Elder Holland

We had the privilege of having Elder Holland at a special Stake conference today. Madsen and Sully were at the church at 8:00 this morning to save seats for a meeting that started at 10:00 and we were in the first row of the cultural hall! It was a really neat experience to be able to hear one of the apostles speak to us. He is funny and wise and kind. He speaks with such power and authority. When he started to bear testimony it was very quiet for a room full of people. The spirit was so strong. He talked about the challenges of growth that the church has, but that it is a good challenge. He talked about the early apostles and the challenges they faced after Christ was gone. He talked about the man who was crippled and for years went to the temple to beg and how he was healed by Peter. He spoke of the man who was blind and Christ healed him and he said, I don't know much, but this I know. I was blind and now I see. His point was that we cannot deny the evidence of the gospel. I loved it when he spoke of the crippled man and read all the verbs in the story. How this man went leaping and running and praising and singing. He said, "he hasn't had a verb in forty years. He can have all verbs he wants for a few days." Made me giggle. And I tell you, after being there today I feel full of verbs. I want to leap and run and dance and sing praises. It was truly a spiritual feast. At the end he pronounced blessings upon all of us. It was very moving. He spoke of those who need physical healings and said "this is as if I had my hands upon your head. This is your blessing." He blessed those with spiritual struggles and temporal struggles and those going through hard times. He said, "our children grow up mostly in enemy territory these days. I promise that if they stay with the gospel they will be safe." What a promise form a servant of God. We were able to shake his hand as he left. I told him that my parents were missionaries in Chile when he was there. He smiled and asked their names so I told him and he got a big smile on his face and said, "oh of course! Tell them I say hi." It is a rare experience to be taught at the feet of an apostle. I am so grateful that we were able to be there. That my children could shake his hand and hear his testimony in person. Elder Holland has long been one of my favorites. Now he is even more.