Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Week 36: Planning for Eternities

Megan's a senior.
Nathan's a teacher.
Rachel's a missionary.
And my parents are awesome.
Life is pretty great.

This was an incredible week. Lots of miracles. I've never been so tired, and we worked harder than I ever have before on my mission, and it was amazing! I can't wait to be this tired next week, too :)

First off, I want to wish a very happy day-late Father's day to all the amazing Priesthood holders in my life! I am so grateful for your examples and for your willingness to always do the Lord's will. Especially my dad, who is basically the best dad in the entire world. I love you all so much!!

Now for this week's instant replay:

Tuesday was our temple day at the Bountiful Temple!!! It was so fun to drive through my old area to get up there :) I love the temple. I love being reminded of the covenants, or promises, we make with our Heavenly Father when we go there. I love the peace, love, and joy that we can feel when we attend the temple. I know that we can be together as families for eternity. I know our Heavenly Father loves us! I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know that we can be healed, strengthened, and uplifted as we turn to Him and rely on His grace.

Wednesday, Sister Bill and I headed back up to Bountiful for a special meeting with Brother Donaldson of the Church missionary department. We discussed the importance of the short, simple lessons using the pamphlets and other resources, but we really focused on the principle of planning. Everything we do outside of teaching should be planning. Scheduling is simply a function of planning - there is so much more involved in the planning process. We need to constantly be focused on our area and the people we serve. There is no better work for us to be involved in than that of sharing the gospel with our fellow brothers and sisters. And we can only accomplish the Lord's will for these people by taking the time and energy to plan for them. To know what they need, to seek revelation, to decide what to share, to know how members can help, to know where we should go to find people. 

Everything comes back to the time we spend planning. The most important point made, though, was this: We aren't just planning for a lesson or activity or whatever it is we have scheduled. We plan for their eternities. These lessons, the Spirit felt, the testimonies shared, all of these things contribute to whether or not the people we teach will decide to follow the example of Jesus Christ and make covenants with God. 

Needless to say, we've been watching the planning training videos A LOT this week, and we've seen amazing things happen as we've really applied the principles learned from trainings and meetings. I love going forth and applying the things I learn each day, whether it be in a study or from pondering or from a meeting. 

Two experiences to share this week: 

We found an incredible new investigator - Ally - through a media referral. She's been going to church for a while with one of her friends who lives in Layton. We walked in and she said, "So how do we do this? I want everything!" It was amazing. We sat down right then and taught her the first lesson. She committed to be baptized! The Spirit in the room was so strong. You can tell that she knows it's true, and she desperately wants to do all that Heavenly Father has asked of us. We asked her what stood out to her about the Church, and she testified of the cleansing power of the Atonement and how she knows she can repent and change to ultimately return to live with her Heavenly Father.

We also had an amazing Temple Square visit with Lisa, one of our recent converts. She LOVES the gospel, and is always seeking to learn more. We went and saw the Joseph Smith movie. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know he restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. I know that we now have the Priesthood, the authority of God given to men to bless His children, on the earth so we can perform those ordinances necessary to return to our Heavenly Father. My testimony was strengthened of the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ this past week, and especially of the prophet, Joseph Smith, from that experience with Lisa.

I know this gospel is true! I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God! I know we will grow closer to Him as we read and pray every single day and do those things He has asked us to do. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He lives! I know He loves us. I know our Heavenly Father is always watching over us. I know we are in His hands. I know He loves us more than we can ever comprehend. I know it because I have asked for myself. I invite each of you to take the time and to ask, to kneel and pray, and to ask if God is watching over you. I promise if you ask sincerely, He will let you know that you are never alone.

I love you all! Remember to smile and to look for the miracles in every day :)

Love,
Sister Holbrook 
the old one

Mormon 5:21,23
Ether 12:27



I love the temple. And my companion :)


Me and Sister Tucker at Bountiful Temple.

The four Wells Stake Sisters at the Bountiful Temple.

And this is the day I walked out of the house wearing two different shoes. This is why we have companions.

I love the Salt Lake Temple!!!

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