Hey Family and Friends,
Whew, it's another week already. Time is flying by and it's kind of concerning. It reminds me that two years really isn't a whole lot of time. Hopefully everything at home is going well and that everyone is in good health and in good times.
The Ward here in Duncan, Oklahoma is slowly but surely growing. This week, the South Elders in my district will have another two baptisms, which is sweet. It's been a long time coming for them and I'm glad that they're able to see the fruits of their labors. Next week will be transfers, so this week is Elder Fee (My Companion) and Elder Lott's (Duncan South Elder) last week here in Oklahoma. I've been honored to serve with such great missionaries and I know that the lessons and experiences that they have had will help them for the rest of their lives.
Our investigators are slowly progressing. We unfortunately haven't been able to meet with the Tucker Family this week. Rolene has been down in Comanche for the entire week and she won't be back up in Marlow till near the end of this week. James is progressing, but Sara is unfortunately not. She hasn't been able to attend one of our lessons yet. Last time we taught James we used a Mormon Message to help convey the message of God's love for us and what he has in store for us. Mormon Messages are a powerful teaching tool, and if you feel like sharing the Gospel with someone, don't be afraid to direct them to mormon.org or show them a Mormon Message!
We had to drop Gabe (I accidentally didn't include that in the weekly letter, I completely forgot because we've been so busy this past week). The spirit wasn't there at all the last lesson we had with him, and his mother doesn't really want us to come over. We may stop by once a month but I don't think he's in a good stage of life for us to be teaching him.
We've been doing a lot of work towards strengthening the members spiritually. There have been a lot of families that have gone inactive in this area. We've been working on the Coyle family. Last Sunday they came to church, which was a huge step for them. Ryan Coyle expressed a desire to come back to church next Sunday, which is huge for him. He's had difficulties all of his life but you can see that blessings are being given to him because he is making that extra effort to follow God's commandments.
Transfers
are on the Fourth, so time is running out for Elder Fee and I. I'm
grateful for him as well and I hope that I can be a missionary like him
one day. I am so glad to be here in Oklahoma. I know that I have been called of God to be here for a reason. I know that this Gospel is true. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon and the Bible and the great lessons we can learn from them.
I appreciate all of your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
Monday, January 27, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Weekly letter 1/20/14
Bonus! We get two letters this week because of a time issue at the library last week!!
This has been an awesome week for my district in Duncan, Oklahoma. The South Elder's (Elder Lott and Elder Fuller) had a baptism on Tuesday! This was the first convert baptism this area has had in over a year, so hopefully that momentum is going to carry on. I don't know the new member much, but you can tell that her faith is really strong and she wants the rest of her family to be baptized as well. This baptism also gave me a testimony of other members doing the baptism, not just the missionaries. That extra fellowshipping opportunity should not be ignored. I've made a goal to lead people to baptism, but have members baptize those that my companion and I have sought out for. I believe that having a member from the congregation perform the baptism helps cement the testimony of the one being baptized and the ward as a whole.
On Thursday we had a Potluck dinner that our district organized. Ward Counsel was really supportive of the idea from the start and helped us out a lot. Many of the Ward members wanted to help as well. It all turned out to be a really good success. We had investigators, less active members, and a bunch of potentials show up. There was enough food to feed everyone, and the spiritual message afterwards about FHE and how it can help our families was effective. The whole event was amazing, and now Ward Counsel wants to do a Potluck every two months.
Investigator wise, the Tuckers are continuing to progress. David still hasn't shown any extra interest in our message, but Rolene has said that she thinks that he will come around. On Saturday, we found out that Windell used to be a really good guitarist. He even played with Johnny Cash! He can barely play nowadays because of his health issues, but he put in a CD of him playing and it was really good. His comments have shown that he has a belief in Christ with a unique understanding of God. He was engaged when we taught him and Rolene lesson 4, which is about the commandments. They are willing to make changes for God. I love their commitment level.
James Walquist is still solid. He is reading but his schedule doesn't allow us to meet with him every week. We showed him the Mormon Message called "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father" and you could tell that he felt the spirit testifying to him about God's love for us. He expressed a desire to be baptized, but he wants to do some more studying and praying about it.
Gabe hasn't progressed a lot. We can never seem to get into his house and teach a lesson. We've ended up sharing a quick scripture message every time we have gone over there.
We are now working on a Part Member family, The Samplys. Bro. Samply is an inactive member, who has been sick with bronchitis, basically since I went into the MTC. He is getting better and our last meeting with him he said that he wants him and his family to take the lessons and come back to church.
I am very grateful that I have been given this opportunity to serve in Oklahoma. I've seen so many little miracles and I know that I have been called to serve here for a reason.
Thank you all for your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
This has been an awesome week for my district in Duncan, Oklahoma. The South Elder's (Elder Lott and Elder Fuller) had a baptism on Tuesday! This was the first convert baptism this area has had in over a year, so hopefully that momentum is going to carry on. I don't know the new member much, but you can tell that her faith is really strong and she wants the rest of her family to be baptized as well. This baptism also gave me a testimony of other members doing the baptism, not just the missionaries. That extra fellowshipping opportunity should not be ignored. I've made a goal to lead people to baptism, but have members baptize those that my companion and I have sought out for. I believe that having a member from the congregation perform the baptism helps cement the testimony of the one being baptized and the ward as a whole.
On Thursday we had a Potluck dinner that our district organized. Ward Counsel was really supportive of the idea from the start and helped us out a lot. Many of the Ward members wanted to help as well. It all turned out to be a really good success. We had investigators, less active members, and a bunch of potentials show up. There was enough food to feed everyone, and the spiritual message afterwards about FHE and how it can help our families was effective. The whole event was amazing, and now Ward Counsel wants to do a Potluck every two months.
Investigator wise, the Tuckers are continuing to progress. David still hasn't shown any extra interest in our message, but Rolene has said that she thinks that he will come around. On Saturday, we found out that Windell used to be a really good guitarist. He even played with Johnny Cash! He can barely play nowadays because of his health issues, but he put in a CD of him playing and it was really good. His comments have shown that he has a belief in Christ with a unique understanding of God. He was engaged when we taught him and Rolene lesson 4, which is about the commandments. They are willing to make changes for God. I love their commitment level.
James Walquist is still solid. He is reading but his schedule doesn't allow us to meet with him every week. We showed him the Mormon Message called "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father" and you could tell that he felt the spirit testifying to him about God's love for us. He expressed a desire to be baptized, but he wants to do some more studying and praying about it.
Gabe hasn't progressed a lot. We can never seem to get into his house and teach a lesson. We've ended up sharing a quick scripture message every time we have gone over there.
We are now working on a Part Member family, The Samplys. Bro. Samply is an inactive member, who has been sick with bronchitis, basically since I went into the MTC. He is getting better and our last meeting with him he said that he wants him and his family to take the lessons and come back to church.
I am very grateful that I have been given this opportunity to serve in Oklahoma. I've seen so many little miracles and I know that I have been called to serve here for a reason.
Thank you all for your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
"Out of time" 1/13/14
So...last week this was what I got from Mason for his weekly letter ...
"oh dear library ran out of time brb"
He never came right back! Haha! So this week he sent me this...
(Well, time ran out last Monday to give you this letter, so I guess today you get two weekly letters! Yay!)
Hey Friends and Family,
Things in Oklahoma have been going great! I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach two great families and several other investigators. The first family I have been teaching is the Tuckers. There's Rolene, Windell, and David. Rolene is in her late 60's and is struggling with several health problems, namely her foot, as her toes had to be cut off due to a complication with diabetes and melanoma. Windell is in his late 60's as well, however, he is struggling with even more complications than Roline. He has had cancer previously and is dealing with a lot of leg and back problems. They both have steel and titanium rods up and down their legs. They haven't been able to make it to church yet because of the cold weather, which makes them extremely uncomfortable because of the temperature. David, their grandson, was previously interested but he has become less and less active as we have gone on, but I have faith that his interest will increase as Rolene and Windell learn more and more about the church.
The second family I have been teaching is the Walquists. There's James, Sarah, and their two kids. James is a golden investigator. He's interested, he's reading the Book of Mormon, and he often wants to have lessons so that we can talk about his findings. He seems to always have questions, and so far, we've been able to answer all of his questions. Sarah doesn't seem all too interested, we've invited her to join when we have lessons but she doesn't seem to be interested enough. But because of James' thorough studies, I'm sure that she will gain a better interest. James is in his 30's and Sarah is around the same age.
Last but not least, we've been teaching a 13 year old boy named Gabe. He takes to the lessons well and he wants to accept Christ in his life. He has a lot of trials in his life at the moment. His home and family situation is not very good. He lives with his mother and his half-brother, but their home doesn't have any heat. Some of the people in my area come from a very poor background. Many are humble enough to listen to our message because of this, others think that this world is out to get them, and in turn, reject us completely. It's the sad part of missionary work, but without rejection we wouldn't appreciate the small miracles we see on a day to day basis.
The general attitude of religion here in Duncan, Oklahoma is Christian, but there are many churches here. There's even a church for bikers, which many go to because they feel a lot more comfortable in than some of the other churches. Those "philosophies of men mingled with scripture" are making it all the harder for us to convince others to come unto Christ. I have not run into any severe "anti-mormon" attitudes yet, but Elder Fee has in other areas.
The work continues on. As Joseph Smith said, "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done".
Oklahoma is an awesome place to serve on a mission. My testimony of this work is ever increasing. I'm so grateful to be out here, helping God's kingdom grow.
Thanks for all of the love and support,
Elder Holbrook
Monday, January 6, 2014
Investigators!
Hey Family and Friends!
This week has been an exciting week for me. We have done a lot of tracting and finding by faith and we've seen a lot of success. We have found several families who are interested in the lessons and participate in reading and studying. The first family is the Tuckers, an older couple with a young grandson living with them. Windell and Roline are really interested and participate. They read and have prayed. They continue to seek and they are finding a lot of things that apply to them. Their grandson isn't all too interested, but he sometimes joins in on the lessons and he adds his 2 cents here and there. We found the Walquist family, James (an Army vet) and Sarah. James is the most solid investigator I have ever seen. He not only does what we commit him to do, but he studies and has questions prepared for us before our next lesson. He's said that he's nearly called us because he was too excited and impatient for our next lessons. He's finding the truth and it all makes sense to him.
The lessons have been going great and I am improving as a teacher and a guide. I feel a burning desire to teach the gospel to everyone. I am so grateful that I am able to serve on a mission.
This letter is really short because of time concerns (we have a zone P-day so letter writing is a shorter time period) but I felt as though I needed to write one anyways.
I know that Jesus Christ's Gospel is restored here on this earth today. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that he was given the restored keys of the Holy Priesthood, and through that power the Book of Mormon was translated from the Golden Plates. I am so very grateful that I've been given this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord.
Thank you for the support and love,
Elder Holbrook
This week has been an exciting week for me. We have done a lot of tracting and finding by faith and we've seen a lot of success. We have found several families who are interested in the lessons and participate in reading and studying. The first family is the Tuckers, an older couple with a young grandson living with them. Windell and Roline are really interested and participate. They read and have prayed. They continue to seek and they are finding a lot of things that apply to them. Their grandson isn't all too interested, but he sometimes joins in on the lessons and he adds his 2 cents here and there. We found the Walquist family, James (an Army vet) and Sarah. James is the most solid investigator I have ever seen. He not only does what we commit him to do, but he studies and has questions prepared for us before our next lesson. He's said that he's nearly called us because he was too excited and impatient for our next lessons. He's finding the truth and it all makes sense to him.
The lessons have been going great and I am improving as a teacher and a guide. I feel a burning desire to teach the gospel to everyone. I am so grateful that I am able to serve on a mission.
This letter is really short because of time concerns (we have a zone P-day so letter writing is a shorter time period) but I felt as though I needed to write one anyways.
I know that Jesus Christ's Gospel is restored here on this earth today. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that he was given the restored keys of the Holy Priesthood, and through that power the Book of Mormon was translated from the Golden Plates. I am so very grateful that I've been given this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord.
Thank you for the support and love,
Elder Holbrook
Friday, January 3, 2014
First e-mail from OK!
Mason entered the MTC on December 4, 2013. He left for Oklahoma on December 17, 2013. He has been assigned to Duncan, Oklahoma...
It has been a really great experience out here in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma mission field! The people here are very kind and loving and ready to listen to Christ's message. It has been an amazing (almost) month.
As I've said previously, the MTC was a very growing and awesome experience. The district that I belonged to were full of missionaries who were ready to go and serve the Lord in one of the greatest callings that can be given here on this Earth. My first companion was a Californian by the name of Elder Schenk. He is a great guy, he is able to teach with the spirit and the power of the Holy Ghost. I remember our first TRC appointment that we had, we both went in completely unprepared, never having to teach a lesson before to a real investigator. He said afterwards that the stories he had shared just sort of fell out of his mouth. I remember remarking that he was able to teach by the spirit better than anyone I have ever met.
When I left the MTC, I said goodbye to all of the good friends I had made, and took a bus up to the Salt Lake City Airport. We left the Airport about two hours late because of delays, but when we got to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, we fixed our ticket and got into the Oklahoma City Airport by 4pm that same day.
I met my Mission President, who is President Walkenhorst, (he's literally 7 feet tall) at the gate where I got my luggage. He is a really great guy and I know that I will have a really awesome time with him in the future. I met his family and the AP's who took me to their home after a quick training session done in a nearby Church building. The next day was transfers, so I got to meet my second companion and Trainer, Elder Fee. Judging from the amount of Elders and Sisters who were really busy trying to give Elder Fee hugs (Elders) and high fives (Sisters), I guessed that I was going to get a really awesome trainer. My guess was correct. He's been a really great teacher so far and I'm learning a lot from him and his example. I can honestly say that I would love to become a missionary like Elder Fee. I am really grateful that I have ended up with such a great trainer to start my mission off right.
Finally, I know that I have been called by a prophet of God to serve on a mission. I know that I am doing the best thing I can do with my life right now. I hope that I will continue to grow and have success with investigators and Less Actives alike. I love this mission and I know that it will be a great two years.
Thank you so much for your continued support,
Elder Holbrook
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