New Transfer (12/15/09)

Hello to the world in this Holiday Season...

Next P-day I have is Christmas... Woot Woot!! I'm so excited to be able to be here for this wonderful season... As of now nothing is different but I still enjoy it. We are doing heart attacking peoples doors each day of December, some people have caught us just because they know our sticky notes but oh well. Things are going great. Weather has been rainy and I love every second of it. Really the rain is beautiful here. It smells so good in CA.

Tuesday Dec 8 We had a lot of people to take cookies to for their birthdays so that was really fun. We have seen some hearts softened just by remembering them on their birthdays. We visited some less active people and not a lot are interesting in going back or even know much about the church because they were baptized by hearing people, so they didn't really know what was going on. We taught Ellen and she is doing really good, reading the Book of Mormon and asks every time she prays to have her heart opened to have more faith. She is great. Pray for her that she will be able to continue to grow. Oh and we found a house of Deafies today and they want us to come back to teach them more about the gospel......... that's 4 accountable deafies.

Wednesday Today we had district meeting and I had to teach the lesson on getting investigators to church, ha that's the thing we are struggling with most. But the Lord works in mysterious ways and I learned a lot planning for it so hopefully it will come in handy and I can get my investigators to church. Did some contacting and visiting more potential investigators then in was over west to eat dinner with two awesome members. Monica (40) and Erika(21) They are way cool. Erika is a deep thinker and she really is amazing. We were talking about the atonement because that really is my favorite thing to talk about, I could go for hours but one thing she told me about that really was just amazing... Ok, what happens if you throw a cup against the wall? It hits and shatters to the floor? How do you know that is going to happen? It's the law of physics right? You have seen it happen before so you know it will happen every time. You don't think it is going to start flying around the room in random directions you know it will smash. You understand that now, right? Apply it to the atonement. If you need the atonement and sincerely ask for help with it, it will happen. How do you know? Well, you have tried it before so you know it will happen. You were sad, scared, a sinner, any of the above and you have used the atonement and it worked. You know it will happen because it is the Law of the Gospel. So we know it now why don't we use it more? If we know it will work let us all remember it, and if you don't know it, I am a witness that it works. I am a living modern witness of the divinity of the atonement and how it can change your life and only make it better. So I commit all of you to use the atonement tonight. Ask our Lord and Savior for forgiveness, help, whatever it is that you need help with ask. It is the Christmas season and that is the reason that The Lord came to the earth was to perform this miracle we call the atonement. What better way to celebrate then to set ourselves free from Satan and more closely follow Jesus Christ by using the Atonement. It was a great day.

Thursday I got to go to the Temple with my mission President and Sister Jardine. It is so cool to see all the Elders and Sisters dressed in white at the Temple all having the Same goal. Truly amazing. I wish I could say more but I can't. That was the highlight of the day for sure.

Friday Weekly planning for the next transfer. Wow I have been here 6 weeks. Crazy so then we did some teaching with Roberto and that was really good we explained the history of the Priesthood and I think he gets it and realizes the importance of Baptism now. Amazing. Then we went to our home away from home the Steeds,... We were supposed to have dinner but he had a work dinner so he gave us $40 to go somewhere. We went to an Italian Restaurant called Strings it was amazing and while we were there we met a couple that are members and they lived in stockton. They worked with all the deaf members down there so someday when we open that area we have the connections. And then they paid for our dinners and gave us a coupon for a free meal. AMAZING!! So now we can use that money to help people for Christmas.

Saturday We visited the people that we want to go to church, Ellen we have been teaching her for a long time and she never would commit to go to church so we taught her about the importance of church and what will happen there. We basically said ok so when you go to church this is what you will experience. She said ok see you there. It was amazing. And other things happened but I am running low on time so that was the best thing.

Sunday ELLEN was at CHURCH and she loved it, it really was a great day. President Vicars ( the branch president) spoke the whole sacrament meeting and she said all the other churches she has been to never apply the gospel to her life but here that's all pres vicars did was apply apply apply, she said she never looked at the time she just was mesmerized. We are meeting with her tonight to follow up. And the rest of the day we started 12 days of christmas for some families in the branch that need a little love.

Monday we contacted 51 people that is a record for me. Our goal is 25 a day and that doesn't always happen. 51 woot woot it was a fun day, there were so many people out. I love missionaries life, go and talk to people all day is what I do. It's fabulous. It's our goal this week to get 25 a day so by the end of the week to have 125 contacts. It's gonna happen. Well that's all for now I will email you in a week.

The church is true and the Book is Blue. So go read it, eh.... ok anyway Merry Christmas to you all, I love you and remember the true meaning of Christmas... What are some things you could give to Christ this season? Try that out and see how it works. I love you!!!

Sister Holt
Be happy and Keep Smiling.