Hey Family and Friends,
This has been a crazy fast week. On Tuesday we were able to do service at the Stevens County Historical Museum. Sister Williams, a member of our ward, is now the manager and we've been helping her get all that she needs done. On Wednesday, our zone was lucky enough to go to the Oklahoma City Temple! President Walkenhorst has decided that all zones will visit the temple every 6 months now, rather than just the regular 12 months that we've been able to have. I really enjoyed going to the Temple and gaining personal revelation. The Oklahoma City temple is a pretty small temple; the session we attended was very small (mostly missionaries) but it was worthwhile. I love how many of the temples are different in shape and size but the message is always the same.
This week we worked hard to get some appointments but they kept on falling through... Sometimes those weeks happen, but it hasn't kept me down yet.
We've been able to visit with the Tuckers, and they were really excited to talk to us. Rolene and Windell both expressed how much they loved coming to church and Rolene said that she wants to come again. This Sunday, however, they weren't feeling all to well and they called and apologized for them not being there. They did say that they were absolutely going to be there next week, which I thought was an awesome expression of enthusiasm.
We met with several different less active families this week, and we were able to talk to the Coyles. Bro. Coyle is an army vet and he's had some difficulty coming back to church because of his experiences in Iraq. He feels like the ward won't be able to accept him because of what he feels like he has done overseas. We had a great conversation on Jesus Christ's atonement and how his pain and sacrifice was for us so that we could be forgiven. He said that he wouldn't be to church this week, but the next week he was going to be there. That commitment was huge for him and for us, he hadn't been to church for a very long time.
I'm sorry this is a bit short, we've run into some difficulty getting some extended time at the library. We should all be getting library cards pretty soon, so time should no longer become an issue for emailing. I'll keep you all posted on how our investigators are doing next week.
Thanks for all the love and support,
Elder Holbrook
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Updates...a day late! 2/18/14
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been an exciting time for the Duncan North area of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma mission! We have had a lot of great experiences this week that I would like to share with you:
Our Investigators have been making progress. We had a great lesson with Rolene and Windell Tucker. Rolene has expressed that she wants to wait to be baptized due to some of her health concerns. She did say that she wants to shoot for some time in June or July. I don't think I will be here in Duncan to see her being baptized, but I will know that she has been put on the right path and we have shown her the right ways to get there. Windell is making some progress as well. On Sunday they both attended church. They had missed sacrament meeting (they were a little late) but they came and listened to the speakers. You could see that the spirit worked on both of them strongly as they quietly sat and listened to the words that several different members got up to speak about. The experience reminded me of how much we all rely upon the spirit to testify to us the truthfulness of this Restored Gospel. They couldn't stay for Sunday School or Priesthood and Relief Society, but as they left I heard Rolene say that "this was what Church is supposed to feel like" and that she'll "tell all of my friends that I'm going to REAL Church!". Her testimony is incredible. Windell also expressed that he hasn't experienced anything like that before and that he "loved coming and I want to come back!". You can see the influence that the spirit has had in their lives as they have tried to live and follow the commandments of Christ.
The Walquist's are moving away onto a different base. He hasn't received an assignment yet but he knows that he will be gone by March 8th. James is as solid as ever and we are making plans on making a referral for him once he leaves. I know that he can be baptized and enjoy the Gospel in his life and their family will be blessed because of it.
Elaina Williams has been advancing towards baptism. We have set a baptismal date with her for March 8th. She has committed and wants to come to church but hasn't been able to make it so far. Elder Nibley and I will continue to work with her so that she will be on track to be baptized on that date. She has opened up to the lessons well and has been putting an extra effort on reading the Book of Mormon. She can see the blessings that have entered her life as she has studied and prayed about the Book of Mormon and she is interested in hearing more.
Miranda is in the works to be baptized on March 8th as well. She always has questions about the Gospel and what our views are when it comes to her life and what she has done in the past. She has put a lot of emphasis on repentance and Christ's atonement and how they can help her become better. She has been prepared by God and I can feel like she is one of the many who are elect.
We've been reading with Mable Bracken from the Book of Mormon. She still doesn't want to take lessons from us but we can see that her interest has increased since we have been reading with her. She hasn't accepted baptism yet but the spirit has definitely been working on her.
Elder Nibley and I have been getting along well. Our unity in teaching is improving and I am learning a lot from him. He has been a pretty good example for me and following mission rules. I'm grateful for his companionship and for the wonderful blessings that he's brought to the area.
I apologize for the shortness of this letter, as you've probably noticed, it's a day late. The library was closed yesterday so we have had to email today. We have a shorter time to email today than usual but I'm looking forward to telling you all more next week.
Thank you for all of the love and support,
Elder Holbrook
It has been an exciting time for the Duncan North area of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma mission! We have had a lot of great experiences this week that I would like to share with you:
Our Investigators have been making progress. We had a great lesson with Rolene and Windell Tucker. Rolene has expressed that she wants to wait to be baptized due to some of her health concerns. She did say that she wants to shoot for some time in June or July. I don't think I will be here in Duncan to see her being baptized, but I will know that she has been put on the right path and we have shown her the right ways to get there. Windell is making some progress as well. On Sunday they both attended church. They had missed sacrament meeting (they were a little late) but they came and listened to the speakers. You could see that the spirit worked on both of them strongly as they quietly sat and listened to the words that several different members got up to speak about. The experience reminded me of how much we all rely upon the spirit to testify to us the truthfulness of this Restored Gospel. They couldn't stay for Sunday School or Priesthood and Relief Society, but as they left I heard Rolene say that "this was what Church is supposed to feel like" and that she'll "tell all of my friends that I'm going to REAL Church!". Her testimony is incredible. Windell also expressed that he hasn't experienced anything like that before and that he "loved coming and I want to come back!". You can see the influence that the spirit has had in their lives as they have tried to live and follow the commandments of Christ.
The Walquist's are moving away onto a different base. He hasn't received an assignment yet but he knows that he will be gone by March 8th. James is as solid as ever and we are making plans on making a referral for him once he leaves. I know that he can be baptized and enjoy the Gospel in his life and their family will be blessed because of it.
Elaina Williams has been advancing towards baptism. We have set a baptismal date with her for March 8th. She has committed and wants to come to church but hasn't been able to make it so far. Elder Nibley and I will continue to work with her so that she will be on track to be baptized on that date. She has opened up to the lessons well and has been putting an extra effort on reading the Book of Mormon. She can see the blessings that have entered her life as she has studied and prayed about the Book of Mormon and she is interested in hearing more.
Miranda is in the works to be baptized on March 8th as well. She always has questions about the Gospel and what our views are when it comes to her life and what she has done in the past. She has put a lot of emphasis on repentance and Christ's atonement and how they can help her become better. She has been prepared by God and I can feel like she is one of the many who are elect.
We've been reading with Mable Bracken from the Book of Mormon. She still doesn't want to take lessons from us but we can see that her interest has increased since we have been reading with her. She hasn't accepted baptism yet but the spirit has definitely been working on her.
Elder Nibley and I have been getting along well. Our unity in teaching is improving and I am learning a lot from him. He has been a pretty good example for me and following mission rules. I'm grateful for his companionship and for the wonderful blessings that he's brought to the area.
I apologize for the shortness of this letter, as you've probably noticed, it's a day late. The library was closed yesterday so we have had to email today. We have a shorter time to email today than usual but I'm looking forward to telling you all more next week.
Thank you for all of the love and support,
Elder Holbrook
New companion! 2/10/14
Time has been flying by so fast it's unbelievable (and a bit scary, too)! It just goes to show that we have a limited time to do things here on this Earth. We need to make sure we are focusing on what is really important in this life. I've come to a better realization of this since I've been on my mission.
Well, it's official, I have a new companion now! His name is Elder Nibley, he's from the Salt Lake City area and he has been bringing a lot of miracles to our area. He's a pretty smart guy and he has a sincere understanding of the Gospel and what it can do for everyone. I am really excited to serve with him and to see what we can do for this area of Duncan!
This last week was hectic. Many appointments that we had set up fell apart and we have only been able to teach one lesson this week. It's looking up though, we have several appointments that we're going to fulfill tomorrow and tonight.
I think it's time for a new rundown on who we are teaching and some updates on a few people that I've already talked about:
James and Sarah Walquist are moving to a different state in a few months. We've discussed baptism and James has expressed that he wants more time to pray about it. We have tried to set up appointments with them for this week but it seems like it won't work out until next week.
Rolene and Windell Tucker have been doing great! Rolene gave us her testimony of the Book of Mormon and she had defended it from her two friends that didn't like the fact that she was being taught by us. She told us that she knows that it is the word of God and that everything we have taught her so far makes more sense than anything she's ever studied (she's been with the Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholicism, and has been Jewish). It's amazing to see her progression and learning continue. Windell has been involved a lot more with the lessons and has been trying to read. He has cataracts, so it makes it hard to read and participate via the scriptures in lessons but he has been making a solid effort towards studying.
We have a few new investigators; Mable Bracken is the granddaughter of an active Sister in the ward. She has been coming to church off and on for the past few years. She has expressed interest in taking the lessons, but she says that she "isn't ready to take lessons yet". It's frustrating because it's not like there's any previous requirements or experience that you have to have to take the lessons. We've given the first lesson on people's doorsteps before and many have been receptive.
Miranda is a young nursing student that lives in Marlow. She has asked some really good questions and wants to know more about the Gospel every time we visit her. She is hungry for the word of God and has been keeping reading commitments (which is saying a lot, most people don't keep commitments we extend).
The Hernandez family is a Spanish speaking only family that we found through the area book. It's been difficult to do lessons but we have been able to teach the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. I don't know any Spanish but we've been able to teach through Spanish speaking members in our ward.
Elaina is an investigator that we've had for a while but haven't been able to give her lessons for about a month. Recently we recommitted her to Baptism for March 8th and she promised that she will begin to read and to pray about the Book of Mormon. I hope that she will continue to make the right choices. She has been struggling with some Word of Wisdom problems recently but she has expressed that she wants to come to church.
We have been trying to teach Lori but we keep on missing her. We have tried her almost every day so far.
I've been sick for the last couple of days. Last night I had to get up about four different times. It feels like food poisoning. I still don't feel good as I'm typing this. Oh well, without sickness we couldn't enjoy what it feels like to be normal and healthy.
Anywho, I'm really glad to be here in Duncan Oklahoma. I've learned a lot since I've been here and I know that this has been and will continue to be one of the best experiences that I've had in my life so far.
Thanks for all your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
Well, it's official, I have a new companion now! His name is Elder Nibley, he's from the Salt Lake City area and he has been bringing a lot of miracles to our area. He's a pretty smart guy and he has a sincere understanding of the Gospel and what it can do for everyone. I am really excited to serve with him and to see what we can do for this area of Duncan!
This last week was hectic. Many appointments that we had set up fell apart and we have only been able to teach one lesson this week. It's looking up though, we have several appointments that we're going to fulfill tomorrow and tonight.
I think it's time for a new rundown on who we are teaching and some updates on a few people that I've already talked about:
James and Sarah Walquist are moving to a different state in a few months. We've discussed baptism and James has expressed that he wants more time to pray about it. We have tried to set up appointments with them for this week but it seems like it won't work out until next week.
Rolene and Windell Tucker have been doing great! Rolene gave us her testimony of the Book of Mormon and she had defended it from her two friends that didn't like the fact that she was being taught by us. She told us that she knows that it is the word of God and that everything we have taught her so far makes more sense than anything she's ever studied (she's been with the Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholicism, and has been Jewish). It's amazing to see her progression and learning continue. Windell has been involved a lot more with the lessons and has been trying to read. He has cataracts, so it makes it hard to read and participate via the scriptures in lessons but he has been making a solid effort towards studying.
We have a few new investigators; Mable Bracken is the granddaughter of an active Sister in the ward. She has been coming to church off and on for the past few years. She has expressed interest in taking the lessons, but she says that she "isn't ready to take lessons yet". It's frustrating because it's not like there's any previous requirements or experience that you have to have to take the lessons. We've given the first lesson on people's doorsteps before and many have been receptive.
Miranda is a young nursing student that lives in Marlow. She has asked some really good questions and wants to know more about the Gospel every time we visit her. She is hungry for the word of God and has been keeping reading commitments (which is saying a lot, most people don't keep commitments we extend).
The Hernandez family is a Spanish speaking only family that we found through the area book. It's been difficult to do lessons but we have been able to teach the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. I don't know any Spanish but we've been able to teach through Spanish speaking members in our ward.
Elaina is an investigator that we've had for a while but haven't been able to give her lessons for about a month. Recently we recommitted her to Baptism for March 8th and she promised that she will begin to read and to pray about the Book of Mormon. I hope that she will continue to make the right choices. She has been struggling with some Word of Wisdom problems recently but she has expressed that she wants to come to church.
We have been trying to teach Lori but we keep on missing her. We have tried her almost every day so far.
I've been sick for the last couple of days. Last night I had to get up about four different times. It feels like food poisoning. I still don't feel good as I'm typing this. Oh well, without sickness we couldn't enjoy what it feels like to be normal and healthy.
Anywho, I'm really glad to be here in Duncan Oklahoma. I've learned a lot since I've been here and I know that this has been and will continue to be one of the best experiences that I've had in my life so far.
Thanks for all your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
A day late because of a storm! 2/4/14
Sorry that this is a day late, there was a snow storm here in Oklahoma. Not many people here are used to having about 3 inches of snow, so the library was shut down and our cars were grounded, so we had to walk everywhere yesterday. I've been neglecting sending pictures home, mainly because I'm terrible at taking pictures. However, I have a few to share with you that are from my MTC district and my current district here in Duncan.
My companion, Elder Fee, is leaving along with Elder Lott and Elder Kahawaii. Elder Fee and Elder Lott are going back home. They have served their two years honorably and they have been an awesome example to me and the rest of my district. Elder Kahawaii is leaving Duncan to go to another area before he goes back to his home in Hawaii next transfer. It's kind of sad but I am really happy that they have been here as long as they have. They have fought the good fight, and I hope to be able to claim the same when my time comes to come home.
This week has been a bit of a challenge. Because of the weather here, we haven't been able to fulfill a lot of our set appointments and see the investigators that we've needed to see. Many of our investigators are in a town north of Duncan that we cover named Marlow. We haven't been able to get up there because we haven't found any members who have been willing to drive in the snow and ice (I know, many of you from Utah are laughing at this). It's been a bit of a trial of obedience this last week. We have had to do a lot of tracting and using other finding opportunities. We've been able to keep a positive attitude through it all though, so it really hasn't been too bad of a week.
We had a miracle the other night. We were tracting at around 8:45 at night in an area that hasn't had a lot of success in the past few transfers. Elder Fee and I decided to knock on one more door, and a lady named Lori answered the door. She exclaimed "Are you Mormon missionaries?" We braced ourselves for the worst, expecting an automatic rejection that we often get. However, after our reply, she said that she has always been interested in the church and wanted someone to come by and teach her about it. She had been seeking for a way to contact the missionaries but didn't know how to come to it. We have an appointment set up with her this week and I am excited to fulfill it with my new companion (who I haven't met yet).
All in all, not really a bad week. I'm excited to meet my next companion and to learn from him. Elder Fee has taught me a lot in the past 7 weeks, it's sad to see him go but I know that he has earned coming back by serving honorably.
Thank you for all of your love and support,
Elder Holbrook
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