Work like normal

So... Christmas was real good this week. We had a Christmas Zone Conference which President said "was the closest to a day-off " we would have in our missions Which was true, we played Christmas Jeopardy and watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas. It was really fun and well-planned. But the best part of Christmas Conference is that I got to s old companions, old kabahays. and a bunch of other people. I really have been able to make a lot of friends here and it's been a good thing. 

For Christmas... we had lunch at a recent converts house, but then we just worked like normal. It was a good Christmas and i"m sure I will never forget it. This year, I really realized the true meaning of Christmas I think last year, I was really caught up in myself, because I'm far from home and I couldn't speak the language... but this year I realized that true Christmas is giving of ourselves. 

That being said, I've done a bit of self-reflection. I've realized that things that used to be really hard for me are not hard anymore. And I know for a fact that it's because Heavenly Father has helped me to become stronger, to become more capable, and to turn outwards. 

But anyway, we found this new investigator this week who has a lot of potential. He has multiple piercings and tattoos, so at first I doubted a little bit, but he is so willing to change. He actually came to church yesterday and I'm excited for him. We taught him last night and he had taken out his piercings! :) We didn't tell him, but the Spirit is really working in him.

When we were teaching him about the Plan of Salvation, we taught him about the three different kingdoms and he asked like once we were judged if we just stayed there... we started to answer him and then he asked us if the transportation fro the Terrestrial to the Celestial kingdom was expensive. 

I love being here in the Philippines. I love the people , I love the gospel, and I love missionary work. I feel like I can finally say I'm doing my best and that Heavenly Father is proud of what I'm doing. It's the same for all of us... as long as we are doing His will, He is prouder than we know. :) 

I love you all! Enjoy your week!! 

xoxo 

Sister Holmes

12-22-14 MTL

He recognized me

Well.... Merry Christmas for reals this time! :) I really hope all of you have a good week and a wonderful Christmas! :) Earlier, we had a zone activity and had a gift exchange... so that was real cool. I mean I got some oatmeal and crayons, but I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a White Elephant gift exchange. That's just how it is. :) But I realized there are very few missionaries here that were also here last Christmas. :( And maybe just today I realized how old I am in the mission.

Anyway, as you may or may not know... I have a new companion! :) Yay! Her name is Sister GERARDO and she is from Iloilo. Which means, 4 out of my seven campanions are Ilongga. (But that's okay with me because they are known for being nice.) She is now 10 months in the mission... and she has a beautiful singing voice! :)

Something cool happened this week. Sister Gerardo and I were walking to one of our appointments and this kid stopped us and told me that he recognized me. So I was assigned in Ward 1 before and I went on exchanges to the area that I am in right now. So I met him on one of the exchanges and he happened to recognize me. So were able to teach him and his oldr sister and her husband... and it was just cool to see that things I had done in the past have a connection to why I am here now. It amazes me the details of the plan of our Heavenly Father. He really knows what He is doing. 

I have been studying a lot about hope lately. Especially in our world now, we absolutely need to have hope and an abiding trust in our Father in Heaven. I cannot think of a better message of hope than that of the birth of Jesus Christ. From the very beginning, when He was born in a manger, He taught us a great lesson. Of because of everything He did, we have hope that even if things are tough and even if we are struggling, feel lost or alone, that there is still hope.

One of my favorite scriptures is found in Ether 12:4 which says: 

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." It definitely says it better than I can. 

Well, I love you all and hope you have a very Merry Christmas! :) 

xoxoxo

Sister Holmes

Tender Loving care and "Meet the Mormons"

Wow! It's Christmas! :) Okay, not yet, maybe I'm a little excited. but the Christmas devotional was so GOOD last night. I really loved all the talks and I love the Spirit of Christmas! :) If you didn't get a chance to watch it, check it out at lds.org and I know you won't regret it. (https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/christmas-devotional/2014/12?cid=HPSU120714557&lang=eng) there's the link to make things easy :) One thing that I really loved those and has stayed with me is from Elder D Todd Christofferson he said something like "Doing the will of the Father should be a pattern of living not just an annual event." As we remember the true meaning of Christmas, the love and sacrifice and kindheartedness should not just be at Christmas should be all year round. Let us also remember that the best gift we gave give is the gift of the gospel! :) 

We also had this sweet activity this week called "MEET the MORMONS". A lot of the members invited their friends, and we had some music performances and it was a cool opportunity for them to see the chapel, and to see that we are just normal people. We had booths about different things that the Church does, like family history, missionary work, and self-reliance. We also had some workshops about the Restoration and Plan of Salvation. The members are amazing here- they really did their part and we hope to see some good results from it :) 

Other than that, it was a normal week other than one of our kabahays got bit by a dog... So I took care of here for a day while my companion and her companion worked in both areas. They say dog bites are dangerous... but she's still alive thanks to my tender love and care ;) That's not true. In all honestly, she still alive because of the rabies shot :) 

Anyway I love you all!! Have a good week! :)

xoxoxo

 Sister Holmes

December 7 ,2014

"It won't bite you"

It has felt like Christmas for the past few months... since the Filipinos started decorating in September, but it's really Christmas time!! It's so weird since there's not really any snow. But it has been real cold lately at night. I think it's a December thing.

As for this typhoon business, we didn't see any effect here at all. It was windy, but we didn't even get any rain. I honestly don't know that much about it. :) 

So we had this little girl come up to us and she was just staring at me. She asked my companion why I was so white and why I had different colored eyes. And do you know what my companion told her?? She told her I was an alien and that if she wasn't careful I would bite her... then she ran away. 

The next day we saw her with a group of little kids and she told them "that's an alien and it might bite you if you go too close." Then one of the other little kids tried to touch my hair and was like " No, she's pretty and nice. It won't bite you." 

So probably I laughed forever, but I learn so much from little kids. they are so innocent and so trusting. 

I got to go to this cool meeting this week. We talked about the theme for the mission next year and I' real excited about it... :) Our theme is REAL GROWTH. We talked about how we want to experience real growth in the Church here in Philippines Angeles Mission. We also want to experience real growth within ourselves, which means being more converted. We set goals for how we will do all of that, but it really hit me that (hopefully) I have changed a lot while I've been here. It would literally be a waste of my time if I left and came back the same way I was before. But we talked about how this is more than just new year resolutions but it's more about allowing Christ to change us and to make us better. :) 

Anyway, I had a wonderful week and Im so excited what else Heavenl Father has is store for this area. We found a new investigator this week and I have a really good feeling about what the Lord has in store. He is the brother of one of recent converts( notice how all of our investigators are brothers?? There's a priesthood army in this area) and told us that he has been looking for more in his life and feels this might be it. :) 

anyway I love you all!! :) As this Christmas season continues remember the real reason for Christmas! :) Love you all!!!

xoxox

Sister Holmes

All things are possible through Christ

I can't believe it's already DECEMBER!! Time is flying... It's weird to think the I came into the field about a year ago, and as I think about that, I just can't believe how much I have grown and what I have become with Heavenly Father's help! I am so amazed and how much He has blessed me. Anyway... I had a real good week. We did this Community Service Project and helped this family clean up their yard. There is an American family that moved into Tarlac Stake and they came... It's so weird to see a whole family of just Americans... and like I forgot how little kids speak when they speak English. Like, I kind of had a hard time figuring out what they were saying, but they were adorable. They will just be here for a little less than a year, but they are a really awesome family.

This last Saturday, we had a baptism! Yay! He was really so prepared and I felt the Spirit so strongly when he bore his testimony. It'sbeen so cool to see him progress over the past few weeks in prepartion for his baptism. I do have to admit, I was so stressed because the baptism was supposed to be at 4, but he didn't come until 5. It's just Mormon Standard Time I think to be late, but it's stressful! But the service was so good and the ward here is awesome! :) 

I've been studying a lot about sacrfice lately. This is definitely the biggest sacrifice I've made, but I feel like God has replaced my sacrifice with something much better than if I wouldn't have sacrificed anything. I've noticed in my studies though that love always comes before sacrifice. Just like for me, I wouldn't have been able or even wanted to make this sacrifice if I didn't love that Lord. But sacrifice doesn't start with us, just love love doesn't start with us. Our Heavenly Father has loved us from the very beginning and His love is eternal. And because of His love for us, He sacrificed His Only Begotten Son. Christ did the same thing for us.... So as this Christmas season approaches, let us all be mindful of the sacrifice that has been made for each one of us! At let us also thinkk of what are the things we are willing to sacrifice for Christ! :) 

There's some real good videos at this link! :) 

https://www.lds.org/topics/christmas/christmas-videos?lang=eng

I love all of you so much 

!! :) xoxox Sister Holmes

Power in the Book of Mormon

It's been another really great week and I'm so blown away with all the wonderful things that are happening! We have a baptism this coming Saturday and he is so ready so I'm super excited about it :) He is literally a golden investigator... He listened in on the lessons for awhile when we were teaching his neighbor, and he asked if we would teach him. He immediately stopped his Word of Wisdom problems... and the changes in him are just amazing.

We have had so many miracles this week! We found this new investigator that has had some rough things happen to him in the past and he told us that he never felt comfortable in one place for too long because he feels like there's something missing in his life. The first lesson we had with him, he told us he doesn't feel like there's hope left for him. We left him an assignment in the Book of Mormon and when we went back the next day to teach him, he had read his assignment three or four times, as well as other chapters in the Book of Mormon. The changes- even though they are coming little by little- are incredible in him! There is such power in the Book of Mormon and the gospel can change people! :) 

I'm really loving this area... it was weird at first to come back to Tarlac, but I'm really grateful that I am here and for all the things that I am learning. :) It amazes me how fast the time is going, but I'm grateful for the experiences Heavenly Father is giving me! :) I love you all!! :)

Xoxo Sister Holmes 

Lots of pictures! Love all the new friends

 Camiling Cuties!

 Camiling friends

Camiling Friends!

Batch Pictures

New Room in Tarlac 5th ward 

Sister Gamolo and Sister Holmes

Tarlac 5 ward home

Sister Holmes and her new Kabahay!

YUM Pumpkin Pie

 Sister Neilson and Sister Holmes Exchanges 2014 ( they were MTC companions)

 Great Reunion- Back together again!

Happy to see Jamaicah again!

Sister Neilson at MTC with Sister Holmes Oct 2013 Throw back!

Ward 1 and exchanges

I cannot even comprehend how fast the time is going! I am really enjoying my new area and am loving the progress that is happening here. It's really exciting to see how the work is really moving forward. I really feel this urgency to do this work and I know it's really hastening. 

This week I got to go back to my old area in Ward 1!!! :) It was so cool to see everybody again and it was a really good experience for me. I got to see some of the effects that my work had there and it was super cool. My companion for the day was a Tongan sister and we talked to this old man and he told us that I just just like the toy doll of my companion. He was super funny, but I had a really good time. I love exchanges because I always learn so much from the other sisters :) 

I was also with another American this week... that was an interesting experience. :) haha We took a tricycle and they overpriced it, but there is nothing we could do about it because we were late... I tried, but they insisted that that was the real price. :) haha maybe that's the real price for two Americans. 

I am so excited! This week is the interview of one of our baptismal candidates and he is literally so golden! He has had a really rough life, but the changes he is making in his life are amazing. His faith is so strong and I am excited to see how much more blessed he will after he is baptized.

Anyway, I love you all and hope you have a great week!! 

Mahal ko kayo! 

xoxoxo Sister Holme

New Adventures and famillar faces.

So.... unexpectedly I was transferred to a new area! I thought I would be staying in Camiling another transfer, but I guess Heavenly Father has other plans for me! :) I got transferred back to Tarlac, but this time I am in Ward 5. The members are really nice here and I am so excited to be able to meet them and work with them and get to know them better! My new companion is Sister Gamolo and she's super awesome. We actually came together to the mission! So it's super exciting. She always makes me laugh and I love being with her. But she's from Cagayan de Oro City. This area is really awesome and so I am excited! :) I mean, I feel like I was just here, but it's definitely different this time.

On Sunday, the ward had a Primary Presentation. The Primary is HUGE here and they are so stinking cute! :) I loved one song they sung about how families are gifts from God so that we can become what He wants us to be. Something to that effect. It just really touched me that Heavenly Father knows the people that we need to be with and who will help us grow. And the thing I love about Primary is they are so sincere in all that they do. Hopefully we can be more like that. 

I also am so excited for the work here. We have a lot of progressing investigators, and the pressure is on to reach our goals of 1650 for the year of 2014! We have about 400 baptisms left( Not just numbers, but souls that Heavenly Father has prepared), and while it will be a stretch I know we can do it! :) I was so sad to leave my old area, but I'm excited for the potential this area has. :) 

I really love you all and hope you have a fabulous week!!! :) 

xoxox, 

Sister Holmes

11-1-14

 Supper perhaps?

Umbrella's don't always work fully.

Birthday Cake for Sister Holmes "21" What great companions she has



Prison for kids and superheros

Happy November! I don't know when that happened... :)

So we had exchanges this week and I went to the area of the Sister Training Leader. Both of us were actually American, so that was an adventure alone. But this real cool thing happened to me. So we went out to work in the morning and I was really surprised because our work was SO GOOD for only two hours. We went home, Sister Larson and I cooked our lunch, we ate, and I started feeling really cold. I just kind of ignored it because that's been happening to me lately if I sit too long in front of the electric fan. So we went out to work again and I felt really, really warm, but I figured it was because it was really hot outside. We were punted at like 5 houses and then we were able to finally teach a few lessons. By the way, I am amazed that neither of us are native speakers (obviously) but the Spirit really does speak all languages. But I just want to talk about the enabling power of the Atonement for a second. I thought I was going to die in the last lesson or two, but i have no doubt I was enabled to teach and to invite them to make changes in their lives because that is what they needed. Turns out, I had a way bad fever. So that was cool, so we went home early, SIster Larson took real good care of me, and I just slept. But I was just amazed that even how I didn't feel like I could do it anymore, that I could. And I realized that I will never, never understand all that Christ went through, but that through our sicknesses and trials we are blessed to experience just a small part of what Christ went through so that our understand of the Atonement can increase.

 

So they definitely celebrate the Day of the Dead thing here since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish for over 300 years.... they definitely believe they see ghosts and they put candles in front of their houses here so that the souls have a path to travel? Or somthing like that. I don't quite understand everything. But basically that means we don't have anyone to teach because they were all at the cementary! But we did find some people to teach so it worked out.

 

On Friday, we went to a special missionary fireside with Bishop Gerald Causse, 1st Counselor in the Presding Bishopbric. It was a really good meeting and we drove past both of my old areas (it was a really, really long drive). His wife was darling! She told us how missionaries are like superheroes and compared us to Spiderman, how at first when he got his powers he didn't know what to do with it, but after training himself he could climb builiding and shoot webs from his hands with accuracy. Haha she told us not to try to jump off any builidngs, but it's the same for us (and not just for missionaries, for EVERYONE). As we learn to develop teaching skills, or whatever skills it may be, through training and hard work, we can become what we need to be in order to help and save other people! :)

Bishop Causse talked about using time wisely. It was so good and he talked about how short the mission in, especially if we think of the eternal perspective. But I think it's the same way with our lives.We don't really understand how short this life is... so hopefully we are using our time wisely :)

 

Also, one of our less actives was talking to us about how she has a hard time coming to church because she had five really little kids and that the "Prison for Kids" won't take all of them. haha, she was joking but I thought that was a pretty accurate description of the Primary room here. :)

 

Anyway, I love you all and hope you have another great week! :)

xoxo,

Sister Holmes

Cheesey missionary song and miracles

Oh. My. Heavens. I cannot even describe how awesome this week was. First of all, not that I'm counting or anything, but I have been away from home now for a year! There's this cheesy missionary song that's super accurate that says something like "i've been away from home now going on a year, there's so much that I miss, but so much that I love here." Boom. Memorized. But it's super accurate. There's really a lot that I do miss, but I can't imagine leaving this place either. I love so many people here and there's so much that I love here. Ugh.. It's okay it's still far away. :) 

Yesterday was an awesome Sunday!! We had a lot of investigators come to church, which I will give details later. :) 

We also had this less active family come to church and I was literally so amazed when I saw them come into the chapel. They have had a lot, and I mean  A LOT of problems in their family, and they came to church on Sunday! It was amazing to see that their Spirit touched their hearts and the were able to overcome some things in order to come church. Miracles happen! 

Also, I have a cute story. We asked a girl who is like 12 how she felt when she recieved the Holy Ghost, and we were expecting an answer like "Oh I felt happy" but she told us "Oh man, their hands were so heavy on my head!" We just laughed. 

As for our investigators, we have an investigator that used to a pastor of a branch of Born Again that we have been teaching as well as his granddaughter. We are seeing the changes in him and he is starting to gain a testimony and it's really cool. But his granddaughter is GOLDEN. I'm telling you, she's amazing. She always has way good questions. So her mom passed away a few months ago, when we taught plan of salvation, we started to teach about the Spirit World. She got really quiet and I could just tell she was feeling the Spirit. And we paused for a second and then she asked something like "So does that mean I will see my mom again?" And it felt so good to be able to answer her with a surety that she would and that they could be together forever. This Spirit was so strong.

We have another investigator who has been through so horribly tough things, and I am seeing how the gospel is and will answer all of her questions. That's the way it is for all of us. I know that whatever our questions or concerns are, that Jesus Christ and His gospel is that answer.

  I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father is preparing people who are ready to come and see that for themselves. 

I love you all!!

xoxoxoxo, 

Sister Holmes

10-20-14

 Sweet Members from Tarlac

 Sweet Members from Tarlac visit

 Sister Holmes being "Artsy"

 Sister Salde and a small Crab

 Testing the waters

 Model Missionaries

Praying Missionaries( they were told not to pose, but to act like they are doing the work ) 

Gift of tongues

It's been another wonderful week! We has an activity earlier and we hiked to some pretty sweet falls. I stubbed my toe on a rock and it was bleeding everywhere so that was awesome, but it was a really fun activity. I miss hiking. . .

We also had a baptism this week! The service was kind of stressful because the branch president went out of town for a wedding and we didn't have anyone to preside!! Eventually someone showed up, but the baptism started a little late :) It turned out really well, we were afraid that no that many people who show up, but we even had a few investigators come to see what it was like and investigators from other branches too.. the youth were really supportive of Brother Jan! :) I'm excited to see what his progress will be. He really was a golden investigator and so ready for the gospel. 

We also had interviews with President this past week! :) I love those kinds of things because it's just a really good spiritually uplifting time. I had... I mean got the opportunity to give a talk about the Book of Mormon answering our questions so that was cool. We also talked at our baptism, and then on Sunday in Sacrament meeting. And maybe I am giving the workshop on Wednesday in our district meeting.... I think Heavenly Father wants to improve my speaking skills haha. 

Speaking of speaking skills, even though I can't get around with Tagalog now, let's talk about how grateful I am for the gift of tongues! I am amazed that in lessons, how if I really need it and even though I have only heard the word once that I can really speak the things that I need to. Sometimes during a lesson, I'm like "Wow, I'm way good at Tagalog." and then I go to the real world again and I'm not that good but I guess it's just the influence of the Spirit. 

Anyway love you all! Sorry for my ugly english! :) :) 

xoxoxo Sister Holmes

Dreams of reflection

Sooo... General Conference was soooo good!. Man, it is exactly what I needed. Those men are so inspried and I have absolutely no doubt they are called of God. It was also really good for our investigators and for our recent converts to see General Conference. If you did not watch it, Watch it right now! :) I remember there was a promise that if we prepare ourselves for conference and come ready with questions and concrens that Heavenly Father will answer us through the speakers. I really felt that as I came prepared, that there were specific things said that directly answered my questions. I have no doubt that the words of Conference are from a very loving Father in Heaven. 

Also....I had an interesting dream this week. I dreamed that I was home from my mission and that I went to visit my stake president to be released. (I promise I am NOT Trunky- Trunkiness never was happiness) I remember him asking me in my dream what my testimony was of the Book of Mormon and of what experiences on my mission helped me to come to know my Savior better. I honestly have no idea what kinds of things happen in a release, but I can imagine that it really is a time of reflection. When I woke up I just sat and pondered. At first I wondered why I had had that dream because I don't feel excited to go home (Sorry mom and dad, no hard feelings haha), I still have so much work to do here. But I think it was something I really needed to experience. I reflected on the things that I am doing while I am here. I thought about if what I am doing is enough, if I am really doing all I can for those that we are teaching, and especially I thought about when I get to that point, if I will proud of all I have accomplished here in the field. It was such a spiritual experience for me to reflect on my efforts here. During conference, I already forgot what talk, but somebody said something like how we need to begin with the end in mind. We need to live in this moment, but look forward to the future with an eye of faith and to always keep in sight what is most important. 

Maybe the records in the Philippines are what we call MAGULO. or a complete mess sometimes. Mostly the older records. Because maybe our investigator that is super GOLDEN was already baptized! What on earth. I was looking through the ward directory and saw her name and was like what the heck! And when we asked her about it she said, 'Oh yeah, I forgot if that was this church or a different church.' But I don't blame her for anything. But no wonder she was so golden ;) haha. Things like that are bound to happen. 

But that's pretty much all from me. Love you guys!!! have a good week!:)

Xoxo Sister Holmes  

Miracles and blessings

So... this week was another week of small miracles. But small miracles are still miracles. We found a lot of new investigators and I'm just amazed at the ways that are provided for us to succeed in this work.

We got to watch the women's general conference thing this week... If you did not watch it, watch it!! It's so good! Those women are truly inspired leaders not just women for the Church, but women all around the world. The spirit of sisterhood I felt was indescribable. 

On another note, we were teaching this 10 year old kid with his family this week and we asked when he prays what the things are that he should pray for. His answer was so cute and innocent, he said something like "We should pray that we don't choke on our food when we eat." But it just helped me realize, we really can pray for ANYTHING. Even if we think it's silly, I know Heavenly Father wants to bless us, but He can't unless we go to Him first. But don't worry, that doesn't mean you will choke on your food if you don't pray for it :) 

I made a list of some of the reasons I'm grateful I served a mission... here's a few: 

1. I've learned how to sit like a lady in a skirt 

2. I'm learning how to laugh at myself! When you are learning a new language, sometimes that is all you can do. 

3. I'm not scared to talk to random strangers. This one has ups and downs..... 

4. I can eat fish now.... and I actually like it! I really never thought I would say that. 

5. I have never felt more love for those around me... I'm learning to love in a way that I didn't and couldn't before. 

There are so many more. It's amazing how much I am learning and the ways I'm growing! But I love you all! Take care!

 xoxox

Sister Holmes

Specialty dish made of Filipino Chocolate....heheh

So with transfer, I am happy to say that both Sister Salde and I are still companions! I'm super excited about it for sure. The work is really good. there is one Nanay who is so golden and she is so ready for the gospel, but we cannot figure out how to help her come to church and it's so frustrating because she has agency! ;) We have tried just about everything, but I'm not giving up because I know she is so ready. Other peoples' agency is the most frustrating thing about missionary work. 

Honestly, nothing that weird happened to me... That's new. Or maybe I am just used to it now. But I did get tricked into eating this "specialty" dish. So what they told me, because it's a meat that's really dark in color, it that it is cooked in Filipino chocolate (which I didn't believe, but I had no idea what it was). So I ate it and tried to pretend that I liked it (I'm now expert at that...) Nope. Totally couldn't eat it. I literally ate like a bite. Come to find out, it's meat thats cooked in blood. So that's real awesome and for sure I am never eating that again. But I least I tried it. I guess...

There are a ton of new missionaries in my zone and I was talking to an Elder from Highland Utah and he told me I totally have an accent now. So that's a thing. 

I'm sorry that this is such a short one, I can't remember anything else what happend this week. :) 

Love you alll!!! 

xoxo Sister Holmes

Two storms down in one week...

t has been another eventful week here in the Philippines Angeles mission ;) There were two storms, don't worry I survived them both. But I'm sick of the flooding and the raining and maybe I'm excited for rainy season to be over.....

We had a lovely story with a drunk person this week. They really like to speak English when they are drunk here... but there was one man and he was sleeping on this wood table outside of the house of our recent convert. We were in the middle of teaching and he woke up and started singing to himself and laughing so hard and then he told us he wanted to learn more about Jesus. So he listened for a little bit and started repeating everything I said and laughing.... Then he went on to tell us his whole life story about how he was the most handsome person on the street and all sorts of other stuff.... So that was probably the most interesting lesson ever. 

But, I'm really seeing the potential of other people and it's amazing... and I think it's helping me see the potential that I also have. It's one of the coolest things to be in a lesson and to see what that person can become if they will just change a little bit or doing something different so that Heavenly Father can have more influence in their life. 

In other news, transfers this week... we'll see what happens!! Love you all!!! :) :) 

xoxo Sister Holmes

This mission is on FIRE!

Mga mahal kong kapatid, This was one of the bet weeks ever in my mission (and it was not because it was my birthday;))! We were really busy, but those are the best kind of weeks! Our zone here in Camiling is on fire! the work of the Lord is moving :)

On Tuesday, we had our exchanges and I got to lead the area. It was a really good experience and got me excited to improve my teaching! It was also a good time for to reflect the things I need to improve. This transfers is flying by! Next week is transfer week, we don't really know what will happen. We might stay as companions or... we don't really know. :) Surprise is the essence of missionary work... surprise talks in sacrament meeting because the person who was supposed to talk didn't come to church...  surprises at transfers... surprise visits to our investigators so they don't hide... ;) But it really is exciting. 

We also had our Zone Conference on Friday and it was so good!  I learned a lot. They talked to us about being healthy and exercising and eating healthy and stuff like that (I just put this in here for you mom... most likely I will take their advice). There were a lot of good workshops,but most of all I'm impressed with how inspired President Clark is. 

But the highlight of my day was Saturday! We woke up so early and caught a bus headed towards Manila... three hours later, we arrived in Manila and met of with Manylyn, Efren, and other members from my first area in Mabalacat! there are so many changes in that area and I found out a lot of people got baptized that I though had no progress or hope at the time! There are now two wards in that area and I'm so happy that there is so much progress in that area. It was the most amazing thing to be back at the temple! :) And when they were sealed as a family... one of the most beautiful moments of my whole mission. Everybody was crying and it was such a sweet moment that I'm glad I got to be apart of. 

Anyway, Mahal na kayo ko kayong lahat. 

Sister Holmes

PS

I forgot some things.... 

Everybody in Manila thought I was related to the boxer, Larry Holmes. So that's a thing. Second, there was an angel we met at the temple.. not a literal angel, but she was so sweet. She just came back from her mission like 3 months ago and she knows one of the sisters in our zone here in Camiling. She had us go with us to the store so she could by some treats for that sister.. She also bought trats for us! And brownies because she found out it was my birthday! :) She was the sweetest thing. Heavenly Father takes care of His missionaries. That's all :) 

September 7, 2014