Our dear brothers and sisters, this past week Elder Holland passed away.  He was a beloved and was a bold witness of Jesus Christ.  His book, Christ and the New Covenant was instrumental to helping me come closer to my Savior through the Book of Mormon. Recently he spoke about a near-death experience one that I would like to share in it’s entirety because I believe it’s important for us to hear his words directly. Elder Holland said he “found myself with a foot in another world for four weeks—a near-death experience that brought me face to face with eternal truths. The Lord, in His mercy, sent me back with two profound lessons for His Church, lessons I shared at RootsTech and have carried in my heart ever since. These are not suggestions, but divine directives: pray more than you pray, and testify more than you testify. However fervently we have sought heaven before, the call is to seek it with greater intensity, in more places, and more often throughout the day. This is no mere metaphor—it is the literal fulfillment of the Savior's command to "pray always," hastening His work in these latter days.”

We should pray always.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is vital to becoming more like Him.  The more we talk to Him, the more we can understand Him, which means the more we can become like Him.  We can pray in our hearts to express gratitude, to thank, to bless, to ask to simply share our day.  He loves us and cares for us.

The second lesson Elder Holland shared was to be bolder witnesses of Jesus Christ. We must find ways to share our faith with others through our actions, bearing our testimony, sharing our experiences.  I recently had the opportunity to share a sacred experience of blessing my children with someone I work with.  It came up naturally as this individual spoke about her faith and her mother that was in the hospital.  I spoke of blessings that we give and receive in our church.  I’ve thought about that experience and hope to have many more as time goes on.  May we all look for and pray for chances to share our faith with others and be witnesses of Jesus Christ.

The Mill Shadow Ward Bishopric