Baptisms !



The *** Family Baptism

Well, this week has been pretty good. The *** family did get baptized finally! it was awesome yesterday. Super good to have that happen. I will say for some reason some of my stress went away after the baptism.  it was good to see how happy the family was. Ivan (dad) is usually pretty straight faced with not much emotion. But he was happy and smiling after the baptism. He's so cool! I love this family so much. But now its the temple for them!  So it was a good day yesterday. I will say it has been super cold. It finally dropped in temperature. it rained Friday night and Saturday morning, then it just stayed cold and windy the next 3 days. our apartment is not insulated, and our heater does not work.... the pilot lite turns on, but then after like 5 min, it goes out and doesn't cut the gas so then the apartment smells like gas, not good. so we just try to sleep as warm as possible with blankets and jackets. I think it was like 60 in our apartment this morning. anyways. it finally rained. that is a first in probably about 6 months. if you ever thought Arizona was bad, come to Sothern California. Its worse. But now its cooler so I'm happy :) Oh and Wednesday  we went to the Visitor center with **! she is super awesome, it was super powerful. one of the rooms here is the testimonies of the apostles today. we watched the one with Elder Christofferson. It was super powerful and It talks about how he received his own testimony. and then relates it with the restoration. it was super cool. and she loved the temple, she said she works close by to the temple and she might stop by and walk around when she can. I love **, she is so willing and ready to do it. Except she didn't come to church. she said she would but she never showed up. But we talked about the law of chastity and baptism on Saturday. she has to move out because there are single men living there, but she is willing and asked us what else she has to do to get baptized. anyways. she's golden and willing to change anything. she testified to us like 6 times at the visitor center how true this is, and how god had prepared her to receive this message. Other than that nothing much has changed, oh wait. so familia *** is not good. Sounds like they are going to split up and he's going to move to riverside... sad day, but he said he will get baptized asap and that he wants his wife and girls to get baptized asap too. I  just think that they don't want to get married, well at least she doesn't. they have big problems and we have no idea what to do to help them. but other than that nothing new.

 

So this week was Zone Conferences. It was one of my favorite zone conferences. President ands Sister Weidman went to a conference for mission presidents. he says they are just awesome. And  he always pulls quotes and things to do differently.  Last years was about deep faith and high expectations, this year was how the sprit adds power to our calling. he started out with some things from Elder Bednar. "if we always do what we have always done, then we will always get what we have always gotten" or a really cool way to say, in order to progress in everything and grow we have to do things differently, and change and be better, so we can get bigger and better blessings and miracles. so we talked a lot about how we can have the sprit more in our lives. and earlier this week I went on exchanges with Elder Maughan. he was in the MTC with me, he's super cool. and he showed me something that I think I'm going to try. its called the 40 day fast. Obviously we cannot fast for 40 days, we would die, but we do a normal fast and then make a list of things that impede our ability to feel the spirit and its guidance,  then and commit to the lord you will abstain from all these things for 40 days. and then plead and pray for help everyday to do it. and then you change and you can feel the sprit even more. So I think I'm going to give it a try sometime soon. So I learned a lot. between the exchanges and zone conference. then we had a lovely 4 hour planning for Halloween night when we stayed. it was about to die! we had been at zone conference for 6 hours then outside for 2 and then back inside for 4..... not enough time outside for me.

 

Well I love you all! Even though times seem hard some days. You all seem happy! in all the pictures. Jarom looks so excited and that whole family does. I'm glad it was a good week, I love you all so much. this is a scripture that I read this morning. and I really like it. it's something we all know but its alma 46:12 "And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In‍ memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole." this is why we do what we do as missionaries. We are fighting everyday against the world or "satan" to help people find that hope and peace and love in families that does not exist in the world now. and when I saw the familia *** get baptized I just realized how much that is true, that for them, and for all of us, we will be fighting the rest of our lives to defend the truth.

 

I love you all so much :)

Have a great week.

 

Elder Hollingshead

 

This is the *** family! super cool!

and that is a sunset I have not seen in over a year. I swear they just don't exist.... but apparently they do, only when it rains... which is never.