We’ve been on our mission for three months
today!
Dear Family,
This week we enjoyed having Haleigh and the
Walker family spend part of their Spring Break with us. We loved having a house
full of family!
Haleigh arrived Tuesday night and on Wednesday,
after the Zone Leader conference call we drove the entire length of the
Monument road and had a great time at the Visitor’s Center. That night she went
to three appointments with the Spanish-speaking sister missionaries while Josh
and I made some visits. We’re learning the power of the simple question: “Tell
me your story.” People want to talk. They just need a caring listener.
Thursday the Walkers arrived in the afternoon. We had a birthday party
for Papa—complete with the Holt tradition of German Chocolate cake. He loves
his book of family testimonies, which is a special gift for a 65th birthday.
Love our kids and grandkids!
Friday morning Addi made us breakfast then we
went to Mesa Mall (the largest retail outlet between SLC and Denver), and Papa
drove them to the Monument (while Haleigh and I tended Ivory). Saturday they
explored part of downtown Grand Junction with its sidewalks full of art—so much
to see they covered less than half. Of course we nibbled on toffee samples and
ate ice cream at Enstrom’s, a local favorite. After Jake posted pictures of
their family at the Colorado Monument his cousin posted similar pictures and
they discovered she lives just minutes from our house and our wards meet in the
same building. The Colorado cousins arrived early for their meetings in order
to see the Walkers before they headed back to St. George. Another of the Lord’s
tender mercies. We also enjoyed Addi singing for us the song she sang in
Sacrament Meeting earlier this month—such a sweet voice. J Stepping over girls
on the floor in the hallway, using the outlets for hair dryers and
straighteners, and smiling at all the teenage talk about music and clothes,
brought back fond memories of raising our family.
Our side of the mission—the Western Slope—had 9 baptisms
this weekend! The work is on fire! Saturday (in between shopping trips) we saw
a mother and two daughters baptized, another baptism in the YSA Ward (the
sister Josh interviewed), and a sister in the Spanish Branch (Haleigh
translated for her dad). The radiant smiles on the missionaries' faces were
beyond beaming--and the joy in the countenances of those being baptized brings
a warmth to your heart. Cute baptism
idea—who doesn’t love a KitKat bar? Here is your ‘kit’ to remember ‘KAT’: Keep
his commandments, Always remember Him, Take upon us His name.
Because the Church is moving resources to
Africa, our complement of missionaries has been lowered. The most we’ll have in
the future is 130 and a senior couple that goes home in April won’t be replaced—there
were 150 when the Giffords arrived in 2016. That means many missionaries will
cover two wards and members will need to step up in finding investigators for
the elders and sisters to teach. A friend from BYU-I is the mission president
in Sydney. He has 30 senior missionaries—seniors want to speak English but go
foreign so Australia is a popular choice. When the senior couple leaves in
April the CDSM will only have the Holts and one other couple. The rest of the
office staff are locals who work just part-time who work mostly from home and
phone.
My favorite thought this week was shared by the
high councilman today. He reminded us of President Nelson’s talk in April
Conference 2017, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives.” After
President Nelson recounts the story of the woman who touched the hem of the
Savior’s clothes, he said: “When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life
with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping
for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. . . . When you spiritually
stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow
into you.” Wow! What a powerful promise from a prophet of God: "His
power will flow into you"! I’d read and marked this talk in my
tablet, but I’d missed this passage.
