Dear Family,
Man I gotta tell you the mission is the best. This past week I've just been thinking about every single day of it. I went back and read my journal from the beginning and looked at all of the crazy things I have written in there. That's for sure going to be one of my greatest treasures when I get home. I know that this is gods work. I've seen his hand a lot in these past few weeks and especially in these past few days. I want to tell all of my little brothers to start preparing and saving for your mission now. It's literally the greatest thing you will ever do.
Jesus Christ and his example and Atonement should be the center of our lives always. Yesterday I spoke in sacrament meeting and I didn't know what to share so I shared a story. I'd like to share it with you now. I hope you can read it together for family home evening or if you want to search for the real story I'm sure you'll be able to find it. It's called "The three Christmas Trees." I think. Or you can google search the story about the 3 trees and Jesus Christ. It's a pretty good one.
Love you guys and MERRY Christmas
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman
P.s. "MERRY FISHMAS"
Thursday, December 22, 2016
The Book Of Holman December 12, 2016
1 And now it came to pass that on the 12 month of the 2nd year of the
ministry of Elder Holman unto the Spaniardites, he sat in Council with
the Elders and Sisters of the ministry.
2 and it came to pass that he and his companion did preach unto them,
exhorting them in all diligence that they repent of the laziness of
their ways and return to the ministry to which they had been called.
3 And these are the words which he did speak unto them: Elders And
Sisters. Thou hast heard mine exhortations during the long year
before. And now I come unto thee as the most senior Missionary in this
Council. (For he indeed had been in the Council for the entire year
before and was the only missionary that held such time in the
Council.) And now Elders and Sisters I would exhort you with all
energy of heart that he study in the 8th Chapter of Preach my Gospel
and set goals and make plans.
4 And many other things did Elder Holman Preach unto them and his
final testimony amongst them he did share.
5 And it came to pass that in the days following the mission Council
he did serve in exchanges with other Elders who had indeed been
serving in the familiar lands of Cartagena. Yea and they did bring
with them grand Letters from Members in. That land which did love
Elder Holman.
6 And it came to pass that there was nothing to report on their Labors
but to say that he did labor diligently and that he did face much
rejection. But such rejection was sweet unto his taste.
7 For he had indeed took upon himself the high calling to preach the
gospel unto this people and he did love them in spite of their
iniquities. And he stood as a witness of Jesus Christ knowing that at
the last day Christ would stand as a witness for him. (See D&C 45:3-5)
8 And it came to pass that as Elder Holman was serving in the lands of
Malaga, he had the grand privilege to serve with his former companion
Elder Berry on Missionary exchanges and they did rejoice exceedingly
and did speak unto each other late into the night as they did lay on
their pillows, yea, even exceedingly late into the night.
9 And the Parents of Elder Berry had asked him if they could come to
the homecoming Of Elder Holman and did give unto Elder Holman their
phone number to share with his mothers so that invitations could be
extended.
10 And all of these things happened in the 12 month of the 2nd year of
the ministry of Elder Holman unto the Spaniardites. And how great was
his joy. Yea how wonderful his happiness. Such happiness that he had
never felt before in his life. And thus he ceased to write at that
time. But did leave unto his kin one message.
2 John 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write
with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to
face, that our joy may be full.
Hope your all having a great week. Study the scriptures! They're the best!
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman
ministry of Elder Holman unto the Spaniardites, he sat in Council with
the Elders and Sisters of the ministry.
2 and it came to pass that he and his companion did preach unto them,
exhorting them in all diligence that they repent of the laziness of
their ways and return to the ministry to which they had been called.
3 And these are the words which he did speak unto them: Elders And
Sisters. Thou hast heard mine exhortations during the long year
before. And now I come unto thee as the most senior Missionary in this
Council. (For he indeed had been in the Council for the entire year
before and was the only missionary that held such time in the
Council.) And now Elders and Sisters I would exhort you with all
energy of heart that he study in the 8th Chapter of Preach my Gospel
and set goals and make plans.
4 And many other things did Elder Holman Preach unto them and his
final testimony amongst them he did share.
5 And it came to pass that in the days following the mission Council
he did serve in exchanges with other Elders who had indeed been
serving in the familiar lands of Cartagena. Yea and they did bring
with them grand Letters from Members in. That land which did love
Elder Holman.
6 And it came to pass that there was nothing to report on their Labors
but to say that he did labor diligently and that he did face much
rejection. But such rejection was sweet unto his taste.
7 For he had indeed took upon himself the high calling to preach the
gospel unto this people and he did love them in spite of their
iniquities. And he stood as a witness of Jesus Christ knowing that at
the last day Christ would stand as a witness for him. (See D&C 45:3-5)
8 And it came to pass that as Elder Holman was serving in the lands of
Malaga, he had the grand privilege to serve with his former companion
Elder Berry on Missionary exchanges and they did rejoice exceedingly
and did speak unto each other late into the night as they did lay on
their pillows, yea, even exceedingly late into the night.
9 And the Parents of Elder Berry had asked him if they could come to
the homecoming Of Elder Holman and did give unto Elder Holman their
phone number to share with his mothers so that invitations could be
extended.
10 And all of these things happened in the 12 month of the 2nd year of
the ministry of Elder Holman unto the Spaniardites. And how great was
his joy. Yea how wonderful his happiness. Such happiness that he had
never felt before in his life. And thus he ceased to write at that
time. But did leave unto his kin one message.
2 John 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write
with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to
face, that our joy may be full.
Hope your all having a great week. Study the scriptures! They're the best!
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman
Woah I'm half way there.. woah living on a prayer December 5th 2016
Hola Familia!
Hoy es el mejor día. We had a great week! There were some interesting things that happened. Our area is booming! We've been going hard trying to spread some Christmas spirit and have found a lot of new people to teach, AND SOME OF THEM ARE SPANISH! So it's a good time of year to be in the mission. MERRY CHRISTMAS.
So we had to exchanges this past week. One with missionaries from Murcia and another with missionaries from San Fernando. (That probably means nothing to you.) but those are two zones that I served in. Something interesting that happened on intercambios is that we found some guy from New Jersey that needed our help to translate so that he could catch s bus. A pretty weird dude but after he told us to send missionaries to his house in a Portugal to talk to him and his mother and gave us his info.
Apart from that we met new people, we taught a lot and we have a friend that wants to get baptized soon! We'll see if we can do it before Christmas.
Today is our mission Council meeting. Pray for me because I have to speak. I know that the church is true and I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that Joseph smith was his prophet. Yesterday was my last Fast and Testimony meeting in Spain. I remember when I got to my first area and it was a fast and Testimony meeting and I realized that I only had to make it through and try to understand 21 of them and I have enjoyed every single one. There is nothing better than the mission. Nothing better I could have done with the past 2 years of my life. I'll never be able to count all the blessing I've received and lessons I've learned out here.
I leave you today with just some lines from my favorite hymn of this holiday season.
Hymn 208 little town of Bethlehem
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
I hope that he enters into your heart this week and stays with you
(John 8:12) (Revelations 3:19-21)
Con Mucho amor
Elder Holman
Hoy es el mejor día. We had a great week! There were some interesting things that happened. Our area is booming! We've been going hard trying to spread some Christmas spirit and have found a lot of new people to teach, AND SOME OF THEM ARE SPANISH! So it's a good time of year to be in the mission. MERRY CHRISTMAS.
So we had to exchanges this past week. One with missionaries from Murcia and another with missionaries from San Fernando. (That probably means nothing to you.) but those are two zones that I served in. Something interesting that happened on intercambios is that we found some guy from New Jersey that needed our help to translate so that he could catch s bus. A pretty weird dude but after he told us to send missionaries to his house in a Portugal to talk to him and his mother and gave us his info.
Apart from that we met new people, we taught a lot and we have a friend that wants to get baptized soon! We'll see if we can do it before Christmas.
Today is our mission Council meeting. Pray for me because I have to speak. I know that the church is true and I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that Joseph smith was his prophet. Yesterday was my last Fast and Testimony meeting in Spain. I remember when I got to my first area and it was a fast and Testimony meeting and I realized that I only had to make it through and try to understand 21 of them and I have enjoyed every single one. There is nothing better than the mission. Nothing better I could have done with the past 2 years of my life. I'll never be able to count all the blessing I've received and lessons I've learned out here.
I leave you today with just some lines from my favorite hymn of this holiday season.
Hymn 208 little town of Bethlehem
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv’n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav’n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
I hope that he enters into your heart this week and stays with you
(John 8:12) (Revelations 3:19-21)
Con Mucho amor
Elder Holman
November 28th 2016
Querido Familia,
Hey y'all happy turkey day. Hope you guys put down a couple plates more for me! My week was absolutely spectacular. Monday I was kind of sick so I just took a nap for like 2 hours. I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have left in Spanish culture. It's a good place. On Tuesday we did our own kind of thanksgiving celebration early. I made mashed Potatoes! I'd like to thank Grandpa Lee for passing down the potato mashing genes to me. The missionaries said they were the best that they had had. I'm sure it would've been even better if I used Manti Potatoes. Haha. I'll send fotos of the lunch we did. Everyone brought something and we had fun. I also went on companionship exchanges this past week as well with some missionaries from Sevilla. I think that's one of the best parts about being here is being able to do the exchanges with other missionaries. We always work hard with them and the harder we work the faster the time passes. That's part of the problem I'm having right now. The time is passing too fast.
Thursday we had planned to go to the house of a member to have thanksgiving with them but she had to go to Switzerland so we just kicked it in the city and worked like horses 🐴. It was nice. Really nothing too special has happened. I like my companion. He's really focused and works hard so all is quite well. Saturday we had a meeting with president to plan some of the training's that we're going to be doing over the next few weeks.
Well, that's basically my life. I love you guys. Be excited for this Christmas season guys there is a new video this year. Starting on December 1 there are things that you can do every day to remember Jesus Christ this Christmas season. And if we always remember him we will always have his spirit to be with us.
You can check out the video at Mormon.org and print out the calendar there. I promise you you'll feel the spirit every day that you do it. Try and do as many of the points you can every day. Love you all. Jesus is the Christ. This is his church. I know he lives and loves us. He was and is the first gift that God gave the world!
(John 3:16).
Con mucho Amor
Elder Holman
Hey y'all happy turkey day. Hope you guys put down a couple plates more for me! My week was absolutely spectacular. Monday I was kind of sick so I just took a nap for like 2 hours. I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have left in Spanish culture. It's a good place. On Tuesday we did our own kind of thanksgiving celebration early. I made mashed Potatoes! I'd like to thank Grandpa Lee for passing down the potato mashing genes to me. The missionaries said they were the best that they had had. I'm sure it would've been even better if I used Manti Potatoes. Haha. I'll send fotos of the lunch we did. Everyone brought something and we had fun. I also went on companionship exchanges this past week as well with some missionaries from Sevilla. I think that's one of the best parts about being here is being able to do the exchanges with other missionaries. We always work hard with them and the harder we work the faster the time passes. That's part of the problem I'm having right now. The time is passing too fast.
Thursday we had planned to go to the house of a member to have thanksgiving with them but she had to go to Switzerland so we just kicked it in the city and worked like horses 🐴. It was nice. Really nothing too special has happened. I like my companion. He's really focused and works hard so all is quite well. Saturday we had a meeting with president to plan some of the training's that we're going to be doing over the next few weeks.
Well, that's basically my life. I love you guys. Be excited for this Christmas season guys there is a new video this year. Starting on December 1 there are things that you can do every day to remember Jesus Christ this Christmas season. And if we always remember him we will always have his spirit to be with us.
You can check out the video at Mormon.org and print out the calendar there. I promise you you'll feel the spirit every day that you do it. Try and do as many of the points you can every day. Love you all. Jesus is the Christ. This is his church. I know he lives and loves us. He was and is the first gift that God gave the world!
(John 3:16).
Con mucho Amor
Elder Holman
Just Another Crazy Week November 21st 2016
Querido Familia,
This past week has been crazy! Crazy Awesome, Crazy Weird, and every other crazy in between. Last Monday I think I told you that we had a staff meeting with President to go over our week of Transfers. We got everything together to do and orientation for the new missionaries that came in and put together everything to prepare the new trainers that there will be. Everything seemed to go just swimmingly. I got to see a lot of missionaries that are really good friends this past week. I was there to see Elder Bussel and Elder Ylimaula leave from the train station and man that was tough! I only have 3 companions that are still in the mission now.
So this past week there have been some pretty funny things that have happened. Last Friday my companion and I passed a drunk homeless man on the street who just started yelling at us. We got away from him and then we met some guy to teach him on a park bench and the homeless guys shows up out of no where and starts telling us that he owns the bench and that we're trespassing and we needed to leave or else he was going to call the cops! Haha. So we left and the person we were meeting with laughed with us about it.
Something else super funny is that last Sunday we had the primary program (no that's not the joke.) Well during the program this one guys on a giant electric wheelchair came into the sacramental and crashed his wheelchair into Some chairs and then when he was backing up his wheelchair started backing that beeping sound that big trucks make when they're backing up. It was quite fun.
Well for this weeks thought here's a quote that I don't know if I've shared before. But Gordon B. Hinckley's wife once said something along the lines of this.
"Whenever something goes wrong in life we can either Laugh or cry about it and I prefer to laugh because crying gives me a headache."
It always helps to find something funny about the circumstances we're in. We can always be grateful for things we do have in life because when you get right down to it there's always someone that's had it worse. We can find strength in Christ cause with his power we can do all things.
Love you guys hope you have an awesome week.
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman
November 14th 2016
Dearest Family!
Today is a special day. Today is the beginning of the Last transfer of my mission. You remember when I left a long time ago. I bet you never even thought that this day would come so fast. My companion goes home on Wednesday of this week. My new companion is a Peruvian! When I come home I'll be speaking really good Spanish! I love Natives! Thanks for the letters you have sent me today.
Well this past week was a blast and a half because we had our mission leadership council and it was fantastic!! He spirit was very strong there and we didn't want to leave. Afterward though my companion was legitimately sick! He may even finish his mission on a stretcher or in a wheelchair. Even though he's sick we've gone out and worked as much as we could! But en verdad we didn't get a lot done.
It's been a fantastic week for the work though. Over the weekend two friends that I have from my last areas got baptized. I attached fotos to my blog.
Right now I'm writing you from a baptism and I have to go and play the piano but I'll write more later if I have the chance. Just know that I love you.
For a quick thought here is D&C 98:1-3
1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be
comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and
testament--the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable
covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you
have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my
name’s glory, saith the Lord.
Hope this helps you out!
Today is a special day. Today is the beginning of the Last transfer of my mission. You remember when I left a long time ago. I bet you never even thought that this day would come so fast. My companion goes home on Wednesday of this week. My new companion is a Peruvian! When I come home I'll be speaking really good Spanish! I love Natives! Thanks for the letters you have sent me today.
Well this past week was a blast and a half because we had our mission leadership council and it was fantastic!! He spirit was very strong there and we didn't want to leave. Afterward though my companion was legitimately sick! He may even finish his mission on a stretcher or in a wheelchair. Even though he's sick we've gone out and worked as much as we could! But en verdad we didn't get a lot done.
It's been a fantastic week for the work though. Over the weekend two friends that I have from my last areas got baptized. I attached fotos to my blog.
Right now I'm writing you from a baptism and I have to go and play the piano but I'll write more later if I have the chance. Just know that I love you.
For a quick thought here is D&C 98:1-3
1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be
comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and
testament--the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable
covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you
have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my
name’s glory, saith the Lord.
Hope this helps you out!
November 7th 2016
Hey Family,
It's been a long week! We had lot of fun. If I have fotos I'll send you some but today is the mission Council day and I'm going to be running around a lot and I don't think I'll have much time to write you. Everything is going well here. My companion is great 
! This past week we've had a couple meetings with president. Actually we were lucky for Halloween. We went and ate with President and had transfer meeting! I'm enjoying my time here really.
We had a stake Conference yesterday and when I walked in they recruited me last minute for the choir! (They needed another Bass) They got a new director this year. It sounded great and it was so powerful! They made my companion and I sit on the stand and we learned lot from our leaders there. There was a lot of talk about the Area Plan for Europe. I don't know if they have one in the U.S. Too but it has three goals that we can use to get closer to Christ! You might be able to look it up on LDS.ORG. Please do it! I'm sure it can help you. We've seen miracles in helping people in the mission with it.
Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Good things to come! I know he lives! I testify his atonement is real! I know that this is his only true church. One of the most powerful things I did was sing Hymn 134 "I believe in Christ" with the choir on Sunday. I'll attach the words below so you can read them. I hope you feel the spirit as much as I did as you read them.
I hope your all doing well! Thanks for writing me when you have a moment! I enjoy reading your emails. Have a fantastic week!
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman
1. I believe in Christ; he is my King!
With all my heart to him I’ll sing;
I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ; he is God’s Son.
On earth to dwell his soul did come.
He healed the sick; the dead he raised.
Good works were his; his name be praised.
2. I believe in Christ; oh blessed name!
As Mary’s Son he came to reign
’Mid mortal men, his earthly kin,
To save them from the woes of sin.
I believe in Christ, who marked the path,
Who did gain all his Father hath,
Who said to men: “Come, follow me,
That ye, my friends, with God may be.”
3. I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God!
My feet he plants on gospel sod.
I’ll worship him with all my might;
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
From Satan’s grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.
4. I believe in Christ; he stands supreme!
From him I’ll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain,
His voice is heard: “Ye shall obtain.”
I believe in Christ; so come what may,
With him I’ll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again
To rule among the sons of men.
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