Due to the nature of his visit and the sensitivity of our location, I’ll restrict my remarks to generalizations. Many of you reading will know who he is and therefore, the wonderful opportunity it afforded our family. Dano’s service here outside of work, allowed him the opportunity to pick him up from the airport and escort him around while he was here in Jeddah, as well as another friend who was visiting from Al Khobar. Dano and I and some other friends from within Saudi were able to meet with him on Friday morning. It was a beautiful and very memorable morning.
We then met with a larger group in a most intimate setting. Kennedy was thrilled that this visit fell on her Friday to play the piano. She practiced diligently and played superbly. We are very proud of her and I think she is pleased with her effort. (She wasn't in the above picture with the kids because she was playing postlude music.)
At one point he opened the room up for any questions. As you would not be surprised, one of the three questions came from Ethan. He very seriously asked, “What do you do when there are riots in the Middle East?” Again, I can’t give the details of his incredible response here, but concluded by saying, “Ethan, I’m leaving you in charge. You’ll be my agent here in the region. I’ll let Barak Obama know the region is in capable hands.” He reminded Ethan a couple more times throughout the day that he was in charge of keeping watch. Ethan, of course, took this to heart, got his e-mail address, and has committed to sending him updates. 
Following the questions, he gave a wonderful talk. He had Dano and Emily come up and stand beside him and used Emily as an example in his talk. As he looked at our sweet girl, he stroked her little cheeks and said, “Now those are Holland cheeks!” We think we agree. 
Following school on Wednesday, spring break begins and we will leave for Dubai where we will again participate in meetings with this wonderful man. What a privilege it has been to have him in our midst, to talk with him, listen to him, and have our children feel of his great love and testimony. These are moments we hope they will always remember.
11 comments:
Wow! Melissa that is so awesome. I love love love Elder Holland. What a wonderful special thing for your kids. So happy you guys got to have that experience. <3 He is such a tender loving man and apostle of the Lord.
that was me by the way...accidentally was signed in as Abbie :)
What a blessing for your family! What lovely pictures you have to remember this special time.
Wow...what an exciting and faith promoting experience that must have been for all of you! So happy you got to visit with Elder Holland!!
Melissa what a great opportunity for you family! I am sure one of the many things about this whole experience they will always remember.
What an incredible opportunity!! Joseph loves Elder Holland because he served in Chile at the same time Joseph was on a mission. He looks like he could be Ethan's grandpa in that picture of the two of them together. I expect that Ethan will do a great job of keeping him updated on progress there in the mideast.
wow. Rare and special indeed. I love that man; one of my favorites.
I started bawling as I saw this picture and thought what it must be like to be in the midst of such a great man. Thank goodness for pictures!!! You guys are quite lucky over there. I remember there was a time when Dan was in Egypt and so bummed cuz he had already booked a flight home when he found out another "great" man would be visiting.
glad I am not the only goofy one who didn't check before writing. I was signed as Sierra.
What a sweet and inspiring experience for you and your family! I love the photos!
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