally we inevitably bring others with us.  

We all have things in life that are keeping us from being closer to our Savior.  As we enjoy the peace that comes this Christmas season I invite all of you to ponder your favorite sins you are holding on to and to make a resolve to let them go.  I promise you it will be worth it.  I have so far to go but am doing what I can to honor the Covenants I have made with God and I can say I have never been happier.  I have real and lasting JOY in my life.  I know that God is truly our Father in Heaven.  He loves us with a love we can not even begin to comprehend.  Everything He does is for our eternal benefit.  I know He sent His Son to pay our price so we could return to live with Him again.  I am so grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunity I have to share it with others.

Thank you all for all the love, letters, packages, and prayers you have sent my way.  I am so grateful for all of you.  I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I look forward to seeing you on Skype! 

Love,

Elder Holland

Staying in Great Falls!

Hey Fam!

This week was super exciting!  Lots of changes are being made with the missionaries here and things are going really well!  My new companion is Elder Fox.  I met him once during transfers and he seems like a really awesome guy.  I am looking forward to this transfer and all the awesome stuff that is happening here! 

My thoughts this week are all centered on gratitude.  I will never be able to express how grateful I am

for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This past week I took some time to reflect on the people I am currently seeing here and the people I have been able to get to know so well over the course of my mission.  Every single one is suffering in some sort of way.  The difference between each one of them is that those that have embraced the Gospel and strive to keep the commandments have peace.  I realized in an overwhelming way that even though I see and try to help people dealing with things that are very difficult I have peace all the time.  Yes I get anxious, nervous, and upset at different times but I also know that is part of it.  It is okay to feel this way because this is how we grow.  Nothing great ever came out of a comfort zone.  The amount of Light we have in our lives is directly related to our desire and actions towards keeping the commandments.  I am not even really sure where I am going with this but I am just so grateful to know He is always there.  I feel like I am seeing the influence of God in the lives of others much more and I know this experience is preparing me for whatever trials lie ahead of me.  I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  I know that because He did what He did we are enabled to do all that we do.  As I was pondering the trials of

others I thought about my own trials, especially in the last 2 years, and how I have been supported and lifted in every aspect.  My invitation to you all this week is to reflect back on some of the hardest times in your life and ponder this question, "Where was God?"  Then pray and ask Him that same question.  I promise you will feel peace and know that He is in control.  In doing this He has shown me many things I did not notice in the moment of the trial and I am so grateful to know He is always there.

I am thankful to you all for the great love and support you have shown me!  

Love,  

Elder Holland

P.s. I gave out the wrong address to my apartment and I have no idea how all of your letters and packages have been making it to me but here is my actual address! 

312 3rd Ave North #8 Great Falls, Mt 59401

Christmas Zone Conference!

Hey Fam!

This week was incredible!  I learned so much it was ridiculous!  We had our Christmas zone conference and it was so much fun.  Elder Bishop was dressed up as Santa and we had lots of fun.  I don't think Santa normally acts that way but it was hilarious :)

The whole Conference was centered on Christ and outlined the principles of Joy, Faith in Jesus Christ, and putting on the armor of God.  I thought this was really cool because I have been studying these topics like crazy over the past few months.  I would really encourage you all to study the words Joy and Happiness in the scriptures.  The word Happiness appears 28 times in the standard works.  once in the Doctrine and Covenants. Once in the Pearl of Great Price and 26 times in the Book Of Mormon.  There are really amazing formulas attached to it everywhere it is mentioned too :)

But what I have been really thinking about is the spiritual "Armor" that we all wear daily.  Last week I was reading in in Alma chapter 60 and noticed something really interesting.  This is where Moroni is writing his letter to Pahoran because Pahoran has not sent him any supplies or troops to aid him in his war efforts.  Verse 21 says, " Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?" I have been thinking so much about the armor that I put on each day.  This scripture, to me at least, helps me understand that most of the time God gives us opportunities to do things rather than just give us things.  We are not here on earth to be led by the hand but we do have a Father in Heaven who is a God and has given us all we need to succeed here in this life.  Over the past 2 years I have slowly been learning that in order for me to be happy throughout an entire day there are some things I need to do.  Specifically in the morning I have learned that I need to pray, exercise, read the scriptures, and review and pray about my plans for that day.  If I don't do one of these things my day never seems to go as well as it could have.  I have also committed to listen to a General Conference talk every single time I take a shower.  I have been doing this for over a year now and have found incredible strength from this alone.  I have made a list that is ever growing of things that are part of my armor.  I feel that these things are the vehicle for me to live in a way that I honor the covenants I have made with God.  I take very seriously Paul's commission to, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  My invitation to you all this week is to counsel with God in prayer and make a list of things that are a part of your armor. I know that  He will help you know the things you can do on a daily basis that will protect you and allow you to have the most Happiness and Joy in your life.  The purpose of this life is to have Joy and there is no other way to find it except through Jesus Christ.  I know that Elder Bednar was speaking truth when he said, "Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ."  I believe many of you do certain things daily that you may not even realize are a part of your armor but I promise you that if you will take the time to write them down that God will show you even greater ways to become one with Him.  I know that Jesus is the Savior of the world.  By choosing to put on my armor daily I have been enabled to do things I know I could never do on my own.  I know we can do all things through Christ because He truly is the one that strengthens us. 

My companion, Elder Mckeachnie, will be finishing his mission this transfer and will head home this weekend!  Crazy how fast time flies but I am happy for him because he has chosen to work hard all the way to the end. 

Thank you all sooooo much for all the Christmas letters!  I had 21 pages of letters in my package at the Christmas conference!  I am so blessed to have you all.  Thanks so much for all you do for me! 

Love,

Elder Holland

Thanksgiving :)

Hey Fam!

So this week was crazy!  It was honestly so cold it hurt!  I had hand and toe warmers on pretty much most of the week.  I am so grateful I have really warm clothes to wear :)  At one point it was -20 not including the wind chill.. That is just way too cold! 

We had 3 Thanksgiving dinners!  I loved the first one, enjoyed the second one, and started to get pretty uncomfortable by the end of the 3rd.... I don't think I have ever eaten that much in my life!  I am super grateful for the people that show us Missionaries so much love and support.  I am always amazed how people just treat the missionaries like family.  Even though I just got here I really do feel loved by these people. 

This week we have our Christmas zone conference in Helena.  I feel like it is happening way early but I loved it last year and know it will be great this year.  Like half the mission will be there so it will be great to see everyone.  It is going to be all about Christ and music.  I have never really liked to sing or even enjoyed hymns before my mission but now I love them.  I will report on this next week.

We basically spent this week meeting tons of people.  I do not have time to explain them all but I have just had an amazing confirmation this entire week that this Gospel is true!  I keep meeting so many people who are completely different creatures now that they have allowed Christ to have a greater presence in their lives.  I really do feel this Christmas season is going to bring miracles in the missionary work we are engaged in.  I love the "He is the Gift" video the Church came out with and I invite you all to share it with as many people as you can.  Missionary work is as simple as inviting someone to watch a 3 minute video.  The success is in the invite and God will take it from there.  I am grateful for all of you and the great love and support you are to me.  I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Holland

Warming Up! :)

Hey Fam!

 

Haha when I say warming up I really mean it's at a point where my nose doesn't freeze after 2 minutes outside so life is pretty good!  Most of the snow melted this week so it looks like winter will hold off just a little bit longer :)

 

I had a crazy week this week.  The first half of the week we were super busy meeting with tons of new people! Then on Thursday I went up to Havre on exchanges.  It is like 2 hours north of Great Falls.  It really is in the middle of nowhere but I loved it because the people are incredible.  People from small towns are great.  I was there all the way until Sunday night. On Sunday we went to the Chinook Branch for their Branch Conference.  Our Stake President, President Pfile, was there and all the members of the stake leadership showed up.  His topic was counseling with a council.  I really liked this because he talked all about communication and how important it is for us to do things as a team.  He invited different people to come up and share different things throughout the meeting and I got to participate in different parts.  He said the formula for decision making is to always do it with Love and with the Spirit.  I really felt all decisions in life can be made by following this formula.  He talked about the line between practicality and spirituality in meetings.  Basically, we need to come to any meeting prepared to listen and contribute.  Overall it was a really great opportunity to learn how live in a way that I can be guided by the Holy Ghost in all things.

At the end of the meeting I got to participate in the Stake Council meeting.  It was strange because I was the only Missionary there as a guest but I really enjoyed seeing how all the members of that council came to a decision on things.  There was not a single time where I did not feel love during the meeting.  I am having so many interesting experiences I really never thought I would have as a missionary. I love it in Great Falls and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here.

I can't believe it is Thanksgiving already!  Haha we have 3 dinners scheduled and one of them has a 34 lb turkey... It's gonna be a loooong day.  I am so grateful for all of you and the great support you are to me.  I am grateful for the time I have been blessed with to serve a mission.  There is nothing else I would rather be doing with my life right now!  I am forever thankful for the Gospel and the knowledge I have of the Plan God has for us and the role of Christ in that plan.  God is soooo good! Every single day is a blessing :) I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

I love you all

Elder Holland

Great Falls is soooo cold!

Hey Fam,

Yes it has been freeeeeeeeezing here... But I have lots of warm things to wear so I will survive ;)  I actually have 2 dinners already scheduled for Thanksgiving and one of them said they are cooking a 34 lb turkey!  Idk how I feel about that but I am sure it will be a blast :)

This week was crazy!  It is almost like culture shock here in Great Falls.  It may be that I just got used to the people of Missoula but it is sooo different here.  We have lots of stuff happening and many people to teach.  I can already tell I am gonna love it here.  But freezing would be a very nice way of describing this place.  It was like -20 with crazy wind last week! Today it warmed up to like 25 degrees but man -20 is rough!  I am so grateful I have some crazy warm clothes and a zillion hand warmers :)

My new companion is Elder McKeachnie.  He and I get along really well and I can tell this transfer is gonna be awesome!  He is from a little town called Mona in Utah and this is his last transfer.  I am happy cuz he is a very focused missionary and is really working hard until the end.

I learned so many things this week! It is crazy how the things I am constantly learning are not necessarily new but they are taught to me in such a unique way that they have a great impact on me.  I feel like the reason I am always so amazed each day as I study the scriptures is because the teaching is done by the Holy Ghost.  I discovered yet another amazing formula in the scriptures yesterday during sacrament meeting.  While the sacrament was being passed I was really thinking about the Savior and all He did for me personally.  I had a strong feeling of hope as I was pondering and decided to look up the word hope in the topical guide.  As I scanned through the scriptures one really jumped out at me so I looked it up.  The verse is Moroni 8:25-26.  These 2 verses have some of the most amazing formulas ever in them!  Verse 25 says, "And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;"  So here we learn how to receive a remission of our sins.  Then verse 26,"And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God."  It all compounds and grows to bring us to  a state of meekness and lowliness of heart.  We then are visited by the Holy Ghost who fills us with hope and perfect love (or Charity).  Then we learn how to have these things edure in our lives; diligence unto prayer.  As I sat there in sacrament meeting the Holy Ghost bore powerfully to me the need to pray.  I know this is true!  The effect of doing these things, in my opinion, gives us something that I believe every single person on this planet is searching for.  The last sentence of verse 16 of that same chapter tells us the effect of perfect love, "...for perfect love casteth out all fear."  When I read that yesterday I felt a peace that can only come from God completely overcome me.  The Holy Ghost taught me that no matter what happens in this life, no matter how crazy things get, I don't ever need to fear.  I believe this is a gift from God and is Priceless.  I know it comes from a sincere desire to follow the example of the Savior.  I have lived a life where I did not follow Him and I never had peace like this.  I am forever grateful for the opportunity God has given me to know of Christ and to have the opportunity to become something better because of Him.

I LOVE being a Missionary.

I am thankful to all of you for the great support you are to me!  Thanks for all you do!

Love,

Elder Holland

My new address is: 312 3rd Ave North Great Falls, Montana 59405.

Blizzard!

Hey Fam!

Holy smokes it is freezing here!  Last night we had the beginning of some crazy storm from the north and the town is covered in snow.  There is black ice everywhere so driving is extra fun today :)

Well, I am happy and sad today.  We got transfer calls yesterday and I am being transferred to the Great Falls East stake.  I will be serving in the Overlook ward.  I prayed about it and already received a confirmation that is where I am supposed to be but I am sad to leave.  We have 3 people who will be baptized in our ward on the 22nd!  I am super sad to miss them.  I will send a picture of me and my new companion next week.

I am sorry this letter is super short but we have a crazy amount of stuff to get done in the next few days.  We have appointments with people literally every hour for the next 48 hours! But I love being super busy all the time.

Thanks for the great love and support you all are to me!

Love,
Elder Holland

Getting Cold!

Hey Fam!

This week was so awesome! It is really starting to cool down here! Most of the leaves on the trees have lost over 50% of their leaves and the mountains are starting to be covered in snow. I almost forgot how early it gets dark here. With the time change yesterday it was dark at about 6! 

I am just amazed at the ways God continues to teach me all I need to learn. I feel like the learning never ends! I have really been pondering a serious question over the past few weeks and even months. I love knowing that God answers my prayers but I have learned, for the most part, that He does not give me personal and direct answers. Most of my prayers are answered in pondering and searching for ways to help others find answers to the questions they have.  I have really pondered the reason of why this is. A little bit ago a missionary was counseling with me and asked me the same question and we decided to make it a matter of study to search the scriptures and words of living prophets to get the answer to our question. In my hour of personal study each day I typically read for 20 minutes out of the Book of Mormon, New Testament, and Preach My Gospel. In the New Testament I am in 1 Corinthians and I feel I received the answer to this question while reading chapter 13. I believe the answer is so we can have Charity.  Chapter 13 gives a pretty incredible list of things you can have and not have Charity.  Moroni teaches us that Charity is the pure love of Christ and this kind of love endures forever.  I had an incredible confirmation from the Holy Ghost that we will only have Charity if we serve others and that is why God most often answers our prayers through others.  Charity is not something that we possess but rather something that possesses us.  No wonder our Prophet, President Monson, has said, "Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives." 

My challenge to all of you this week is to help me in this study!  I would love to hear your thoughts and personal experience with Charity and prayer.  I am so grateful for all of you and for the great support you are to me :)  Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Holland

Busy, busy, busy!

Hey Fam!

Wow, this week was incredible!  I feel like I learned so much and have so much I need to work on.  I definitely felt the refiner's fire this week and am so grateful to know that God cares enough about me to communicate the things I can do to be a better disciple of Christ. 

We keep running into people that are so prepared to receive the Gospel!  We now have 3 people who are preparing to be baptized on November 22nd.  One of them is the girlfriend of a guy I have been looking for ever since I came to Missoula.  I got really close with the Bowden and Gage families in Bozeman and when I got here they told me to find their cousin.  We met for the first time last week!  One of the councilors in the Stake Presidency knows him and he and his girlfriend agreed to meet with us.  We shared with her the unique message that our Church has to offer: The Restoration of Christ's Church.  She accepted the invitation to be baptized and is preparing to be baptized on November 22nd!  I absolutely LOVE being a missionary because I get to witness so many people who are prepared to receive the blessings that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer.

 

Saturday was an incredible day.  We got a ride with a member and drove all the way to Billings to the Temple.  We drove there and back in one day so we spent a total of about 10 hours in a car that day.  It was long but oh so worth it!  Derek was very prepared and received his endowment!  It was a very special experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.  I know that the ordinances that are performed in the Temple are validated in the eyes of God.  That was confirmed to me over and over all throughout the endowment session.  We were able to study the scriptures in the chapel for about 45 minutes prior to the session and it was amazing.  The scriptures were opened up to me in a way I had never understood before and I was taught things by the Holy Ghost that will resonate with me forever.  The Temple is the goal! I received a sure witness of celestial marriage there as well.  I thought it was super strange that my study in the chapel lead to that but the Holy Ghost bore powerful witness of the necessity of that sacred ordinance.

Sorry I am out of time but thank you all so much for all you do for me!  I have a great support team and am so grateful for all that is done on my behalf :)

Love,

Elder Holland

Temple This week!

Dear Fam,

This week was so awesome! So many crazy this happened! First off, our two investigators were baptized!! We had our stake conference this weekend and the only time that would work for them on Saturday was after the adult session so we started the program at about 8:30 pm. Because it was stake conference they were both confirmed at the baptism.  I had the most amazing feeling of peace through out the entire baptism. I wish I could fully explain their situation but just know that miracles truly happened to get them to where they are today. I am so grateful for the experiences I am able to have as a missionary. I really believe that answers to our prayers most often come in our actions more than anything.  I learned so much about that plan of salvation during this experience and I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost who has taught me these great things.

 

Our stake conference was a live broadcast from Salt Lake and Elder Bednar and Elder Scott spoke! It was one of the greatest meetings I have ever been to! I loved it. Elder Bednar taught about sacrifice and consecration. He said as the hastening of the work of the Lord continues we as members are required to learn, change, and improve so we can be taught by the Holy Ghost and not get stuck in the regular routine things we have always done. I was reminded again of the fact that nothing great ever came out of a comfort zone. He then spoke of sacrifice and how it is motivated by faith and hope which lead us to have a renewed desire to constantly serve others. He said eventually this leads to consecration where he closed his remarks by saying, "If we are consecrated to the Gospel we will not only die for the Gospel but we will develop ourselves and live for the Gospel."  Then Elder Scott taught about prayer. He said prayer is a sacred privilege we all have and talked about how we face challenges is so important to our happiness. He said that when praying we can receive one of 3 responses from heaven:

1. Peace or a confirmation of what we are asking.
2. A sense of a stupor of thought.
3. Feel no response at all. 

He posed the question, "Why would a loving Heavenly Father chose not to give us a response to our prayers?" His answer was because We are here to learn and grow by exercising faith in Him. He said that answers seldom come while we are on our knees but rather they come in peaceful moments. Moment s where we are studying the scriptures of pondering the things we have learned with a grateful heart. He added that the most important principle of prayer is gratitude. I agree completely with everything he said. I rarely receive answers to questions that I ask God to answer just for me. Usually my prayers are answered when I am searching for a way to help someone else or during my scripture study.

This Saturday I get to go to the Temple!  I have talked about him before but there is a guy in the YSA ward named Derek who was baptized about a year ago and he will be receiving his Endowment this Saturday!  He already has his mission call and will be serving in the Hungary, Budapest mission.  He leaves for the MTC on November 19th.  I have been able to get to know him very well over the passed 8 months and I defiantly see him as a little brother.  He is also the most prepared for a mission of anyone I have ever seen.  He has come to all of our district and zone meetings and conferences for the passed year.  Even President Mecham knows him well.  His mission President will have no idea who he is getting! I feel he will be a very obedient and effective missionary.

Life is great and God is good, All the time.  Thanks so much for all of the awesome support you all are to me.  If you all have not seen the movie Meet The Mormons make sure to go see it!

Love,
Elder Holland

Sorry It's Late!

Hey Fam!

I'm so sorry this letter is so late!  We have had an absolutely crazy week and President Mecham was here for most of it so we did not have any time to e-mail until today.  It has been an incredible week though!

 

First, I have been working out like crazy for the passed 6 months trying to burn off all the blubber I gained over the winter and I finally hit my goal last week!  I can finally dunk!!!! (See attached photo) I have been working at this for a few months and was quite pleased to actually be able to do it again :)

 

So we have been meeting with an investigator and her son for about 6 weeks now and when we first met with them we prayed to know the date the Lord would have them be baptized and we felt that October 18th was the date.  They accepted the date contingent upon them both receiving their own personal witness from God that the Church is in fact true.  They have both had experiences while reading the Book of Mormon that have led them to believe the book is true but last Sunday was, in my opinion, the moment where they received their answer from God that His Church truly has been restored to the earth.  We got a call Sunday morning informing us that our investigator's youngest son had been throwing up all night and they were not going to be able to make it to church.  He is only 2 years old and has been sick with the flu for over a week now.  It got really bad on Sunday and our investigator requested we come and give her son a blessing before church.  As we prepared to head over to her house I felt the feeling, as I have before, that God would respond to their faith and the little boy would be healed.  We said a prayer and I felt the Holy Ghost fill my heart. We gave him an anointed blessing of healing.  My companion anointed and I was given the opportunity to give him a blessing.  In the blessing he was told by the faith of his family and by the power of the Holy Priesthood he would be healed as a witness to them that the Church is true.  We went over on Monday night to go over the questions for baptism with them and they told me the boy is back to his normal self and has not showed any signs of sickness since he received the blessing.  They are ready to be baptized :) I have no doubt in my mind that God lives and that He loves us.  I know that the Priesthood is on the earth and all the Priesthood keys necessary for salvation are here and reside in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints.  I am so grateful to be a part of the lives of so many incredible people here in Montana.  Our investigators will be baptized this Saturday after the evening session for Stake Conference :)

Also, If you have not seen the movie Meet The Mormons GO SEE IT!!!!!  It was only gonna come to Montana if the people here requested it enough times so all of the missionaries here got to see the movie a few weeks ago and then we went to work knocking on doors inviting people to request the movie.  We found out a few days ago it will be playing at the theater here this Friday!  I loved it and know you will too :)

Thanks again for all the birthday cards and packages.  I am so grateful for the great love and support I have from back home :)

 

Love,

Elder Holland

and it has been raining lately so there have been some awesome rainbows :)

 

Conference

Hey Fam!

Well this week was really as good as it gets :)  I got to do so many awesome things and to top it off it was General Conference!  We had tons of missionaries get transferred this transfer so we are getting to know all the new missionaries in our zone.  I am not sure if I have said this before but Missoula is totally the Sister's zone.  We have 16 sisters and 9 elders.  It's awesome cuz they do things we never could and people always seem more open to listen to sisters over Elders.  I love it here and am grateful to get another transfer here.

My new Companions are Elder Brunham, from Arizona, and Elder Oaks, from San Diego! I love how the Lord keeps us San Diegans together.  Ha-ha it will be a great transfer. I am looking forward to all I will learn from my companions.

I would be very grateful If you would all please join me and add an investigator and her 10 year old son to your prayers.  They will be baptized on the 18th of October and I am super excited for them!  We missed the first session of General Conference on Saturday because we were helping them move but they are now in a house with a big yard and it seems like things are going well for them.  We have been teaching them for about a month now and because they have been reading and praying they both feel very good about being baptized on the 18th :)

The YSA ward also threw a surprise birthday party for me in between sessions! They are all so awesome.  AND on Sunday the Harris family made me Mexican chicken and had a oreo green mint chip pie and a huckleberry cake for dinner!  I love the people here :)

I am not even sure what to say about General Conference.  I feel like the General themes were follow and sustain the Prophet, Missionary work, and enduring to the end.  I loved President Uchtdorf's masterful teachings about the principles explained in Moroni's Promise (Moroni 10:3-5).  I love how at the end he added the fourth step to go and do something about it!  The scripture he quoted, John 7:17, is one I love to share frequently with those that are experimenting on the Word.  The Invitation that stood out to me the most actually came from Elder Andersen's talk when he invited us all to find some of our favorite scriptures and share them.  I thought and prayed about this all weekend and decided to share this as one of my favorite scriptures, "Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know you’re doing."  This is toward the end of the Book of Mormon in Mormon 8:35.  It is Moroni, the son of Mormon, speaking and what he says changes everything about how we should receive the messages in the Book of Mormon.  I remember when I first read the Book before my mission how I kept wondering how the principles of a book written almost 2,000 years ago could be so relevant to me and the world today.  It says in many places that they could not put even one one-hundredth of all the records in the abridgement that was made by Mormon and Moroni.  This scripture helps answer the question to how they knew what, out of all the plates they had, to include into this sacred text.  They, just like other Prophets, were given a vision of us TODAY.  They saw all of us and were given this knowledge so they would know exactly what to include to help us.  If you look at the Bible and what it says about Christ the Old Testament testifies of Christ and what He WILL do, The New Testament is a record of what He DID, and the Book of Mormon explains WHY He did it.  The Bible was primarily written to the Jews whereas the Book of Mormon was written for the Gentiles or the world.  The Book of Mormon literally contains a guide to how we need to live to return to live with God once again.  I am so grateful to the 23 authors of the sacred record and all those in this dispensation that sacrificed so much so I could have the privilege of learning the things, daily, that I need to be doing to be the happiest version of me I can be.  I have had many sacred and special spiritual experiences in my life but I have had more spiritual experiences while reading the Book of Mormon than anything else.  I know without a doubt that is true.  I hope and pray you all will take the time to read from it daily and to receive the Spiritual sustenance it provides.

Thank you all so very much for the birthday cards, packages, and constant letters of encouragement.  I love you all and am so grateful to have you all in my life.

Elder Holland

 

 
 

Transfers!

Hey fam!

I get to stay another transfer! Haha I was kinda nervous but I am happy to report I will be staying for another 6 weeks. Unfortunately Elder Thomas will be transferred to Great Falls but I will be getting 2 new companions, Elder Burnham and Elder Oaks. Haha I feel like Elder Oaks and I are doomed to get tons of comments on our names....

 

I was really thinking about general conference and how important it is. I have come to know that the words of the living Prophets are more important than scripture because they are exactly what God would tell us today. I am so excited to hear what the Lord will tell us through his prophets this coming weekend! I think I have said this before but when I first started to come back to church 2 years ago I just kept praying over and over for a voice or some crazy vision to answer all the questions I have about the Gospel. Last year during the Work of Salvation broadcast Elder Holland quoted Joseph Smith who said, ""We never inquire at the hand of God for special revelation except in those cases where there is no previous revelation to suit the case." It hit me instantly that just asking alone was not enough. We need to search the scriptures and the words of the living prophets and then ponder and pray. Since then I have been on this scripture (including the words of the living prophets) frenzy and still search like crazy for different answers to questions. The awesome thing is I have this list of questions that is about a page long and as time goes on, slowly, questions are answered and new ones replace them. It's a slow process and my patience is definitely tested regularly but I really do believe this is the way God teaches us: line upon line and precept upon precept. My invitation to you all this weekend is to go into General Conference with a few very specific questions in mind. I know that one of the purposes of General Conference is to answer prayers and I promise that the Lord will give you an answer to at least one of your questions. When we pray specifically we get specific answers.

 

I am so grateful to be an Emissary of Jesus Christ! I will be forever grateful to God for allowing me to serve a mission. I have learned lessons here I couldn't learn any other way. I am so grateful for all your love and support and for all the birthday wishes!
 

Love,
Elder Holland

 

30 day challenge completed :)

Hey Fam!

This was crazy awesome!  I completed the 30 day challenge!  It seriously was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It sounds strange to say it is hard to go 30 days without saying anything bad about anyone but it is!  I feel I learned the lessons I needed to learn and will keep implementing them in my life as I go forward from here. 

 

The missionary work is going really well in our ward. We currently have 5 people who are preparing themselves to be baptized on a specific date.  We are always super busy but that's just the way I like to be :)  I just love being a part of this work because I get to see a piece of the perfect timing of God in the lives of so many.  I have seen so many miracles and just incredible things there is no way I could ever say this is not the Lord's work.

 

One of the sisters, Sister Gold, who served in the YSA ward got transferred to billings last Saturday.  She had been in that one area for a little over 10 months!  I serve in 4th ward but we also cover the YSA ward so she was a big help because she knew everyone.  Elder Bishop came to pick her up so we got to visit for a little bit.  I love the missionaries out here and def feel like I have made some great life long friends.

I am so grateful to still be serving here because we got to witness something amazing this last Saturday.  An investigator, who was baptized last April, got to baptize his son!  The son asked me to speak on the Holy Ghost so I used an object lesson. I cooked up a potato and wrapped it in foil.  I told him the potato was the Holy Ghost.  I held it by an oven mitt and threw it to him and told him to throw it back when it was too hot to hold.  Ha-ha thankfully it didn't burn him but he threw it right back.  He said it was super hot! I asked him if I were to throw it at him again if he would know immediately what the feeling was and he said yes.  I then gave him a pair of oven mitts and told him these represent the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I threw the potato at him and he was able to hold it for the remainder of the talk.  I believe the Gift of the Holy Ghost is of the greatest gifts God has given us in this life.  To have a compass for our entire life priceless.  I know that as we keep the commandments and live in a way that the Holy Ghost can be with us always we will always be warned of things that can be damaging to us. 

Next April this family will be sealed as a family in the Salt Lake Temple.  You better believe I will be there!  They already have the appointment reserved with the Temple.  I love how as this family has continued in prayer, scripture study, church attendance, and all they can do to bring themselves closer to Christ they have a peace and a protection that can only come from God. 

I LOVE being a missionary.  someone pointed out to me last week that I just hit my 18 month mark as a Missionary which made me kinda sad but I am so grateful to have another 6 months as an Emissary of Jesus Christ!

Thank you all so much for all your love and support!  As it happens, my birthday will happen like 3 days after transfers so I do not expect anything but if you are going to send anything my way it would be best to send it early or just wait till after my birthday when I know where I will be.  I am turning 26 in 2 weeks... haha dang I'm gettin old!

Love,

Elder Holland

 

Cooling down here

Hey Fam!

Wow this week was awesome!  It is starting to really cool down here at night.  We went hiking a bunch last week in the mornings and its cold enough to see your breath which means winter is just around the corner.  Everything has not started changing color yet but things look like they are about to.  I'm stoked for fall though because it seriously is beautiful here :)

I had so many crazy answers to prayer this week. I do not have much time today but will share just one thing that came while reading the Book of Mormon.  I have been pondering why people get mad at God and why they do not accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I believe it is all about perspective.  When we serve God, read the scriptures, pray, do the things we have been taught to do since we were children we are able to truly see the hand of the Lord in our lives.  The fundamental thing that seems to push people away is their belief that they are put through trials so God can look down at them and laugh as they suffer.  They do not understand who God is and why we are given trials.  I was reading in 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon and these 2 verses hit me like a ton of bricks, 

"23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.
 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for He loveth the world, even that He layeth down His own life that He may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, He commandeth none that they shall not partake of His salvation." 

I know that this is true.  As a missionary I get to see and help so many people who are in the thick of problems in their life.  Every single person who makes time to read the scriptures, pray, and go to church has come to know this is true as well.  I invite all of you this week to consider how great God is to you and the many things he has done for you.  It truly is an overwhelming thing to think of but it also is the most humbling thing I know.  Also, I invite you to think of the trials he has given you and do your best to prayerfully put yourself in His shoes and try to understand why He would allow you to go through such intense hardships.  I promise you will come to know that EVERYTHING He does is out of love and will all work out for our benefit. 

I am so grateful for all of you and the great support you are to me, Have an excellent week!

Love,
Elder Holland

Temple was awesome!

Hey Fam!

This week was beyond exceptional :)  I feel like I had so many spiritual experiences.  We found new people who are super ready for the Gospel and to make the covenant of baptism, went to the Temple, did lots of service, and saw miracles on all kinds of levels :)

I have a really short amount of time today but this whole say nothing bad about anyone thing is really changing my life.  I had a pretty crazy inner battle last week before the Temple because I was not sure If I liked this new version of me.  I feel like I have lost a certain part of myself.  I was mainly concerned that I had lost my sense of humor but realized that the only thing I have lost is the desire, conscious or subconscious, to put others down.  It hit me super hard in the Temple that this challenge was inspired of God and even though it is super hard to continue doing it.  I am now on day 21! I am super impressed with all of you that have accepted the challenge too!  Always remember that it is okay to have to restart as long as you are learning and growing.  I have found when I celebrate the little victories in my life the quality of life I live is exponentially happier.  I still expect myself to always lift where I stand and to do all I can to be quick to observe but the difference now is I know that I can do nothing of myself.  I do all I can to rely on the mercy and grace of our Savior and have gained a strength in all things that can not be measured by the world.  I am growing to a place where even when I have a negative thought about someone I consciously tell God in my mind something I am grateful for about that person.  I know the only reason I can recognize these things is because of the Savior and I can not express how grateful to Him I am for that.  I know that He lives and loves us.  He is much more concerned with where we are going than where we have been and is always there to offer forgiveness.  He also cares much more about the offer-er than the offering.  I have so far to go and make so many mistakes every single day but am so grateful to know I am on the right path and that God is helping me.

 

I will write more next week! Thank you all so much for all of your great love and support!

Love,

Elder Holland

This week was fantastic :)

Hey Fam!

This week was fantastic :) it has been pretty crazy but super fun. I feel like if someone told me to just kick back and chill for a few hours I would go crazy... I never thought I would say this but I love being super busy all day every day :) I have been living like this pretty much for a year and a half and it has grown on me.  A couple weeks ago President Mecham, who is an extremely successful business man, said he has learned that when he does not keep himself very busy he becomes very ineffective. I agree.

So this week we had a really awesome experience.  One of the recent sister converts in our ward had something really special happen to her.  Her grand daughter had to have surgery on Saturday.  She is only 6 years old and was very nervous about the surgery. This story really helps add to my testimony of the Priesthood.  Elder Griffith and I went over about 3 weeks ago and gave her a blessing and in the blessing I was prompted to bless her with the ministering of angels as she went through this experience.  The sister said the surgery went great and as she was sitting in the hospital her granddaughter told her what happened.  She was told by the doctor that she was gonna go to a peaceful pearl white beach for a little bit and then come back.  The granddaughter said that was not at all what happened.  She said she went to a place where angels were all dressed in white and where they were in the clouds and surrounded by rainbows.  She said that there was one in particular that stayed with her the entire time.  She said he held her hand and just sat and talked with her the entire time she was there.  The sister said this was incredible to hear from her grand daughter.  When they got home the granddaughter looked at a picture on the wall and started yelling, "That's him! He is the angel that was holding my hand!"  As the sister told us this story she started to cry and pointed to the picture on the wall and said the man in the photo was her Dad.  The granddaughter had never met him.  He had passed away years ago and the sister never really understood why God had to take him so early.  She now knows that her dad is engaged in a great work of service on the other side.  As she told this story to me I felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me that it was true.  I am so grateful to know that God loves us enough to allow those who have passed on the continue to minister to us.  I truly do feel that each of us has some sort of support from people here but the support of our family who is on the other side is much greater.

Today is day 16 without saying anything mean about anybody.  This challenge is super hard but as time goes by is actually getting easier.  Haha I think I would be devastated if I were to have to restart but that's life :) 

We are heading to Billings this afternoon to go to the Temple tomorrow!  I am so stoked it is unreal!  I have really missed the Temple.  I have not gone since December.  We are having our Zone Conference with the Temple President, President Jordan and President Mecham tomorrow morning in the chapel.  Then we will all participate in an endowment session.  I am so excited for the things we will get to learn :) 

Thanks for all you all do and the great support you are to me, I love you all!

Elder Holland