A GREAT WEEK

Hi family!

Today was an extremely busy p-day, and we are just getting back from playing soccer all day.  We also went to eat with some of the elders. It was a really fun day and I was able to try the new soccer cleats that you guys sent me for Christmas, which were super awesome. So I really don't have that much time to write again, and it is now kind of hard to write for a long time, because my comp doesn't really need to write because he goes home in 2WEEKS! So he just kind of sends them an email saying hi and then just waits for me to finish.  I gotta say that he has had it pretty nice, because he is finishing off the mission well! 

I say he is finishing well, because we had an extremely spiritual baptism yesterday of the Familia Amaya and Claudia. We had the service at 4 in the afternoon, and a bunch of the ward members came. The whole entire room was filled with people, and all those that were getting baptized felt great on their special day. The spirit that was felt is unexplainable.  For sure, not even a non member could have denied the amazing spirit that was felt. We had Koskanny (our recent convert of about a month) give a message before the baptism. He stood up and gave one of the best talks that I have ever heard on baptism. He then shared an awesome testimony as to how he knows the church is true and he told this little family how they will never regret the decision that they were making on this day. He shared how he is the only member of the church in his family, and how the other members of his family really didn't want him to get baptized. He also shared some of the trials that he has had since the day of his baptism, but that he knows the church is true, and that's what really makes him happy! He almost got me to cry! I'll tell you, the spirit literally just hit me like a train. Right after that, the ward mission leader asked Claudia and Viviana to share how they were feeling on the day of their baptism. Claudia got up and started to talk about the Holy Ghost. While she was explaining how her heart felt like it was about to come out of her chest, she just broke down into tears. I don't think there was a single dry eye in the room. Then Viviana got up and told everyone about the dream she had had of her baptism day. She was also crying, and all of them testified of the spirit that was being felt. In this moment, I  felt a happiness that I believe can't be felt in any other place, or in any other time of one's life. How amazing is the feeling of knowing that you have helped someone find the path back to our Heavenly Father? It truly is amazing to be a missionary and to help these amazing people in their search for the truth. I will for sure send you guys the pictures today of all of the events of the week. 

After all of that success, we really don't have any one else in our teaching pool right now. We have to work super hard in these next couple weeks to find those who the Lord has prepared next. Oh and before I forget, I also wanted to thank today all of the people that helped my mom out in creating that wonderful book she sent me with the favorite quotes of all those that read my blog. I really have enjoyed reading them and they have also helped me in my teaching ability. I have been able to share those quotes with many of my investigators and elders in my zone. Thanks for taking the time to do that for me. 

Dad I think you would be happy to know that I did the fun egg trick with the broom in our recent Zone Conference. We talked about kicking/knocking Satan out of our lives so that we (the egg) can have a successful mission (the cup of water). They were all pretty impressed by it, and it was also a great moment this week where the spirit was felt. Many elders after came up and told us that it was the best junta they had ever attended. SO to wrap it all up, it was a GREAT week, but now we have to start searching for others who have been prepared to hear the message that we are so blessed to carry.  I love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Holmes