Wk #57: Touch Heaven

Hello my loves!

This week was so good. Like, so good! 

We taught some incredible lessons, found some incredible new investigators, and felt an incredible amount of the spirit! So, I guess you could say it was an incredible week. ;)

Crepes for Sister Evans' birthday!

We went on a couple exchanges this week, which meant... I got to go to FSU!! That place has my heart. I was so excited to go back :) We had a really good day there :) I got to see lots of familiar faces, so that was really fun.

Zone Training

We had Zone Training this week, and man. Was it powerful! Our zone is ROCKIN. Seriously. Every stinkin missionary is amazing. It makes my heart so happy! Sister Evans and I got to teach on how to have fun in the work. (Side note- due to our schedule the last week, we had ZERO time to plan. So we planned the night before and woke up early to finish it... Yup. Talk about anxiety!) You guys. It went AMAZING. Heavenly Father definitely provides. it was really fun, we had each missionary write down one embarrassing/awkward moment from their mission and put it in a bowl. We then had 3 sisters and 3 elders come up, chose one out of the bowl and act it out. Best game of charades I have EVER been apart of. Everyone LOVED it! We all got a good laugh out of it. 

An Artiste unveiled...

We had a Relief Society activity last night where one of the members in our ward (she's an art major) taught everyone to paint. IT WAS SO FUN. I now just want to paint all the time! 

Also, random moment of the week: I made Sister Evans laugh so hard that she peed her pants in the car. hahaha She had to feel the seat and make sure it wasn't wet! I about died. And she'll probably die if she finds out I said that! 

Now, some updates on the people:

Melissa is doing A-MAZING. Gah. I am so so proud of her. We had some really awesome lessons with her this week, and she is still good to be baptized on the 28th!! We are extremely excited!

Willie. haha he makes me laugh so hard. I wish I could record him and send ya'll the video. He's a hoot. But he is doing good as well. We were super bummed because he got called into work super last minute last Sunday, so he wasn't able to come to church. :( His baptism got bumped to December 12th, but he's still really excited!

Derek is out of this world. I can't even describe in words how grateful I am to be a part of his journey. He's one incredible kid. His baptism got bumped to the 12th as well, but he is solid, solid, solid. 

We have another investigator, Kaleel, that is REALLY close to setting a baptismal date! So keep him in your prayers!

Tally fogged in

Also, Andrew... that kid. haha Satan is workin over time on the poor guy! He STILL hasn't been confirmed yet. So pray that he'll make it this Sunday! It's been a stress of a situation. 

Also... guess who we got to teach last night!!! HANNAH!!!! Remember when Sister Wood and I taught Tira's mom and sister? We finally got to see her sister again! We were at Tira's dad's house this time, and man. My love for that family is UNREAL. They were so kind and fed us an incredible dinner, and it felt like I was at home. Cute little hannah just knows everything and has the cutest testimony in the world. Then, to top it all off, their sweet dad invited us over for Thanksgiving!! I about cried! Again, I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude that Heavenly Father put that sweet family in my life. 

This morning we had a lesson with a girl named Esther. It's FSU's homecoming today, so traffic was a mess. The scouts here use the church parking lot to earn money for the scouting program so the church lot was CRAZY. As people were driving in to pay for a parking spot, Sister Evans and I were waiting on the corner for Esther so she wouldn't have to pay. After a long while of waiting (she got lost), she finally made it, and we went into the Family History Center to have our lesson. This was quite possibly one of the coolest lessons I have ever been a part of. Why? Esther is deaf, and can't read lips. :) So, we got to have a silent lesson where the Spirit was the universal language. We had her watch the lesson taught in ASL on lds.org. We typed throughout our conversation. It taught me a very cherished lesson that it doesn't matter what words you use, how you say things, or what they say. All that matters is that you let the spirit teach them. You guys. It was SO POWERFUL. AND, she's coming to church and bringing her friends to her next lesson. How amazing is that! I had tears in my eyes. She also signed the closing prayer, and that was so so neat. 

I'm just super grateful for so many things!!!

Another highlight of my week was helping Errick do his family history. He's a recent convert and someone we work with. His family history is really difficult to do, and he hasn't gotten very far at all. We helped him a few nights ago, and after an HOUR of searching.. All the sudden we found one record that lead to like 4 names he can take to the temple!! The spirit of Elijah was crazy strong. It was SUCH a neat experience!

Gosh. I LOVE THE GOSPEL. I can't even say it enough!!! 

Most of you know how big I am on gratitude, and since we are nearing closer to the holiday of thanks I thought I'd leave you with this quote that I absolutely love by President Monson. 

“To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.”

I hope that we can all touch heaven this holiday season. I love you all!!!

the happiest sister in the field, 

Sister Holmes

ps- you gotta have a selfie every once in a while, right? ;) 

 

Wk #56: I'm on a SPIRITUAL HIGH!

Andrew

I swear. Every week is the best week of my mission. And that is more than true for this week as well!

I am SO HAPPY. I wish I could express how happy my heart is, but there just aren't words to even start! I have been SO blessed this week with miracle after miracle, and tender mercy after tender mercy, and my life has been changed. Again. ;)

SUNDAY

We had a BAPTISM! Andrew was SO excited, and the spirit was so strong. It was right after church, so the entire ward was there and it was awesome. Elder Dalley and a kid named Birkley spoke at the baptism and Sister Evans and I gave the prayers. We watched short little videos while Andrew was getting changed. He came out of the water SO happy. My heart was filled with joy to see one of Heavenly Father's children take that step into the Kingdom. He gets confirmed tomorrow (PRAY FOR HIM. He went to Atlanta and is stuck there, so we are praying that he makes it back for church tomorrow!!!) We are so proud of him. :)

Mission Leadership Conference... Reunited with Sister Rindlisbacher and Sister Brown. Happy!

MONDAY

We got a new investigator, Kahlil, and boy. Is he prepared! We had an INCREDIBLE lesson on the Restoration, and the spirit was definitely there. We are so excited about him, and can't wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for him. 

The smiles say it all....

Later that day, we were sitting in the library on TCC waiting for our appointment, and I had the strongest feeling that we needed to go to the food court if our appointment didn't show up. I didn't say anything to Sister Evans, but time went on and he never showed up. Again, I was super prompted. I turned to Sister Evans and told her that we needed to go to the food court because someone was in there that we needed to see. So we grabbed our stuff and speed walked over there. We walked in and there was no one... right as I was about to doubt the prompting (never do that..) I look up, and there he was. WILLIE. You guys. I LOVE WILLIE! We hadn't been able to get a hold of him (he doesn't have a phone...) and we hadn't seen him for a while and we weren't sure how we were going to get a hold of him, and there he was! We asked him if he could meet with us right then, he said yes, and then we had the most powerful lesson on the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was so powerful, and.... We committed him to be baptized.. and HE ACCEPTED! November 28th people!!! HUGE miracle!

TUESDAY

Tuesday we had District Meeting which is ALWAYS awesome, a few appointments and then we got to go to Costco! I had to pick up my meds and it just HAPPENED to be SAMPLE DAY. hahaha Yep. We may or may not have walked around and eaten samples. It was awesome. We also found ginormous teddy bears that were like 10 feet tall! It's always a good place to be!

We also had our MLC this week, but it was a retreat! Twice a year they have a retreat where all the leadership in the mission go and have a bonfire and play volleyball and hang out at the mission home. It was SO fun. I LOVE the missionaries here. I'm surrounded by incredible people. We had a way good time. All of the STL's got to spend the night in the mission home, which was AWESOME. Even cooler than that, Exactly a year ago I was at the MTC on my first day in FL. Pretty fun!

WEDNESDAY

A pig neck in the green beans for flavoring they say... a good reason to avoid green beans I say!!! GAG!!!

Wednesday we had MLC (the actual leadership training) and boy was I spiritually uplifted. I am eternally grateful for President and Sister Smith. They have changed my life. I swear they are perfect. But Sister Evans and I had the opportunity to teach at MLC. We created a new exchange report that President loved so much he wanted it implemented mission wide. So we got to train on that! It was a super awesome day. 

THURSDAY

We got to meet with Melissa super last minute, and yet again, another miracle lesson! We taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it finally clicked for her! It was a really great lesson, and... We committed her to be baptized too!! YUP! She accepted... Her date is also for November 28th! We are SO excited! She is such a sweetheart and definitely deserves the blessings of baptism!

We also got to meet with a less active named I-Jah. I LOVE I-JAH. We had an amazing lesson with him, and HE'S COMIN BACK!!!! I'm SO excited!!!

FRIDAY

I was on exchanges and had a sister from Perry at TCC with me! It was super fun.

We got a new investigator named Malia... it's not spelled that way.. but I can't remember how to spell it. Anyway, she is way interested and is so excited to learn more. 

But, let's back up. Remember Derek? The one who is like WAY prepared? yeah. So, he didn't want to meet with us this week (which made us SUPER nervous) and hadn't heard from him. We had texted him on Thursday night and had just let him know that we were thinking about him. Well, friday I wake up and see the phone lit up, so I go and look, and you'll never believe what it said... it said "I believe. I want to be baptized!" WHAT!! Talk about a good morning! So, we moved our schedule around so that we could see derek. We did Family History with him which ended up being way sweet, and then we took him on a church tour. I have never been so overcome with the spirit in my life. As we reached the baptismal font, I was fighting back tears, and so was everyone else. We had a really powerful conversation, and then.,... we committed him to be baptized. He has had one crazy experience after another telling him this is true. So guess what... that's THREE baptisms on NOVEMBER 28th!!!! 

I KNOW I am supposed to be on TCC for Derek. The spirit has testified that to me time and time again. My heart is so full of gratitude that the spirit led us to him a few weeks ago. Heavenly Father has definitely been blessing us this week, and I don't feel like I deserve it, but I'm very humbled and grateful. 

You guys, this gospel is so true. I can't express how much love I have for the blessings of the scriptures and prayer. Never in my life have I been more converted to the gospel then I have this week. I know with every thing that I am that Heavenly Father loves His children. He knows them, He blesses them, and He wants them to return Home. I know that my Savior lives, that he has suffered for me specifically and that I can use that to be strengthened. I know that this church is true, and I will never deny that or fall away. I love this gospel, and I will defend my God at all times and in all things and in all places. 

I love you all with everything that I have! I hope you have a week full of blessings. ya'll are great.

All my love,

Sister Holmes :)

 

Wk #55: I've Lost My Marbles.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!!

YSA Ward Costume Winner

It took Sister Evans and I until 11:00am to remember that today was Halloween! Where has the month gone?! It's so weird to think that exactly a year ago, I was right where Cade is! Halloween in the MTC. I ate SO much junk that day. So fun!

This week I lost my marbles. All of them. My brain has officially turned to mush and I don't even know how to get it back! haha actually, I don't even know where to find time to figure out how to get it back! Too little time, so much to do! 

It was a roller coaster of a week. I don't even know if roller coaster is the right term.. bittersweet? I don't know. Lots of good, some bad, lots of miracles, and lots of stress!

"Look who I found!"

First of all, out of 26 planned lessons this week... 3 worked out. THREE! Talk about a rough week!

Sister Evans, Q, Sister Holmes

We went on two exchanges this week. I went to Crawfordville once again, and I about DIED! They've gone over on miles for the month, so we got to bike! Which, I'm totally down with. But whew! Am I out of shape! After 7 months of not riding a bike... we rode over TWELVE MILES..... uphill, against the wind, without water. I really thought death was around the corner. But hey! I survived, and that's all that matters right?! 

 Sister Evans has come to realize how jumpy I am and  LOVES to scare me. I keep telling her that payback is coming, but we get a good laugh out of it. :) 

Our singles ward had a super fun Halloween party on Thursday, and the turn out was awesome! Lots of investigators came, and the ward participation was so great! We had a lot of fun. I think I ate over 20 cookies.. but I don't think anyone noticed... blessing or a curse? Someone probably should have stopped me. 

Speaking of that... Every office chair that I sit in slowly lowers... is that a sign? Even the one I'm sitting on to email ya'll keeps going down! I GET IT. Layin off the cookies. ;)

Tonight our district is having a Halloween party since we have to be in early. We're pretty excited. I'm preppin to kick some you know what in ping pong and pumpkin carving. It's about to get REAL.

And, to save the best for last....

WE'RE HAVING A BAPTISM TOMORROW!!!! SURPRISE!!!!

Our investigator, Andrew, has had the lessons 3 times, and we've been working with him for a really long time. We had just set a baptismal date for November 7th, but things came up and so we moved it to the 5th. THEN, he met with bishop, and we all decided on tomorrow after church! I AM THRILLED. My heart is so grateful that Andrew finally get's to experience the blessings of baptism! He is the goofiest, most genius person, but man. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to know that kid. He's really, really neat. What better way to bring in November than with a baptism? :)

Really though, what a blessing the gospel is. The power of missionary work has filled my heart and healed it from so many wounds. I'm eternally grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who gives each and every one of His children the opportunity to find happiness and peace. My testimony of the Book of Mormon continues to grow, and the converting power it contains is what I consider the greatest power this earth has. I second the testimony of Elder Holland, and I will defend this gospel until the day I die. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/testimony-of-the-book-of-mormon-2

My personal studies recently have been extremely good. Ever since Cade left for his mission, I've received an extra dose of the spirit that has helped me more than I could ever begin to explain. Interestingly enough, the week he came out on his mission was the week I finally felt that I knew what I was doing and understood the work. What a tender miracle. I'm very grateful for you Elder Holmes!

I love you all SO much, and I'm again so grateful for the prayers you send my way. 

I'm still the happiest missionary out there. 

SO MUCH LOVE!

Sister Holmes :) 

 

 

Wk #54: The Spirit of Elijah

What up my people!

This week has been C-R-A-Z-Y.

Absolutely nuts, but in a good way! :)

First of all... WHAT THE YEAR MARK?! It freaks me out a little bit! I hate how fast the time flies. It was a good day though! My sweet companion made me pancakes for breakfast while I was in the shower! They were super yummy. I got a few packages (THANK YOU!) and had a great day full of missionary work! 

My "lexa moment" for the week was that I walked smack dab into a WALL. What is my problem?! It was super embarrassing, and I may or may not have a bruise on my arm from it. haha My life is the best life. :) 

We had some really incredible lessons this week. We taught Derek twice, and boy. I have been SO grateful that Heavenly Father led us to him! We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he LOVED it. We asked him what his thoughts were, and he got a huge grin and said, "It just makes me feel so happy! It's WAY better than what I thought was going to happen to everyone, and way better than what I've been taught." He really, really loved it. He even took a picture of the little layout we have (THANKS MOM!) and was so excited to keep looking at it. THEN, we taught him about Family History and Temples at the next lesson because during the Plan of Salvation when we asked if he had any questions he asked, "What about all the people in the spirit world that haven't been baptized? That's not very fair for them." PERFECT QUESTION! So we taught about Family History and Baptisms for the dead, and WHOA. That was a powerful lesson. The spirit of Elijah was SO strong. I sat there in awe during the whole lesson. During the lesson he whipped out his notebook and pen and started writing notes and asked for us to repeat all the scripture references that we had used, and at the end he said, "This makes so much sense. God is a fair God! SO THIS MAKES SENSE! I want to go into the temple one day and help my ancestors be baptized. I can't wait." WHAT!!! I was SO happy!!! I got a little teary eyed! This lesson is what made him deeply consider baptism. He's so ready, and I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude. I love the gospel!!! He is such a sweet kid!

I went on two exchanges this week! I went to Crawfordville and the Tally 4th ward area! I love getting to serve in other areas with the sisters. They are all incredible, and I learn so much every time! In Crawfordville, we had an extremely powerful lesson with a less active about working towards the temple. You guys. THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH IS SO REAL. Again, I got teary eyed in that one too! SO many incredible moment this week that I will forever cherish. I love working with my sisters!

I have felt extremely overwhelmed and blessed to be out serving with Cade. The power of missionary work has been such a testimony to me. I truly have felt the blessings of serving at the same time with him, and that spirit that I have felt that comes from that is something I will never forget. So, Elder Holmes, thank you for being willing to accept the call to serve. I am forever grateful!

I love you all so so much. I can't even say it enough. Thank you for all your love and all the support and prayers. They are definitely felt and recognized and I thank Heavenly Father every day, multiple times a day for that! Seriously though. How did I get so lucky?

I just want to leave you with this video (I MAY have shared it before... I can't remember..) and challenge to work on your family history this week. We ALL have time to get on to familysearch.org and seek them out. It's the perfect Sabbath activity. :) But I know that our ancestors are waiting for us, you and me, to take them to the temple. Don't make them wait any longer, be a Savior on Mount Zion!

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/discover-your-family-history-discover-your-story?lang=eng

 

I love you all so so much!! Have a wonderful week!!

All my love, 

Sister Holmes

 

Week #53: Transfer Week = An Emotional Week

Saying Goodbye to Sister Wood

Hello my loves!

I don't even know where to begin this week! SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED. 

But first of all, HUGE shout out to by SI GUY! Happy Birthday buddy!!! :)

This week was FULL of miracles. One right after the other, and boy, am I overwhelmed with gratitude! And I am SO grateful they happened while I was still with Sister Wood!!!

Sister Evans... the new companion

This week we got six, yes SIX new investigators, and they are all EXTREMELY prepared. I have been blown away by the guidance of the spirit this week. 

Ferdinand is from the Ivory Coast and truly recognized us as representatives of Jesus Christ as we taught the restoration. As we testified and promised blessings, he thanked us multiple times. He is such a sweet heart, and I am thrilled to be working with him!

Gregory is incredible. He had a buddy that passed away in a car accident that they were in a few months back, and he has an incredible testimony of prayer. We are so excited to teach him about the Plan of Salvation. What a blessing that knowledge is!

Victor is hilarious. He reminds me of all my boys back home! We were laughin the whole time. (Don't worry, the spirit was there!) But we are way excited about him.

Willie.. Willie is AWESOME. As we taught him the restoration, and he was overcome with the spirit. We had waited on him to get to his lesson for 25 minutes, debating on if we should leave, when all of the sudden he walks into the library. He had forgotten about our appointment and was sitting on the bus, when his alarm went off to remind him to meet with us. He got off the bus and ran to the library! As we taught the restoration, he got very emotional, and said that he knew God needed him to hear this message. It was a very powerful experience!

Christina is a family history investigator, who we are positive will come to love the gospel. She is SO sweet.

Fred we met while walking down the street. He was dozing off on a chair across the street, but I felt prompted to go talk to him. As we did, he opened up about the trials he is facing and said that God had sent us to him. Wow! 

Derek is still doing extremely well. We started reading the Book of Mormon with him, and man. The spirit was so strong. He fell in LOVE! we only read 1 Nephi 1-3, but he didn't want to put it down. He kept asking if we could keep reading to see what happens next, but we left him on a cliff hanger to see for himself on his own! It was a really neat experience.

We also set a baptismal date with our investigator Andrew for November 7th! We are SO excited about that!!! Please, please keep him in your prayers!

We also were able to meet with a lot of our recent converts, and that was a huge blessing. 

Transfers were Wednesday. I've said it before, and I will say it again, and I'll probably say it the next time as well... but I HATE TRANSFERS. 

Emotions. SO MANY EMOTIONS.

It was SO hard to say goodbye to my sweet Sister Wood! I hated it. haha SO. MANY. TEARS.

that's the mission life for ya.

 My new companion is Sister Evans from Wallsburg, Utah! Don't worry, I didn't know where that was at either... haha but it's by Heber. She is SUPER athletic and very, very, VERY hard working! 

I think I MAY have about killed her yesterday. We walked ALL day. She was pretty exhausted last night. It was awesome! Hard work makes for the best sleep ;)

I'm overwhelmed to be leading the area and getting Sister Evans adjusted, but I know the Lord qualifies those he calls. 

For those of you who asked, I am still on TCC campus and I am still a sister training leader! Everything's the same except my companion!

I'm so blessed to be serving as a missionary at this time in the world. I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for the life changing experiences and testimony building moments He has given me. I'm grateful for prayer and the spirit, and I know that they work hand in hand. 

I just want to leave ya'll with this quote from Elder Uctdorf's talk in the Women's General Broadcast.

"As you walk along your own bright path of discipleship, I pray that faith will fortify every footstep along your way; that hope will open your eyes to the glories Heavenly Father has in store for you; and that love for God and all His children will fill your hearts."

I love you all SO much, and I am so grateful for your prayers, letters, support and love!

Until next time, 

Sister Holmes :)

 

Week #52: Another Week!

Happy October 10th!

This week has been a crazy one! We've been staying super busy, and I feel like we've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off, but that's okay, we're still alive and kickin!

On Monday we went to Wakulla Springs with the sisters in our district, and it was SO much fun!! It was GORGEOUS. I didn't want to leave! It's a very historic place, and I fell in love. We took a boat tour and got to see some manatee's and alligators!!! say what!! First of all, manatees are GINORMOUS. Second of all, gators are freaky. Talk about dinosaurs! I wouldn't want to be chased by one of them, that's all I'm sayin. It was way fun though, and it was super nice to be able to do something fun on P-day! 

This week also had a lot of funny moments :) 

-I was asked about my dating life, and then given advice.

-We were asked if we were high on marijuana... um... NO. The gospel is just that good! 

-I spent the night in Perry, FL... in a TRAILER... in the middle of the woods... Those sisters are troopers. While there I got eaten alive by sand gnats... What even are sand gnats?! I also opened the door to realize there was a snake, on TOP of the door, preparing to pounce on two baby frogs. Terrifying. I'm very grateful I live in the city.

aannddd...

-I butt called 911.. yeah.. oops! I'm cursed with butt calling people. It's really bad. haha

We also had some pretty awesome miracle moments. We found the most genuinely prepared kid on campus this week. We sat and taught him on the spot, and he felt the spirit SO strong. He asked so many incredible questions, and agreed with everything! His name is Derek and we are so grateful that Heavenly Father led us right to him!

It's been a really crazy week, and I know more happened, but I am SO brain dead today!!! But I'm super sad because Sister Wood leaves this week. :( We've been trying to get that all ready, and stuff. but all in all it was an awesome week, and I still love being a missionary :) 

To end, I want to bear testimony that this gospel is so true, and that as we continually seek the spirit, we will be led to where we need to be. I know that He is VERY aware of our heartaches, pains, frustrations and joys. He loves us and wants us to be happy, and all we need to do is allow Him to bless us. 

I'm so grateful. So so grateful.

Love all ya'll!!! 

Sister Holmes

and ELDER HOLMES! Welcome to the mission field!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

Week #51: Trials Bring Gratitude

My heart is SO full of gratitude today. So many happy things to be grateful for!!!

First of all. Let's talk about General Conference. 

WHOA. Why can't it be General Conference ALL the time?! So much love!!! I was overcome by the spirit as I sat in a quiet chapel, surrounded by missionaries and investigators listening to the words of the Lord. So many things touched my heart, deepened my understanding, and confirmed to me that this truly is the path we need to be on. I was filled with wonder and awe at the council given, and the testimonies shared. I desperately needed the sweet spirit of conference this weekend. Oh, what a blessing!

This week has been a rough one for me. Lots of little things adding up, weighing me down, and dragging me along. We did service last saturday morning (i think I wrote about it last week) and had gotten bit by a bug which turned into not a very good thing! It ended up swelling to the size of a golf ball, and was as red as a cherry tomato about the size of a penny. It was SO painful. I had to go to the doctor (bblleehhhhh) and got some antibiotics! Dr. Kent was a little concerned, but luckily the meds have been working wonders! It's gone down a TON and isn't red anymore. YAY!!

I also got hit with the sick bug this week. It's been going around everyone out here... and finally hit me. Hard. It's been a struggle, but I'm still keepin on! There's no time to slow down!! I'm hoping and praying I'm on the uphill swing of things now... but we'll see.

Sadly, we won't be having any baptisms this weekend. Our investigators are really struggling right now, and we're really really sad about that! They are all incredible. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to work with such inspiring people. They'll get the blessings of baptism soon. :) It's all in the Lord's timing!

Little frustrations have filled this week, but I have continually focused on being grateful. It's the cure for everything. I am SO SO SO GRATEFUL. Heavenly Father is SO good to me. I don't deserve it most of the time. 

Also, HUGE shoutout to the almost Elder Holmes as he leaves for the MTC this week! My love for that kid is beyond words. Buddy, WELCOME TO THE WORK! :) 

Also, another huge shout out to MADI!!! the almost Sister Holmes the second! ;) I am overwhelmed with excitement for Argentina to get two of my favorite people in the entire world!!!

What a beautiful peace the gospel brings!

As I sat and listened to the tender talk Elder Bednar gave, I was filled with happiness and a joy that I was serving a mission. He quoted sweet Elder Scott that said "When you cannot do what you have always done, you only do what matters most." 

How true that statement is!

I feel like that is the definition of my mission. I was once the person doing things that I loved, things I was good at, and things I chose, but then I was set apart to do the most important thing, and I couldn't be happier. 

I love ALL OF YOU!!! 

really. so much love.

Sister Holmes :)