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

Temple!

Hey Fam!

I am so excited we just found out this week we will be having our zone conference next week in the Temple!  Wow I have not been to the Temple since last December and yes I miss it soooooo much.  This week will be awesome too!  Normally our mission leadership council happens in Helena and is just a one day thing but President Mecham is having this one in Billings and it will take 2 days.  This is how it was exactly a year ago when I went to my first one.  I love these because I get to see President Mecham in action and it always adds to my testimony of the Priesthood and the sacred calling that he has been called to as the President of the Montana Billings Mission.  So we will leave Missoula today at 2 and will not get back here till late Wednesday night.

So a couple weeks ago when I was in Kalispell I accepted the 30 day challenge to go 30 days without saying anything negative about anybody.  Up until now I had not made it passed day 4 without restarting but I am currently on day 7 and still going strong!  This is one of the most awesome things I have ever done.  I feel like I normally have a good outlook on life but things are getting exponentially better!  2 weeks ago the thought can quite clear that I need to start a prayer journal to write down the things that come to my mind as I am praying.  Ethan gave me a sick journal before my mission and I was gonna use it when I fill up the one I have been writing in but now it has become my prayer journal.  2 weeks ago all I did was write the words, "Prayer Journal"  in the front and that was it.  Since then I have had 3 different missionaries act on promptings and invite/commit me to keep a prayer journal.  I started writing in it just a few days ago.  I love being able to look back on things I have prayed about and not just remember the feeling I had when I prayed about them but also the impressions I had in my mind.  I seriously invite all of you to do this if you are not already.  It is amazing.

My new companion, Elder Thomas, is a giant.  He is 6'6" and played football.  He is from Orem Utah and is hilarious.  Him and I get along quite well :)

Thanks for all the love and support I receive from you all!

Love,

Elder Holland

Staying in Missoula!

Hey Fam!

I get to stay here another 6 weeks !  I'm stoked! I love it here.  Unfortunately, Elder Griffith is being transferred but my new companion, Elder Thomas, sounds like an awesome missionary.  He is like 6'7" so it will be interesting getting used to looking up at someone.  He is from Utah but i'll have more details on him next week

We did tons this week! One day we got a call from a lady who said she needed a "little" help in her yard. Haha!  We showed up to find 9 pallets of sod ready to be laid!  It was hard work but we got it done! 

On Saturday as a zone we all went to the Osprey game for "Mormon Night".  Haha, honestly it was not my favorite thing I have done on my mission.  President Mecham requested we all go and there was a bbq before hand which we cooked and handed out food to a couple hundred people.  I loved doing that and just talking to everyone but then we went and sat and watched the game for 2 hours from 7-9pm.  It was just different because I am used to constantly going places and being much more productive than that.  I am sure I will have similar feelings when I get home from my mission.  Last time I saw President Mecham he said, "I have noticed in my life when I fail to keep myself very busy I begin to be very ineffective."  I agree completely. 

I went down to Stevensville on an exchange this week!  We had our zone training, Which went really well :), and then I went to be with elder McCandless and his companion for 2 days.  They serve in Corvallis and their area covers the polygamist town called Pinesdale.  I never thought in my life I would have the opportunity to teach the Gospel to someone who practices polygamy!  We met with a bunch of people and there are about 15 who are preparing themselves to be baptized right now which is incredible. 

At one point we got a call from someone who needed help loading up all his hay cuz it was about to rain so we drove over and in our white shirt and tie began to load it all up.  Then it DUMPED! There was crazy lightening and thunder and we decided we better go inside.  We got drenched!  Soaked from head to toe!  Haha, I have never been that wet in a white shirt and tie.  It was actually pretty exciting so I had a great time.

Thanks for all of your e-mails and great love and support!

Love,

Elder Holland

Stevensville this week! Where am I?

Hey Fam!

This week was a blast! I have been on tons of exchanges lately and have been traveling quite a bit. We went to Stevensville to find some of the young single adults to invite to come to institute and church here in Missoula this Fall. It was fun and quite successful :)  We went on a really awesome hike up Blodgett canyon.  It was kinda smokey cuz all the fires all around us but wow it was fun. I absolutely love hiking in montana :)

I have been studying as much as I can about learning from and being guided by the Holy Ghost in the past few months. A member here let us borrow a talk on cd called, "Receiving Answers to Prayer" By Elder Gene R. Cook. I listened to it last week while driving up to Kalispell and wow it has really inspired me to change everything about how I teach and how I deliver a talk. The basic principle is faith the the Lord will fill your mouth with the words the people you are speaking to need to hear.  I have really thought about the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 84:85 "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man" We have our zone training this week and I had decided to fast yesterday to best prepare for the discussions that will be given.  About an hour before sacrament meeting we got a call from a member of our Bishopric saying the speakers called and said they are sick and can not give their talks and asked if we could fill in for them. We said yes, of course we will and he said the topic would be on the sacrament. I have always put together some sort of outline for a talk but I felt impressed to trust in the Lord on this one and to ponder my own personal experience partaking of the sacrament and what it means to me.  It was incredible because as we were greeting everyone before the meeting started I began to have thoughts flood my mind like crazy of things that these people are struggling with. It truly was amazing.  So the meeting began and the youth speaker spoke and then Elder Griffith spoke and I had about 20  minutes left to fill the meeting.  As I stood up to speak I had no clue what I was going to say but for some reason I was completely calm and knew something would enter my mind.  I began the talk by bearing my testimony and as I did words just came. Events and scriptures that I had not thought of in a while came to my mind. I felt a peace and comfort on the stand that I have never felt before.  At the end of the meeting there were a number of people that approached me and said something that was said was an answer to a prayer or a personal struggle they were currently dealing with.  I am so grateful to know without a doubt that we are supported by God in this great work we are engaged in.  I know that I am nothing but with the Lord I can do all things. I know the Holy Ghost is real and He truly does enlighten our minds and give us that which we lack in the very hour and moment we need it. I know that because Christ performed the Atonement we are not only Redeemed from the fall of Adam but we are enabled to do better and be better. I am forever grateful for this knowledge.

 

This week is the last week of the transfer and we should find out if we stay or go this weekend. It is crazy to think I have been here in Missoula for 6 months already! Time is just flying by but I love every single day :)

Thanks for all you love and support, I Love you all

Elder Holland

 

 

Kalispell this week!

Hey Fam!

This week was awesome! It is super nice here and I have been able to spend lots of time in the sun :) On Saturday we had had our ward Pioneer day BBQ which was great. There were a ton of people! We had lots of members who have not come to Church in a while attend and multiple who are currently investigating the Church. Our ward mission leader tried to nail me with a water balloon and started an all-out war leading into kickball. It was a fun night :)

I finished reading the Gospel of John this week! I LOVE the Book of John. He is so descriptive and gives so many accounts of things that are not complete in the other Gospels. I especially loved reading John chapter 14. I found an awesome definition for the word believe here. Unfortunately, we run into so many people all the time who are deceived into thinking that all Christ requires for you to believe is to simply say you accept Him in your heart and then that's it, you have been saved. In John Chapter 14 verse 12 the Savior says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also..." Christ is the perfect example for all of us to know how we should live our lives (1 Peter 2:21). I have come to know this is true simply by the way I feel when serving others. It sounds strange but I have by far found the most peace in service to others. The Savior also taught us that by doing we receive confirmation of the doctrine when he said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." John 7:17

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have been given and the light that continually enters my life through the scriptures. I invite you all this week to particularly look for ways you can be DOERS of the doctrine of Christ in your everyday routine. I promise you that if you will consciously look for ways to bless and serve others they will be shown to you and you will feel and know that because you have chosen to do you are a believer in word and in deed.

This week I get to spend 2 days in Kalispell which will be awesome! I get to drive right by Flathead Lake! I have heard it is one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire world and right now is one of the most perfect times to see it. I really am blessed to serve here in Montana.

Thanks so much for all of your great love and support!

Love,

Elder Holland