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