My sweetest little big boy, Ollie, is turning magical
TWENTY YEARS OLD today!
I am incredibly proud of this boy.
He got to call me today since it was his birthday and talk for 20 minutes.
He told me the most incredible story about
a friend he met today at a random house.
He discovered that his new friend had also
served a mission a few years ago.
Then he got out his mission book to show him photos of his experience
and the first photo he showed Ollie was this one:
Ollie said he almost died because, in the photo, he's standing next to
one of Ollie's favorite cousins, Matthew, on his mission
in the Dominican Republic.
I love how God works in mysterious ways to help strengthen
our faith, our hope, and, on occasion, homesickness.
Elder Rasband said:
"I begin by reminding you that you are a son or daughter of a
loving Father in Heaven and that His love remains constant.
I know that such reassuring feelings of love are difficult to recall
when you are in the midst of personal struggles or trials,
disappointments, or broken dreams.
Jesus Christ knows about fierce struggles and trials. He gave His life for us.
His final hours were brutal, beyond anything we can even comprehend,
but His sacrifice for each one of us was the ultimate expression of His pure love.
Ollie recreated the photo:
Then we laughed about the birthday he turned two when he got
a remote control snake, and I don't think the
remote left the clutches of his little hands
until it ran out of batteries months later.
