Trio Tradition

The boys are back. Remember like a month ago when I had two peruvian companions? And then after I only had one? Well I have two again! Elder Manrique´s companion had special changes and so he got put into a trio with us again for this week! haha So we are just making me more and more peruvian every day. 

This week was a really great one! Lots of miracles and lots of blessings. Violeta and Martina are doing well. They are really awesome because they are good examples to me of happiness. They live in some pretty humble situations. They work in the Feria... which is like the chilean version of a Farmers market but where they sell everything. They sell used clothes but they are just happy even though they dont have very much. And that has helped me understand lots better what it really means to be happy because it really is just their faith and hope in God that keeps them going. Theya re so fun.

Juan is also doing really well. He has been seeing lots of blessings in his life since he started to go to church and started keeping the commandments. He has had a better relationship with his son and his family and he really is a lot happier. I guess that is why they call it the plan of happiness afterall. It helps us when we are down.

This week we had a ward talent show it was quite the production! We sang.. and it was aight.. haha it made me remember about assemblies and all the thought and planning we would put into things like that. There were some pretty cool talents.. an older hermano played the harmonica... a 10 year old kid roller skated around with a ribbon thing and flipped it around.. there were some really good singers!

We are super excited for this week and especially for the conference and to hear president Nelson speak to us as the prophet. I hope you all enjoy it too!!

Elder Holdstock

Whats happenin?? 

We have had a pretty crazy week! It has been really awesome and we have been really blessed. Violeta is doing well and so is Martina. They are loving going to church and are having a wonderful time in all of the activities as well. Juan is working hard to keep his streak going of not smoking. He is doing really great as well! We have found a lot of really great people this week as well that should be progressing here really soon.

On Wednesday we always play soccer for our weekly activity. Sam asked if I still have a good touch or if I lost it.... ummm a little bit of both.. unfortunately. haha but I still hold my own against the peruvians... But this wednesday we were in divisions and we were walking to the church for the activity when I saw on the other side of the street 3 guys that were a lot taller than the normal man in chile... then I saw that they were two boys and a dad.... then I saw that they were blonde.. and wearing soccer shorts and vans like gringos.... then I thought... those guys look a lot like my brothers! So I yelled across the street to them HELLO! and they responded.. ARE YOU AMERICAN?? haha so we ran over to talk to them. Turns out that they are living here in chile and playing soccer! They are from North Carolina. I told them that I used to play a lot and that we were actually on our way to play a little in the church and the dad said .... what are we waiting for? lets go! haha So I got to play soccer this week with two gringos. One was 15 and the other 13. It was like playing with Mitchell and Sam again :') (I didnt have my camera... but I took a picture with my other companions camera.. soo Coming soon)

Sounds like you guys are also having a lot of good times on the soccer field! Keep on Keepin on.

On saturday we had a funny morning.. a lady in our ward called us to ask us to do a quick service project. So we said ok and went over.. when we got there the hermano told us he needed to patch up some holes in his walls... we said great tell us what you need us to do and we will do it. He said but I dont know what to do... what do you think we should do? So Elder inofuente and I had to think up some creative way to patch up these holes.. we went with him to the home depot of chile.. and bought what we needed and went back and patched up the holes... it wasnt the most beautiful patchwork i have ever seen but we got the job done. It was just funny. I remembered the talk that president nelson gave where he said... 'Ask the missionaries. They can help' haha because the people do it! They asume we know the answers to everything.. including construction problems! we just try and do our best.

Youve just always gotta be on your best scout game.. and be prepared.

Hope everything is well and that it is getting warmer! It is starting to get a little bit cooler here but we are going to put the short sleeved shirts to work a little bit longer!

Elder Holdstock

This week was one for the books! We played soccer with about a million peruvians. We ate some really good food. We saw a lot of miracles. And we taught a lot of wonderful people.

A few weeks ago we got to know a guy named Juan. We were just sitting in sacrament meeting and a member came and grabbed us and so we left with him. Juan had show up at church. To give you a little bit of an idea... He was wearing shorts and a t shirt.. had blood shot eyes and looked like he hadnt slept for a few days and we thought he might be a little bit drunk... So we started to talk to him because these kind of people are our specialty. haha. He told us that he was kind of at a low point and had the feeling he needed to come to church. So he came. We invited to come sit with us for the last few minutes of the sacrament meeting and then we set up an appointment with him. We have been meeting with him for about a week or two now and he has made a lot of big changes in his life. He quit smoking last week. Today in the morning he played soccer with us but the great part is that now he smiles every time he sees us. He will be a member here in a hot minute.

Violeta is also doing really well. We met her grandaughter this week too! Her name is Martina. They showed up to church together and loved it! They are such good people and are long time friends of a lot of members! So it just goes to show that even when we think we have shared the gospel with everyone we know there is always someone else so just keep thinking!

The computer doesnt work this week so I dont have any pictures... sorry bout it.

James the Mormon looked like it was pretty cool! Hope that soccer keeps on keepin on! Love you all!!

Elder Holdstock

This week we are learning about how to teach and get our message across in simple and brief manner. So I think I better do it in the email as well.... haha just kidding! 

But it has been a great week. We have been doing lots of different activities and have been keeping ourselves pretty busy with everything. We meetings and trainings with president and divisions as well! This week I went on Divisions in Rinconada which is a ward from my first stake I was in Olimpo, so it was fun to be back in kind of the same place that I started my mission in! It was crazy to think about how long ago it had been but at the same time how fast it has all passed by. 

One of our good friends Peterson got baptized this weekend! He speaks very very little spanish so we had to teach him just about everything in creole. But he was super super happy! Edison also passsed the sacrament for his first time this week and did it super well. 

I like being in the mission because it always helps me understand things a lot better. Like how God really wants us to be better. Lots of churches worship God they sing and chant and read the bible, but the testimony that we are in the truth is because of the knowledge we have of our divine potential. God wants us to worship him and be good people so that we can be like him. We are so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things but god has put that divine potential in each one of us that more than be ´saved' or something like that and float around as angels we are literaly his children that have the same potential as him.

We become more like him as we let him refine us. As he lets us be tested and we learn from him.

This week we had a funny lesson with an older lady who told us she was doing alright because a car had just crashed into her house the last week and she just got done patching it all up! We thought she was kinda crazy to be honest be something told us to go in and share anyway. So we asked if we can say a prayer with her. She accepted and we went in. We started to teach her and still we thought she was a little crazy But when we invited her to be baptized her whole being changed and she was listening so intently and accepted. Then to finish she said such a sincere prayer where she told Heavenly Father she wanted to be his daughter and that she was going to follow him. It is incredible to see how the spirit works in people. It works in all moments and can always touch people right where they need it. 

Now I shall finish reciting the words my father shared with me. For I know that my father is a just man always working in righteousness. #applythescripstoyourlife #applyyourlifetothescriptures

Quote from dad for the week:

Not only do we have to show faith in God, but He too shows us that He has faith in us as He leaves us to have our own trials and show our faith in Him. The Gospel is amazing. 

Elder Holdstock

This week was fast and slow all at the same time.. Does that ever happen to you? When you are super busy and it seems like you dont have time for all the things you need to do but when it is Tuesday it seems like Monday was forever ago? Yeah that is what is felt like this week. But that is a good thing I think because it means we are busy doing good things. 

We had a training with president where he talked about how we can teach a little more simply so that people understand, that was in preparation for the trainings we will have this week with all the missionaries it will be really great to have this sort of vision for our teaching and will help a load.

We started teaching little family from the Dominican Republic this week. A mom and her little girls who are so funny. We showed them some magic tricks and they were convinced that we were cool after that. haha. Now they just want to see magic tricks when we visit them.. I guess it wasnt for nothing all that time I spent watching youtube videos on how to do magic tricks! The little girls get kinda sad when we leave though.. haha the oldest is 9 and the others are littler.

It is getting really hard for me to speak in english... Sometimes I talk in english with other elders on the phone and i cant really get out what I am trying to say.. rip... Did I sound like that in the skype?? I think I probably did but I have been with latinos for so long that  english is getting erased from my mind.. whoops. but I am sure I will learn it super quickly again!

One of the craziest things that happened this week is that I was on divisions with an elder from our zone and we were walking in our sector and out of nowhere a motorcycle ran into a car.. haha nobody got hurt but i think the motorcylist got a little distracted and didnt realize there was a car right in front of him. It made me remember when one time I was riding a bike back home... I think I was geocaching by myself if I remember right... and I was looking down at the GPS and I wasnt paying very much attention to where I was going and I ran into a parked car.. Nobody was around and it didnt hurt that much but it was just really funny! hahaha 

So moral of the story is that if you are riding a bike watch where you are going! And if you go geocaching take a friend with you!

i hope everything is doing well back home! And I hope you had the greatest birthday! The 23 of February is a special day for sure!! I am sure grateful for the example you have been in my life. How old are you now? 28 right? ;) 

Elder Holdstock

A picture of us celebrating moms birthday with icecream.