Wk # 45: Month TEN

Hello my lovely people!

I hope life is treating ya'll good!

We've had a pretty fun week! Last p-day we kicked it off with a campfire with our district! Man! have I missed a good campfire! It was lots of fun!

I also learned that when you MELT the butter instead of SOFTEN it to make cookies, your cookies end up looking like pancakes. haha lesson learned. still good though! 

Campus is starting to get a little busier, which I am SO grateful for. School starts on Monday, so Sister Wood and I are so so excited! 

A couple of our investigators aren't doing super hot right now, so we are really sad about that. We're still working really hard to help them feel the spirit and recognize the importance of having the gospel in their lives. But on the bright side, we got three new investigators this week, and whoa. Have we experienced some amazing things with them!

I'm going to tell you about "D" and "H". 

When Sister Wood first entered the MTC, Sister Bacon met her at the curbside and helped her the first day. While going through the MTC, They realized that Sister Wood was getting sent to Tallahassee which is where Sister Bacon was from! After the excitement of that news, Sister Bacon told Sister Wood to go baptize her family. (Sister Bacon was a convert of a little over a year I think...) Sister Bacon expressed that as much as she would love that, she didn't think her family would ever convert, especially her mom. 

They parted ways, and that was that.

"T", a.ka. Sister Bacon, just returned home from her mission last week, and now attends the 5th ward in which we serve. There was a sweet reunion between T and Sister Wood and lots of catching  up. As we got talking, I found out that T served in Lisbon, Portugal and knew Jake! Small world!

At T's reporting to the high council, her mom was overcome with the spirit and expressed her desire to have what T has. HUGE miracle.

T called us very excited and asked if we would be able to teach her mom. Unfortunately though, we only teach single college age students, and so we gave her the number of the missionaries that serve in her mom's area. The missionaries serving there are elders, and super good missionaries. We were SO sad we couldn't teach her, but knew that Heavenly Father's plan is perfect.

A couple days pass and we get a frantic phone call from T saying that her mom does NOT want elders to teach her, she wanted sisters, and specifically the sisters that she had met in the hallway of the church (Sister Wood and I). So, we talked to the elders, and they said they would pray about it and figure it out. 

The next phone call we got was the elders saying that they had prayed and felt that it should be Sister Wood and I who taught her.... We were SO EXCITED, and we knew that we needed to teach her mom as soon as possible so the desire to learn didn't fade away.

We set up an appointment, and prayed and prepped so hard for the lesson. 

IT WAS THE MOST POWERFUL LESSON OF MY MISSION.

I have never experienced the spirit so strongly, so powerfully, and so clear in my entire life. The pure testimony that T shared and the desire she has for her mom and her sister ("H") was so tender and so genuine that we all got a little emotional. D's change of heart and willingness to try and to learn was incredible. H is twelve and was asking profound questions out of a sincere desire to learn. 

I was humbled to have experienced that, and to have been given the opportunity to be the missionaries who teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to this sweet family.

It's experiences like this that make everything worth it. 

I LOVE THE GOSPEL!

I have a very simply humble testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the enabling power of the Atonement, and the gift of charity are so very real. The world may be dark, confusing, and chaotic, but the gospel will ALWAYS stand firm. It will always be a light that changes the hearts of many, and brings eternal happiness into the soul of the despair. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is truly the Lord's prophet called to lead us in this day and age, and I know that the priesthood he holds is essential for our progression. How grateful I am to have the opportunities of growth and experience in serving my Heavenly Father and representing my Savior. 

"I love ya'll and I'm so extremely grateful for you!

Much Love!!

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# 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 :)

Wk #17: A Weekend Full of Tender Mercies

WOW! What a weekend!! Sister Rohwer and I have been on a spiritual HIGH! :)

Saturday sweet Valerie got baptized! It was such an incredible baptism and the spirit was extremely strong. Everything went smoothly (except our water heater for the font.. poor girl. haha) and the cute program was so great. Valerie insisted on bearing her testimony at the end, and whoa. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. She definitely has a deep understanding and strong testimony of the gospel. She has come so far, and her life has truly been changed by the Atonement. What an incredible opportunity for her! I was so so happy. I have been so grateful that I've been able to get to know Valerie. She has the most tender heart, and I am SO beyond proud of her.

After the baptism, cute Sister Rohwer and I had a big heart to heart that led to tears of gratitude. You guys. She is SUCH a blessing to me. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father let us be companions! She is my family out here, and I will forever be grateful for her.

We rode our bikes all day Saturday, and the weather was absolutely GORGEOUS. Perfect blue skies, warm sun, and a soft breeze. Man, February in Florida is nniicceee. We were able to talk to so many people about the gospel, and there were so many tender mercies from Heavenly Father. We were so overwhelmed.

Later that night we decided to try a new technique that another sister shared with us called "indoor finding". So we went through our area book and called all the numbers that were listed, even if they were from years and years ago. And guess what! More tender mercies! We were able to set up multiple appointments with people! Some who hadn't talked to missionaries ever before that had given their information in 2008!

We ended up having a lesson with one of them last night. We were so excited, and had one of the young women teaching with us! So we went into the lesson. And there it was. My first experience with a bible basher. Welcome to the South ya'll! It was... an interesting experience. He wants us to come back next week so that he can have his buddy (a Jehovah Witness) hear what we have to say. Yikes. haha

But church was amazing, and we had THREE of our investigators there! What a blessing! One of which was a new gator we got this week!

Sister Rohwer and I have also had some pretty awesome, fun moments. haha Saturday night, we got laughing so hard that I was crying because I was in so much pain! haha I thought my abs were going to tear! Oh the joys of a good hardy laugh. We had so many happy moments!

I LOVE THE GOSPEL. And I LOVE being a missionary. It is the greatest experience of my life. The happy moments, like Valerie's baptism, outweigh the bad every time. Sometimes missions are 98% difficult, exhausting, and overwhelming. But the 2% of joy makes it worth it beyond measure.

Thank you for all the love and support. I couldn't be out here without ya!

LOVE YOU!

The happiest sister in the south,

Sister Holmes

Week #5: Why is it COLD in FLORIDA?!

Um, if today's weather isn't a hurricane, I definitely don't want to experience one! HELLO RAIN! Luckily, it's been warmish rain... but anyway..

This week is a BLUR! I'm pretty sure that the world decided to skip Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday because this week FLEW by. Both my companion and I were sick... AGAIN. haha what the heck. But that hasn't kept us down! The work must go on! We have taken it easy though, she was much much worse than I was. So we've been getting back on our feet. It's been going around here though. Our whole ward has it I swear!

Speaking of our ward... We have dinner appointments EVERY NIGHT this week, and some lunch appointments! They llloovvee to feed us! So it's been awesome! We had chicken and dumplings the other night at a members house, and some delicious steak and potatoes another night. Also white chili? Thumbs down. But I was a big girl and ate it all... go me.

Our friend Ben brought us over two big bottles of Cranberry Sprite which is basically Christmas in your mouth. So that was heavenly. And we also got cupcakes from Sweet Grandma Nash :)

 We got TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS THIS WEEK! Daphne and John! John is 82 and rides a Harley around, and he's from New York. So his accent is hilarious. Southern and Eastern? So funny. But he is a stubborn old man. I guess he was raised by nuns and they beat him all the time? So he doesn't have a good view on religion. We're going to change that though. He is a sweetheart. So pray for him that his heart will be softened a little bit!

Daphne is our next door neighbor. She is so sweet, and a little crazy. But the other night I felt like we should go see how she was doing, and we ended up sharing a scripture with her and she was so overwhelmed by the power and "feeling" she got from just reading a couple verses. It was about the Atonement... so we gave her a Book of Mormon and told her to read Alma 32. Well, the next day she stopped us in the parking lot and told us that she LOVED the chapter! We were so excited! We are going back tomorrow to teach her some more.

Her grandpa has dimentia and was visiting her with her mom and son and her grandpa ended up running away (to the highway behind our apartment building) pushing his daughter into the road and to the ground, tried to get away, fell in the middle of the road, and caused a big big scene. So when we got home we pulled in to find a ton of police cars in front of our building. Daphne summoned us over to talk to the grandpa because he likes us (he thinks we are nuns...) so we talked to him, calmed him down, and then talked to the police a little bit. We were mostly there for Daphne, she has a lot going on right now. But we ended up meeting her son and he asked us for a Book of Mormon and a Bible! So we were super excited about that. She starts Chemo here (she's not very old) shortly, so pray for her too!

We went to go visit a family that we've been working with, but they weren't home, so instead we started talking to a group of 10ish kids... and I FELL IN LOVE. The s w e e t e s t little girl came over to me, so I knelt down to talk to her on her level, and she had the biggest, softest eyes, and told me her name was Bella. She spelled it for me and everything! She is probably 4? So cute. She followed me around everywhere and wouldn't leave my side. The older kids were riding our bikes around and thought my bike was the coolest thing they had ever seen. haha Right then the Elders showed up on their bikes, so we had a fun little time with the kids. Just then, a one armed man came up, showed us his nub (at the shoulder), showed us how he could dance with it and that that was why people called him "Lean wit it, Rock wit it." He grabbed change out of his pocket, put it in his cup, laughed at himself, and walked away. hahaha I about died. Then we raced the little kids on their bikes.

Speaking of bikes... Oh my gosh. haha biking in a skirt? Not my cup of tea. Heck. I don't even drink tea! ;) It's been interesting that's for sure! But, it gets us where we are supposed to be, and saves us miles on our car. It was freezing the other day though and I'm pretty sure my fingers were formed to the shape of my handle bars. haha

It has been a good week though. I will admit... you were right. I MISS THE SNOW! (what?!) it just doesn't feel like winter without it!

The scripture that I will share with you is D&C 8:8-12. It has been my favorite this week. 

Without faith, you can do nothing. Pray, act, and nurture your faith, and your testimony will grow ten fold. Be obedient and strive to do your best. The Lord will bless you!

I love you all!

Love from Callaway :)

Sister Holmes