Nearer My God to Thee

This week has been great, a little slower than last week, with a couple more hiccups, but still so great! :)

I'm so sorry I didn't realize that I didn't tell you where I was! I'm in the Atherton ward, Atherton area I'm pretty sure... and I'm in the Long Beach East zone I believe... so yeah Sister Ruttan's cousin is in my ward :) Every time someone finds out I'm Canadian they always ask me if I know her hahaha

We had zone conference this week and it was so amazing! So inspiring with great training from President, his wife, my zone leader, and the APs. We really learned a lot about working with the members, and it is really important! People are so much more likely to be converted to the Church when they have a connection with somebody who is already a member. It's all about making the connections, finding the support. It’s hard for us sometimes because a lot of the members think that if someone isn’t ready to be baptised asap then they’re not ready to be introduced to the missionaries. I can tell you now that that is not true! If you don't believe me, review Elder Oaks' talk from conference ;) Its super dope.

We had a pretty cool experience one night. We went to go stop by a former investigator and she wasn’t home but her sister was so we thought, sure, let’s see if she’s interested. So we started teaching her right on her doorstep, and she was super into it! She was really feeling the spirit and she wanted to know more so we gave her a Book of Mormon! She works 2 jobs and is in full-time school so she’s super hard to meet with, but I hope it works out because she seems super sweet! She was telling us afterwards that she took our coming to her house as a sign or message from God- that was cool to hear. Nothing we do is by chance! We don't knock on every door on a street, which I like, we only try the doors we feel impressed to knock on, and usually super sweet Christian people live there :)

Another sick experience happened actually last Pday! It was after Pday time, when we go proselyting. We had gone to the boardwalk again for dinner ‘cause I love it :) We met a man named Miguel, he worked in one of the houses on the ocean, and we started talking to him and we asked if he had a religious background and he said yes so we asked if he wanted to hear about what we believed and he said yes! So, we taught him the restoration right there on the boardwalk and the spirit was so strong! In the middle of the lesson he started to cry, he kept saying that he felt so good talking with us, he felt peace, and he was warm, and he felt so happy. We explained that that was the spirit :) it was really a great moment to be able to witness. It later dawned on me that that happened not because of what I said, or because of what sister Kwon said; it was because of what the Spirit was saying to him. This is not my work. I am an instrument in the Lord's hand. There is no such thing as, 'my success' our 'our success,' it’s all the Lord's success, he just lets us be a part of it sometimes :)

I also came to realize this week, that these 'successes' only happen when we trust in the Lord. When we have full faith that we can make it happen through God's power. If Joseph Smith had decided to ask God as he did, but had no intention of following up, he would never have received the glorious answer he did. We must have REAL INTENT. And who am I to doubt God's power to make it happen? Who am I to say that He who created the earth, who gave me life, can't do something as simple as helping us find someone HE has prepared this week? I kinda came up with my own analogy this week as I was pondering this. It's kinda like you approaching a master tailor. Someone who has spent decades making the most beautiful Italian suits, and he offers to repair a button on your shirt, just to sew it back on for you. Your reply to this is; It’s a really hard thing, you probably couldn’t do it, you probably don’t have the skills... I’ll just try and do it on my own. Does that make sense? haha probably not. That tailor wouldn't even have to think about sewing that button, he could probably do it with his eyes closed! He has the skill, he has the power! You are getting in your own way- if only you would trust in the skill of the master tailor! And it’s actually even more silly because really we CAN’T do it alone, so it would be like you saying I’ll do it myself, and you have no arms! He’s gotta do it. You cant. I came face to face with this reality a couple times this week and it has changed me already :) IT says in PMG that it’s HIS work in HIS time by HIS power- and that’s definitely true! 

I sure do love it here. I love every opportunity I have to become better, even though it might be hard sometimes. I know Heavenly Father is building me up into the person I'm supposed to be! :) I also love my companion. I have probably never wanted to do better for someone else (other than Heavenly Father) so much before. I want to be the best companion I can be for her! I'm also coming to realize that I can do so much more for everyone that I love that I left behind at home and I am strengthening my resolve to do better when I get home :) You really just have to love. Make sacrifices for those you love; compromise! Serve them when you feel like you would rather snap at them. Turn outward when the natural man would turn in. For example sister kwon loves it to be cold. She likes a cold car, a cold apartment. I do not. I like it warm and cozy. So we take turns throughout the day turning on and off the a/c haha and in the car she has a/c and I roll down my window on my side. You can always make it work! I promise there is always a way!

Another cool experience was Bonnie's baptism! Bonnie has been working with the Elders for a while now- but she’s in our area, so she was their investigator but our new convert... it’s very confusing haha but she’s cool, it was a really great experience :)

I love you all so much! The church is true!!!

Sister Holt