California is Humid!

So hello!

 

 Yeah this weekend it rained a bit, not too much but enough to say we're not out of water. I think the mountains got more rain than la.

But in all the time I've been here I don't think it's been as humid as it has been this last weekend. It's been pretty miserable. Yesterday it started to rain and so we went back home to grab a sweater so we don' t get to wet, but I was so hot and my shirt was soaked with sweat and then it stopped raining.

This week was going alright, but this weekend was a little frustrating. Saturday it rained a lot during the afternoon, so we got shelter and then Sunday the baptism did not go through, it was a very stressful 3 hours. Let's just say there were some things we didn't know about ** and so I guess even though he seems excited on the outside he told us on Sunday he felt too pushed. We were confused, sad and very stressed. Right now it's still in limbo we don't know what's going to happen with ***, we told him we give it a couple of days and then we will go over and see what his concern and questions are.

Mostly it was his family that was opposing and I think it just got to him. Other than that we really don't have much investigators. We stopped teaching bunch of them this week because they weren't progressing. We did set a date with Linda! Well my comp and his temp comp. I was on exchanges. This week our focus purely on finding and getting new investigators with baptismal dates!

I have got the chance this week to call my previous recent converts and also members who I have gotten close to. The Sunday before departing missionaries leave we have what we call in Spanish the "Despedida" or in English the departing missionary fireside. All the leaving missionaries get to share their finally testimony to those we taught and worked with. So it will be cool and as president says probably the biggest audience I will share me testimony with for a long time! Last year in July August here were almost 800 people. This year I think there will be more. Seeing there are 35 of us leaving.

I love you all and hanks for your support!

Have a great week

Elder Hollingshead

 

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Exchanges!

July 13, 2015

Well hello everyone! This week has been alright. Most of it was between exchanges and then teaching ***, but he's progressing so much, and he's going to get baptized this Sunday!!! So we still need to help him out so like I'm inviting all the members to do this week is to keep him in your prayers! It will really help him out an be able to achieve this goal in his life! So yeah we went to the visitor center on Thursday. It was amazing! *** just kept asking when we could come again. There is this room here in LA VC that is about 8 missionaries... The missionaries on the district which is e videos we watch for trainings and learning. It talks about the missionaries and their lives before and after the mission and how it has changed them.

So we watched one of the stories... When if came to after the mission my stomach went upside down... It's not that I'm afraid to go home, but I'm afraid In a sense.... But the story is really powerful. Then another thing is that of all the times I've been to the visitor center, I've always done it in Spanish, but because *** usually prefers to speak in English, we did the tour in English. It was a little different. The family video seemed a little more powerful for me and it really made me think of my family and all the love I feel from you all! It's been a marvelous 2 years (almost) and I have grow so much and if it wasn't for you and your support and love I don't think I could have done it!

Anyways. I went on 2 exchanges this week. It was fun! Lots of cool missionaries.! I love just getting to know lots of people. I will definitely not be alone at BYU Idaho! So yeah!

I hope you all have a great week! Stay strong and enjoy the Arizona heat for me.

 

Love,

Elder Hollingshead

 

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the 4th War!

Well hello world everyone!

 

Well this week has been really, really long.  I'm super tired! I think the best thing was zone conference. That as great, but the rest of the week was slow and exhausting. So first to explain why it was so long.

Almost all of the appointments we had set up and people we called, did not want to meet with us. So lots of canceled appointments and it was just frustrating then on top of that Thursday at about 4:30 our bikes got stolen...... Yep!23 months and my bike actually got stolen. So we were left to walk on foot. For 4 days. Today hopefully we will get some extra bike working. Seeing I only have 4 weeks I'm not buying a new bike. Oh and we live outside of our area about a 40 min walk just to get into our work area..... Needless to say we spent a lot of time walking and walking. We got lots of conversations when we weren't in

so much of a hurry to get to places.   Also the 4th of July. LA

sounded like a war zone. From 8 to about 1am there were just constant fireworks. It was almost as good as Heber's show. Except being so far away....  I got a video so I'll show it too you soon. 4 weeks. It's actually really scary.... But we had a big call with president on Saturday and it just pumped us all up and gave us a lot more desires to stay and finish strong.  During zone conference while we were singing the efy medley it was a painful, but good experience. It really hit me how much the gospel and missionary work has been a part of me and how much it has changed me.

 
We have been talking a lot about faith and fear in the mission. I've made some very interesting connections. We all know that faith and fear are opposites. They can never occupy the same space. And I realized that many of my thoughts  about people and the work are somewhat fearful! Satan's perfect disguise is to make us be fearful.

This could take many forms. But if we have the faith strong enough in our lord and savior Jesus Christ we can cast out all fear. Like John 4 says perfect love casteth out fear. As we have worked and learned about prayers and how prayers precede, faith and love, success and miracles will happen because that "mighty prayer" is the trigger to our actions. If we just casually pray ( repetitious, broad, without real intent, not truly led by spirit) we can't expect to see any miracles. But if we have mighty prayers and ask for specific blessings, it requires us to do a little more and then we can see the lords blessings if it is his will!  So have mighty prayers. It might take All the energy of your heart but it's worth it!

I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Elder Hollingshead

 

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Missionary Life is Good!

June 29

Well hello everyone.

 

So this week has been very busy, well at least this weekend. The beginning of the week was a little slow, and it was hot. We got lots of contacts, better contacts than usual :) but year so we had a great weekend. Saturday was super busy and finally a little cooler. I don't.

Know how you are surviving Arizona right now. I think it barely got up To 90 one day, and we were dying. Anyways. So Saturday w got 5 new investigators. The first 2 were a miracle. ** was a contact from a long time ago and we stopped passing by because she was never home.

She called us on Wednesday and told us we could pass by on Saturday so we did and we had a good lesson. The next 2 were young kids. She is like 17 and her brother is 11. We just did a little how to begin teaching, and told them that we want to talk to their parents.  Then we started teaching the sister of a recent convert. She is super nice and we have talked to her here and there, but she showed a lot more interest when we started talking about the family. So we taught her and she committed to read and pray and come to church.  It was a busy day and we also went to a small birthday celebration for a little kid in our area. He's a member and they invite us for dinner.  Sunday was good. Our investigator Chris came to church! And he really liked it and right after church, we went and re taught the restoration and committed him to baptism in the 19 of July.

We also had a good lesson with **. It's just a complicated situation and it sounds like it's almost over. They committed to come to church this Sunday, hopefully her husband can come.

I'm happy. It's crazy to think last 6 weeks, but here it comes and it's time to make the best out of it and give it literally everything.

 

I love you all. Have a great week.

 

Elder Hollingshead

 

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