Week Sixty-Two: December 26th, 2011

Because we got to talk to Nick yesterday he didn't send much of a letter today but we were happy to get a few pictures though.

Dear Mom,
Because it is so hot here, (It's in the 90's and with all the humidity it's not too fun) we got together as a district and we had a water balloon fight and then we went to a member's house in Elder Smith's sector and had lunch. It was awesome!
Well it sounds like Melissa had a good birthday and everyone had a good christmas.
I really love you guys and it was good to see you.
Thanks for everything.
Love, Elder Holton
P- Day Waterfight!

WATCH OUT!!

Christmas Skype:12-25-11

It was the highlight of our Christmas to be able to Skype Nick on Christmas day. It is so great to not only talk to him but to see him too. He just seemed so happy and he truly had a glow about him. They celebrate Christmas in Chile on Christmas Eve so after their appointments they went back to their apartment and opened presants. We sent a package to Nick and one to his companion before Thanksgiving and his companion Elder Sauceda got his package the week before Nick. I was really worried but then Nick did get his package in time after all. He said that he had a fun time reading all the letters that everyone had sent that I included in the package. On Christmas day it was just like any other day. Then they went to one of the members houses and were able to use a tablet to Skype us. We were also able to see his companion on Skype. He told us that they are getting 20 new missionaries to his mission next week and so they will be splitting areas and most likely he will be transfered to a new area.

Week Sixty-One: December 19th, 2011

Dear Family,
This week was a good week. Not a whole lot has happen. But as a stake we had a stake activity going on all week. They sent us many different nativity scenes from different countries and invited every body to come and see them and take pictures. We have been sharing many Books of Mormon with the Members and inviting them to write their testimony on the inside and pray about someone they could give it to for the Christmas season. It's been going good.Well I look forward to talking to and seeing you guys on Christmas. We were thinking between 12 and 2. We are given permission to use the computers of the members but only one can do it at a time. So I'll probably let him go first at 12 and he would finish around 12:45 (we only have 45 minutes) and then I could get on.

Well I hope you guys have a great week.
Love,
Elder Holton

Week Sixty: December 12th, 2011

Dear Family,Well It was good to hear from you today. This past week we did see some miracles which were very welcomed. Haha It was a very good week. Well We have been giving out Books of Mormon to the members for them to right their testimonies in and then to think of someone to gift it to. It's been going good. We are going to continue to give them out and now we are going to start to go back for them. We also did an activity this week. We as a district got together and came to our sector and sang christmas songs to the less active members. Well it went great. After we had a ward activity on Friday where 3 of the less active families attended. We also had 3 investigatores go to the activity. It was great. This week Elder Smith and Elder Izelo had a baptism in their ward and we were able to bring an investigator to the baptism. So we have been seeing some Milagritos (small miracles). It is really weird to be here and to see everyone putting up their Christmas trees and lights and everything. Yeah the Chileans put up a lot of lights and all that jazz. The thing I heard that they do that is different is they open all their presents at Midnight on Christmas Eve. As a mission were are going to have a almost all day devotional on the 23rd. Well I hope you guys all have a great week and remember the Christmas Spirit.

Love,
Elder Holton

Week Fifty-Nine: December 5th, 2011

Dear Family,
Well We had a very good week. Well one of the miracles we had this week is we went to go teach a less active family with one of our ward missionaries Hno Valdivia (who had an accident over a year ago). Well the appointment fell through so we went to another less active family. They also weren't available and as we were walking back to Hno Valdivia's car there was a mother with her son in the street. The son is arround 30 years old but appeared to be handicap. Well Hno Valdivia recognized him from the hospital when he was there a year ago. Hno Valdivia was able to convince them to let us share something with them. It was incredible. We also had another miracle this week. Well we have an investigator who isn't really progressing really well and we've been thinking about leaving her for a time. Well the other day we had the idea to take one of our recent converts (Why we hadn't thought of that idea before I don't know). They seemed about the same age. Well We went over and it just so happens that they are friends from school. We have a Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) planned tonight. So that should be great. Well we have been working with our members really hard. Sharing Books of Mormon with them to share with others. There have even been a few who have asked for 2 haha. I have been studying a lot about faith from the Lectures on Faith. It is just amazing how excited I get just reading about it and learning about and trying to find new ways to show my faith and to exercise greater faith.

So the other day we went to a recently reactivated family. We recently heard from a different source that their son is going to be a father but is not married. We decided to go to talk about PMG and if they decided to say something about their son then we would talk about it but we weren't going to bring it up. Well We shared our lesson and at the end they did bring it up. The son wasn't there. I decided to share my experience. I shared about how hard it was but how I knew I was doing the right thing. I especially wanted to share how important my parents were to me as I had to go through the repentance process and how much he is going to need then. They were grateful and then the Mom did something very interesting. Now you need to understand I didn't share my experiences as if I was lecturing or just telling a story. I explained my feelings as if I was talking to my best friends trying to show more and more love. Well as I did that, the Mom turned to me and expressed that they too felt close to me as I felt to them. She explained that the first time we met she felt she knew me already. Then she explained that We were the reason they went back to church (I personally don't think so). President King keeps encouraging me to share my personal experiences. Just this week he said:
"Thanks for all you are doing to find new people to teach. Speak from your heart - tell them your personal story of why you are here - and you will get to their hearts.
You do have the most important message inthe world, that can bless their lives.
They too have to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Alma 23:6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
This truth is the doctrine of Christ and his plan for their salvation. The Most Important Thing.
Love,Pres. King
So Elder Sauceda received a package from someone in the states and a letter from someone in the states. He was very surprised and kept bugging me that I was in on it. Which I'm not. I don't know anyone from Colorado or Virginia. It wasn't from any of his past companion's families because I'm his second companion and his other comp was from Paraguay. The package had a bunch of presents with a letter. I told him he could open the letter but the presents have to wait. and the other letter he opened. They are from young women like junior in high school age. He is so confused because they are addressed to him. haha. My gut tells me that President King had something to do with it.

Well I got to go!

Love,
Elder Holton