Sorry I couldn't email yesterday, but we
went to the Temple! :) And since it was a holiday I wouldn't have been able to
anyway... But the Temple was great as always! And then we went to Boston! My
first real time in the city. We walked all over the place! I have a ton of
pictures to send you. But I got to see some really cool things. I think that it
would have been way cooler if I wasn't exhausted. I had to get up at 430 am to
go to the Temple. But it was all worth it :)
Elder Holland was amazing!!! I got to shake
his hand, but I couldn't get a picture with him. :( But he was speaking and
then suddenly felt like giving a sermon. It was great! It was crazy, at one
point he had us make a list of all the qualities of the Jews during the time
that Jesus came, and reasons why they couldn't understand His teachings. We
came up with things like: corrupt, fearful, ignorant, apostate, foolish,
prideful, sinful, etc. And then he pointed to this list and said, "Welcome
to Boston!" He talked about how the people that we are teaching have these
qualities. He referenced Nicodemus and how he wanted to know what it meant to
be "born again" Nicodemus says, "How can a man be born when he
is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?"
And this obviously isn't the kind of "born again" that the Savior is
talking about. Jesus is talking about baptism, and Nicodemus isn't getting it,
however they are both talking about birth. Elder Holland talked about the
Samaritan woman. And he gave some great insight on it. The Samaritan woman,
basically asked Jesus, Considering that you are a Jew, why on earth are you
asking me for water? and Jesus replies, Well if you knew who I was, then you
would ask me to give you water, and it would have been living water. And she
responds back saying, you dont have anyway to get water, how are you supposed
to get this living water?? And Jesus replies again saying, Yes well if you
drink from this well, you are going to get thirsty again. But if you drink the
water that I can give you, then you will never thirst. Now this woman of
Samaria had to travel multiple times a day to get water from this well. So
never having to do this would be very desirable. So Jesus tells her to go and
get her husband, and she says that she doesnt have one. And Jesus calls her out
on it. And says, "For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now
hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." SO THEN, the Apostles
come back from buying food in town, and they are surprised and very curious as
to why the Savior is conversing with a Samaritan. But of course no one said
anything cause they didnt want to offend or upset the Savior. AND THEN! His own
disciples ask his to eat something and Jesus tells them, "I have meat to
eat that ye know not of." And they are a little upset, and are like did
someone else feed you already? SO, TO SUM IT ALL UP, in all three of these
scenarios, the Savior is talking about birth and Nicodemus is talking about
birth. The Savior is talking about water and the Samaritan woman is talking
about water. The Savior is talking about meat and his Apostles are talking
about meat. We must be speaking of the same thing that the Savior is. We must
understand what he is trying to tell us and be on his level.
Man, I dont even know what more to say.
Maybe I will write more about it on monday. I have so many thoughts and I am
not sure where to begin. So I promise I will write more later. :)