Email - January 7, 2013
Well, it has been a couple weeks since my last email just because of the chaos (and library closings) associated wit the holiday season. I had a great Christmas and a normal New Year's Eve. The 31st of December happened to fall on a preparation day and so we spent a lot of time playing basketball as a district. Needless to say, I didn't quite make it to midnight haha I just appreciate my sleep too much. (it is a hot commodity when you're a missionary!) We actually didn't stay up at all.
As for our investigators, we have been able to meet with Bro. Mountain a couple times. He should be getting baptized soon but we have a really hard time meeting with him so he has missed a few baptism dates we've tried to set with him. His wife is a member and they usually do a pretty good job of getting to church so I'm pretty confident he will be baptized soon. We also have a couple we teach, Bro. and Sis. Suarez, but we haven't been able to meet with them for a long time. Actually, we have a decent handful of investigators we weren't able to really teach for a while because of the busyness of the holidays. Things with all them should start picking up a lot more soon as things wind down from that. We also plan on redoubling our efforts on finding so that we can get more new investigators.
I'm really excited to "put my shoulder to the wheel" and help the area pick back up. I am really enjoying my time serving both in Carthage and with Elder Cummings.
Love you! Elder Holmes
As for our investigators, we have been able to meet with Bro. Mountain a couple times. He should be getting baptized soon but we have a really hard time meeting with him so he has missed a few baptism dates we've tried to set with him. His wife is a member and they usually do a pretty good job of getting to church so I'm pretty confident he will be baptized soon. We also have a couple we teach, Bro. and Sis. Suarez, but we haven't been able to meet with them for a long time. Actually, we have a decent handful of investigators we weren't able to really teach for a while because of the busyness of the holidays. Things with all them should start picking up a lot more soon as things wind down from that. We also plan on redoubling our efforts on finding so that we can get more new investigators.
I'm really excited to "put my shoulder to the wheel" and help the area pick back up. I am really enjoying my time serving both in Carthage and with Elder Cummings.
Love you! Elder Holmes
Email - January 15, 2013
Well, all I have to say is that I hope nobody reading this has the flu! Apparently it's been pretty crazy out there but I've managed to dodge the bullet. (knock on wood!) However, I have had to deal with the fact that a lot of the people with whom we regularly meet have been laid up sick. Something we have been able to do really well lately is to bring the Spirit into member's homes when we have dinner with them. We have been watching some clips from a church video I ordered called "On The Lord's Errand" all about the life of President Monson and, of course, it has some really great spiritual moments.
Something that was really great was that a less-active member was recently able to get off work on Sundays and be able to come to church! That was a surprise because how we found out was when she showed up to church on Sunday!
Speaking of Sunday, it was ward conference and so all of the stake leadership was there. The Stake President and one of his counselors spoke in Sacrament meeting along with our Bishop and they all gave great, Spirit-filled talks. They truly are great men and I know that the Lord's Church is in the right hands with them.
Hope that everyone is having a good 2013!
Love, Elder Holmes
Something that was really great was that a less-active member was recently able to get off work on Sundays and be able to come to church! That was a surprise because how we found out was when she showed up to church on Sunday!
Speaking of Sunday, it was ward conference and so all of the stake leadership was there. The Stake President and one of his counselors spoke in Sacrament meeting along with our Bishop and they all gave great, Spirit-filled talks. They truly are great men and I know that the Lord's Church is in the right hands with them.
Hope that everyone is having a good 2013!
Love, Elder Holmes
Email - January 22, 2013
The biggest thing about this week was that I found out I'm getting transferred. I'm going to Parsons, Kansas which isn't that close but it is still within the stake boundaries of the Joplin Stake, which is where I am now. There are a few things that make this transfer crazy. First, my companion and I are both leaving Carthage. We call that "shotgunning" an area. We are being replaced by an Elder who will be training a brand new missionary. Also, I'm not only getting shotgunned out of Carthage, but I'm getting shotgunned into Parsons as well. The cherry on top of all this craziness is that my soon-to-be companion is Elder Steadham, and he is already serving in this zone (stake) in a different area. In summary: I'm getting shotgunned out of Carthage, and into Parsons with a missionary who is also coming from within the same zone as me. I think I'll call it getting "double-barrel shotgunned".
I have to say, I'm super bummed to be leaving Carthage. I had grown really close to the members and got to know them really well. I feel like my time there was cut too short. I know that the Lord is behind this work though, and it will all work out for the best. Also this week, we contacted a referral that the Joplin Elders gave us and we started to teach him! He seems to be more of a slow mover, but the Spirit can do amazing things. He also has a wife and an 8 year-old son whom we weren't able to meet with, but will hopefully be able to in the future.
Love y'all! My new address is: 3610 Gabriel Apt. # 332 Parsons, Kansas 67357
I have to say, I'm super bummed to be leaving Carthage. I had grown really close to the members and got to know them really well. I feel like my time there was cut too short. I know that the Lord is behind this work though, and it will all work out for the best. Also this week, we contacted a referral that the Joplin Elders gave us and we started to teach him! He seems to be more of a slow mover, but the Spirit can do amazing things. He also has a wife and an 8 year-old son whom we weren't able to meet with, but will hopefully be able to in the future.
Love y'all! My new address is: 3610 Gabriel Apt. # 332 Parsons, Kansas 67357
Email - January 29, 2013
Well, I'm really enjoying my first week here in Parsons, Kansas! It is a branch and we get about 60 people to church on any given Sunday, not that that is something new to me. All of the members we've been able to associate with so far have been really nice and welcoming to us! I really look forward to working with them. We've met a few of our investigators as well and we have some good ones. Sis. Archuletta actually has a date for baptism early next month so that is awesome! One thing that the branch leadership has asked us to focus on here is activation because there are quite a few members who are not active and that is where most of the baptisms in Parsons have come from in the past. We share a car with the Elders in Pittsburg, Kansas which is kinda lame because they are a fair distance away but I guess that's how it is. haha I'm kinda used to it by this point.
About Kansas: it is flat! I don't know what else to say about it geographically. haha There are a lot of long, straight roads. I went from the mountains in Utah, to the hills of NW Arkansas and Missouri, to the flat land of Kansas. I don't know what the next step is... the ocean maybe? I hear that the weather out there in Utah has been pretty crazy! Out here it's been quite mild so far. A few light showers here the past couple of days, but that is about it.
Well, I'll keep y'all up to date on my Kansas adventures as they happen!
Love you! Elder Holmes
About Kansas: it is flat! I don't know what else to say about it geographically. haha There are a lot of long, straight roads. I went from the mountains in Utah, to the hills of NW Arkansas and Missouri, to the flat land of Kansas. I don't know what the next step is... the ocean maybe? I hear that the weather out there in Utah has been pretty crazy! Out here it's been quite mild so far. A few light showers here the past couple of days, but that is about it.
Well, I'll keep y'all up to date on my Kansas adventures as they happen!
Love you! Elder Holmes