News Story of Elder Holland's Visit to Scotland

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Visits Scotland 

during Church's Scottish Anniversary Year

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, from the worldwide Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), visited Edinburgh (Sat 6 Jun and Sun 7 Jun) for a visit to local Church members and missionaries that coincided with the 175th Anniversary of the Church’s first baptisms in Scotland.  Elder Holland paid tribute to the Christian faith of thousands of early pioneers who joined the Church in Scotland and their legacy to the Church’s modern-day Scottish membership.

During a Sunday address broadcast live across 56 stakes [dioceses] throughout Northern Europe, Elder Holland spoke of his faith in the scriptures and the spiritual conviction that kindled within him while serving as a missionary in Britain:

“The spiritual experiences and holy affirmations I have had regarding the Saviour and His restored church first came to me as a young man on a mission here in the United Kingdom when I read the Book of Mormon.”

He continued: “The Book of Mormon stands preeminent in my intellectual and spiritual life, the classic of all classics, a reaffirmation of the Holy Bible, a voice from the dust, a witness for Christ, the word of the Lord unto salvation.”

Those attending the Sunday broadcast spoke enthusiastically about the gathering in Edinburgh:

“A sign of a good meeting is to leave better than when you arrived – I’m leaving feeling enthusiastically renewed.”  (Penny Casey from Dalkeith)

“It was truly special to have an apostle of the Lord in Scotland bearing his testimony so strongly of the Saviour Jesus Christ, His gospel and the importance of the Book of Mormon…I plan to share this experience with my friend.”  (Simon Beveridge from Edinburgh)

One well-known early missionary preaching in Scotland during the 1890’s was David O McKay who later became President of the Church.  He was once feeling homesick on his mission and said that while walking around he saw an inscription chiselled in an arch – ‘What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part’ – which buoyed him up.  The words are now found on an inscription in the grounds of the Church’s mission headquarters in Edinburgh.

There are over 26,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scotland
within the UK’s total membership of 186,000.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/elder-jeffrey-r--holland-visits-scotland-during-churchs-scottish-anniversary-year