The day started with a call from sister Andersen who asked me if I had strawberries and unfortunately, I didn't have any but as she asked me I could sense a tone on her voice that she was a little stressed so I offered to help her and she said yes, please! I got ready and went up to her apartment to help her with cutting fruit. I don't know why it took me so long but it was closed to noon and I was still cutting fruit.
I had to go pick up sister Hallstrom at her hotel to bring her to the luncheon held at sister Cornish. The day before we had gone to yellow steps, the very first time for me. People go there all the time and talk about it but I had never been invited to go but again sister Andersen called to asked me about where to get Larimar? when I knew they were going shopping, I joined them and later on it was decided that I would also come to the luncheon that the sisters had been planning kind of by default since I was going to be spending time with them.
After the luncheon with sister Hallstrom we went to meet with the Bishops wives and the stake Presidents wives of five stakes. It was so wonderful that all of the sudden Elder Holland and Elder Hallstrom come in the room. As sisters, we discussed D&C 25 as ways to support our husbands. Sister Hallstrom talked about the heart, how whatever is in our heart will always take priority and that we need to figure out for ourselves what are we passionate about. Hopefully, our family!
After the meeting, I went to the Presidency office to join in with the husbands. Daniel is there with them in every thing they do. The sisters are always together planning things but the difference is that I am not involved in any of their meetings so I never know if I am invited or not. I had not been told about dinner so I assumed we were not invited but all of the sudden I see Elder Andersen on the elevator and asked that we joined them. I went home and told Daniel I think we are invited and that is when Elder Andersen told us to always assume that we will be invited at all the things they do. Needless to say, I was glad they did and surprised to actually be sitting with Elder Holland at the table.We were invited last year with Elder Rasband and Elder Andersen but not the year before with Elder Nelson so you just never know the protocol.
I was asked to give the opining prayer, me of all 14 people there and felt I had to do it in English and that is probably one of the hardest things for me to do because I only pray in Spanish. I was all ears during the dinner. He told us how in every General Conference he gets some inspiration on what he will be talking about the next Conference in six months. He gets on impression of what topic he needs to discussed and gets it ready starting six months before. He told us that the adversary is there, he is so real destroying on individual at a time. He told us also in the church we do things on an individual bases. We don't do massive preaching, it is done a person at a time. He told us of how he has never heard of wards and stakes in Heaven that probably all we would have are families. He told us to core of our Church is the family and that we need to protect it. He told us to have our testimony in constant nourishment. Elder Andersen asked him about something relating to our faith and he told him that he believed in the refinery that comes when we overcome a trial.
What was so special for me is when he said to me around the table "sister Almeida, I have known Daniel for 30 years and this is the first time I see him so happy. Thank you! I felt so good when he said that because it was the last thing he said and it is something I will never forget. I told him that perhaps if a daughter of mine ever has a little girl, she wants to name her Holland after him and he loved that.
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