The Apostle Project. #Jeffrey R. Holland

So last week I have visited my old ward in Salzburg where I was able to be in the YSA sunday school class with one of my favourite teachers in church. The topic we talked about were the apostles, and we were asked to study the ones that we have now, to learn of them and get to know them. I decided to study one of the Apostles every week. And thus came to pass The Apostle Project.

Starting randomly with Elder Holland, I watched his first talk in Fall General Conference 1994 and was impressed by the humility of this great man. In his talk "Miracles of the Restoration" he said: 

"My beloved brothers and sisters, this is my first opportunity to stand before you since the events of June 23 altered the course of my life and of my service forever. That was exactly one hundred days ago, and every one of those days I have prayed to be worthy of and equal to this sacred responsibility. Perhaps you can understand the immense personal inadequacy I feel and the deep, often painful examination of my soul I have experienced."

When I read this, my heart was warm and I could relate. And I think we all can. With great power comes great responsibility. I guess I am not alone in sometimes thinking the apostles do everything right. They would never, ever make a mistake. They are perfect. But this humble servant of the Lord has told us himself, that he is praying every single day to be worthy of that calling. He has told us about his inadequacy. But yet he has accepted this call and is striving his best to do the Lords work. What a great example.

Another thing that I learned from Elder Holland came from his talk "Lord, I Believe":

I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.

He then tells a story about a boy who told him he didn't know yet, that the church was true, but he believed it. Elder Holland councelled him and us, that we should never be sorry for 'only believing'. To believe is a strong and powerful thing.

In his talk "The Tongue of Angels" he asks us to be kind and think about the things we say. I know that I talk impulsively, sometimes I say really stupid things, and unfortunately hurt people. So I am going to work a little harder of speaking the tongue of Angels.


In conclusion I'd like to tell you, that I used to be so scared of Elder Holland, because of his boldness. He can be really tough. But if we really listen to him and watch him speak, we can feel that he is called of God to this sacred duty. He didn't choose it. But he magnifies his calling. And that is why I love him so much.

#TheApostleProject

Study Suggestions:
Place No More for the Enemy of my Soul
Lord I Believe
Safety for the Soul
Like a Broken Vessel
Broken Things to Mend
The Tongue of Angels