Elder Holland Spit On My Face February 24, 2015

Hey yall!

What an incredible week. Thankfully I just had some sort of 24 hr bug so it didn't keep me down too long. It really gave me a lot of perspective though. I am truly so grateful to be here serving a mission. Yeah, it is super hard but it is such a privilege. Every day I am amazed and grateful that Heavenly Father trusts ME with His precious children and His beautiful gospel. 

On Sunday morning we woke up at 4:30 to be at the chapel we were meeting at by 6. It was a really small chapel with only about 6 rows of pews. When Elder Holland walked in the spirit flooded my heart and there was no denying that he is an apostle of the Lord. We all got to shake his hand and I'll admit I was a lil terrified!  It's still hard to believe that any of it happened but it did and it was so great! We went up to do the choir performance and I was standing right behind him. So crazy. 

He was so loving and so powerful. His main message to us was about the Book of Mormon. It is so true and so amazing. We need to use it and love it and know it like the Lord intended for us to. He also talked a lot about how we need to love every second of our missions- the good, the bad, the hard, the tender. And that he wants us to love our missions as much as he does and that every year of our lives it will become more and more significant to us. Not to mention the fact that he said this while leaning over the bench right in front of me and staring into my eyeballs!! Just a tad intimidating. It's fine. He got very passionate and loud as he talked about how absolutely ridiculous it is when missionaries go home and become inactive. He said,  "If I am going to send the shepherds to find the sheep, then for heavens sake we cannot lose the shepherds." 

Right after the meeting he came to our stake for a special conference. Kim and Jose both went! :) It was a very inspiring meeting as he talked about the story in 3 Nephi when Christ visits the people in the Americas and how when He was about to leave they cried as if to say, "stay a little longer, tarry with us." Elder Holland related this to us, that He will always stay with us and He will always want to bless us, all we have to do is ask for it. At the end of the meeting he put a blessing on the whole congregation. It was amazing. I will send more notes on that later. 

Kim has been interviewed and is just about ready for her baptism this Saturday! We are so excited for her. The Elders are having two baptisms this weekend so it is going to be very special. Transfers are next week. I am looking forward to the possibilities that change can bring and know that it is all in the Lord's hands! 

It's hard to express how incredible and life changing and absolutely true the gospel is. I know it. I know it with everything that I am. I see it in my life and in the life of others every single day. I know that anyone can receive an answer from the same Heavenly Father that created the Earth, the heavens, and all the life in it. He loves us. He knows us each individually and so perfectly. He wants us to feel His love and to know the truth. And the truth is so simple and so perfect. 

with hope and faith and love,

Hermana Dearden

Pics:

1- the eggs that Jose gave us. My heart.

          2- $8 ice cream has never been so rewarding