Hey Everybody!
We had a great week! The weather has cooled off a lot, right now it's threatening to rain, which is really good because we need it badly. There are a lot of water shortages going on right now due to the dry season.
Fort Sill was busy this week. We had two baptisms, and we have three scheduled for next week, which is pretty awesome. We have been seeing an increase of success out there. It is amazing how humble and willing many of the Soldiers are as they come through BASIC training. Many come completely prepared for the gospel, and we are able to witness the harvest of some of Heavenly Father's planted crop.
Chad Bolton is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Two days before his baptism he told his wife he was going to be baptized, and it shocked her pretty hard. It was supposed to be a big surprise for her on the day of Chad's baptism, but I guess it fell through when she demanded where he was going when he was meeting with us to get the lessons. You can't really dodge the demands of your wife so he told her what was going on.
Beau and Monica are doing well, although Beau is fighting a knee infection so it prevents him from walking too far. They came to church on Sunday, which was good but Beau really needed some rest. He went to the ER and got some antibiotics.
Unfortunately my camera is in the apartment right now, so I don't have the ability to send pictures, so y'all are going to have to wait another week for those!
(I asked Elder Holbrook what his P-day schedule was and this is what he wrote...)
Our p-day schedule goes something like this:
Laundry/Study/Write Letters @ 7-10
Shop/Email/Lunch @ 10-2
Sports/Another random activity @ 2-4
Dinner @ 5
The order just depends on what everyone wants to do. Since you have to stay with your companion all the time you have to work out what you want to do and what you're able to do.
I love this gospel so much. My personal growth has increased because of this gospel, and for that I know that it is true. Witnessing the evidences of the atonement in our lives is a sweet experience to enjoy. I would encourage all of you to pray and seek to notice the effect the atonement has had in your life, and then thank Heavenly Father for it.
With Love,
Elder Holbrook
Monday, November 3, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Birthday and Baptisms 10/27/14
It has been an awesome week in Lawton! I had a wonderful Birthday!
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| Elder Holbrook turns 20!! |
We didn't have a baptism on Fort Sill this week, but we have one coming up this next week, and we're going to have three in two weeks to come. We're seeing a lot of success come from Fort Sill. It certainly is a rewarding privilege to teach there!
Chad Bolton is an investigator that we have been teaching for awhile now. He is the son-in-law of Brother Torres, a member of the branch presidency on Fort Sill. Chad will be baptized on Saturday. He's progressed a lot and has quit his chewing tobacco. I'm really excited for him to surprise his wife with his baptism. She is a member and she doesn't know that Chad is going to be baptized on Saturday till she walks in the room.
Patrick Webb has attended church with his son, Chris. They haven't been doing too well and they're in need of some prayers. Patrick has it pretty hard right now with his COPD.
Steven Haywood is making some progress, which has been pretty awesome to see. He's starting to read the Book of Mormon and understand what's going on.
Beau and Monica were married and then Beau was baptized on Saturday and then confirmed a member on Sunday! I was given the opportunity to baptize him, and I gladly accepted! Beau has made many many changes in his life, and now he's going to be a valuable member in the Church! Monica has progressed as well, and although she is awaiting rebaptism, we are planning on having Beau get the Aaronic Priesthood and having him baptize her!
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| Elder Chavez, Elder Holbrook, Beau, Elder Memmot |
It is an exciting time in their lives.
Elder Burnham and I are doing well! We have been working hard and we're seeing the fruits of our labors through these baptisms! I'm super excited to keep the momentum going!
I'm so grateful for this gospel and for the restored truth. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he stands with his arms stretched out, waiting for us to receive him.
I love you all and I'm grateful for your support,
Love, Elder Holbrook
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| LARGE Spider!! |
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| Mattresses!! |
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| My companion Elder Burnham |
Two more baptisms at Ft. Sill 10/20/14
Hello y'all
My companion and I ran into an issue with logging on to the computers today. I really want to write because I have had some great experiences in the past two weeks. I'm going to write as much as possible with the short time I have, so bear with me if my letter just cuts off abruptly. Don't worry, in two months hopefully this won't ever be a problem (iPad's in December we think).
We had two baptisms for the past two weeks on Fort Sill. A Sister Garcia and a Brother Insley. Yesterday Insley's friend told us that he wanted to be baptized. We asked him about it, he said yes, and it all worked out because he had attended church three weeks in a row and had all of the lessons taken already. As I was teaching the Restoration, I was tied down so I couldn't interview him, but Elder Winterton, my Zone Leader, was able to get to him. I wasn't able to attend the baptism, but I know that he'll be a great member as he stays active in the church. Sister Garcia is in the same unit as one of our ward missionaries. She was of a catholic background, but she had a distinct feeling that the church was true. I had the opportunity to teach her all the way through, and she really is solid in the gospel.
As you know, this Saturday is the wedding of Beau and Monica, with the baptism of Beau shortly afterwards. This last weekend was our stake conference, and in the Saturday evening session, President Walkenhorst was able to speak. He called Beau, Monica, and Rolando (Monica's Son) up to the stand. He gave Beau a big hug and told the crowd all of the changes that Beau and Monica have made in their lives because of the atonement. He spoke of the doctrine of Christ, about Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Finally, he spoke of member missionary work and why it's so important. My Mission President is an amazing man.
Basically Beau and Monica are the best birthday present I've ever received other than life itself...sorry Mom and Dad. ;)
Things are going well here in Lawton. Like I said before, I'll only be here for another five weeks. I don't think I will be staying here for much longer...we will see what the Lord has in store for me. I know that when I leave this city I'm going to miss it dearly. I consider Lawton to be my refiners fire, or my proving ground. I've made a lot of mistakes, and I've also been able to make a lot of improvements here. I consider myself extremely blessed to be able to serve here.
Elder Burnham and I are getting along better. We've run into some issues as a companionship, and I'll be honest, it's been because of pride between the two of us. I need to work especially hard on that one.
I love the atonement and the healing effects that it has. I love the Savior, who suffered and died for me because of love and compassion. I'm forever in debt to my God because of the experiences he has given me. I will be forever grateful for my family, for standing beside me in times of hardship and difficulty. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making me the man that I am.
With lots of love,
Elder Holbrook
My companion and I ran into an issue with logging on to the computers today. I really want to write because I have had some great experiences in the past two weeks. I'm going to write as much as possible with the short time I have, so bear with me if my letter just cuts off abruptly. Don't worry, in two months hopefully this won't ever be a problem (iPad's in December we think).
We had two baptisms for the past two weeks on Fort Sill. A Sister Garcia and a Brother Insley. Yesterday Insley's friend told us that he wanted to be baptized. We asked him about it, he said yes, and it all worked out because he had attended church three weeks in a row and had all of the lessons taken already. As I was teaching the Restoration, I was tied down so I couldn't interview him, but Elder Winterton, my Zone Leader, was able to get to him. I wasn't able to attend the baptism, but I know that he'll be a great member as he stays active in the church. Sister Garcia is in the same unit as one of our ward missionaries. She was of a catholic background, but she had a distinct feeling that the church was true. I had the opportunity to teach her all the way through, and she really is solid in the gospel.
As you know, this Saturday is the wedding of Beau and Monica, with the baptism of Beau shortly afterwards. This last weekend was our stake conference, and in the Saturday evening session, President Walkenhorst was able to speak. He called Beau, Monica, and Rolando (Monica's Son) up to the stand. He gave Beau a big hug and told the crowd all of the changes that Beau and Monica have made in their lives because of the atonement. He spoke of the doctrine of Christ, about Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Finally, he spoke of member missionary work and why it's so important. My Mission President is an amazing man.
Basically Beau and Monica are the best birthday present I've ever received other than life itself...sorry Mom and Dad. ;)
Things are going well here in Lawton. Like I said before, I'll only be here for another five weeks. I don't think I will be staying here for much longer...we will see what the Lord has in store for me. I know that when I leave this city I'm going to miss it dearly. I consider Lawton to be my refiners fire, or my proving ground. I've made a lot of mistakes, and I've also been able to make a lot of improvements here. I consider myself extremely blessed to be able to serve here.
Elder Burnham and I are getting along better. We've run into some issues as a companionship, and I'll be honest, it's been because of pride between the two of us. I need to work especially hard on that one.
I love the atonement and the healing effects that it has. I love the Savior, who suffered and died for me because of love and compassion. I'm forever in debt to my God because of the experiences he has given me. I will be forever grateful for my family, for standing beside me in times of hardship and difficulty. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making me the man that I am.
With lots of love,
Elder Holbrook
Short but doing great! 10/13/14
I'm doing great out here! I also feel like we haven't talked in a long time as well, but it's alright though because there's always next week!
Last week we got to the library very early. Because of how chaotic P-Days can be, we aren't able to get to the library at a "usual" time.
General Conference was the bomb! It was by far one of the best conferences I've ever watched (probably because I paid a ton more attention and took diligent notes, funny how that helps, huh?). We watched it at the Stake Center! My favorite, by far, was this talk. (Approaching the Throne of God With Confidence Elder Jorg Klebingat) We are going to show that one to some less actives to help them become motivated to take action!
Oh, by the way, I'm staying in Lawton another five weeks. That's important information that I nearly forgot, amazingly. This transfer will not be a six week transfer, it'll only be five. Next transfer will be a seven week, so that will balance it back out. I believe it's done this way because of Thanksgiving and returning missionaries.
I'm glad that Dad was able to stay and you were all able to spend time with one another! I got your picture email! It's a great reminder that we have an eternal family, and that I have another brother who's watching out for me!
I gotta run right now (next weeks weekly email is going to be super long), we weren't able to get a ton of time emailing, so I have to hop off now. This district is pretty crazy but I'll give you a hefty update next week.
I'm doing my best out here and I'm still in the fight, but eventually we will win with Christ.
Love ya!
Elder Holbrook
Last week we got to the library very early. Because of how chaotic P-Days can be, we aren't able to get to the library at a "usual" time.
General Conference was the bomb! It was by far one of the best conferences I've ever watched (probably because I paid a ton more attention and took diligent notes, funny how that helps, huh?). We watched it at the Stake Center! My favorite, by far, was this talk. (Approaching the Throne of God With Confidence Elder Jorg Klebingat) We are going to show that one to some less actives to help them become motivated to take action!
Oh, by the way, I'm staying in Lawton another five weeks. That's important information that I nearly forgot, amazingly. This transfer will not be a six week transfer, it'll only be five. Next transfer will be a seven week, so that will balance it back out. I believe it's done this way because of Thanksgiving and returning missionaries.
I'm glad that Dad was able to stay and you were all able to spend time with one another! I got your picture email! It's a great reminder that we have an eternal family, and that I have another brother who's watching out for me!
I gotta run right now (next weeks weekly email is going to be super long), we weren't able to get a ton of time emailing, so I have to hop off now. This district is pretty crazy but I'll give you a hefty update next week.
I'm doing my best out here and I'm still in the fight, but eventually we will win with Christ.
Love ya!
Elder Holbrook
General Conference was AWESOME! 10/6/14
Hey Family and friends!Looks like this week we will see some hotter temperatures than what we have been having this past week. I wouldn't call it "fun" by any means but I'm going to enjoy the last moments of summer that we have.
No baptisms on Fort Sill this week. We have one next week though, so that will be exciting. I have attached the picture of the last baptism that we have had (3 Sunday's ago).
Today Elder Burnham and I will be attending the funeral of Lonnie Webb. It's a sad time for the Webb family but I hope that they will turn towards Christ to be healed of their spiritual wounds.
Beau and Monica are doing well! They are continuing to make progress and strengthen their testimonies. We have gone over the baptismal interview questions with Beau and he did well! We are very excited for them!
Chad Bolton is making progress too! He was able to watch General Conference. His baptismal date is set for 1 November. It's great to have the opportunity to see people change!
As far as our companionship goes, Elder Burnham and I are doing well! We're working hard to build our area up!
General Conference was awesome as always. Consider the modern miracle it is to be able to listen prophets and apostles speak to us directly. Listen to their inspiring messages again. Continue to grow through diligent study. Our spiritual development from conference shouldn't stop from the closing prayer! We should continue to do our part in studying the Lords words.
I am so grateful to be here in Oklahoma, serving the lord. This by far has been the best experience of my life. May we strive for missionary moments that we can be better.
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