Things are still going great! I feel so strongly that I am at the right place at the rig
ht time in my life---what a wonderful feeling that is! I still teach 'fake' investigators. (We call people who are learning about the church investigators. We just got two new teachers this week, so we got two new "investigators". My companion Hermana Crowder and I are improving so much in our teaching skills--it is still difficult at times because of the language, but I just love teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Understanding that God is our Heavenly Father and that he loves us is so powerful and can truly change peoples lives. Additionally, I love teaching people about the Atonement of Jesus Christ---this is the central part of what we teach about. It is so amazing to k now that no matter what we struggle with in this life, that there is One who knows exactly how we feel. Christ keeps his hand extended, and will comfort us if we come unto him. What a joyful message this is to share. I cannot wait to get to Spain so that I can help others learn how they can come unto Christ, and feel His love through using the Atonement in their lives.
This week was particularly exciting because an Apostle, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, came to speak at the MTC on Tuesday night.
For those of you who are not familiar with the LDS Church, our church is structured and organized just as Christ structured and organized the Church during His earthly ministry. We have a Prophet who receives revelation (like the Prophets in the Bible.) The prophet is the President of the Church, and the Twelve Apostles assist him with the work of testifying to the world that Jesus is the Christ. It was so exciting to hear an Apostle of the Lord speak here at the MTC. There are nearly 3,000 missionaries here at the MTC, and the spirit was so incredibly strong when Elder Holland spoke to us. He talked about many things, but I will only share a few with you. Throughout his talk, he spoke about how his mission has meant everything to him. He stated that he does not think that a single day has passed in the past 50-60 years that he has not thought about his mission--it truly helped to shape his future.
Elder Holland decided to answer some questions form missionaries at the end of his talk. One missionary asked: What is the most important thing that Christ wants us to know right now? ELder Holland answered this by saying that Christ wants us all to know that He told the truth--about everything. This means that we must trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and follow Him with exactness.
Another question that Elder Holland answered was: Why does God love us? Simply put, God loves us because we are His Children. Elder Holland then stated that although he is not perfect, nowhere near perfect, that the only thing that he is almost perfect in is his love for his children. Elder Holland stated, with tears in his eyes, that he would literally do anything for his children--he would even give his life for them. He continued by marveling at the fact that if he being an imperfect being could love his children so much, how much more could God, a perfect being, love us! God loved us so much that He gave His one perfect son (Christ) for all of us imperfect ones. God loves each of us individually, and know each of us individually. The spirit was so strong during and after Elder Holland's talk. I know with all of my heart that this man is called by God to testify of Christ and to invite other to Come unto Christ.
I can't wait to share this message with the people of Spain!
Take Care!
Hermana Valerie Letendre
