Random Blessings, Unified -- Week 37: Holms on the Potomac

Elder Roetto wearing his missionary name tag in a flooding South American road near his house!

Elder Holm, Elder Murdock and Sister Holm wearing missionary name tags in Texas.

Thousands of * random thoughts * go through our missionary minds every day, related to moments that have molded our hearts into happier shapes that will keep us smiling for years. Here are a few of my recent ones:

*Wayne Nelson, my Dad, died on Nov. 18 thirty-three years ago. I miss his tight hugs and rumbling bass telling funny stories from long ago.

* This Thanksgiving, we’re thousands of miles from family, and we’re proud to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the same time as our two oldest grandsons, Jacob Roetto and Harris Murdock. Jacob began his service in April, serving in the Paraguay Asunción North Mission. Harris begins his service on November 21, called to the Sacramento California Mission.

We received permission from the Area President to take a quick trip to Little Elm, Texas last weekend. We embraced the Murdock family, relaxed with them, attended “Little Shop of Horrors”, and heard Harris share his love of Jesus Christ. Here’s part of what he said:

“In middle school, I suffered from Osgood-Schlatter Disease, which causes pain in the knees. As a chubby boy in football where running was hard enough, this

made me often feel hopeless that I would never be able to run without discomfort. While this pain lasted until the middle of high school, I stayed in sports knowing that

I would be able to fight through those trials– that eventually the pain would go away and that there was a path laid out for me. Enduring this pain prepared me for high school wrestling. Wrestling is a mentally challenging sport. . . The worst feeling I have ever had was anxiety while waiting for my match. As the heavyweight, I would often have to wait the longest, giving me more time to sweat and fret. A healthy mixture of prayer and heavy metal would lessen this anxiety and help me get in the right mindset for my matches. These moments strengthened my testimony as I felt a blanket of calm after I prayed. It might seem like a little thing, but these moments solidified my knowledge of a God who hears and answers our prayers.

“Choosing to go on a mission requires a lot of faith: faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ which I am going to share, faith that I will be able to be successful missionary, and faith that these two years will be a good use of my time.”

*We believe that family ties can be eternally binding when a man and a woman join hands across a sacred altar in a temple and are married for this life and eternity. This ordinance performed by priesthood authority is a “temple sealing,” and children born into such marriages are sealed to their families forever; children not born into these unions can be added later. As we perform sealings vicariously for family members who have died, they can, in the world of spirits, accept or reject the work done in their behalf.

Thursday evening Elder Holm and I went to the Washington D.C. Temple to perform sealings. We witnessed as a sweet older sister stood in for her sister who died a year ago and was joined to their parents’ marriage. Our new friend excitedly said, “She’s with Mama and Daddy! She’s so happy!” I understand her feelings because I was also sealed to my parents at a temple altar.

On this blog, I gushed about the temple during its open house—but the beauty of the building pales in comparison to the joy we experience when cherished relationships become eternal.

*During Thanksgiving week, we’re thankful for the Lord’s goodness to us in many areas, such as: we celebrate 46 years of marriage. On November 26, 1976, we were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. (How George Washington knew that we would get married that day and require a celebration of gratitude, I cannot figure out!-- see photo.)

We’ve completed eight and a half months of our mission and we yearn to embrace our other children and grandchildren and make pies with them. But this year, we have a different purpose that ties my random thoughts into a wonderful bundle: On our missions, we share our faith and knowledge that families can be forever because Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross and rose again the third day. His gospel is restored in our day with power to bind relationships eternally. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!