Happy Thanksgiving

HEY ALL!

This week has been great! I spent my last P-day in Atherton ward packing haha and I got to go to a Thanksgiving potluck dinner in Leisure world! It was so fun because I love old people. They are so sweet to us! I also had the opportunity to sing at this potluck :) I told some of our homie families that I was leaving and they were very sad, and so was I.

I do love my new area though! My companion, Sister Greener, is so great! She's from Idaho, and she was in the MTC at the same time as me, but in a different zone, so I never saw her. She actually stayed just down the hall from us, and Sister Rhoton and I went to meet the other Long Beach sisters once... but she doesn't really remember who was at the door and neither do I but apparently it was each other...

Anyways, things are going great here in Beach Ward! We are actually serving mostly in a little area called Westminster. It's pretty great :) I'm not near the beach anymore :( but that's okay! We have a few really great investigators that we're meeting with! Jeff is probably my favorite, (shhh don't tell) but that's probably just because I have met with him the most :) He's had a tough life so far, but he's so respectful, faithful, and sweet. He's from the south, like really from the south... and so he always calls us "ma’am." I love it.

We also work with a ton of less-active members here... I think we had 17 less-active lessons this week... so that's a lot! They're really sweet though, I love everyone so much here already! I'm just so crazy happy every day that it doesn't seem real :)

Teaching with Sister Greener is super great :) We are just able to teach with such unity, and it's great :) I really do love her a lot!

We got to enjoy American Thanksgiving this week! It was very fun and very yummy! We were told by our mission president that we could eat as many Thanksgiving dinners as we wanted to! So we had 2 and kinda  a half... first was at a super sweet family’s house. They're Mexican so the turkey seemed like it was kinda cooked with salsa and the stuffing too and they gave us hot sauce to eat with it lol but it was great! We got to meet with one of their sons who hasn't come to church in a long time and he said he might come sometime with us! so that was great. Next was the Deaton's! They're really great and they cooked the turkey in a bag! also They're niece brought her pit-bull, who is BEAUTIFUL by the way, and he was so adorable! He's the sweetest little puppy ever! We played a game with him with bubbles! I took a video that I will send next week... because I'm a bad person... sorry. Anyways, then we finished off at another less-active lady's house but we didn't stay too long; it was kinda crazy! It was also a birthday celebration and there was a piñata and all kinds of fun stuff :)

Yesterday, my first Sunday in the Beach ward, I was called upon twice to bear my testimony! Once in sacrament and once in relief society... yeah that was fun haha All in all a pretty great week :D

Love you all so much!

Sister Holt.

Transfers!

Hey all!

This week has been pretty great :) We started teaching a new investigator... well kinda haha, and we got to visit a bunch of really sweet less-active members :) And yes... I'm already being transferred! I am heading to Beach ward in Huntington Beach North stake and my new companion is going to be sister Greener. I haven't met her yet, but I'm pretty sure she came out at the same time as I was supposed to arrive in California... so that'll be interesting! But I'm sure we'll be fine! It's been good here in Long Beach East serving in the Atherton ward! Lot's of really sweet old people, Leisure World days are the best days! (for those of you who don't know; leisure world is a 55+ community and it's just full of old people and a golf course and stuff like that- its pretty sweet.) Today we even get to go to the Leisure World potluck and lead their holiday sing along! I love it!

So this new investigator that is kinda an investigator's name is Kasen. He's so sweet. He's 9 years old and he would have been baptized when he was 8 (meaning his family are members) but it just got put off so long, waiting for family to cooperate, that now he needs to be taught by the missionaries! He really is the sweetest, most eager kid! Our first lesson, he just kept saying how much he loved it! I could tell he was really feeling the spirit and that is so important! We committed him to read every night in preparation for his baptism. The next time we came back, he had read at least one chapter every night and he was stoked to meet with us! He had so many questions and deep insights. I really have grown to love him a crazy amount and I'm sad I have to leave him! He really is a special boy- I know he will amount to great things one day! Through my experience teaching Kasen, I have come to really realize the importance of teaching eternal, spiritual truths at a young age. I am so grateful for primary and the blessing it was in my life (when I went haha). I definitely want to teach my kids the missionary lessons in preparation for their baptisms! I feel like he just knows so much more! He's so ready! so eager, to make covenants with Heavenly father!

Other than that, our other investigator, Gayellen, got out of the hospital this past week but is too weak to go out and we can't meet in her house... so we dropped off some food and have been giving her calls, but we hope we get to see her soon! She really is a sweet lady. We saw a couple people who are having problems accepting the gospel in their lives because of social or doctrinal situations that have come up. It's so sad for me to see this! Everyone has times when they experience doubt, everyone gets offended. It's so important to remember where the foundation of our testimonies lie; in Jesus Christ. I have not been converted to my bishop, or brother Joe down the pew, or even church leaders. This is a perfect church carried out by imperfect people! But at the center and the head of this church is someone who is perfect in every way. Jesus Christ is who we are converted to. We know this is his church! Everything else is extra. There is no doubt or trial that could change that fact. My MTC companion told me something once that hit me pretty hard. She told me a stroy of when she was struggling to feel the Saviour in her life. She was telling her dad about and he said, if you can’t feel him, who moved? Who changed? It certainly wasn't Him. We're the ones who change, Christ is constant! It's up to us to find out how we can fit back into the puzzle that is the church of Jesus Christ. I really do love this gospel. I love my Heavenly Father, and I know he is so aware of me!

I sang in church on Sunday and I'm pretty sure it didn't suck! haha I really am sad to leave this ward!

Have a great week everyone!

Love, Sister Holt

Sister Holt and Sister Kwon

making dumplings

walkin' on sunshine - oh yeah

this far and no farther

view from Long Beach

Exchanges!

Hey all!

Another beautiful week here in southern California! Sunshine filled days that get up to 95 degrees - I love it!

I had a good week this week :) Last Monday, we got to meet with the Burns family, Sister Ruttan's cousin, so that was fun! They're a sweet family and those boys are really funny haha. One of our investigators got sick and we're pretty sure she's in the hospital so we haven't seen her in a while and we're kinda worried about her... she's an older lady and she's very sweet! We also got to meet with quite a few less-active members this week. It's kinda sad to see people's faith waver because of politics within the church, personal relationships, etc. I have strengthened my testimony in building my foundation in Christ and in His gospel as opposed to social connections. We are converted to Christ! This is His gospel, and that should be all that matters, eh? I guess it's just hard for me to imagine getting along without this gospel! I would definitely be directionless...

We did exchanges this Friday! I was pretty sick so we almost cancelled, but we didn't and I'm glad :) it was really good for me, I was able to learn lots from Sister Glenn. We got to see Robert and GIGi and we had dinner with Boni :) and we had a visit with the ever colourful sister Clark :) so pretty much a good day :) 

Saturday we got to have dinner with the Sessions :) The Sessions are a senior couple in our area, and they are our favourite :) We love them so, so much! They're like our parents away from our parents haha. Whenever we go over, they send us home with yummy food, so sister Kwon and I wanted to repay them so sister Kwon made a yummy Korean soup! We also made some dumplings from scratch, they were soooo delicious! They are so super sweet that they sent us home with so much food! rice and guavas and all the ingredients for dumplings so sister Kwon and I are going to make them at home :)

Yesterday we had a really awesome experience! We had gotten a less active referral from the Elders the night before to visit a woman named Cassidy that lived in their area, but she specifically requested Sisters. So we went the very next day and I am so glad we did!!! We went over to her apartment and she was so, so happy to see us! She's the sweetest woman! She told us that she had been asking Elders to send Sisters over for YEARS and this was the first time any had ever showed up! She was baptized a while ago but went in to inactivity and got involved with some not so great people and things... a biker gang made her throw out all the Mormon literature so when we handed her a Book of Mormon, and a restoration pamphlet, she cried. She was so happy just to look through the pages. The spirit was really, really strong as sister Kwon and I testified that our Heavenly Father loves her! She was really excited to meet with us again on Wednesday and I can't wait either :)

Well I'm singing on Sunday in sacrament so please pray for me!!! haha I'm a little rusty...

I love you all!

Sister Holt

ps sorry no pictures! I’m an awful person... ill repent...

So Much Success!

Hello family!!

This week was a good week. So much sun, so much fun, and so much success! :D I have had to learn that no matter how hard I work, I can't make people accept the gospel! Our success is measured by our commitment, our effort, and our desire :) Every night this week, Sister Kwon and I would come home EXHAUSTED. And it felt AWESOME. When you're that tired it's not hard to lay down at night and know you've been successful and you did your very best!

Last Monday was Halloween so we needed to be in our apartments early, so Sister Kwon and I played around with some fun glow balloons and wands and stuff that my Mom sent me a while ago. It was right fun, I'll tell you. Who knew two 19ish  year olds could have so much fun with wands and crowns?

We had a mini miracle happen this week with our recent convert, Boni! We had a dinner appointment set up with her and we got to her place and she told us that she had met a lady at the laundromat and she invited her to have dinner with us! She's a really sweet older lady named Gayellen, she's really nice! She said she is really interested in our message, but we couldn't teach too much ‘cause she had this crazy dog.... I got my first dog bite on the mission though, so it's all worth it, right?

There's a little town within a town in Seal Beach called 'Leisure World.' It's a 55+ community haha but there are about 100 members in there. It's technically in the Elder's area, but there are 37 single women there that only we can visit and only 8 single men.... so yeah we got permission to also work there! We've met some really interesting people there! We aren't allowed to proselyte technically, but most of the members there are less-active, so we've been visiting them. This one lady didn't remember getting baptized. so that was interesting... apparently she also didn't remember one of her ex- husbands; the most recent one... so yeah! Lots of interesting people!

I had the, um, opportunity I think, to teach in gospel principles this Sunday! It actually went okay, I think! People seemed to enjoy it!

I think that was mostly the gist of the week! I love you all dearly! :)

Sister Holt

Sister Holt's favourite rose

Sister Kwon

Halloween fun

princess power

Happy Halloween!

A Quick Note

Pretty slow week this week guys! Sorry! I don’t really have any pictures either :/ so sorry I’m a poor e-mailer! 

We did have one cool experience with a less-active lady :) she was down as a DNC but we didn’t know... so we went over there and knocked on her door. She answered and told us to go away because she didn't want anyone to preach to her, lol, but then somehow we started chatting and she invited us in! So we talked for FOREVER and by the end Sister Kwon, my comp, asked if she could sing a scripture, cause who's gonna turn down a sweet sister missionary singing?? So she sang proverbs 3:5 and the lady loved it! She started singing hymns she knew from when she was a kid (cause that's basically the last time she went to church) and she said she would come to Church the next day! And she did! It was great :) 

We also had a Halloween party Saturday night and we got to go :) There was a chili cook off, which made me think of Chapel Hill ‘cause I think we did that sometimes and Dad would always bring the best chili :) It was good to see lots of members and to get to know them, but also good to see lots of non-members! Although they were all in the Elders’ area... except our friend, Robert, that we brought :) He's about 90 years old and he’s hilarious :)

This is really all I've got but I’ll repent and be better next week!

Love, Sister Holt

Nearer My God to Thee

This week has been great, a little slower than last week, with a couple more hiccups, but still so great! :)

I'm so sorry I didn't realize that I didn't tell you where I was! I'm in the Atherton ward, Atherton area I'm pretty sure... and I'm in the Long Beach East zone I believe... so yeah Sister Ruttan's cousin is in my ward :) Every time someone finds out I'm Canadian they always ask me if I know her hahaha

We had zone conference this week and it was so amazing! So inspiring with great training from President, his wife, my zone leader, and the APs. We really learned a lot about working with the members, and it is really important! People are so much more likely to be converted to the Church when they have a connection with somebody who is already a member. It's all about making the connections, finding the support. It’s hard for us sometimes because a lot of the members think that if someone isn’t ready to be baptised asap then they’re not ready to be introduced to the missionaries. I can tell you now that that is not true! If you don't believe me, review Elder Oaks' talk from conference ;) Its super dope.

We had a pretty cool experience one night. We went to go stop by a former investigator and she wasn’t home but her sister was so we thought, sure, let’s see if she’s interested. So we started teaching her right on her doorstep, and she was super into it! She was really feeling the spirit and she wanted to know more so we gave her a Book of Mormon! She works 2 jobs and is in full-time school so she’s super hard to meet with, but I hope it works out because she seems super sweet! She was telling us afterwards that she took our coming to her house as a sign or message from God- that was cool to hear. Nothing we do is by chance! We don't knock on every door on a street, which I like, we only try the doors we feel impressed to knock on, and usually super sweet Christian people live there :)

Another sick experience happened actually last Pday! It was after Pday time, when we go proselyting. We had gone to the boardwalk again for dinner ‘cause I love it :) We met a man named Miguel, he worked in one of the houses on the ocean, and we started talking to him and we asked if he had a religious background and he said yes so we asked if he wanted to hear about what we believed and he said yes! So, we taught him the restoration right there on the boardwalk and the spirit was so strong! In the middle of the lesson he started to cry, he kept saying that he felt so good talking with us, he felt peace, and he was warm, and he felt so happy. We explained that that was the spirit :) it was really a great moment to be able to witness. It later dawned on me that that happened not because of what I said, or because of what sister Kwon said; it was because of what the Spirit was saying to him. This is not my work. I am an instrument in the Lord's hand. There is no such thing as, 'my success' our 'our success,' it’s all the Lord's success, he just lets us be a part of it sometimes :)

I also came to realize this week, that these 'successes' only happen when we trust in the Lord. When we have full faith that we can make it happen through God's power. If Joseph Smith had decided to ask God as he did, but had no intention of following up, he would never have received the glorious answer he did. We must have REAL INTENT. And who am I to doubt God's power to make it happen? Who am I to say that He who created the earth, who gave me life, can't do something as simple as helping us find someone HE has prepared this week? I kinda came up with my own analogy this week as I was pondering this. It's kinda like you approaching a master tailor. Someone who has spent decades making the most beautiful Italian suits, and he offers to repair a button on your shirt, just to sew it back on for you. Your reply to this is; It’s a really hard thing, you probably couldn’t do it, you probably don’t have the skills... I’ll just try and do it on my own. Does that make sense? haha probably not. That tailor wouldn't even have to think about sewing that button, he could probably do it with his eyes closed! He has the skill, he has the power! You are getting in your own way- if only you would trust in the skill of the master tailor! And it’s actually even more silly because really we CAN’T do it alone, so it would be like you saying I’ll do it myself, and you have no arms! He’s gotta do it. You cant. I came face to face with this reality a couple times this week and it has changed me already :) IT says in PMG that it’s HIS work in HIS time by HIS power- and that’s definitely true! 

I sure do love it here. I love every opportunity I have to become better, even though it might be hard sometimes. I know Heavenly Father is building me up into the person I'm supposed to be! :) I also love my companion. I have probably never wanted to do better for someone else (other than Heavenly Father) so much before. I want to be the best companion I can be for her! I'm also coming to realize that I can do so much more for everyone that I love that I left behind at home and I am strengthening my resolve to do better when I get home :) You really just have to love. Make sacrifices for those you love; compromise! Serve them when you feel like you would rather snap at them. Turn outward when the natural man would turn in. For example sister kwon loves it to be cold. She likes a cold car, a cold apartment. I do not. I like it warm and cozy. So we take turns throughout the day turning on and off the a/c haha and in the car she has a/c and I roll down my window on my side. You can always make it work! I promise there is always a way!

Another cool experience was Bonnie's baptism! Bonnie has been working with the Elders for a while now- but she’s in our area, so she was their investigator but our new convert... it’s very confusing haha but she’s cool, it was a really great experience :)

I love you all so much! The church is true!!!

Sister Holt

CALI !!!

This week has been so amazing! I absolutely love it here! My trainer is awesome! The sunshine is awesome! The people are awesome! The sunshine is awesome! I'm so happy :)

My flight went well - no problems this time haha. There are palm trees everywhere here and the most beautiful flowers ever- which I love! It's pretty humid most of the time, and I'm finding that I really love it.

My trainer's name is Sister Kwon and she's from Korea. She's so stinking awesome and sweet and bold! My first day with her in the field, we went to knock on doors, which usually I hate but now I'm learning to love. I told her I wanted to see her door approach. She said okay! She walked up to a door and said, "HI, we're missionaries and we share a unique message about Jesus Christ. The church that he established in his time is back on the earth!" And she continued to teach the entire first lesson and we invited someone to be baptized right on their doorstep, it was awesome. We've done that a few times, and a couple people have even said yes!

My first day, we were going to eat dinner, but I wasn't hungry so I was just going to take a nap. I decided to lay down ‘cause I was exhausted and I kept feeling this anxiousness to go out and work on a specific street called Faust. I honestly tried to ignore it ‘cause I was so tired, but I couldn't! So I told Sister Kwon we needed to go. We did and that's where we found Jim. We taught him on his doorstep and he accepted our invitation to be baptized! We still have a lot of work to do with him, but it was still a crazy cool experience! Also earlier, we had gone to get lunch and our fortune cookies were so dope! Mine said something along the lines of "people are waiting to hear from you," and Sister Kwon's said, "The fruits of your labours will soon be realized." Yeah. Cool. I know.

Sister Kwon and I have been a little sick lately, but that's okay! We're still exited to go out and find the people Heavenly Father has prepared!

We met an investigator the Elders have been teaching, (we are now splitting the ward with Elders) her name is Bonnie and she is so sweet! She's getting baptized this Saturday and is super stoked!! We are too!! A couple days later, we decided to go see a former investigator, Betty. We went in, taught the first lesson clearly and plainly, and asked her to be baptized; she said yes! That she thought she was supposed to be baptized last March, but it didn't work out haha. We're going to be working with her now too :) She's super awesome. She's 57 years old but I thought she was in the 30s... lol

Yesterday we went to church, met the ward, they are really nice and welcoming :) We also went to a peninsula to eat our dinner and it was so beautiful! We stayed off the beach, but we got to walk along the boardwalk :) I loved it. The wind was warm and smelled like plumeria, which is EVERYWHERE and I love it!

I think that's mostly it! It has been a crazy fun week and I can't wait for more :D I love all of you like crazy and I hope all is going well!!    Love, Sister Holt.