Dia de los muertos and HOLLANDDD

 Hello rad fam and friends! 

If youre still reading these emails your a real one  I hope you are all doing great and Id love to hear from you this week! Sorry this is another long email!

About the week :D

Monday- DAY OF THE DEAD!! Ok guys pdays are normally my favorite for many reasons, but this week pday was extra SICK! It was dia day los muertos and we went into the "center" which is where all the touristy historical buildings are and it was seriously awesome! I felt like i was in a giant mexico Disneyland or something but actually in Mexico. I kept thinking what the heck I feel like Im in a movie but this is real life haha. There were giant crowds of people in costumes with all the streets blocked off, cool lights, tribal dancers, ofrendas everywhere and SO many things it was awesome!! The culture here is way cool and it was fun to be in the city with so many people at night! I miss doing cool stuff at night! 

Tuesday- I got a blessing from my DL to help me with the language bc I've felt really overwhelmed w the language and Im SO grateful for the priesthood and worthy priesthood holders!! I seriosly started feeling so much better about speaking thattt day! God is so good!!

Wednesday- BEST DAY EVERRRRR because ELDER HOLLAND CAME (In zoom haha) but STILL soooo cool wow! Let me just start by saying Holland was my favorite before, but NOW wowowow. I have never felt so much love from someone (or the spirit so strong) over a screen! It was so cool to hear from him in such a small setting with the whole world not watching or hearing him- he was speaking to ME and my mission! I dont know it just made the guidance feel especially personal and ah it was so good!

 He started his talk in spanish which, lets just say made me feel good about my spanish  and then he said "you would all leave the room screaming covering your ears if I continued in spanish so Im going to switch to English now" (Lucky for me and the other english speakers- we got to listen to his whole talk in English:))

I dont even know where to start with things I liked because he said so many amazing things, but here were my fav quotes from Holland!

-"I have thought about my mission EVERY DAY for the last 6 DECADES. You cant make up these experiences to tell your future children and grandchildren. Will you be able to tell them, honestly, it was the turning point in your life, something you will think about every day for the rest of your life? My mission was the RICHEST experience I could have possibly had" 

-"Youre 'little a' apostles. As an apostle I run around the world giving the same lessons as you. Were the same. Were in this together."

- "We have a battle to pay something of the price the savior payed for the salvation of these people. We know what they dont know. Without you, the Saviors atonement will not mean anything to them if they dont access its power. You are agents of the atonement. A central part of the plan of salvation."

-"The thing that undoes me is when I see missionaries that walk away from their missions in the end. The mission should be a part of you for the rest of your life. If i see you guys in the streets after your missions (or in your missions) not living what youve been teaching, youll see a news article 'Elder holland put in jail for beating up on a missionary' "

-"Youre God's investigator. He wants YOU to progress"

-" tell me how the first 3 hrs of your day go and I'll tell you how your day, mission, and maybe even life will go."

-talking about Helaman 5 in the BoM, "they did teach with 'power and authority' and spoke to peoples 'great astonishment.' You guys need to be more astonishing. I dont know how to say it in spanish, but GO ASOMBRO SOMEBODY"

-this is the last time, the last hours, laboring in his vinyard, wrapping up the work. It wont be easy, and sometimes what God asks seems like a lot, but he also sees and knows how hes going to bless you and who youre going to become.

-" when we give you this advice, remeber weve been your age but you havent been ours."

These are just a couple quotes I really liked! But it was so good to hear from him!! The rest of this week was still pretty rough for finding people to teach- it seems like no one wants the gospel the last couple weeks which is dicpuraging, but I know soon we'll find success! Id appreciate prayers to help us find people! This week when I was feeling down about the work I read in my scriptures in Mormon chapter 5 and God slapped me in the face a little lol. I really liked 21-24, but 23 was my fav! It says 

    "Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath ALL power, and at his great command the earth should be rolled together as a scroll? Therefore, repent ye, and humble yourselved before him"

I just loved that! I know that God has all power and we are in his hands. He has a plan for EACH one of us, and we need to trust him and his timing. Try a little harder to trust God this week, and show your love and trust in him by following him! 

Hope you had a great week, and know I love you all!!

-hna Stone (or as they say here hna eston-ay:)