Happy New Year! 2014

Hey Fam!

This week was excellent :)  We got to do lots of service and were able to teach some awesome lessons.  We are still struggling currently to find people to teach because school doesn't start until the 8th and EVERYONE went home but we do have 3 people we are teaching that are progressing towards having truth confirmed to them by the Holy Ghost :)

One of them is named Brad.  He is a boyfriend of a girl who is a member here.  He is an extreme outdoorsy type guy and does all the crazy ice climbing stuff.  He is 23 and just recently went back to school at MSU.  One thing I love about him is that he is extremely logically minded and loves to talk philosophy.  This is exactly how my brain works so we click very well.  Premise - conclusion.  Thats it.  We met with him twice this week and had some kinda long but very productive philosophical discussions.  There is one principle we discussed that I would like to share.  After we got to know him and sort of what he believes I posed a question that made him really think.  We were discussing the promise that Moroni gives to all at the end of the Book Of Mormon pertaining to finding out if the Book is true (Moroni 10:3-5).  In fact these verses give a formula to find out if anything is true by the Power of the Holy Ghost.  I absolutely LOVE the formulas I find in the scriptures.  I asked Brad, "In your search to find if the Book of Mormon is true have you ever considered that God wants to answer you but maybe he can't?"  He was a little taken back by this and his response was, "Well, God is all powerful and he can do anything so no I think he can answer any question he wants."  This lead to an inspired discussion where we found out why the Lord Can't answer some questions.  I told him that at times God can not answer us simply because he loves us and will not take away our agency.  To further explain I showed him some examples in the scriptures where the Lord basically says that if you know me and you turn your back on me it would be better for you if you had never known me.  The Promise Moroni gives has 3 parts that have to be there for one to be qualified for one to receive their answer.  He says you must ask god, 1- having Faith in Christ, 2- with a sincere heart, 3- with Real Intent.  There are many other parts of the formula we went over but these three are essential.  In the end I explained that If anyone were to ask God something that would change their life, such as a question to know if the Book of Mormon was true, and they were not willing to act on the answer they got and God gave them that answer then God truly would be condemning them.  I told him that God loves him too much to do that and that he would never condemn him.  

I feel that he is on the verge of finding out truth because he is willing to act.  One of my favorite Scriptures comes form the book of Ether, Chapter 12:6 where Moroni says, "... I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."  I love that because it is True.  We must first commit and take a few steps into the darkness before God can answer us.  I am so very grateful for the scriptures and the knowledge they provide for all to know the things of our God.  For me to know without a doubt that I have correctly done what I need to do to find the answers to a problem brings more peace than I can ever describe.  I know that Christ is our Savior.  That He loves us more than we can ever know.  That he has Restored His Church here today through a Prophet named Joseph Smith and that the evidence of it is the Doctrine contained in the Book of Mormon.  I invite you all to follow this formula in all things and enjoy the rewards as, according to the Lord's will, you receive your own personal answer from the Holy Ghost.

I look forward to every single day and especially this New Year!  Thank you all so very much for all the many Christmas cards and packages! I feel very, very loved and am grateful for you all. Happy New Year!

Elder Holland