Jeffrey R. Holland OH MY WORD.

 

-the Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland's first words as he looks out at the 200ish missionaries of the Canada Vancouver mission. such truth ahhaha. there we were, literally from all over the globe, having just shaken hands with one of the 12 living apostles of Jesus Christ.

If I could somehow get my fingers to go fast enough to type all of my notes from that meeting I would, for all of you, because they are absolutely precious to me. 

Saturday morning we had mission conference for the first time in British Colombia history. With Jeffrey R. Holland. Live and in person. THIS IS HUGE GUYS. My mission is beyond massive, missionaries had to fly in, take ferries in, take 6 hour bus rides just to get to the mission home. But it was worth it to sit in that room.

 

My mind is actually spinning as I try to decide what to share with you, so please bare with me as I try to pull my thoughts together. First are foremost he told us to take possession of ourselves. To "inch forward and put your little life on the altar". It was all over the place, oh I wish you could feel the ELECTRICITY that we felt in that room.

 

I have never been so proud to be a part of this mission than when he told us we were leading the pack in obedience. I have never felt so anxious as when he gripped the pulpit, leaned over and literally yelled at us that these missions MUST MATTER TO US. They must be everything. That if we do not bring everything we have to these 18-24 months, never will we ever be able to bring everything to anything else we are asked to do in this life.

 

He told us  that "the most important thing in the universe is the saving of a human soul." He told us to "make this the majestic experience that it is". He told us that whatever, whoever we were before our missions DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE. We made the choice to go on a mission. We are here. And every split second here will define who we are both as missionaries and as children of God. He pleaded with us to never step away, never fade in our faith. That he has no patience whatsoever for returned missionaries who go inactive because not one of us has the right to taint the legendary tradition of a returned missionary. None of us. 

He told us that this is supposed to be hard. I cannot explain my feelings to you, as I sat there on the second row in that chapel, and heard him say, "Salvation is not a cheap experience... Maybe you don't want to do this, well, you have to." We have a responsibility to share what we know. To share who we are, where we came from, why we're here, to tell the world that they are literally children of a god. Our Heavenly Father. And He wants us back. That nothing ends with the grave, that nothing about us and our existence is finite. That we literally carry within ourselves fragments of another world, of a far more divine existence. That we are here to remember. Everything that we are, everything that we can be. 

Yesterday, I finished month 4 of my mission. Honestly, the hardest 4 months of my 20 years. But not for one second have I considered walking away from this work. I am so, so grateful to be entirely in my Father's hands for a short year and a half. Never will I be able to repay Him. 

I love you all dearly, I woke up today to letters from Taiwan and New York and home and I JUST LOVE YOU PEOPLE SO MUCH. Ah. THANK YOU. I'm about out of time but this mission means the world to me and I'll tell you about our miracles next week :) For now just know that Hermana Kartchner and I are starting transfer 3 together in Surrey!

xoxo

Hermana Reagan Curtis

pics: failed soccer team reminiscent pic with the seesters of the surrey zone and also super awkward zone photo celebrating elder holland coming, please enjoy.