Hey all you pretty people,
Hard to think that the time is running down and almost out for the
full-time mission life. At least until I get to go out a second time with
a companion that agreed to go out with me. I'm still trying to debate
whether I'll write next week. I mean, It'll be the last PDAY...I don't
know whether to spend the day seeing a bunch of cities with friends or to take
away some of that time emailing. I will most likely email but it won't be
long.
Antwerpen is doing good. We had a wonderful fast and testimony
meeting. That makes number 24 or something like that for fast and
testimony meetings on my mission! Crazy.
I've enjoyed hearing the testimonies, experiences and conversions of the
people that I've met throughout these past 2 years. Many of them probably have
no idea how much of an impact their words have had on me or others. It's
brought to my attention how important all of our experiences are. We
never know what words, thoughts, or feelings will hit people or how they will
impact people but we can know from Galatians 5:22-23 that when we express these
things out of love, they will motivate, encourage and light hope in others’
lives.
Sharing what we learn and what we have learned, what we experienced, how
we overcame things, where we found hope, etc, are all personal lessons that our
Heavenly Father has granted us in order to become that much closer in becoming
the person we don't fully understand who we can become. We see our
potential and sometimes it doesn't look so magnificent. We sometimes look
at those around us and compare ourselves to them and try to match up to their
level or try and do a little more. Sometimes we know what we want to do
or what we want to become but don't feel like we can reach it. Heck,
sometimes we even set the bar too low, achieve the goal and look around
thinking, ''I'm done.'' We're pretty funny people if you think about
it. On the counter part of that, sometimes we set goals too high; things
that are unattainable, unrealistic, or unmeasurable leaving us with feelings of
being overwhelmed, hopelessness, or having no zin in doing anything.
There are many various sorts of feelings but here are some words that others
have shared to help those around them through their testimonies, beliefs and
feelings.
1. You can be your worst critic.
2. You can stay stuck in the motions, or keep moving in motion
3. Ready is a process
4. Change is needed
5. You will never be left empty handed. ACCEPT your Father in
Heavens help.
6. It's better to have character, than to be a character.
7. Don't wait for hope, go out and find it.
8. In order to get out of the hole, you gotta look out of it.
9. You may not love every moment of life but if you look deep and
quietly, you will find the joy of every moment of life.
10. 100% accountable for 100% of the results in your life 100% of the
time.
11. Sometimes seeking for forgiveness is harder than holding your
tongue.
12. God lives. He does not see us how we see others. Regular
people. He sees a son and a daughter.
13. Time is precious. At the end of your life...what do you want to be
remembered for? What will you change today in order to become that person?
14. Joy does not come through having no burdens, it comes from learning
how to carry our burdens.
15. What you want to become, will withhold you from becoming what He
knows you can become.
16. Meekness is not weakness.
17. The more you serve, the more of yourself you will find.
18. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.
19. The smallest light will always penetrate darkness.
20. End your days ready to see Him again.
21. Remember
22. Learning brings understanding and understanding brings peace.
23. I hear, I forget. I see, I know. I do, I understand
24. The world is not in need of love, it is in need of friends.
25. Nobody cares about how much you know until they know how much you
care.
I realized that this can go on forever. Point being, if these
things weren't shared, I would not have heard them at that time, especially
when I needed them the most. That being said, it's important that we
remain open in accepting and receiving these words. We will never know of
their truthfulness if we never experience them ourselves. If you take a
second to think of the message that Christ shares through His restored Gospel...we
realize how much we want to take advantage of living it while we live. We
will realize how precious and great it is for us, our families and our friends.
We will want to live as many of our moments following His guidance instead of
looking back at our life wishing that we spent more time living it.
Many of us know the saying, ''Sharing is caring.'' Sharing is, in some
cases, the only way that this message of joy is heard. The joy that comes
through understanding the Plan that God the Father has given us and providing
us with comes when we share our experiences and beliefs. It doesn't have
to be a testimony that you hear in church settings. It can be simple as
providing a means of comfort. We fulfill our covenants as we share, and
as we fulfill our covenants, we open our eyes to see Him. We open our
ears to hear Him and we open our minds and hearts to be taught by Him.
We find ourselves and learn more about ourselves as we take on the
opportunities to serve the in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which,
in other words, is Gods Kingdom. The Lord’s work will continue to roll
forward whether we decide to take part in it or not but how much more joyous
our days will be as we experience the Lords hand in our lives as we seek to
fulfill what He asks of us. Through our service we become like Him and we
develop the attributes that allow us to become like Him. We learn to rely
on Him. We learn what it means to rely on Him. We become
stronger. We learn how to find His peace. We find understanding.
We find love.
We are provided many opportunities to go about doing good. Being a
part of Christ's church means that we have reached out and asked to be a part
of going about doing good. Sometimes, that is the best way to
share. Elder McBride and I ran to catch a train to Brussels. As
Elder McBride bought the train tickets, I looked to find the platform where we
needed to catch our train. As I waited for my companion, a man asked
where a spoor 24 was. I helped him know where to go. Right after, 2
girls from china asked how they were to get to Brussels. I instructed
what platform to get to and what train to take. After doing this, they moved
ahead in search of their train. Elder McBride came running towards me,
with the tickets in hand. We headed to our spoor, which was the same
spoor that I instructed the 2 girls to go to. We all missed our
train! After Elder McBride and I figured out the other way we could get
to Brussels, the thought of the 2 girls came to mind. We went and found
them to let them know how they could get to Brussels. A Few minutes after
Elder McBride and I sat down, our 2 new friends came and sat down beside
us. They were so happy and grateful for our help and started asking us
the normal questions you ask to get to know people. Of course, it lead into the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our 2 friends were Buddhist...didn't live or
necessarily believe in Buddhism but were grown up in it. It was a special
feeling to be part of their learning process of who God was and help share
experiences with them. To make it even cooler...hours later, while we
were eating a delicious Meat Traiette and watching a man do art in the streets
of Brussel, our 2 friends ran up, hit us in the arm and were so happy to see us
again! We were all so happy to see each other again.
It can sometimes be so simple to share. First it begins with
letting them know you care. Being their friend because being a friend is
a sign of love. When we feel loved, we feel more open to those who are
showing their love and appreciation through actions. When we have the
mentality of going about and doing good...we will always be able to help others
hear, feel or experience the things they need.
Thanks for all the support for the past 2 years and the stories and
experiences that were shared. Love you guys and I will see you soon!
Love,
Elder Holt
