A Special Guest and a Miracle

Dear family and friends,

This past week was really fun! We had our whole mission run a 5k this last Sat. morning. It was so beautiful with all the changing leaves and mountainside view. I ran the whole thing! I can't remember the last time I ran three miles, or if I have even ran that far before. Haha! I've never been a big fan of running, but it sure feels good to exercise!

For Relief Society we had another special guest. I am seriously getting so spoiled! Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was able to make some time to visit with us for about an hour last Wed. morning. What an incredible apostle of the Lord. He asked beforehand if he could shake all of our hands, not just because he thought we would appreciate it--which we did--but because he wanted to. He said that the purpose of shaking our hands was to do a quick "interview" with us. He told Pres. Poulsen after that he thought we were doing just fine. Sometimes when he speaks to missionaries and does the handshake interview, he gets the impression that they don't fully understand their purpose as missionaries. Elder Holland said that's when he bounces off the walls and sealing, hits out a light or two, and then Sister Holland crawls out on her hands and knees claiming to not know him. Haha! He had a fun time joking around with us. He went on to say something like, "I don't need to do that with you"....and then he pounced on a sister missionary in the front row and got literally 2 inches from her face, grabbed her head, and lightly shook her and said,"I don't need to shake and scream to get the point across to you." (or something to that affect). We were all kind of shocked! It was so out of nowhere! Elder Holland said to the girl he pounced upon, "Don't worry, the color will go back to normal." We all just laughed as he moved on to a discussion. I'm so glad I wasn't sitting on the front row. Later, we talked to the girl who had the pleasure of being shook by Elder Holland and she said, "It was a spiritual experience." I'm not sure if she was just being funny or serious...I think she was serious. :-)

So, I'll share with you some thoughts Elder Holland left with us.

1. The Restoration

None of us really understand the significance of the restoration of the gospel. He said, "I don't understand. The apostles don't understand. I would go as far as to say Pres. Monson doesn't understand, though i'm a little reluctant to speak for him." It's so true. We teach the restoration all the time, but do we understand what it means for this last dispensation or for the world? He made a timeline of Joseph Smith's life. He marked the time when all of the different things in the church were restored. That all happened after 1830. He made a point that the translation of The Book of Mormon is what led up to the restoration. That is very significant. If you look at the date between the publishing of the Book of Mormon (March 26, 1830) and the day the church was organized (April 6, 1830), it was less than a month in between. It was so important that the Book of Mormon was completed before the organization of the church. It is the keystone after all and testifies of the fullness of the gospel of Christ.

2. Pattern of Revelation Given to Prophets

He shared with us a basic pattern of revelation given to Lehi and Joseph Smith (perhaps other prophets?). So it is this: they pray, receive a vision, see a pillar of light (or flames for Lehi), a book is revealed, given knowledge of the fate of the world, people are angered, and people want to kill the prophet.  He took us through the first few chapters of the Book of Mormon demonstrating this pattern. He taught us that The Book of Mormon is a book of revelation about revelation from God (was your mind blown?). Every single question or concern can be resolved with the Book of Mormon. That is one of the reasons why it is so important to use it in teaching and also in daily life. 

I'm thankful for the time Elder Holland came to meet with us! It was so special!

I have a great miracle story to share with you guys! So on the morning I was getting ready for the meeting with Elder Holland I decided to curl my hair. I curled my hair while sitting on the floor in front of a mirror. When i was done I set it on the ground and jumped up to finish getting ready. Well, I accidentally stepped on the still hot curling iron and burned my foot! It was awful! Everyone has burnt their hand before, right? Imagine walking around on your burn! I was able to put some burn cream on it, but honestly it didn't do a whole lot. The burn was towards the back of my foot, so I just walked on the ball of my foot. Before the meeting started I was able to get a bag of ice to help with the pain. It was funny though because I had the thought come into my head, "Hey! I am going to shake an apostle's hand. Maybe I will be healed!." Haha, that didn't happen. At least not immediately.

Anyway, so after the meeting I had to walk on my foot again. I was in so much pain I was feeling a little nauseous. Ever since I burned my foot I'd praying to God. I was thinking, "Heavenly Father, I have a lot of walking to do today. I am determined to not let this injury hold me away from the work, but I don't know how I am going to make it today. Please help me!" At this point my companion and I have two hours of study time, so I was able to rest my foot. When it was time to go to the Square, I stood up and gingerly began walking fully on my foot. I felt no pain at all. Nothing. For the whole rest of the day I didn't feel the pain of the burn. I was healed! Towards the end of the day I forgot I ever burned my foot. Is it possible for a burn to heal in a few hours or even after full day? I know that God had a hand in this and he heard my prayers.

I have been listening to a talk by Elder Gene R. Cook while getting ready in the morning. It's called How to Receive Answers to Prayers. The Lord is anxious to answer our prayers and give us the righteous desires of our hearts. But there is a price that has to be paid. He gives six key principles to help us figure out what that price is:

1. Believe that Christ has the power to answer our prayer.

2. Repent! Sacrifice pays the price.

3. Pray as if all depended upon God.

4. Work as if all depended upon you.

5. Prepare for intense trials of your faith. 

6. Expect to see the arm of the Lord revealed on your behalf.

Find this talk and listen to it! It is so inspiring and faith promoting. It helps me realize how we can really receive answers to our prayers if we are willing to work for it. Prayer is after all a form of work.

Life is wonderful here and I'm so thankful for this time to be a missionary. Missionary work is the most important work, and I get to dedicate my energy full-time for 15 more months! Yay!

I love you all! Thank you for all the prayers!

xoxoxo,

Sister Butler

My awesome district! from left to right. Sister Dufour from France, Sister Gattud, Sister Mafi from Tonga, and Sister Clark from Ukraine! This was today! 

I met Elise form the LDSHE and her husband today.