Happy Halloween!!!

Aloha everybody!

 

It's just so great to be a missionary right now. LIFE IS GOOD!

 

So I haven't really talked about miracles in a while, so I'm gonna do that again:

 

MILAGRO #1: We had a lesson with April (who's Mormon now :) ) and at that lesson Emmitt told us that he wanted to be baptized. In his own words he said, "Before my mom was baptized I had a feeling that I shouldn't be baptized. But now that feeling is gone." WOW! Check out that faith! I love working with kids, because they have that kind of trusting faith. He doesn't really know anything about the gospel or baptism, but he knows that Heavenly Father wants him to do it, and that's enough for him. So we set a baptismal date for November 9th. Emmitt's getting baptized!!! :)

 

MILAGRO #2: About 2 weeks ago we got a referral from a guy in one of the Moore wards. It was for his friend that he had taken to see Meet the Mormons and after she had expressed a desire to meet with the missionaries. SO we boogied on over to see her, of course, and the first two times we saw her she kind of blew us off and didn't seem super interested or anything, so we thought she was just going to drop. Well on Tuesday she called us and invited us over for supper! WHAT?! It was sweet! So we ate supper with her and then had a short lesson then went back the next day to teach her again. She wants to build her relationship with God, but she's just scared at what will happen if she does. But we're praying for her and we know Heavenly Father knows what He's doing.

 

Those are a couple of the main things that are going down here in north OKC. We have also been doing a lot of ward roster clean up, which means that we visit people on the ward roster that we don't know and see if they still live there and would like contact with the church. It's actually a really great finding tool because it brings you to areas that you might not normally work and in contact with people that you might not normally see. Like yesterday we tried this lady that wasn't home but we talked to some of her neighbors that would like us to come back and teach them! Milagros! Heavenly Father has given us the opportunity to meet a lot of really cool people :).

 

In my study of the Book of Mormon I've been reading in Alma 43, which is the beginning of the long war between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the beginning the Nephites were at a serious disadvantage. There were less of them and they were not as physically strong as the Lamanites. They still won the battle, though, and here is why:

 45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better‍ cause, for they were not fighting‍ for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

That "better cause" invited the power of God, whereas the Lamanites cause invited only the power of the Adversary, who, as we know, is weaker than God.
So how do we apply this? If we want to conquer Satan we have to have pure motives that will inspire pure actions that will invite the power and support of God. This is how we will prevail!

Well I love all y'all and I hope that your week is just as dandy as mine will be! Jesus loves you!
~Hermana Holloway
Pictures:
1. Our apartment got sprayed for varmits. Didn't really do much, but it gave us a chance to do a deep clean! This is all the stuff that was in our kitchen.
2. A really intelligently place sidewalk that we found during our ward roster cleanup.
3. Emmitt's birthday was yesterday so we decorated his door and gave him a copy of "Book of Mormon" stories.

Let's get this party started!!!

ALOOOOOOOOOOOOHA FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!

 

Welcome to this new transfer!! I'm so PUMPED for it! I think it's going to be the best one yet. Sis. Adair has gone the way of all the earth, and I'm going to miss her a lot. My new companion is Sister McKenzie, and she is AMAZING. Like one of the most top-notch missionaries here. She's from Utah (shocker) and she's been out about 6 months. She's such a good missionary, though. I think that I'm going to learn more from her than she ever will from me. 

 

We had a really good week! We were able to see Comesha and Elijah. The young women's presidency came with us because they wanted to visit with Comesha's daughter. She wasn't there, though, because she caught wind of the event and you really have to take her by surprise if you want to see her. We had a really good visit with Comesha and Elijah, though, and it made me happy to see the ward take a more active role in fellowshipping that family.

 

We also got out on our bikes again because we want to redouble our efforts to talk to EVERYONE. In the effort we were able to meet some cool people and some not so cool people and we were also able to get in with a less active family that I've been trying to see my whole time here. AND we were able to have somewhat of a lesson! It was awesome! They're in trouble, though, because they didn't come to church. Silly people making silly choices...

 

We also went to go see Mimi and Tati, and as we read some of the Book of Mormon with them Tati mentioned out of the blue that she had been having some problems not drinking tea. So we took all of her tea bags and ripped them up so she wouldn't have that temptation anymore. It was cool, though, because we hadn't even mentioned the word of wisdom to her or asked if she was drinking tea, we just invited the Spirit by reading the scriptures and the Spirit led her to repent. I love the gospel! And being a missionary! It is simply the best.

 

Last night we had our correlation meeting with our 2 assistant Ward Mission Leaders (the WML was out of town)and a member of the Elder's Quorum Presidency came to present their part of the ward mission plan. (Basically, our ward mission plan outlines the goals of the mission as well as Elder Ballard's call to invite friends to meet with the missionaries once a quarter and each auxiliary is in charge of setting goals and making plans to help the ward achieve these overarching goals) All of the goals that he presented were so inspired and reflected a desire and enthusiasm on behalf of the members to do missionary work. We all just got really excited and I realized that we were finally building on a foundation of member trust that missionaries in the past had created and that we would see the fruits of their labors. It was inspiring to see the members excited to do missionary work and taking ownership of the work of salvation! When Elder Bradley D. Foster was here, he explained that there were three phases of missionary work:

 

1. the missionaries do it all

2. the members help the missionaries

3. the missionaries help the members

 

I'd say that the Village ward has been in phase 2, but I can see the transition into phase 3 starting to happen. THIS is when the Lord is hastening His work. THIS is the time to invite all to come unto Christ. What an exciting time to serve the Lord! There's honestly nowhere I'd rather be than in this small part of Oklahoma City giving my heart, might, mind and strength to my God. There truly is nothing better than to lose oneself in the service of others, because as Elder Neal A. Maxwell said:

 

Consecration is the only surrender which is also a victory. It brings release from the raucous, overpopulated cell block of selfishness and emancipation from the dark prison of pride.

 

And as the Savior said:

 

Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister‍ unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take‍ no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

 Behold the fowls‍ of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies‍ of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;

And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek‍ ye first the kingdom‍ of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
I love you all! Thank you so much for your good examples and your prayers and your encouragement. It means more that you will ever know.
~Hermana Bethani Holloway
Pictures:
1. Sis. McKenzie and me (please try to ignore the elder in the background)
2. Reunited with my hija! (I'd forgotten how short she is...)
3. Helping Tati live the word of wisdom :)

APRIL GOT BAPTIZED!!!

So... apparently Colombus Day counts as a holiday for the Metropolitan Library System here in OKC. Everything does come to Oklahoma last so it doesn't really surprise me all that much. But that's why I'm emailing on Tuesday.

 

Anyways

 

ALOHA EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

 

This week was SO STINKIN AWESOME IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING!

 

As you can see, April did get baptized and confirmed this weekend. It was so great! Dylan baptized and confirmed her and it was the sweetest thing ever. They are just so perfect for each other. Pictures will be attached :)

 

What else happened this week...

 

We've been doing a lot of going home prep for my dear almost dead companion. We mailed her bike home, took funeral pictures after district meeting, weighed her bags, took pictures of her with everyone here (if I had a dollar for every picture that I took for her this week I'd have a lot of dollars), had a farewell dinner with our ward mission leader, and went to Lifechurch (it's one of the biggest nondenominational churches in OKC. Pretty much everyone who serves here tries to get invited at least once). We're pretty much ready to send her off now! Transfers are tomorrow, and the departing missionaries will fly out on Thursday. I'm actually really really sad about it. Sis. Adair and I got along super well and she's kind of like my long lost sister. Saying goodbye will be really difficult.

 

Oh, but cool story of the week! Sis. Adair has a twin brother who is serving his mission in S. Dakota right now. Not only do they fly home on the same day, but they fly home on the same plane. WHAT?!?!? It's pretty sweet. They fly into Denver together and then meet up and fly to Utah. I'm sure the moment that they both step off the plane will be magical.

 

I actually took a lot of pictures this week, so I think instead of just writing a bunch of words I'll send out a bunch of pictures.

 

And this morning we read this talk by Elder Lynn G. Robbins that's about being something, not just doing something. I'm trying really hard to focus not only on my example, but also on my motives so that I do the right things for the right reasons. We came to this earth not to do a bunch of things, but to become something. Doing is essential to becoming, but only if accompanied by the proper motives.

 

Have a great week! Jesus loves you! Go see Meet the Mormons if you haven't already done so!!

 

LOVE, 

 

Hermana Holloway

 

Pictures:

1. April's baptism

2. After the baptism

3. Zone p-day. We played kickball and broke a piñata.

4. Sis. Adair's dying day

5. Rainbow cake at the Speckmans

6. waiting to go into Lifechurch

7. at the temple with April and Dylan and Emmitt

8. Our district at P-day

Cramming

This week was CRAZY!!!!! I mean, every week was, but I have no idea how we did so much in just 7 24-hour periods.

 

MONDAY: Normal P-day. Then that evening we had a lesson with April and Dylan. We actually took April over to another member's house so that she could hear their conversion stories, especially because they both had some problems with their family when they joined the church. It was SO AMAZING and just what April needed to hear. Afterwards we went up to her apartment for a few minutes and she asked "so when can I get baptized?" It was such a cool moment. I knew that I was doing my job.

 

TUESDAY: We had zone conference! We had to set up the tables and chairs before then have a meeting, so the goal was to be there by 7. Well then we had to pick up the elders in Edmond, so we ended up leaving the house before 6 and getting up at 4:45. It was awesome... not. But the zone conference was really really good. It was a lot more about member work and teaching skills, especially asking inspired questions. Then immediately after we went on exchanges with the sisters in Weatherford. I stayed here this time and spent the day with Hna. Haddock, who is a boss. We had such a good time. We had a lesson with Paula and Andy that evening that went pretty well; we're just trying to help Andy investigate the gospel from a spiritual perspective, not necessarily just an intellectual perspective.

 

WEDNESDAY: I spent ALL DAY with Hna. Haddock. We had another lesson with April (Law of Chastity!), and then all of our afternoon appointments fell through so we went to go see Comesha and Elijah which was slightly awkward but also good. We committed Comesha to watch the Women's Broadcast and read some scriptures with her. Then after we went to see Mimi and Tati, which ended up being a good lesson. We watched this Mormon Message and then discussed what the anchors represent and what anchors are missing from their lives. And then the concerns started flowing! It was so good! THEN after that we went to see a new less-active sister who is from El Salvador (except she wouldn't let me speak Spanish to her...). Her husband isn't a member and he's a little critical of the church so that's holding her back quite a bit, but she definitely has a lot of potential. And after all that.... we had dinner. No joke, it was the last thing of the night. It was a really good dinner, though. We ate toast and talked about geology.

 

THURSDAY: Sis. Adair and I were finally reunited!!! Let me tell you, that was a long exchange! After we were done exchanging back and having studies and such we had Weekly Planning and then we went to see our RC, Sis. Goewey. Luckily she happened to be cooking at the time so we even got dinner as well! Then we had a short lesson with Josie and stopped in on the Weske family. Normally the husband doesn't really participate, but this time he watched all the Mormon Messages we shared and even seemed to like them! Huzzah!

 

FRIDAY: Exchanges again! We go on SO MANY! It was good, though. I got to work in Edmond... and that's about all I have to report on that!

 

SATURDAY: So we had planned to go to Stillwater because one of Sis. Adair's old investigators was getting baptized. Well one of the sisters in OKC 2nd taught her too, so we decided to carpool. That would mean, though, that Sis. Allen and I would be going to Stillwater needlessly and essentially wasting that time. Then Sis. Allen remembered that she had been invited to the temple that day and had received permission to go, so we went to the temple instead! It was kinda hard to keep track of it all, but it was so great to be in the temple and spend time with Sis. Allen, who is one of my favorite people (she was my STL in Choctaw for those of you keeping score at home)! Then we went to Golden Corral for dinner, which was a wonderful experience. I had never been there before but I thoroughly enjoyed it :). And then we had the WOMEN'S BROADCAST!!! It was so fabulous! If you haven't seen it and are a women you must watch it!!

 

SUNDAY: APRIL CAME TO CHURCH!! APRIL CAME TO CHURCH!! Now she only has to come 2 more times before she's baptized on October 12th!!!! Comesha and Elijah also came to church, and we didn't even have to remind them to get a ride!! Huzzah!! I love it when people use their agency wisely!!! After all that wonderfulness we went to the Spanish branch's sacrament meeting for language study and had Josie's baptism interview, which was a little unorthodox but it was necessary for Autism. Basically we brought our district leader to a lesson and he observed and decided whether she was ready to be baptized or not. She's learned so much and she's so excited! Her parents took her to a baptism on Saturday and after it was over she said "Josie's turn!". So she understands :).

 

Yep. That was pretty much my week! Hope you liked it!

 

Also, the Book of Mormon is true and it's amazing. I've been reading a lot this week and I just keep getting new and wonderful stuff out of it. 

 

LOVE YOU ALL! Have a great week!

 

~Hermana Holloway