Missionary Work and the Atonement

MTC follow Up

 "...Do Not even look like you don't believe! ...  In the 21st century we cannot flee any longer ... You Can never check your religion at the door..."  holland  in sept.

I like this picture looking out the window, cuz
I can imagine him in my mind looking out and what he is thinking!!!

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring!"  

Provo MTC

Study session

 I'm still putting names with faces
And for me, it's easier if I can
look at them and read the letters!
Be patient with me while I work
 thru this process --
Plus, I just miss him and want a 
reason to blog about him inbetween
letters!

 

 "The Second Coming Started in the Spring of 1820 in Palmyra New York and this is the Dispensation in which we WILL SEE Jesus Christ and HAnd his Church over to Him and we WILL Succeed in the battle against Evil."  --Holland at the MTC in January!

This one of Elder Sobczak's favs:

Matthew 4: 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Elder - May the Force be with you <3



https://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-holland-addresses-new-mtc-presidents-and-visitors-center-directors-concerning-the-doctrine-of-the-godhead?lang=eng

 http://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-holland-says-to-live-gospel-in-small-ways?lang=eng

greatest experience of my life....

So today is day like 16 out in the mission field, not like im counting or anything. So far the days have felt like an eternity but the weeks have flown by. I love it here in the MTC but there is something about living behind a "Fence" that doesn't strike my fancy, for sure never want to go to prison haha.

A quick update on the week other than the obvious ringer of the week;

• We got our travel itinerary for next week
• With that flight information I will be leaving Tuesday morning
• Mom that day I got the Chips and Queso was a great day...The whole day I had been in a funk because it was a monday and I realized I had not any Tacos in like 4 weeks!!! So the whole day my whole district had to hear me whine about not having tacos and how badly I wanted them...So when I opened up the box I was SO HAPPY!!! It completely made my day. I opened it up and enjoyed and it was the best thing i had in a long time. 
• Im getting better at 4-square, but for sure not living up to Austins skill...All the people that are good right now are the ones going to Norway,Sweden,Denmark, and Italy  ...So the people that have been here for 8 or 9 weeks! I am keeping up with them though and they give me props for doing it. Every sport at gym time has its own family that has its own connection So its pretty neat to make friends with people I have known for about 10 days.

And now for the awesome story...

     So, last Tuesday,....We all knew the MTC Mission Presidency was getting released and we knew that a General Authority had to set apart the new mission president ... so we knew something was going down...The devotional started at 7 at night and at 6 there was a line out of the building we were standing in... When they finally let us, We all rush in to the gym which has now been turned into a conference center - just like every talk and get seats about 10 yards to the right of the pulpit.  I was right there to see whoever was going to speak. 

And then it happened...at 6:55 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland walks into the building and everybody stands up as soon as they see him. It was a crazy spiritual experince because I could just feel his presence. His talk was awesome!!! 

He talked about the second coming, and that it started in the spring of 1820 in Palmyra New York (when Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ), He said that this is the dispensation that will see Christ and hand his church over 

to him...

Yeah how intense is that?   I had never thought of it that way before.

 He talked about how there is no better time to be on a mission than January 2013 and to be a part of all the changes the church is making. 

He said Preach My Gospel took 8 years to write and that it was started when President Hinckley said in a meeting, "There is something wrong with the missionary program." Elder Holland said "Thats something thats scary to hear when you are the head of the missionary program." HAHA!

He told us "If you come home and become an inactive returned missionary, you wouldnt want to meet me in a dark ally, I'm a little unstable about this issue." HAHA!!! It was pretty funny...He said in his "Holland Voice" "I command you to come home with at least one convert and that convert is YOU!!!" He said "You can't expect the investigators you to teach to believe the things you are saying or keep the commandments you are telling them to keep if your self dont follow them or believe what you are saying." 

You have to be obedient and teach His gospel THEN you will have the Spirit to teach. He was joking around saying how he wanted to "revoke free agency" then said he felt like he was going to get struck with lighting and asked if the podium was grounded? hahaha! 

At the end he gave a dedicatory prayer for 3 newly renovated building on the MTC Campus...The Anston Pratt, Matthew Cowley, and Dan Jones buildings. The first two are residence halls and the Dan Jones one is a Class building...my class building so that was awesome. If you can find the prayer I would highly recommend reading it. 

Hearing Elder Holland was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I know he said lots more but I forgot my notebook in the classroom and cannot go in there in P-Day Clothes.

Parents I love you and thanks for everything. 
I would recommend not sending letters or packages unless you know for sure they will get to me by Monday (DearElder) for example, letters written today will et to me tomorrow and then ... well wait til you get a california address to write, but then please...keep writing!
I will be sending a letter on Monday to the Parents which will have my MTC memory card on it so those pictures will go up by the end of next week. 
I will send an email or letter next week as soon as I can so you guys have my new address in California. 

Be safe I love you all...Have a blast of a week and Be safe.

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

Holland is AMAZING!!!!

This email is just to tell you that last night ELDER HOLLAND spoke at the MTC. We got a new Mission President So he came and spoke and it was AMAZING!!!! I'll give more details tomorrow but send this to people just to let them know. 

Tomorrow for sure i will have details of his talk and what he said. 

Quick excerpt...  "The Second Coming Started in the Spring of 1820 in Palmyra New York and this is the Dispensation in which we WILL SEE Jesus Christ and Hand his Church over to Him and we WILL Succeed in the battle against Evil". 

I will give more tomorrow!

Slogan for my mission: "Fourth Floor Last Door" Dieter F. Uchtdorf old talk i watched  You should watch it too....

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/print?lang=eng&url=/youth/article/the-restoration

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1617