transfers (8/24/10)

no emails yesterday because you get them today!!!!..... Hello my dear family and wonderful friends.... I have been transfered to stay in Carmichael.. YEAH I am so happy I was hoping and praying I would stay at least another transfer. We recently started reorganizing our books and maps and stuff so it's not even close to being done so I am grateful I'm not leaving. Sis Stoddard is amazing and I am so happy to be with her. We have lots of fun together.

This letter is going to be short because I don't have a lot of time. LIke always. We are going to tye-dye for our activity today. WOOT WOOT!!! Life is great and we have found lots of cool people met a deaf boy name Tyrell and another one named Bassem, he is from Lebanon so when we talk about Jesus he knows where we are talking about because he has been to these places. It's really cool to watch him tell us about it because I can see it while he sign.s I love Sign language it is so beautiful. And deaf people, they are prolly the funniest people i have ever met in my existence, sorry family. I love you all. Well I know I have been out for almost a year but don't forget about me keep up the emails and pictures and letters and stuff.

The Church is true and I have a testimony about the Temple we were able to go there today and I can't tell you how much I enjoy it. Receiving revelation for myself and for the people I am working with. I know the Lord loves me and my investigators because He is willing to help me be a better missionary so my investigators can learn more about Him. Everyone is important to Him. It's beautiful.

Love Sister Holt....

Be happy and keep smiling

Howdy (8/16/10)

This is a great week!! Dawna was baptized and confirmed!! She made it through all the interviews easy and I am quite proud of her. She is opening up a lot. She is letting the Elders come to her house to help her clean it up. Big step.

She had a random guy baptize her who she met the morning she was getting baptized. Then she let Elder Elliott give her the Holy Ghostbecause she was ok with the elders suddenly. Then she told us how much she enjoyed church and is really happy. She said she was sad because it's all over now. The excitement of getting ready to be baptized is over, but then we reminded her about the temple and she was very excited again!!

We were able to see a lot of less actives this week which was great. And a lot of them came to church which was really exciting to see an almost half full chapel. That is great and we hope and pray that more people will be coming next week. We had training with president jardine which was a great reminder of the things that I should be doing and training the sisters on. Which reminds me I went to Stockton this week. Stockton is great full of CRAZYYIEEIEIE people. The sisters in stockton are doing amazing. THey have about 16 investigators most of which are almost baptized. I didn't train them they trained me. Life is great. Oh and we had a great birthday dinner with the Steed family. My home away from home. It was lots of fun!!

We don't have a lot of time to write but I will write letters today!!! Loves to you all!!

Love Sister HOlt

Be happy and keep smiling

Birthday Week (8/9/10)

Pic 1 is a beautiful manteca family they are great.

Pic 2 is a beautfiul manteca sky it is great.

Pic 3 is a bea...elders car. see how low it is, that's because we had over 1,000 water balloons in the back and 6 elders. hahah we had a fight today and it was loads of fun. it was over 2 hours ago and i'm still wet. Mom I take after you I got em all you would be proud.!!!!

Hello everyone.

So it's great this week is full of birthdays. Today is my comps birthday she turned 22 and today is my 11 month birthday. Wednesday is my birthday and i turn 22 and it is also her day that she turns 9 months. Cute!! We were meant to be together. So sorry mom but I"m opening my package tomorrow because that is OUR birthday!! YEAH I love birthdays. But it's weird on a mission, holidays don't feel like holidays really.... That is my exciting news for the week. HAve a great week.

No I'm just kidding much more exciting things have happened. Dawna will be baptized this Saturday unless something major happens. ( She has some past sins we are hopping won't keep her from baptisms.) And this last week I went to Manteca with Sister Cook and Sister Fangupo. Both of them I was companions with it was so much fun. It's cool because manteca is a place that i could possibly serve. It's really nice area and the members are super helpful. This week has been super busy and I have loved it we have been trying to see a lot of people and getting Less Actives to church and guess what... we had lot's of less actives to church this week. We are keeping the branch strong as long as we can. It's so great. We have so many investigators that we are just trying to get people progressing. it is so much fun being a missionary here I love the people with all my heart even though they are a little crazy and non committal.

Oh and Jen you best be having that baby on wednesday!!! I won't allow anything else. Yeah for august birthdays. And thanks for all the birthday wishes. I should have birthdays more often it's the most I hear from all of you!! OH and yes mom I got your package thank you!! Sister Stoddard opened it but won't let me touch it till tomorrow morning.

This next week I get to go to Stockton it is gonna be fun. Well anyway time is flying by and I gotta go!! Sorry it's kinda short this week!! I just don't have a lot of time.

Well I love you all and I will write you next week.

Love sister holt

Be happy and keep smiling

It's August Now (8/2/10)

Hello again,

I really need a new line I use that one too much. But Hello!! It's me Sister Holt, I'm a missionary inSacramento, California. Time is flying by and I feel as though I have to control over anything in my life because it all passes much too quickly. This was a good week. I went to Galt (farm town with LOTS OF COWS) for my first exchange. It was lot's of fun. Sister Smith and SIster Coffin were great they were very eager to learn and apply what they are learning to their teaching. I also learned a lot. I am going to change a lot this week on exchanges to be more organized. It is fun to work with the other sisters but I miss being with my companion in my area. Sister Stoddard is great, always up for anything and ready to work. She is a blasty.

Casey and Bobby were supposed to come to church this week but something drastic must have happened because they didn't show up. I wonder what it was. We are going to see Casey today and we are going to try to get the kids and Husband, Dan, involved. Casey really wants to be baptized but she needs her husbands support to do it because she feels it will cause too many problems in their already fragile marriage. She is strong and has been reading the book of Mormon faithfully. She read all about the 2,000 stripling warriors. Pretty cool. She loved it and is so interested about learning more and more. We are really excited for her. We hope she will continue to grow closer and start to apply the things she learns so her life so it can help her and strengthen her. Man I love being a missionary and seeing peoples lives change.

This friday we had the great opportunity to go to Camp Nauvoo in Placerville. It was great a camp full of deafies. Now the woods really are quiet when no one is talking. But we had fun taking pictures with all the kids. THey were posing us and taking funny pictures. It was superb and beautiful weather. It is a campsite the church owns and some members live there onsite as caretakers and it is a cute little house in the woods. Their son just went into the MTC for the Salt Lake mission. COol, Elder Judd. Keep an eye out for him eh?

THen on Saturday we made dinner for a member. She has had kidney failure for a little over a year now and came close to death a few times. She found a donor and had her surgery july 26th. So the missionaries made her Chicken Parmesan. We had it as well it was yummy. But when we delivered the food the man that donated his kidney was there with him. It was her friend. While I was talking to him about it I just felt the spirit so strong. I could feel his love for her and a little how much the Savior loves her that He gave His whole life for us. It was a really special moment. I was very grateful for that man and his courage to help someone out. A great testimony to me of Love, pure love. The thing is he didn't even think anything of it. He just simply said, "well if it was you wouldn't you do the same thing?" If it was me would I do the same thing? I have decided, Yes I would.

Well my Brothers and Sister it is time to say goodbye for now and I will talk to you all in a week. I love this Gospel it has blessed my life so much and the lives of the people that accept our message. It amazes me how many people are so closed they won't even listen to what we share and they miss out on so much in their life. They are so afraid it will make them happy they won't try. I am grateful that my heart has been softened and I have the message starting to grow within my heart. I pray that the seed I have planted will continue to grow so when I leave my mission it can be strong enough to stand against fierce winds. It's coming along and I am grateful for the many examples I have in my life and the strong trees around me that stand as protection against the winds. Thank you all.

I love you all,

Love Sister HOlt

Be happy and keep smiling.