Letter # 48

Hello Mum and Family,

Well it is good to hear that you all had a great week this past week.  From the sound of it you guys are having some really nice weather now and I think that a couple of you guys were sending hints that you would like me to send some of this rain over to you guys.  I am not sure if that is really what you want but I guess I will do it so I hope that you all prepare for some horrible weather soon. haha

Well I am sure that you can all guess what my highlight of this past week has been.  Yep being able to see and meet Elder Holland. I think that the best part was right before the meeting started he said that he wanted to shake each of our hands.  He had us tell him our names and where we were from.  When I got up there I could just feel the power of the Spirit as I shook his hand and as I looked into his eyes.  It was the most amazing feeling that I have ever felt and I am really blessed to be able to have that opportunity.  When he began his talk he said that he really didn't care much about our name and where we came from.    During that time that he shook our hands he said he was having a personal interview with each and every one of us. So I can say that I have had a personal interview with Elder Holland.  

When he spoke to us he gave an amazing talk.  He started out by saying that he feels that we are an obedient mission and that he doesn't have to rebuke us for being disobedient.  He said that he thought that he was supposed to talk about the Atonement with us which is really what he focused on.  It was kind of like the talk that he gave in conference this past April.  He talked about the fall and why we needed to have the Atonement or else we wouldn't be able to return to our Heavenly Father.  It was a little bit deeper than the Conference talk and it was a little more personal so that made it even better. He also talked a lot about his mission and how it has blessed his life so greatly.  He got pretty bold, which I quite liked.  When he was saying that none of us can go home and go less active when we get home.  That is how he said it in a roundabout way.  It was definitely more detailed than that.  It was an amazing experience which I hope is what you get from this email.  It is definitely the best experience that I have had on my mission and it definitely strengthened my testimony of this church and how we do have living Apostles and Prophets that are called by God.

Well to be honest I can't really remember what has all gone on this past week because I have been too focused on what Elder Holland has said and what a great experience that I had at that time.  I do remember that we taught some really good lessons this past week that I really enjoyed teaching.  We have some investigators that we pretty much know that they know the church is true we just can't get them to be baptized.  This past week when we taught two of our investigators we really focused on the Book of Mormon and bearing our testimony with them.  It wasn't quite like that but at the same time that is kind of what it was like.  I don't know if it helped them or not to be honest, but feeling the spirit as we were testifying of the Book of Mormon has really strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  

The past couple of months I have been reading deeply into the Book of Mormon every single day and I have been thoroughly studying it deeply and from what I have read and from the Spirit that I have felt and from the revelation that I have received from reading it I know without a doubt of my mind that no 14 year old boy from New York who is unlearned could have wrote such a book without the power of God.  With as many people that have read the book and as many people that it has touched and changed their lives I know that it was written by Prophets that were guided by God when they wrote in it and that Joseph Smith was guided when he translated it.  That is why the lessons that I have been able to teach this past week have been so amazing because it strengthened my testimony even if it didn't strengthen the investigators.

Well I can tell that I have already taken up a lot of your time but I want to share a spiritual thought before I go. On Sunday we had a great lesson on Prophets in Priesthood and I want to share a little bit with you today about prophets.

President Ezra Taft Benson said "The most important prophet, so far as we are concerned, is the one who is living in our day and age."  As I was thinking about this I thought about what the prophet said this past conference and how important his message is.  I hope that you all know what he talked about because it is really important.  This past conference he talked about the Blessing of the Temple. The words that he spoke are so important and we need to all attend the temple at every opportunity that we can.

 Neil L Anderson said “The location of a temple is not a convenient geographical decision. It comes by revelation from the Lord to His prophet, signifying a great work to be done and acknowledging the righteous saints who will treasure and care for His house through generations." 

After reading this quote it made me think of how blessed we are to have a temple close to our home. The reason that it is there is because the Prophet received revelation that there is a lot of work that can be done in that area and the Lord knows that there are righteous saints there that will treasure it and take care of it. With me being on a mission I am not able to attend the temple and I really do miss the temple.  
I want to make a challenge to you all this next week.  I challenge you all to make it to the temple this week whether it is by yourself or as a family, whether you go in to the temple and do baptisms or a session or if you go and sit outside of the temple and read your scriptures for some time and just ponder and think.  The temple is a powerful place and I know that as you set that time aside this week to visit the temple no matter how hard it may be I know that you will be blessed and that you will enjoy the experience if you go with the right attitude. I want to leave you with this powerful quote.   I can't remember who said it.
 "As we enter the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world." 
I hope that you all have an enjoyable week and thank you for the great effort that you will put in to trying to attend the temple this next week.
Love,
Elder Peterson