Since its only been a few days since I last emailed, and well, Christmas is Thursday my email wont be all that long.
To say the very least, our Christmas program/conference Thursday was incredible. The spirit was so strong during the songs, music has such a powerful force to invite the spirit and testify of Christ. President left a few words after our presentation, we ate lunch and then received packages and letters and took tons of pictures until about 4 in the afternoon. It was so fun to see everybody in the mission again! Now that I am old in the mission(AH!) I knew tons of missionaries and many I hadnt seen in months! Missions are very dear places.
Sister L. Santos was called Wednesday night 10:30 pm that she was transferred, so we hardly slept that night helping her put together her suitcases. Transfers are crazy here but President is inspired.
We are still having lots of difficulty with well, being rejected. A lot. Despite our best efforts, our progress, and circumstances. But we are learning a lot about patience and perserverance, and we are learning to see the little miracles that happen every day. Its a great time to be a missionary. We found an amazing new investigator Joao Batista who loved the message, and a few other investigators who really are prepared. More on them later.
I have been studying a lot about grace and how grace is not the absence of our efforts but the fuel that keeps us going. It is the presence of God's power and it is how we overcome all the perfectionist tendencies and inadequacies we feel as humans. I would in invite everybody to study grace a little more this Christmas season, as we remember why we really have CHRISTmas.
Sunday we performed for the downtown stakes, so this week I didnt work a total of 4 days between rehearsals and the performances so it will be nice this week to settle down and have a normal week.
We have to work super hard this week since its Sister Fairbanks last week! She goes home on Monday! So lots of fun to be had this week.
So, FELIZ NATAL!!
Sister Holmes
To say the very least, our Christmas program/conference Thursday was incredible. The spirit was so strong during the songs, music has such a powerful force to invite the spirit and testify of Christ. President left a few words after our presentation, we ate lunch and then received packages and letters and took tons of pictures until about 4 in the afternoon. It was so fun to see everybody in the mission again! Now that I am old in the mission(AH!) I knew tons of missionaries and many I hadnt seen in months! Missions are very dear places.
Sister L. Santos was called Wednesday night 10:30 pm that she was transferred, so we hardly slept that night helping her put together her suitcases. Transfers are crazy here but President is inspired.
We are still having lots of difficulty with well, being rejected. A lot. Despite our best efforts, our progress, and circumstances. But we are learning a lot about patience and perserverance, and we are learning to see the little miracles that happen every day. Its a great time to be a missionary. We found an amazing new investigator Joao Batista who loved the message, and a few other investigators who really are prepared. More on them later.
I have been studying a lot about grace and how grace is not the absence of our efforts but the fuel that keeps us going. It is the presence of God's power and it is how we overcome all the perfectionist tendencies and inadequacies we feel as humans. I would in invite everybody to study grace a little more this Christmas season, as we remember why we really have CHRISTmas.
Sunday we performed for the downtown stakes, so this week I didnt work a total of 4 days between rehearsals and the performances so it will be nice this week to settle down and have a normal week.
We have to work super hard this week since its Sister Fairbanks last week! She goes home on Monday! So lots of fun to be had this week.
So, FELIZ NATAL!!
Sister Holmes