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

Spaghetti Eating Contest

Hey Fam!
 

Holy smokes it's hot here!  I think I may have just acclimated to sub-zero weather but it has been about 100 degrees each day and I feel like I am melting!  

Things are going really well though :) There are a few people that we have not been able to see in a while that we got to see because they wanted to say bye to Elder Bishop.  So we have many appointments with lots of people this week which I love.

We have Zone conference with the Kalispell and Stevensville missionaries tomorrow haha which means Elder Bishop will be staying with us tonight.  I miss him as a companion but Eder Griffith is great!  He is 20 and from Pleasant Grove, Utah.  He just spent the last 6 months in Butte so he is very happy to be here.  We teach well together and I feel we will be able to keep the momentum moving together.

One of our recent converts was able to ordain his son to the Aaronic Priesthood and to be a Deacon yesterday!  Wow what an awesome experience!  I felt the Spirit validate and it was a very special experience.  I am so grateful for the priesthood and all God allows us to do to help our brothers and sisters here.  The hospital is in our area so we get to give many blessings all the time and I have seen so many people healed it is incredible.  

We woke up super early on Tuesday morning (The day before Elder Bishop left) and hikes to the summit of the "M".  It was awesome!  We could see way into Bonner, all of Missoula, and out into the mountains!  I love being in nature and am so glad I get to serve my mission in such a beautiful part of the world.  

Sorry it is short this week but thank you all for all your great love and support!

Love,

Elder Holland
 

Spaghetti Eating Contest -- Video

I get another transfer here!

Hey fam!

So I get to stay another transfer!  I'm stoked but unfortunately Elder Bishop is being transferred to be an assistant to President Mecham. He and I have gotten along really well and have some awesome gospel studies in the past 4 1/2 months. I love gospel discussions and learning all the insights and scriptures each person has found. He will def be missed but my new companion will be Elder Griffith.  He was companions with Elder Bishop for 3 months a while ago and I've heard he is awesome so I think it will be another great transfer :)

So the Fourth of July was pretty fun!  In the morning we got all 24 of the missionaries out to Fort Missoula for the Fourth of July breakfast.  It was a blast! The entire breakfast is donated by our Church and they use it as a fundraiser as well. They charge $5 a person and donate everything to Fort Missoula. We served over a thousand people. I have never made that much bacon in my life!  It was really fun. It was pretty much run by missionaries and all the servers were missionaries dressed in their proselyting attire. The only downside was it has been crazy hot and by 10:00 it was like 85 degrees And cooking under a tent with like 15 grills gets quite toasty... Sorry I didn't take any pictures but I got 2 pictures from one of the missionaries I will send.

Then as a zone we all went on a hike!  Elder Bishop and I found a sweet trail up in rattlesnake canyon that is about 3 miles round trip. We did a fun activity involving rocks and a discussion on the  Atonement at the top of the hike.  I love being in nature.  Truly, all things denote there is a God.

We have been teaching this lady who had not been to Church for quite some time.  She has now come consecutively for the past month and loves the way she feels at church. Her husband passed away a few months ago and it seemed like she had tried everything of the world to bring the peace she needed but nothing would work. Somehow, we knocked on her door at just the right time.  She has taken the steps to repent be made clean through Christ. This is seriously my favorite part about being a missionary; repentance.  So many people think it is a scary thing but in reality it is he greatest thing we are able to do here in this life. To have a change of heart and forsake the natural man is to be closer to God and the peace that comes with it is unlike anything the world can offer :) this lady got up yesterday and bore her testimony. It was powerfully simple.  She basically said that as she has read and come to Church that everything just feels right. She acknowledged a unique peace she had desired since her husband passed and now knows that because she has chosen to follow the Savior she was given this peace.  At the end of her testimony she said, "I am here because it feels right, and this is where I am going to stay." I was soo happy when she said that!

I love being a missionary. The other day someone asked me how much time I have left as a missionary and it made me sad to think I have only 9 months left. I really could do this forever.

Thanks for all the great love and support I receive from each of you!  I hope you all had an awesome and safe Fourth of July :)

Love,
Elder Holland

Hello! It rained a TON

Hey fam!

This week was excellent! It rained a TON and this part of the world is beginning to turn really, really green :) if Montana was like this year round I could totally live here. We have been on bikes a lot as well and it has been awesome to see people all out and about because it's finally summer here.  We were on a "Diet" this month to get rid of the extra weight we packed on last winter and I ended up getting rid of about 15 lbs. So I am satisfied and ready to start eating all the candy I have saved in our kitchen for the last 30 days :)

We have been spending lots of time making sure the needs of all of our recent converts are met. They are all progressing really well in the Gospel and all have callings and great friends in the Church.  They all have unique blessings they get to experience now that they have made and are honoring the covenant of baptism with God. Yesterday we had dinner at the home of the family that was baptized and they told us a really amazing story.  They were talking about tithing and how they had just paid it for the third time this last week as members of the Church. They said they had heard many different stories of blessings that come from paying tithing but had not experienced one personally yet. She recently had a baby and there were some complications so she was in the hospital for a while and they had a balance of just over $10,000.00 still due. They said they went online last week to check the total due on the bill and were shocked to find that the bill had been paid for in full. He said he had a printed statement from a week prior that had the amount written on it so he called to find out what happened and they said the have no idea but the balance is paid. I believe this is one of those tender mercies promised by the Lord when he tells us about the blessings that come from paying tithing. I love the actual scripture, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10. They said immediately when they learned of the debt being paid their minds were turned to this promise and they knew it was given to them because they had paid their tithing.

I am so grateful to know that God truly does communicate with us!  I know He answers prayers and that when we obey His commandments we really do receive so many blessings that there is not room enough to receive them.
 

Transfers are next week and I really hope I get to stay!  Things are going great and I love being companions with Elder Bishop.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and that we may all remember those that sacrificed so much so we can be independent here in America. 

Love,

Elder Holland