mystery location 1

(photo throwback to Marituba-recently sent to Elder Holcomb)

Hey guys!
This week was fun getting to know a new area again. The area is super cool and the members here are fun.  All of the streets are mud and sand and the rain season is coming back so all of the roads became mud streams so that was a blast to work in.
The area has lots of work to do and the people here are pretty accepting. Our zone leaders challenged us to talk about baptism and invite everyone to baptism in everything, including contacts in the street. So me and my companion have a picture of Christ's baptism, and when we make contacts we are literally like, "hey, do you know Christ?" "Yes, he is our Savior and he showed us the perfect example in everything and taught us His gospel. One of the things he did was be baptized." Then we explain a bit about baptism and then invite them to be baptized. I was kind of like "that's a little up front and don't think anyone's going to accept that," but we tried it and it actually worked and I was like, "what the heck?" So this week we had ten people agree to prepare to be baptized and continue learning with us on the 24th of November and the 15th of December. On the 15th we are going to take all the baptisms in the stake to the stake building and have a big party at the stake building so we are trying to find people to take to that. 
Also, now there are 6 of us living in one house because our house is one of the biggest in the mission and it's crazy.  One guy was in the Colombian military before his mission and when we have a Nerf gun fight he always wins. We also made a goal as a companionship to sing a hymn before every lesson to bring the Spirit. We both sing horribly, but it brought the Spirit, and now we realize [when we are teaching] we can sing and then explain the Spirit  and how the Spirit speaks to us, and say, "the same feeling you had during the hymn is the feeling of the Spirit."  Then it helps people recognize responses to their prayers too.  My companion is great.  I asked him what he liked to do back home and he said "study" :-) :-) (but he actually is sweet, he isn't boring).
Love,
Elder Holcomb

PS
HMU for a TBH
[Not sure what Isaac means by this, but all guesses so far are that he wants people to write, so if you need Isaac's email or regular mail address leave me a comment on the blog, on Instagram, Facebook, or email me.]

Santarém 5

Hello people,
This week was a blast!  First off this week was the last week of the transfer so we were working real hard to bring people to church (which only one person ended up going :-( ) However, on Wednesday we had divisions and our lunch fell through and then one member from our ward that lives in a city about 5 hours away was close and said, "hey I will take you guys to a restaurant." Let me just say, this was no ordinary guy.  He picked us up with his wife in this fancy truck and then sped down the highway, and turns out he just got back from his mission in less than a year, but he is already married, and has this fancy truck, and then he took us to this amazing restaurant in the middle of nowhere on the beach. This restaurant was like one of the fancy tourist restaurants so there were some people from France there.  We took photos on the beach and in the little heart thing that I will send. However you can look it up on the internet for better photos. Then later in the week he stopped by our house and gave us a whole bunch of things from the grocery store, and it was amazing, which included Nutella (and Nutella is super expensive here) We almost cried. We took a photo I will try to send too.
However on a more serious note, I was transferred again, but only to an area about 30 minutes away in the same stake so that's a little funny. My new companion is from Peru so I guess that means I can continue bettering my Spanish. However, I am a little sad in these last two areas I have spent such a short time and found people to baptize and watched them progress and now I will be moved again before I can even see them be baptized so that leaves me a little sad, but I know they are making the right choice.
Love you guys!
Elder Holcomb

Santerém 4

This week was fun. Not too much happened funny or interesting to share. However we worked and walked. However, we have had a problem with helping people make it to sacrament meeting this whole transfer and this Sunday we decided we would walk to everyone's house that lives far away. So we woke up at 5 in the morning to walk on the side of the highway to make it to their houses and take them to the bus stop. We thought that the Lord would recognize our sacrifice and bless us, but it wasn't too much of a sacrifice, it was actually pretty fun.  In one of the rivers that passes under the highway we saw an old lady washing her clothes that said she would wash ours for money in the river too, but we told her that's fine we wash our own clothes. (So I guess that's a bit funny and interesting). However, we did end up being able to bring lots of people into sacrament meeting. So moral of the story, the Lord blesses you for your sacrifices by making them fun and interesting.
Also this week we went to Alter do Chão the famous beach here for the last P-day of one Sister going home. It was a blast and lots of fun, but Elder Paredes ended up getting sick and threw up on the bus in a plastic bag that he had to keep in his hands for the rest of the 45 min ride and it was funny. (He is from Chile and loves geography and we have competitions on the US states and capitals). He and my companion are also helping me with my Spanish so that when I visit Machu Picchu I can be fluent. I will try to get all the photos later. LOVE YOU GUYS,
Elder Holcomb

Santarém 3

Hello people,
This week was fun, not anything too interesting happened. One Monday we climbed up a plateau in our area with some members; it was super fun.  Then we played soccer in a sand pit and it reminded me of how unfit I am.
This week was zone conference and because we are far away we didn't meet up with the rest of the mission so it was just our zone, but the missionaries from Obidos, an area down the Amazon that's 8 hours of a boat ride away, stayed at our house.  So we got to do divisions with them for one day and had 4 of us working in our area. I stayed with Elder Bogart, an American from Missouri, so that was fun to spend a day with only an American. He is new in the mission so it was fun to remember how it was when I got in the field and didn't know Portuguese and had a really strong accent. However we taught well and it was fun. Zone conference was fun and we all got to go out to eat at a restaurant. Lots of the conference was about being more obedient and more diligent in working hard. However it was fun to be with everyone and take turns playing songs on the piano and joking around.
We had lots of people going to sacrament meeting this week but the bus that drives and picks up all the members and investigators that live far away broke and so they ended up waiting for the bus that never showed up so that was sad.
However my spiritual thought of the week would be the power of The Book of Mormon. Usually literally everyone that takes time to sit down, learn about the Book of Mormon and then read just a little bit realizes it's true and then wants to get baptized. In the start of my mission I was always a bit scared to use The Book of Mormon in the first lesson thinking that the people wouldn't accept it and always used the Bible to explain things, but The Book of Mormon actually brings the Spirit and testifies of the truth. The Book of Mormon is what makes the church the church and someone who takes the time to learn about The Book of Mormon realizes that and wants to follow. So always take the time to read it and study it and share it with others!
Love,
Elder Holcomb

Santarém 2

Hello people,
This week was a blast and super fast. We worked hard, but one of the highlights was on Thursday we had divisions and I got to be with Elder Bell, a cross country runner from South Carolina, and so it was two Americans working and it was great. We had a blast and talked about running and shoes. Then in the house we stayed at the other two missionaries were one American and one Peruano so there weren't any Brazilians. It was a blast, we had a party, and then when the Peruano went to bed we talked in English and that was fun too. Then the next day was p-day [preparation day, laundry, clean the house, something fun, that kind of stuff] because it was a holiday here so President made it p-day so we went to this awesome meat house. It was like the best meat I have ever eaten and there was just like endless meat and it was so so tasty we forgot to take pictures. Then we were going to go to a tereré store but it was closed, but I will go back because I love tereré and the store has lots of cool stuff for it so I want to buy some souvenirs. Then we hiked up a small mountain and looked out over the river and the city and it was sweet, but didn't show up too well in the pictures.
This week we found some really cool people to teach. One is a couple that sells bananas. We gave them a Book of Mormon and they read the whole thing and say it's true. Another is a kid that was never baptized because his parents wouldn't let him, but now he is 19 so he can be baptized. On a side note there is one guy in the ward that was baptized by Uncle Ben!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So that was sweet to talk to him and see that connection. Now this afternoon we are going to climb a plateau and play soccer so that should be fun. Also we met one guy that is a chess professor so he taught me some fun tips and tricks.
This week is zone conference and next month President [Almeida] is going to go on a mission tour and in February an apostle is coming to the mission so that's exciting news. Spiritual thought of the week is Helaman 10 [vs 4&5]. It is important to align our will with the will of God and when we do that we will be blessed and everything we ask for in our prayers will be given.
Love,
Elder Holcomb

[the following photos are from Elder Holcomb's last area, but someone recently sent them to him]

Santarém 1

Hello people!
This week was lots of fun! Santarém is a blast and all the members I have met are cool. My companion is new and he stayed one transfer with his first companion, however I got moved to be the second. Since he is new he doesn't know the area or really the people, and his first companion wasn't the greatest with planning or writing things so basically we had to knock on doors all week trying to find people to teach or find members houses haha.  However it is lots of fun. He is from Mexico and his dad is a Mission President so that's fun. We live in a tiny house with four people and one of them likes to run so we are going to start running every day, and I bought shoes because my other ones were robbed in the last area :-(
General Conference was lots of fun. I really like the Young Women President's talk and Elder Bednar's talk. Also the one seventy's talk about the power of conversion in the Book of Mormon. You can really see the power of that here in the mission if someone you are teaching takes the Book of Mormon seriously and reads it everyone wants to get baptized after that and knows it's true. The problem is lots of people don't have a desire to know or change or are scared of the big change it will make in their life so don't want to read it.
Love,
Elder Holcomb

Links (these are to videos, but written versions will be up in the near future):
https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/media/session_4_talk_5/5845610231001?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/media/session_1_talk_10/5845338153001?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/media/session_4_talk_8/5845614426001?lang=eng

Laranjeiras Cidade Nova 6

Hello people,
This week was good. This email will be quick. Our baptisms were moved to the 13th because their grandma wanted to be there so we didn't baptize this week; and then we got the transfer and I will be leaving to go to Santarem Santarem; so I won't be able to baptize any of the people we were teaching. It was very sad news because we have 5 people to be baptized on the 13th. However, I am also excited to go to my new area because it's on the beach and I will have to take an airplane. My new companion is Mexican and his parents are mission presidents in Pueblo Mexico, so probably he is a very good missionary. I was very sad to leave Laranjeiras. The area there is super cool and the members were great but sometimes we have to follow the will of the Lord. Sorry for the short email I don't have much time because I have to catch a plane.
Love,
Elder Holcomb