01/14/2011

This week was a pretty good week. We did a lot because this was our teaching week. We had teachers twice a day, but they only taught for an hour. Then we just made teaching appointments with elders or sisters in our zone. We would teach them, and sometimes they taught us. This makes the day go by quickly because when we teach, the time always goes by a lot faster. Its so crazy how you can have a constant flow from the Holy Ghost pretty strongly. Then you can have it way strong during teaching. I like this a lot. What I like the most about being here, is how strong the Holy Ghost is almost everywhere here. One of the main highlights this week was our devotional. Elder Holland came and spoke to us. This was so powerful, because he put his whole heart and soul into this talk. He spoke with so much emotion to show us how important missionary work is to him. He told us about the three places where missionaries struggle the most. Then he told us how we could make these strengths in our missionary lives. He expressed how his mission meant everything to him, and that every good thing that has happened in his life since, was because he served a mission and that not one person in this world was more affected from his mission than he was. He also said he knows that missions will be hard and said they are not meant to be easy. He said Christ's life was not easy and if we are going to be even the slightest amount of an example of him, that we would have to experience a fraction of what the Savior did. He then said missionary work is not easy because salvation was never easy. He expressed to us how important it is for us to know this Gospel. We have to be totally converted before we will have any hope of converting anyone else. The thing that was the most powerful to us, was when Jesus asked Peter 3 times if he loved him and the third time he said he loved him unwaveringly. Then Elder Jeffery R Holland asked us, "do you truly love Jesus more than anything? More than what we would rather be doing, or more than falling in to being tired?" This was strong because it puts in perspective what we truly need to have to be very successful. This was definitely an incredible talk! It was very strong. Elder Holland was here because our MTC Presidency was being released. So there were the new Presidency members of 7 MTCs all there watching this devotional. Also General authorities like President Hinkley's son and a few others. This was very cool! I will only have two Sundays left now with the new Presidency. I received my travel plans yesterday. It says that I am leaving on the 24th at 7:10 in the morning. Then on to Chicago with a 5 hour lay over. Then on to Miami with a 2 hour lay over. THEN ON TO BOLIVIA! ha ha. It's a strange route, but I am glad that I will be going now. I really hope that there aren't any problems before then. I will tell you if there are. I love you guys so much and hope you have an awesome time. love, Elder Chrittoffersen