It's a GIRL!!!

So guess what!! I'm having a baby!! Which, in mission speak, (for those who don't know) means that I'm going to be training next transfer!! That's not all, though, because I'm not staying in Weatherford to train. Instead, I'm going to Choctaw to open up a new area with my hija! So remember how I opened my first transfer? Well I'll be doing the same thing, just in the driver seat this time. Exciting? for sure. Terrifying? Absolutely. But I think it'll also be a great opportunity to grow and learn to rely more on the Lord.

Anyways, I don't have tons of time to email this week but i just wanted to talk a bit about Easter. The talks that we had in Sacrament meeting this Sunday were great and it was wonderful to reflect on what the Atonement means in my life. I realize that I have almost no comprehension of what the Atonement is, but my understand increases bit by bit through striving to apply it to my life. I was reviewing conference a bit and I especially loved this talk by Elder Bednar. Probably one of my favorite quotes is as follows:

"Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possiblethe remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good andbecome better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities. Most of us know that when we dothings wrong and need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has made it possible forus to become clean through His redeeming power. But do we also understand that the Atonement is forfaithful men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to becomebetter and serve more faithfully? I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of theAtonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all alone—through sheer grit,willpower, and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities.

It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for us. But we also need to appreciate thatthe Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to enliven us—not only toguide but also to strengthen and heal us."

I would just like to challenge each of you to try to understand and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ more fully in your lives. It is truly the thing that changes, empowers, and blesses us more than anything else.

Sorry this is so short and utterly devoid of funny anecdotes or pictures, but I promise next week will be better!

Con mucho cariño,

Hermana Holloway