Wk #28: Next Chapter

What a WEEK!
 

First of all... we got transfer calls last night....

I'm getting transferred and training a new missionary! I have such bitter sweet feelings about it all. Am I terrified out of my mind? You better believe it! I will be "white washing" an area! (Two new missionaries in an area..) I'm a little overwhelmed, but SO grateful that I've been given this opportunity! There are only 4 new sisters coming into the mission this transfer, and out of ALL the sisters serving here, I was one chosen to train! What a huge compliment and honor. Sister Rohwer will be staying here in Callaway, and she is also going to be training a new missionary. :) We've already shed lots of tears over leaving each other... so it's going to be quite an emotional few days for us, BUT I pray and hope that I can help my new little missionary the best I can. I truly am so grateful that Heavenly Father and President Smith have trusted me with this. I'm excited for this new chapter in my mission. :) I will be heading to Tallahassee tomorrow night, getting my new companion on Wednesday and heading to our new area! We won't know where we are serving until then... so keep your eyes out for the blog! or just wait until next monday ;) Sister Rohwer and I are both guessing Alabama, but we'll see!

 

Luckily, I was able to take pictures and say goodbye to most the ward on Saturday night at the Fish Fry they had! There are a few people I'm going to stop and see today and tomorrow. Gah. I hate goodbyes. I feel like I'm leaving home all over again!

I also hit six months this last week! CRAZY! I took a 6 month picture... but silly me forgot my camera today! So you'll just have to close your eyes and picture it. Sister Rohwer and I may or may not have celebrated by eating frozen yogurt for lunch... again.. I've gotta stop. haha Chocolate, Salted Carmel and coconut swirled together with toasted coconut and candied pecans on top? How can you not want that for a celebratory lunch.

We got a new investigator this week! His name is Braden, and he is the most polite little ten year old I have ever met. He is Walt's nephew! We are so excited to start teaching him! He told us that he had already started reading the Book of Mormon, and was so excited to learn more. What the! he's so awesome.

 

 

We also had some amazing experiences this week with service. Something that the south really struggles with is Home and Visiting Teaching. It is hard to watch, and at times extremely frustrating for us missionaries. So, we went out Visiting Teaching with one of the amazing women in our ward and was able to serve a sister who had just lost her husband not to long ago. She also suffers from extremely poor health and has a lot of family struggles. Sister Rohwer and I sat back for a few minutes and watched the sisterhood of the Relief Society unfold. What a humbling experience it was to watch two sisters serve and love each other.

We also had a few other amazing opportunities that we were blessed with, and we learned so much and felt such a love for our Heavenly Father as we did so!

Saturday we were able to attend and Wedding/Baptism for a family that the other sisters had been working with. It was a beautiful day for them, and we're so excited for them to start working towards the temple. :)

 

 

Last night Elder and Sister Crandall (a senior couple serving in our zone from Idaho) came over to our apartment and had Sunday dinner with us. We LOVED it. It felt like a Sunday at home getting together with family! They are the sweetest people ever, and I am so grateful I've been able to serve with them.

Today, a bunch of us missionaries in our zone are meeting at the beach for a BBQ and some fun.. 

but it's raining, so it should be a good time ;)

I love being a missionary, and I have loved serving here. It's definitely been REALLY hard, and very testing, but I have grown and learned so much about myself and my Savior. I'm grateful I've been given the opportunity to represent my Savior, Jesus Christ for 18 months. What an unexplainable experience it has been.

Thank you for all the love and prayers on my behalf. They are GREATLY appreciated!! 

 

 

 

Love Ya'll!

Sister Holmes :)

Wk #27: The Water in the Desert

We had interviews with President Smith this week, and I want to start off today's update with a story he told me that I have modified just a little. :)

The Water in the Desert

You are walking through a miserably hot desert. There is no shade to cool off, you are sunburned, the hot, dry wind is blowing. Your mouth is dry and full of dust and sand, and you can feel the grit on your teeth. You so badly want a drink of water. But you continue on, hopeless because you know there is no relief to be found.
You look down, and miraculously there is an ice cold glass of fresh water. Oh, how badly you want a drink! You look at it. You look at it, but you continue walking, leaving the water behind.

How often do we trek through the desert of life feeling hopeless, unforgivable, pained and confused? Worn down with the stresses of our day to day life? How often do we pass by the gift and the power of the Atonement, knowing that at any moment we can apply it to our life and experience the peace and joy we've so long been searching for?

The Atonement is infinite (2 Nephi 9:7). In Alma 34:9 we read that "it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost..."

Stop perishing in the desert of life. Take a drink of the water you have longed for, and be made whole. (Matthew 9:21-22)

In President Uctdorf's talk, Living the Gospel Joyful he says, "Part of our challenge is, I think, that we imagine that God has all of His blessings locked in a huge cloud up in heaven, refusing to give them to us unless we comply with some strict, paternalistic requirements He has set up. But the commandments aren’t like that at all. In reality, Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us.His commandments are the loving instructions and the divine help for us to close the umbrella so we can receive the shower of heavenly blessings...The Creator of the seas, sands, and endless stars is reaching out to you this very day! He is offering the grand recipe for happiness, peace, and eternal life!"

Put down your umbrella, pick up that glass of water, and let the blessings of the Atonement and the gospel rain upon you and quench your spiritual thirst!

This week I definitely experienced this. As missionaries, it's extremely visible the effort the adversary is putting in to destroy the gospel, happiness, and love. He works on everyone. The strongest members in the gospel, those who have yet to hear the gospel, and everyone in between. Sister Rohwer and I have dealt with this the last week as we've seen the armies of Satan work on our investigators, those we meet on the streets, families in our ward, and our companionship. But I know and can testify that as we turn to the Savior, we can be protected, strengthened, and confident.

Jazzanae's baptism has been postponed. We don't have a specific date for her right now, but it'll happen in the Lord's time! She is a very strong, beautiful little girl. We have every bit of faith that she will continue to progress to the waters of baptism.

Walt is doing AWESOME. He's had some pretty rough bumps come into his path, but he is strong, and he knows what his goal is and where he's going. His testimony of the Atonement is strong and powerful. He's working on the Word of Wisdom still, but has come so so far! Both Sister Rohwer and I are SO overwhelmed with gratitude for having the opportunity to work with him and his girlfriend, Jamie! I think we learn more from them.

Diane is doing great as well. We weren't able to see her this week, but she loves the Restoration, and we are praying that she reads the Book of Mormon!

We have a few new investigators this week! Crystal, Patty and Will.

Crystal is a cute mom of 3 adorable kids and is very interested! We are hoping to be able to start teaching her family!

Patty is a Family History investigator. She's... stubborn, but LOVES Family History.

Will is the son of one of our ward members. We aren't sure his interest level right now, but are hoping to help him find his place in life! He is 17 and super cool.

Also, hurricane season is a brewin! Well, almost. Technically there's 40 somethin days until hurricane season hits, but BOY! The weather has been nasty! We were under tornado watches and warnings yesterday, and we woke up to some pretty strong winds and rains this morning! A couple nights ago we had a thunderstorm (Um, thunder in the south is TERRIFYING. I may or may not have unintentionally screamed a couple times at this morning's thunder and jumped half a mile out of my chair. I'm surprised my head didn't get stuck in the ceiling from jumping so high...) but anyway, the thunderstorm the other night was so bad that during one thunder boom, it set off ALL of the car alarms outside. Crazy, right?!

We also got stuck in a DOWNPOUR. It was the funniest/ funnest thing I have ever experienced. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. And I also was an idiot and accidentally LOST OUR HOUSE KEYS. So... we had to go searching through our parking lot. But, the church is true and we found them. :)

Gotta keep those umbrella's down to get the blessings! ;)

Hope ya'll had a good week!!

LOVE YOU!

Sister Holmes :)

Wk #26: Blink, and it's gone!

This week was a total blur! I'm pretty sure I blinked and it was gone! I DON'T LIKE IT!

This week:

-I realized my fear of lizards.

-I learned to never to open the back door at night for more than 3 seconds.

-I learned that lizards are fast.

-I was hit on by a creepy, old, toothless man.

-I ate the worst baked beans of my life.

-I made 20+ U-turns in under an hour.

-I taught a lesson in a hotel room.

-I saw three wigs on the side of the road piled together.

-I got the blood of Archie in my study journal. So gross.

-I caught a glimpse of what pure humidity actually is ( H E L P )

On a more serious note:

-I watched Archie walk into Sacrament Meeting with a suit coat on (this is HUGE. he wears jeans and a plaid button up shirt every week) with his TITHING in his pocket! He also told us during the week that he loves taking the sacrament and missed it during conference!

-I witnessed a family recognize us as representatives of our Savior and desire to learn about the gospel.

-I had my testimony strengthened ten fold on being lead by the spirit.

-I listened to the testimony of little Jazzanae and realized how beyond ready she is for baptism. (April 21st is the big day!)

-I attended our Zone Training and was spiritually fed and learned so, so much. *I'M SURROUNDED BY INCREDIBLE MISSIONARIES.

-Sister Rohwer and I were able to teach about the "Basics" of the gospel at our Wednesday night scripture study. And as we taught, the spirit testified to me SO strongly of the truthfulness of this gospel!

     B- Build Your Foundation

     A- Anchored in Faith

     S- Study the Scriptures

      I- Illuminate the Light of Christ

     C- Christlike Attributes

     S- Sabbath Day Holy

- I was able to witness a continued lifestyle change with our investigator Walt as we taught about the Word of Wisdom. He already had been working on it!

-I once again realized how INCREDIBLY blessed I am to have Sister Rohwer as my companion. I can't say it enough.

This week I've been working on the council given by Elder Bednar during conference to "hush your fears." How many things hold us back from fulfilling the potential that we have? How many times do we walk away from something and think that we should have done something different. How many times do we become trapped with fear? Elder Bednar went on to say that faith and hope invite peace. We must look to Christ, build our foundation on Christ, and press forward with faith in Christ. Our hearts need not to be troubled nor feared, for the Lord our God is on our side! We must always put our shoulder to the wheel, and push along.

Love ya'll!

Sister Holmes

Wk #25: The Happiest of Easters!

What a WEEKEND!

Callaway, Florida, being a Sister Missionary, Having the best companion, General Conference AND Easter all combined = An extremely memorable weekend. :)

This last week was so great! We have a new finding tool that President Smith has been strongly encouraging us to use, which is a survey about Family History and Religion. Sister Rohwer and I decided to dedicate an hour to it everyday, and boy has our dedication paid off! We were able to have extremely strong testimony building experiences, learning opportunities, and NEW INVESTIGATORS! You combine all that with singing opera primary songs at the top of your lungs while riding bikes, and I'd call that a successful week!

We were able to watch conference at some members homes both Saturday and Sunday. Sister Rohwer and I sat there with our jaws dropped as each talk ended. 95% of them described the situations we had been in the last three weeks. Questions and confusions and misunderstandings about Adam and Eve? That has interestingly been our life that past couple weeks. We have come across MANY people who have ended up bashing on Adam and Eve and strongly changing the doctrine clearly stated in the bible. Also, all the talks about families and the Atonement? Once again, many teaching opportunities having to do with exactly that. It's fascinating how truly inspired these leaders of the church are! Not only that, but many, many questions were answered that I had prayerfully considered. OH, HOW I LOVE CONFERENCE!

It was definitely an incredible experience to be watching it from across the country, set apart as a missionary. There was a different spirit about it that I will never be able to deny or forget. I am so grateful I chose and was called to serve!

Oh ALSO, HELLO MY YSA WARD SINGING IN THE CHOIR SATURDAY AFTERNOON!!! I about DIED when I saw familiar Utah faces!

Easter was also great. :) We were able to spend it with member's and their families during Conference, then out teaching and contacting the rest of the night. And yes, the Easter Bunny DEFINITELY found us. haha we got a little spoiled.

I just want to end by quoting our beloved Prophet. “We are engaged in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he concluded. “Let us learn of Him. Let us follow in His footsteps. Let us live by His precepts.” Each talk focused on the BASICS of the gospel. Out in the field we teach people about spiritual CPR. Church, Pray, Read. Follow in the Saviors footsteps diligently. Attend your church meetings, the temple, and activities. Pray ALWAYS. Strengthen that precious relationship with your Father in Heaven. Read your scriptures. Study them. LOVE them. I can promise you that as you do these small and simple things, individually AND as a family, great things will surely come to pass. (Alma 37:6) We are in a great battle. We know who will win, but we have to do everything we can to get there.

I love you all!

Sister Holmes :)

Ps- Happy Easter from Sister Rohwer and I! :)

Too much Easter sugar... (backseat: l-r; Sis Nichols, from momma's lil hometown & Sis Jensen)

Wk #24: It's CONFERENCE TIME!

What the Monday! I can't believe it is here once again! Time is a flyin right on by! Not a whole lot happened this week. We had all but one appointment fall through. ALL BUT ONE. And they all cancelled an hour before. It was a little frustrating, but we made it into an adventure and ended up having the time of our lives! We ended up sharing the gospel with SO MANY PEOPLE on the streets of Panama City!! We were LOVIN it!!! We rode our bikes along the shoreline, and the weather was perfect! A little humid, but I'm not complainin because I know that in a month I'm gonna want to die. haha

Archie is doing awesome! It finally got a white shirt and tie and wore them to church and looked so handsome! We just love him. He also was asked to say the closing prayer in Sunday School and as soon as they asked him he turned, looked at us, put his fist out for a fist bump, and grinned his "million dollar" toothless grin! He was so honored. haha What a guy!

Walt is also doing AMAZING! He has a baptismal date set for July 11th and he is going to be ready FAR before that, so we are hoping to change it! He has the strongest testimony. He came from a non-religious background and a very dark past, and here he is. A COMPLETELY changed man who turns to the scriptures for ANY situation. We are SO honored to work with him!!

We haven't been able to see little Jazzanae as much as we'd like to, but her baptism is still set for the 18th of April. We are HOPING to move it to the 11th, but we'll see how that goes!

I was able to go to the General Women's Meeting on Saturday night, and wow. I didn't want it to ever end! I've always watched it from home, or there in the conference center. But to be across the country, watching with the Sisters here in Florida, a whole new spirit filled my heart as I came to realize how incredible this day and age is in the gospel. I hope all you pretty ladies were able to watch it, and if you weren't, here is the link so you can!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/04?cid=HP_SA_3-28-2015_dPTH_fGC_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng

We also had quite the amazing Sabbath day yesterday. Sister Rohwer and I both needed to hear exactly what was taught for our companionship and the work here in Callaway. We've been so overwhelmed with personal revelation and answers to prayers that we are just so grateful.

I want to share a scripture with ya'll that I came across in my studies this morning. It is in 3 Nephi 6:20, and it says "And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings."

As we approach this conference season, how truly grateful we should be to have men inspired from heaven, to testify boldly of our Savior Jesus Christ. We have a worthy Prophet who loves us, who prays for us, and who shows us the way to be like our Savior. We have apostles who teach us, who live the gospel, who encourage us to live righteously. We have many other leaders in the church who are true examples and disciples of our Savior. What a blessing to be led by worthy, valiant, soldiers of the Lord!

I just want to leave you with my testimony today on my Savior. I know Him, I love Him, and I am deeply honored to represent Him for 18 months of my life. I'm grateful for the atoning sacrifice that he paid so that I could return to live with my divine Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for the Resurrection, for the knowledge that He lives. I'm forever grateful for the resources that Heavenly Father has given to us to learn and grown and help one another. In Matthew 25:31-40 we learn that we will be judged for our actions here on earth. Like Elder Holland, I too would like to be caught in the act of something good, of something Christlike and in the middle of sharing the gospel when the Savior comes again. I encourage you to watch this video "Because He Lives" and with a prayerful heart recognize the eternal significance of Easter.

I love you all, and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

Love from the heart of the South,

Sister Holmes :)

Wk #23: Tribulation Builds Testimonies

It's definitely been a rough week in this neck of the woods. I want to start off by thanking everyone for the

sweet, sweet words about my very loved grandma! I've been overwhelmed with the love and support I have gotten. As hard as it has been for me out here, I know that she will be my extra companion in this cherished mission of mine.

I have been EXTREMELY grateful for Sister Rohwer this past week. She has done everything in her power to help me and make sure I'm okay. It's been a humbling experience as she has been so selfless. I had the incredible experience of being able to feel Heavenly Father and my Saviors infinite love for me through Sister Rohwer. It has been a week full of emotion and heartache, but one of overwhelming gratitude and love. She has truly shown many Christlike attributes towards me, and has taken me under her wing. She has the biggest heart, and has cried with me in times of sorrow.


The work has been a little slow this week seeing as how my cute companion and I have both been sick, but we did get two new investigators, and they are amazing. Walt has come from a very dark past, but has completely changed his life around and has an incredible testimony! The elders were working with him, and after scripture study Wednesday night that Sister Rohwer and I taught, him and his girlfriend (a member in our ward) came up and asked us to continue teaching them. We had a very powerful lesson after that, and we have felt so honored! And the other is Lacreesha! She is a SWEETHEART.

We are so excited :)

 

Sister Petersen & Sister Palmer. Both went home last week. My Sister Trainers. Very hard to see them go.

We are still working with sweet little Jazzanae for her baptism in a few weeks. She is a doll, and we love her to death! Keep praying for the 18th of April!

We also went on quite the bike ride on Saturday (both sicker than sick) and SURVIVED. 20+ miles in humidity ain't got nothin on us.

We also have discovered that the other two sisters have a little grill... so we have used it multiple times this last week! And no, I did not eat those veggies. haha

With General Conference fast approaching,  I would like to invite you to prayerfully think of questions you'd like to have answered. Search the scriptures, talk with your Heavenly Father, and write your special questions down. Ponder them over the next couple weeks and prepare your minds spiritually for the words the Prophet and leaders of the church will speak. Your questions will be answered!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/live-according-to-the-words-of-the-prophets?cid=HP_Homepage-2015_3-18-15_dPTH_L1-C_762&lang=eng

LOVE YA'LL!

Sister Holmes :)

Wk# 22: A Life Changing Baptism!

What an unforgettable week.

 

We have been able to see Archie everyday for the past few weeks as he has been preparing to be baptized, and it has been quite the beautiful journey. As we have taught him, listened to him, and watched him grow, I have been able to truly witness a change in heart. 

Friday afternoon Sister Rohwer and I got a call from Archie and Karen wondering if we could come see them later on that evening, of course we agreed and ended the conversation. When we got there, Archie was definitely having a hard time. Very small things were making him extremely upset, he wasn't excited for his baptism, and he was far from happy. Satan was workin pretty darn hard. So, we sat down on his front porch and started talking to him. This was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever been a part of. He recognized that Satan was doing all he could to keep Archie from being baptized. Archie told us that Satan told him to go buy a new pot for his coffee, to not show up to the baptism, and kept trying to get him to lose his temper. On top of that, their house ended up having a massive water leak.

Sister Rohwer and I honestly could not tell you what we told him that night, what our conversation was about, or what we were doing, but the spirit was definitely present and leading the conversation. We read a few baptism scriptures, encouraged him, and went inside to say a kneeling prayer. (The prayers that are really spiritual? He calls them heavy prayers. haha) So we experienced a heavy prayer with them, and he was a changed man. The happy ole Archie that was excited to be baptized. He told us "Satan ain't gon' win!" haha We ended up going to get a pre-baptism celebration treat and ending the night off with some laughs. 

Then Saturday morning rolled around.

We wake up, get ready, and head out the door. We get to the church, start filling up the font, and in walks Archie Brown. :) He went and put his baptism suit on, and tears. Instant tears for this sister! He was SO excited and so ready. We listened to some church music, talked, and soaked in the spirit. We took pictures outside and waited for everyone to come. Well, we had quite the crowd there! So many people came to support him, and it was amazing! He was so funny. When he walked into the font, he plugged his nose and tried to dunk himself (he got confused) and then everyone laughed and he laughed at himself. haha Then, when he came out of that water, he was truly a changed man. The biggest grin I had ever seen on a human. Again, tears. Okay. I had a constant flow of tears ALL MORNING. (That made playin the piano fun... haha) 

It was the most special, spiritual baptism I have ever been a part of. I am beyond grateful that out of the 200+ missionaries in the FTM, the thousands upon thousands of missionaries in the world, and that have ever served, Heavenly Father trusted Sister Rohwer and I to be an instrument in His hands to work with Archie. My life has forever been changed. As I've watched a grumpy man, hard hearted against the gospel, come to apply the Atonement in his life, come to know the truth, and gain a testimony, I have been humbled and have felt a little piece of Heavenly Father's love for him.

He is now 100 times happier than I have ever seen him. A COMPLETELY changed man. And I am a completely changed Sister.

Sister Rohwer and I have also had many wonderful memories made this week! We may or may not have taken a turtle on a bike ride and taken it home.. and we may or may not have tried to feed it golden raisins. haha We've enjoyed the gorgeous sunny weather, read our scriptures outside, and laughed until we've cried and ALMOST peed.

We also get to stay in Callaway together for another transfer! WE ARE THRILLED. She's more than just my sister in the gospel, and I am SO grateful for the opportunity I have to continue serving with her!

I love ya'll, and I appreciate each prayer said on my behalf and the prayers said for Archie. I've definitely felt them and seen them this week.

Ps- IT'S ALMOST CONFERENCE TIME!

Love,

Sister Holmes :)