July 14, 2015 - Tuesday in Carthage

Today had the prospect of being a great day.  Mom and I have been preparing for and anxiously waiting for this day to come.  Through arrangements with our mission president over a month ago, we were informed that we would be giving Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his family a private tour of Carthage this morning.  Talk about being excited!  I have always enjoyed Elder Holland's talks and the frankness of his messages.  And who hasn't identified with his last talk on the example of hanging on to the ledge of that slippery stone on the face of that tall cliff?   

Well, the day finally arrived and I was calm and ready for the privilege and the opportunity.  Our mission president called me yesterday to make sure that mom was going on the tour with me, so we were both ready.  I had rearranged several bus tours and closed the center until 9:30am so that the Holland tour would not be interrupted.  At the appointed time this morning, and after having been ready for over an hour, the two van loads came into the parking area.  The only problem was, that the vans were letting them off in the main parking area and not on the back side of the street as we had arranged.  Then, to my surprise, Elder and Sister Holland had elected not to come to Carthage with their family.  They had stayed back in the hotel...

There were then 19 members of the family including his son Matthew, that I gave the tour to.  And there was no problem with family recognition from guests arriving at the same time.  I showed them the film and then took them on the tour of the jail.  After sharing my testimony of Joseph sealing his testimony with his blood in the Martyrdom room, I asked Matthew if he had anything to say.  He was kind and reconfirmed my testimony to his family.  

Then his brother bore a powerful testimony to his children and nieces and nephews, and then one of Elder Hollands daughters, or possibly a daughter-in-law, spoke up.  She told the children something like this;  "Do you remember when Papa (Elder Holland), showed you the Book of Mormon that Hyrum read from in this room on June 27, 1844?  (Yes, that original Book of Mormon that was in Hyrum's possession!). She said that Hyrum knew his life was in extreme danger but that when he read the Book of Mormon, it gave him comfort even during this terrible experience.  She further explained that reading the Book of Mormon anytime can give you comfort because it is the word of Heavenly Father and has been given to us in these last days as a treasured comfort for each of us..... This will always be my treasured insight, from this tour, to reading the Book of Mormon!!

As disappointed as I was for not meeting Elder Holland in person, I felt like the Lord gave me a new insight that was powerful for me to use, with promptings of the Holy Ghost, and to be reminded of every time I open up my Scriptures.  You just don't get these kinds of experiences every day!

Then mom and I went to our early Sunset performance in Nauvoo.  It started at 5:30pm tonight so that all the missionaries could meet with Elder Holland for a missionary fireside at 7:00pm. 

At the fireside, Elder Holland seemed tired.  He wanted to make sure that we knew how much he appreciated our service in Nauvoo.  He told us that he was in a meeting with President Kimball probably back in 1974, when he told the brethren that if there is any chance you can make adjustments to your busy schedules, there are two places I want you to be sure to visit.... The Holy Land, and Nauvoo.  The Holy Land because of the Savior walking and teaching there, and Nauvoo for what it represents.  Nauvoo is a Zion society and the only place that the Saints were able to have a few years of peace and prosperity.  He said what we are doing here in this mission is living that dream of a Zion society that ended so abruptly on June 27, 1844.

He was also very concerned with the world conditions and he said he prays nearly every day that the Saviors return would come.  He does not like the way the world is going and he is pretty frustrated with members of the Church who do not live up to their full privileges and potential.  

He spoke, emotionally, about Elder Perry and President Packer.  He testified that these men used every possibly ounce of energy to serve as Apostles.  He spoke of how they would never give up or leave the yoke of their callings.  He said that these men used every talent they were given to perform their Apostolic labors even after they stopped eating, and stopped sleeping, and found it most difficult even to keep breathing.  Elder Holland definitely does not have any patience with the slacker members, the politically correct members, the part time members or the missionaries who want to go home early.  

I was pondering his words tonight, and it just makes me want to work harder.  I know I can and I know that I need to make even better efforts in this sacred work.  This is the eleventh hour and the laborers are few.  We need to be nurtured and edified by each other so that we can be ready when the Savior does return.  I want to be counted worthy to participate in this great work!