This week was somewhat crazy but so great, as is every week of missionary
work :)
I'm now officially training a new missionary from the MTC (missionary
training center) Her name is Sister Adams and she's from Georgia :)
This week we also found out that I will be serving in the Gilbert Mission.
Since the boundaries are changing and since I am staying where I am, I'm
officially in the Gilbert AZ Mission.
Hey Everyone!!
This week was super fast and busy, and full of many tender mercies!
Well first of all, I got the call last night that I will be training! I will be staying in the same area though, so if you want to write me a letter its still the same address.
4776 E. Guadalupe Dr.
#1036
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Friday we were able to go to the Visitors with Jennifer. It was a great and very spiritual experience. We were able to watch the Restoration and you could tell that she felt the spirit. We also showed her the Mesa Temple and she told us that she felt the spirit there too. She told us that she liked the fact that we can spend eternity with our families through the gospel. It was a really special experience to be able to do that.
We also had a lesson with a former investigator scheduled for Friday but it fell through. But like my motto is, everything happens for a reason and it did. We ended up outside the apartment complex at another investigator and a less active member is driving by and sees us and asked us if we needed any water? Of course we did. Plus we had been trying to meet with her ever since I had arrived in the area 12 weeks ago. So we get inside and we talk for a little and she tells us that she's been doing good but she is struggling a bit. We didn't really ask anything, when she tells us that she has cancer. We talked some more and asked if we could read a scripture. Mosiah 24:8-15. After sharing she started crying. We then knew that she really trusted us and started talking about many things of why she's been struggling. Just to keep things confidential we won't go into details. In a nutshell, she's been struggling from anti-ing from her co-workers and that she feels that because her cancer has come back she is very angry with God. She told us that she's been struggling for the past few months about her knowing for herself if this church is really true and she asked for our help. We had shared a couple more scriptures with her and told her that she really needed to qualify herself for the answers by attending church, reading her scriptures daily, saying her prayers and truly wanting to know for herself if this church was true. That night she sent a text asking what scriptures we had shared that day and we told her three. The last one, we were inspired to share with her. She then replied and told us that the last scripture we gave her was the scripture that her patriarchal blessing was marking.
So we go by the next day and we brought the Restoration movie because we knew that would help her. When we started the movie the dog was on her patio, barking. She said a little prayer in her mind, that if the church was true, to have her dog stop barking. (she told us this afterward) She told us during the first vision,when Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus that her dog didn't bark anymore. And she told us she knew it wasn't coincidence because of the scripture and because what she felt. She told us she knew it was true. It was amazing to see what can happen, when the Lord's hand is really in place.
I'm so grateful the opportunity to serve a mission, and to be able to touch people's lives with this true Gospel. I know it's true because I've prayed about it. I know that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. I know the power of prayer and the Holy Ghost is real. I'm grateful for it everyday. I know that I wouldn't be out here if I didn't know it was true. And that's why I'm out here, because I do know its true. I love this gospel so much and I want all of you reading this to know, that God loves each and everyone of us. He knows us individually and wants us to have to chance to return to him again. The Atonement is real. I've seen the power of it in my life and others. I love you all and miss you so very much. I say that in the the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Hello!!
This week has been crazy. The ward members are super awesome and I would be sad to leave if I was leaving this next transfer. Since everything has been so crazy because of all the changes happening in a month there is about a 95% chance that I will be training already! This week will be 3 months of me being out and Ill be training a new missionary!! But this week was pretty good. There was a few trials here and there, but its all a good learning experience.
There was actually something read in church yesterday: "When we seek God's will, we follow a course in which there will be no failure". That doesn't mean that there won't be trials and that everything is going to be easy but that everything will fall into proper place if we do choose to follow God's will. It just really stuck out to me because as missionaries we face trials everyday but because everything that happens is God's will we just keep pushing through. When was a time that we yielded to the God will?
We had a church tour with Jennifer this week, and it was really neat to see that the spirit had touched there hearts. That was the first church tour that I had done and once we got into the chapel the spirit was totally there.
We had met with Jennifer 5 times this week and she's learning so much. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and prayed about a baptism date. The only thing thats really holding her back is the fact that her parents and grandparents are busy on Sundays and they expect her to go with them. So she hasn't gone to church yet, just the church tour. She's been making lots of friends though with the YW.
This last week was also the last interviews that President Howes was doing with the whole mission. We get a new mission president on July 1st.
All in all I'm just really nervous to train! But the Lord defiently qualifies who he calls, so if that's what Im supposed to do, Ill do it.
Something that I want to end with which I think is really cool to think about. WE (each of you reading this) were put on earth in the time period you are supposed to be. God chose you because you were one of his strongest children. It's 2013... He could have put us on earth in any of those 2,013 years after Christ came or even before Christ came but He knew that we would be able to survive these days. Isn't that cool? I do. :)
Anyway, time to go! I really do appreciate all of you that take the time to write me or email me. It means alot!!
Love you all & Hope everyone has a great week!
♥, Sister Holcomb :)
P.S. This is my district on P-day playing basketball :)
(Left to Right): Elder Loomis, Ash, me, Sister Collins, Elder Hall and Kloepher!
Hey Everyone!
It's crazy to think that its already been 10 weeks since being in AZ. It's getting hotter and hotter everyday. It's already hit about 110 degrees already. Yeah and me being from a cold and humid area doesn't help with the fact that it reaches about 115 average, my blood is definitely going to thin. I think I'm getting used to it though because being in our apartment at 82 degrees is feeling chilly. Something I learned at church and thought was so true for people that aren't missionaries, if we read as many passages in scriptures as we do text message, we would have many more scriptures memorized. So the point is, use your time wisely ;) But anyway, just an update about this week!
Monday was cool cuz we were just contacting people, and we saw a hummingbird. :) I've never seen one in real life before. Just in pics or videos. There wasn't a lot of success on Monday, but just to see the beautiful things that God has created on this earth, makes me feel grateful to be on this beautiful earth.
We were able to meet with Jennifer on Tuesday, we just recovered the Restoration and talked about the priesthood. And through the proper authority of the priesthood we can receive full remission of sins through baptism. Also later that day we had the prompting to go by one of our investigators house, Sarah. We taught the restoration. The spirit was so strong there. It was AMAZING. We asked her to be baptized, and she accepted! We have been able to meet with her everyday this week and she went to church. It's been pretty exciting to see all the tender mercies of the Lord. She took that leap of faith and we have seen a difference. She really has a true faith, she told us she knows its true. We have her date for baptism for June 15th, the only thing is she needs to stop smoking. Its gonna be hard, but we know she can do it. Keep her in your prayers.
Wednesday we had a temple trip. We are so blessed as a mission to be able to attend the temple every 6 weeks. The spirit that is felt every time we go is amazing. I encourage all of you that are worthy to attend the temple to do as often as possible. That was highlighted this weekend at stake conference. Elder Robbins, one of the seventy was there and talked about the importance of temple attendance and how we can receive blessing from it. It's so true :)
On Saturday we gave a church tour to Jennifer and her Grandmother. Even though her Grandma doesn't know very much English, she could feel the spirit. She just kept saying, "Muy Bonita" & Muy Consado". The spirit was very strong :)
Anyways, sorry for the shorter update this week, but I have so much in so little time. Love you all! Have a great week and God be with you!
-Sister Holcomb :)
So NO more mail should be going into this address: 1871 E. Del Rio Dr.
