Elder Jeffrey R. Holland-He spoke to us

Our stake had the priviledge of having an Apostle, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, come speak to us on Sunday, January 24, 2010. The Spirit was very strong in the meeting and we were blessed to have him in our presence. Just hearing him speak, bore witness that he truly is a special witness of the Lord.

He talked to the youth about giving a "tithe of their time". If you lived to be 100 years old, he said, that would be 10 years of your time. He asked that the youth give their lives to the Lord between the ages of 12 and 22. Those are the most critical years in a person's life and if you turn your life over to the Lord during that time, you will be blessed for the rest of your life. He said, "The smarter you are, the closer you'll stay [to the Church]." This is a Church with a happy ending.

He taught of the importance of the rising generation and how they will be the future leaders of this Church. They will be the ones that will teach his grandchildren and great-grandchildren when he is not here anymore. Jokingly he said, "I have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."

He powerfully expressed his testimony of the importance of every worthy young man serving a mission. He said that all of the good things that have happened to him in his life are largely due in part to his own mission.

He spoke of a man who was not a member, but who had observed the Mormon people. This man said, "The Mormon men were strong, but the Mormon women were stronger." What a compliment that is to the women of the Relief Society.

He spoke about the Resurrection. He talked about how Christ's wounds still have scars. He said that when we weep, God weeps. And he said that everything will be alright.

He left an Apostolic blessing on us and on all we cared about who may not be in attendance. He said this blessing was as if he had his hands on each one of our heads. He blessed us with health. He blessed the babies and those that were lonely. He blessed us with every hope, blessing, and wish we've hoped for.

From all of the wonderful things that were taught by Elder Holland and the other speakers, what did you learn from this meeting? Please leave a comment so we can all learn from each other.