Hello people,
This week was an awesome one, but also a bit sad. The one family we were teaching disappeared and we can't find them at their house, and nobody we were teaching decided to go to church this week. However on Sunday an old person that me and my old companion taught decided to go to church and loved it and decided that they wanted to learn more again! So that's awesome and we are excited to work with them.
However it rained a lot this week, which was loads of fun to be in big rainstorms, and we got to go the awesome meat buffet restaurant again. We also ended up finding a lady that had a dream that two servants from God were trying to find her and teach her, but couldn't, and then she let us enter when we knocked on the door. She listened to the message, but she said she didn't recognize us as the servants from the lord until we shared our testimonies at the end. Which helped me remember that as missionaries we can't logically teach anyone a desire to change, we can just bring the Spirit and help them feel it just like in 1 Corinthians 2:4. I hoe everyone has a good week!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
*
Monday, February 25, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Pérola 15
Hello People,
This week was fun. Everything pretty much got back to normal from [since] the transfer and the energy [electricity] returning. Last week our ward got a return missionary, so throughout the week he was always wanting to give us references and leave to work with us so that was fun. He also has a car so that was a big help so we didn't have to walk everywhere. Diego's mom came to church and [so did] another girl we were teaching throughout the week. The girl has a super strong desire to get baptized so we planned with the bishop and she will get baptized during the youth retreat the stake will have next week during Carnaval, so that should be super fun and cool. There is also another lady we are teaching who lives with her daughter and son-in-law that are members of the church and she also really like the messages. Me and my companion are super pumped to continue working in the area. We had a good meeting with our ward mission leader and we have lots of good plans to continue integrating the members into missionary work! I don't know how many people heard that I can do skype calls and text with my family every week now, but I will still try to write an email every week to continue with the blog until the end of the mission!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
Isaac video called us from his Bishop's house since they are now allowed to call. It was great to get to talk to him. Mostly he joked around with his brothers and wanted updates on the video games they are playing, as well as telling us pretty much the same things he wrote. He also said Elder Bell is giving him a hard time to figure out what he's going to do with his life because...girls like a man with a plan; and then asked if we know what qualifications he needs to become a garbage man "remember when I wanted to grow up to be a garbage man?" yep we do. Isaac also mentioned he's parting his hair now and he calls it "the Brian." He was at someone's house and the little kids were combing his hair over and over and lots of people told him they liked it better that way so he's wearing it that way now. He says people tell him he is even better looking and looks more serious instead of crazy X-D He also slipped into Portuguese once until we must have looked completely confused. Isaac is planning on sending emails every week and will probably use Google chat too. The internet café he goes to doesn't have video options and he doesn't have international phone calling options or ipads like some missions. He also does not want to disrupt his Bishop's personal life by going there to call every week. So for us even with the new rules, we will be about the same except he can call if he needs to. It's nice to have the option available even if you don't use it every week.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Pérola 14
Hello people,
This week was super fun. My new companion is Elder Souza, from Minas Girais, and he is super awesome and super funny. It's fun to have a Brazilian companion again.
We finally got our energy [electricity] back on Thursday. it was funny because my companion's first day in the mission we didn't have any light to unpack his bags and we just did everything by candlelight. The house is a lot more chill now though because there will only be four of us in the house now and it's more quiet, but I think I like it better.
This week we worked hard and we ended up finding a young couple that wants to be baptized. It was a miracle we found them because usually they both work all day and then they study at night and don't get home until 11 o' clock. However we found them in the like 40 minutes they are at home and taught them about the restoration. They said that they have been wanting to get baptized in a church they just needed to follow the commandments first and get married legally and were planning on getting married next month. Then they prayed, and asked, and went to church yesterday; and said they loved it and that they got an answer to their prayer and wanted to get baptized. So now we just have to wait for the government to sign papers and plan a cool wedding party in the ward, and after that we can baptize them.
Diego's mom wasn't able to make it to church this Sunday because she was sick. However she became good friends with the Relief Society President and they are chilling all the time now. We also managed to have a few other visitors at church that we are going to work with during the week. I love you guys! Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
This week was super fun. My new companion is Elder Souza, from Minas Girais, and he is super awesome and super funny. It's fun to have a Brazilian companion again.
We finally got our energy [electricity] back on Thursday. it was funny because my companion's first day in the mission we didn't have any light to unpack his bags and we just did everything by candlelight. The house is a lot more chill now though because there will only be four of us in the house now and it's more quiet, but I think I like it better.
This week we worked hard and we ended up finding a young couple that wants to be baptized. It was a miracle we found them because usually they both work all day and then they study at night and don't get home until 11 o' clock. However we found them in the like 40 minutes they are at home and taught them about the restoration. They said that they have been wanting to get baptized in a church they just needed to follow the commandments first and get married legally and were planning on getting married next month. Then they prayed, and asked, and went to church yesterday; and said they loved it and that they got an answer to their prayer and wanted to get baptized. So now we just have to wait for the government to sign papers and plan a cool wedding party in the ward, and after that we can baptize them.
Diego's mom wasn't able to make it to church this Sunday because she was sick. However she became good friends with the Relief Society President and they are chilling all the time now. We also managed to have a few other visitors at church that we are going to work with during the week. I love you guys! Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
Monday, February 4, 2019
Pérola 13
Hello people!
This week was a decent one. It was a bit different because it's the end of the transfer so we were trying to get stuff ready for if we leave the area, however we did still work decently.
We brought a senhora to sacrament meeting which was awesome because she was having difficulty feeling a response from God if the church and what we were teaching was true or not, but we promised she would be able to feel a response from God if she went to church. Then she did go with us and said she felt it was all was right. So now I am super pumped to go back and continue teaching with my new companion.
This transfer I will stay here in Pérola and I will get a brand new companion. However, nobody wants to tell me who he is so I will just find out when he gets off the plane and finds me because we are in a far area where we need to get a plane from Belém to get here. However, I am sure he will be great. I hope everyone is having a good time with the cold because I am missing it!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
Here's Isaac's letter to his dad (since he answers the question about his electricity and shares some interesting info):
Sounds like a fun week staying inside and playing lots of video games. I am excited you are going to run the Ragnar and have confidence in you to train and run fast. Also I had a dream you were ripped when I got back and did like back handsprings in the backyard everyday too. So you will have to work on that when it warms up as well.
Yeah the power is still out. Apparently the last financial secretary never paid our bills, was just saying he was, and the new one got there and was like, "ummmm I just paid 4 months of bills that were late." So now we are waiting for the company to come to our house to turn the energy back on.
Yeah, we got transfers. I am going to be able to train a missionary!!!!!! Which I am super pumped about because I have always wanted to train a fresh missionary. Both of the assistants now are my friends and said they didn't know if I could because they wanted to make me a zone leader, but I told them I wanted to train first. So now I get to train and I also am going to end up district leader which I am pumped about and excited to help out the district with all the past drama that happened this transfer. And basically what you said to your team at work* was what I told everybody during the drama and I think it worked out decently. Also that's going to be a huge bank now. Maybe if you play your cards right you can use this merge to move up in the ranks and buy a sweet boat house for when I get back ;-) Just remember to focus on what's right and show off those leadership skills you learned back in high school. As Uncle Iroh would say, "Zuko! Remember the basics!"
Love,
Your son Elder Holcomb
And another add on:
Yeah, I finished training an Elder but I wanted to train again and yeah if you are zone leader you both are seniors so you can't like train or help a newbie.
*A portion from Brian's letter to put Isaac's words into context:
Oh, they announced at work that TCF is merging with another bank in Detroit. It won't become official until they get regulatory approval which probably won't happen until September or October. it will basically double the size of the bank... There's some concern about whether all of our jobs will move to Detroit or not. I think they might all move to Minneapolis instead. Regardless, I think I'll just keep my head down and work hard on the things I can control and we'll see what happens. That's what I've been telling my team at work too. You can't focus on the things you can't control, just focus on the things you can control and do them the best you can.
Have a great week and keep doing good things!
I don't think I shared any of these pictures yet:
This week was a decent one. It was a bit different because it's the end of the transfer so we were trying to get stuff ready for if we leave the area, however we did still work decently.
We brought a senhora to sacrament meeting which was awesome because she was having difficulty feeling a response from God if the church and what we were teaching was true or not, but we promised she would be able to feel a response from God if she went to church. Then she did go with us and said she felt it was all was right. So now I am super pumped to go back and continue teaching with my new companion.
This transfer I will stay here in Pérola and I will get a brand new companion. However, nobody wants to tell me who he is so I will just find out when he gets off the plane and finds me because we are in a far area where we need to get a plane from Belém to get here. However, I am sure he will be great. I hope everyone is having a good time with the cold because I am missing it!
Love,
Elder Holcomb
Here's Isaac's letter to his dad (since he answers the question about his electricity and shares some interesting info):
Sounds like a fun week staying inside and playing lots of video games. I am excited you are going to run the Ragnar and have confidence in you to train and run fast. Also I had a dream you were ripped when I got back and did like back handsprings in the backyard everyday too. So you will have to work on that when it warms up as well.
Yeah the power is still out. Apparently the last financial secretary never paid our bills, was just saying he was, and the new one got there and was like, "ummmm I just paid 4 months of bills that were late." So now we are waiting for the company to come to our house to turn the energy back on.
Yeah, we got transfers. I am going to be able to train a missionary!!!!!! Which I am super pumped about because I have always wanted to train a fresh missionary. Both of the assistants now are my friends and said they didn't know if I could because they wanted to make me a zone leader, but I told them I wanted to train first. So now I get to train and I also am going to end up district leader which I am pumped about and excited to help out the district with all the past drama that happened this transfer. And basically what you said to your team at work* was what I told everybody during the drama and I think it worked out decently. Also that's going to be a huge bank now. Maybe if you play your cards right you can use this merge to move up in the ranks and buy a sweet boat house for when I get back ;-) Just remember to focus on what's right and show off those leadership skills you learned back in high school. As Uncle Iroh would say, "Zuko! Remember the basics!"
Love,
Your son Elder Holcomb
And another add on:
Yeah, I finished training an Elder but I wanted to train again and yeah if you are zone leader you both are seniors so you can't like train or help a newbie.
*A portion from Brian's letter to put Isaac's words into context:
Oh, they announced at work that TCF is merging with another bank in Detroit. It won't become official until they get regulatory approval which probably won't happen until September or October. it will basically double the size of the bank... There's some concern about whether all of our jobs will move to Detroit or not. I think they might all move to Minneapolis instead. Regardless, I think I'll just keep my head down and work hard on the things I can control and we'll see what happens. That's what I've been telling my team at work too. You can't focus on the things you can't control, just focus on the things you can control and do them the best you can.
Have a great week and keep doing good things!
I don't think I shared any of these pictures yet:
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