Blessings!!

Hey guys.  How's everybody.  I'm on a little early today and just received a nice letter from dad. I sure enjoyed hearing about his fun vacation that he had with andrew this last weekend. It sure sounds like you guys are just living the life! I am glad you got to have some good father-son time. I would sure like some of that right now as well! haha. But that will just have to wait. As for now, I love the feel of the Christmas spirit that is in the air, and I LOVED the conference that was given last night from the Prophet, Elder Eyring, and Elder Uchtdorf. What great messages they shared with us, and I was really moved by some of the different stories they shared. In this last week I remember actually talking with my companion about how sometimes when we receive a gift that we don't really want, we make a bad face or just pretend to like it. I loved the talk that Elder Uchtdorf gave about how we need to be more grateful for the things that we receive. That is a Huge part of the Christmas season. What a great way to start out the holidays! And just to let you know mom, I did get the first package that you sent, and we are really enjoying opening up all of the presents. 

So something that I wanted to address from dad's letter that he sent me was how he went to a spanish speaking ward with Andrew, and how for fast sunday all the members of the ward went up to bear their testimonies and how they all sat on the stand. That is something very typical here in Mexico.  I have never been in a fast and testimony meeting here without just a ton of people sitting up there on the stand!! That is why I haven't been able to bear my testimony too many times here in Mexico during fast and testimony meeting!  But it has sure taught me just how much we should always want to share our testimony with other people. It is always kind of funny though to see them all jammed up there on the stand. I love the mexicans!  They are my BOOOOYYYSSS!!  

This week was a pretty special week because EVA got baptized!! She is an investigator who the elders have had here for a while, but she finally decided to take the step and be baptized. She had a really special day, and a really special baptism. The only bummer of this week was that I haven't really been feeling too good lately. Just the other day they gave us our flu shots, and I think that also had something to do with it. I haven't really felt too good, but the other night I had a cool experience with the power of the priesthood. I was going to bed on Saturday night and I felt TERRIBLE. My entire body started to ache. I had a fever and a terrible throat. I felt impressed to ask my comp for a blessing. For some reason, I have never felt such great faith like I did in that moment when I asked him to give me a blessing. I absolutely knew that I was going to be ok and that I wasn't going to be sick when I woke up. In that moment, I just knew that God would do that for me. Right after the blessing, I went to sleep, and I woke up on Sunday feeling Great. I am so grateful for the priesthood that we have, and for blessings that are done with faith. We ended up having a great day as well yesterday in the church. A friend of one of the young single adults came named Adrian, and he seems to be like a great new investigator. We will see how things end up with him, and some of the other people we are working with. Oh and about finding a family to help for Christmas, I am still looking, and these next couple of weeks we are going to be working a lot with the less actives, so we will try and find a family! I also want to talk to the bishop about it!  I sure love you all!  I hope you all are feeling the Christmas spirit!! 

Love,

Elder Holmes