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