October 31st, 2016

Hey Family!

It seems as though it was just yesterday that I was writing you guys! The mission goes by so fast! It helps that I have such an awesome Companion! We're both really experienced missionaries (or so we think) and so it makes doing the work so much easier cause we can lean on one another! 

We saw some really big miracles this past week! It was also one of the saddest weeks I've had! We'll start out with the good stuff though. Monday I think I already wrote you guys a little bit about the "Man Talk" before. It's that thing hat the really cool uncle gives to the nephew in 2nd hand lions 🦁. We get it from a super cool Senior Elder. Well my companion wanted to get it and so we went and listened to it. It's really good advice about how to keep the mission in you when you get home! It's kind of trunky dough. I'll show it to you guys sometime. I have it in a PowerPoint.


Tuesday was awesome because we had intercambios with the missionaries in Cartagena! So I got to see my Companion Elder Ylimaula again! It was sweet because we got to talk about all of the good old days in Cartagena while we were working! There's going to be a new chapel there where I served! The work of the Lord is going forth here in Spain and it's fantastic. Also my bishop there is now the stake president! There was a change just yesterday. Wednesday was a pretty normal day except for that We had our first Transfer meeting to talk about changes in the mission! It was really cool! There was a lot to do and tonight we're meeting again. It's so cool being able to work along side him.

So the greatest moment of this past week is that our two friends from Bolivia Rodrigo and Sincy got Baptized! It was so amazing! Honestly it was one of the most powerful baptismal services I've ever been to. There's a big story that lead up to it though! On Thursday night we got a call from Rodrigo and he told us that he needed to talk with us. So we said "ok, talk." He then responded. "But I'd like to talk to you guys in person." So we set an hour to meet together and we were kind of freaking out. When a person says they need to talk in person it usually means they want to: 1. Break up 2. They're throwing a Surprise Party or 3. Someone died. And I was pretty sure Rodrigo wasn't going to throw us a surprise party! So we met and sat down and he told us that his Mom was kicking him, his wife, and their son out of his house (she's kind of crazy) and they were moving to Zaragoza. But before they left they wanted to get Baptized and so they came begging if they could still be baptized even though they were leaving. Of course they could!

Rodrigos testimony was awesome. All his life people had taught him and his wife that god was unjust and cruel and he never believed it and so when he met the missionaries and started reading in the Book of Mormon he knew it was true and gained his testimony. He knows the Book of Mormon is true!

But that's why it was also so sad! Cause it was a baptism and also a farewell at the same time! Sunday morning we woke up early and helped them get their suit cases together and took them to the train station. 😫😭😭

Well I heard a scripture and a story the other day. The scripture tells us that 1,000 years for our time is about 1 day for god. So there was a guy that prayed to god and asked god, "Lord, is a 1,000 years for me just a day for you?" And god responded and said "yes." And so the man asked another question. "Lord, does this mean that a million dollars for me is just a penny for you?" And the lord responded again, "Yes, my son." And so the man asked God, "God will you please give me a penny?" And so the lord responded, "Yeah but give me a couple minutes." (I hope you understand that joke.)

But with that same scripture that says a thousand years for us is a day for god. it's 2016 which means For Christ the atonement just took place about 2 days ago. So if you ever ask yourself if Christ understands your pain and suffering, just remember that it is still probably pretty fresh on his mind. He's knows our trials and he's here to help us! We just need to ask him for that help. And he will stretch forth his hand immediately to help us.

Love you guys! Have a great week

Elder Holman

Hey Y'all October 24th, 2016

Hey Family!

Thanks so. I hope for the letters. I enjoy getting them! This week has past faster than any other I've had in the mission. Now I have to do 9 companionship exchanges every transfer so we've split them up into doing two a week. I get to work with some awesome missionaries and others that aren't as awesome. I'm enjoying my time here.

So my area is a little different here than in other missions. We teach by example and so I do not have an assignment in the office. In fact I still live an hour away from the office and mission home and we have a regular proselyting area. We still have meetings from time to time with president though to plan for upcoming events in the mission.

This past week we've been super blessed! We have two friends that are planning on getting baptized this Saturday, we've met some people that are extremely interested in the gospel and came to church with us on Sunday and when we got to church this past Sunday we saw a friend of ours named Arturo. He left last Monday and was going in a bike trip from Malaga to Barcelona but he told us that on Thursday he set up camp and he fell asleep and he had a dream where me and my companion appeared to him and told him to come back to Malaga and so he got up the next morning and took a bus back to Malaga to come to church on Sunday. 

We also got to pass some time this week with a new missionary from Germany. His name is Elder Köhler and he's going to be companions with my trainee Elder Berry! Everything is going well here. I'm more focused than I've ever been.

The Gospel is awesome, the mission is awesome. I'm so glad I've been able to serve. I'll be making the most of these last months. The other day I was reading in the book of Daniel. What an amazing character from the scriptures! He's a hero of mine. Daniel 1 and 2 really just show how much we can do if we put our trust in God. The world every day seems to be getting worse but god will never cease to be the endless source of Light, truth, knowledge and good. I love to read how God rewards Daniel with knowledge and wisdom because he refuses to defile himself by "swan diving into the pool of Babylon." I feel that the mission has been the same. I've taken a vacation from the world and God has given me in return knowledge and wisdom of what really matters in life. Keep the commandments, follow the council of your leaders. They are inspired and called by the lord. When we follow god he gives us knowledge wisdom and power.

I love the gospel and I know it's way and the only true one in all the earth. Jesus is the Christ, Joseph smith was a prophet. Priesthood keys are on the earth today. Les quiero mucho!

Con mucho Amor

Elder Holman

October 17th, 2016

Hey Family!

So I've had one heck of a week and it flew by like nothing! Time flies I guess when you're having fun! We're working hard and playing hard! Thanks so much for your emails. I love them and I love you!

So my life has changed just a little bit in the past couple of weeks. Mostly I'm a lot more tired. I love it though because I so tired that I can't be trunky! There's no time to be! Also I'm learning a ton by being with my President a bit more. He is such a great guy. In fact we had a meeting with him this morning! Some would think that it's a sacrifice to take some time out of our preparation day to meet with him but I love it!

We've seen some miracles as we've been here! God really just seems to know what everyone needs and I feel like we've been inspired to do things to help a lot of other people this week. Yesterday we had a Baptism of two kids in a Part member family. It's on the blog i set up if you want to see it.

The lords work is amazing. I'm crunched for time right now though and have to run I love you guys.

Con mucho amor
Elder Holman

The Great Flood Oct. 10th 2016

Hey all,

My letter won't be that long this week. just know that I'm doing fantastic! I love my new area and my companion is a boss!! We're working hard and seeing some good progress in the area! We're hoping to see some good things.

This week was really hard just cause I had to see a lot of my friends finish the mission and go home, the hardest was having to say goodbye to Elder Quispe! Literally my best friend in the entire world! (Apart from family) it's a bummer he lives so far. I was super sad to see him go! But it's all good! You'll get to meet him too some day. My goal is that he can come to salt lake some day!

Pray that our investigator, Blessing, will be able to get baptized this Sunday! 

So if you want some funny stories from the Mission field. We brought some friends with us to church yesterday and sat them down in the perfect spot, introduced them to some members and then something even worse than the flood of Noah happened? There was an downpour of water! In the middle of the meeting a little girl sitting next to them stood up, pull down her pants and peed on the floor in front of them! So we have probably just made the best first impression of the church. It looks really pretty and good on the outside but it's a little chaotic on the inside! Haha! 

I love the saying that Christ's church was perfect until he let us inside. It's so true. The good news is that our investigators were really good sports about it! 

For s little spiritual thought today I want to just share this quote that I heard yesterday that has basically domed up my mission! I love it and hope you can apply it to yourselves!

If we don't get a thrill out of doing gods work, if it weighs us down rather than makes us buoyant and enthusiastic, then there is something wrong and we should repent. The lords work is Important, and it should be fun, and we ought to be happy while we are doing it. - Sterling W. Sill

I especially liked the call to repentance in there. Haha. But it's so true! I hope that you all have S fantastic week and that you can feel the spirit with you as you go about it. I love you tons. I know the church is true. ELDER BALLARD's talk in General Conference was amazing! There is no other place that we can go apart from Christ and his church. He has the words of eternal life! There is no other church on earth that belongs to and was formed by Jesus Christ himself!  

I love the gospel and I know it is gods perfect plan for us! Love you all

Con mucho amor 

Elder Holman

Happy Conference

Hey Family! 

Wasn't conference just the best?! That was one of the best I've seen in my mission. It seems that every year they just get better and better! We had a crazy week that was super rough. Maybe one of the toughest weeks of my mission but its had a happy ending.

Last preparation day we didn't get to do a ton. We went to do the man talk. I think I told you about that last week. So this past week we had a few let downs but yesterday there was a Baptism right after General Conference. Her Name is LUCELIA and she's from Brazil. So I think a missionary in our mission has been crying (we have a joke that for every tear shed in our mission a Brazilian gets baptized!)... (maybe that missionary was me.) 

It was a fantastic Baptism. The ward members have been such a great help with her and they gave great talks and Lucelia started to cry and bore a fantastic testimony at the end about how much she needed the church and her savior! 

So in Spain we watch priesthood session in the morning on Sunday because it broadcasts so late and it was funny because it started broadcasting in Russian first but we were able to fix it before Elder Holland spoke. As he started to address us I felt my phone vibrating and took it out of my pocket only to find to my great surprise that President Andersen was calling me. And so I thought "wow, president is calling, this must be important. So I went into talk to him and he said to call him back later. So we went back and the priesthood broadcast blacked out for a few minutes and we couldn't watch so I went and called him back and he asked me how I like Malaga and if I'd be willing to stay until the end of my mission to be his assistant... after I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming I told him that I would. 

So I'll be finishing my mission in Malaga! That will be cool. It's really pretty here and the ward is supposed to be super good as well! My bishop is really sad that I'm leaving!  It I'll still be able to see him because we go to church in the same building!

So all during General Conference I saw an overarching theme of repentance being talked about and I thought of so many scriptures that I could share with you and quotes and such great things but I'd rather just like to invite you to listen to the conference as much as you can this week and to be able to apply it. And also remember this  scripture from D&C 50

40 Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.

41 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;.

I thought it was so cool that Christ would say that to Joseph Smith and his associates. We must remember that in god's eyes we are all just children and to take hold of his greater wisdom.

I love you guys and I hope you have the best week! Don't miss me too much. Also I won't be home for Christmas, please don't count on me.... I won't be home for Christmas, not even in my dreams.

I love you.

Con mucho Amor

Elder Holman

90 Day countdown to Christmas September 26, 2016

Hey Family,

Well it hasn't been too long since I talked to you last. I posted some new fotos on an iCloud album and invited you to all look at em. Basically has my whole mission on it so if you want to take a look, go for it. Thanks for for your email Land. I really enjoyed it. I also hope that everyone in the family enjoyed their birthdays. I had really good days on all of your birthdays and I was thinking about you all lots! I'm so grateful for my Family! Y'all son the best. 

So in news for last week we had some pretty normal days other that's the wicked awesome preparation day at the Caminito del Rey. There are a lot more fotos now because I just got a ton from my companion and from when we went cave exploring as well.

Spain is such a beautiful exotic place. There's a little bit of everything here. It's just a little slice of heaven. And the people are great too. Super funny too! This past week we also embarked off into the old part of the city trying to visit a member that is moving into our ward boundaries. After stepping off the bus we found ourselves on the outskirts of the original city of Malaga. Talk about going back in time. We walked on cobble stone roads with smells of fresh of baked bread in the crisp breeze. As we stumbled through the labyrinth of street alleys and backward we came to a plaza with one of the biggest Catholic Churches I've ever seen with architecture that out-stood the beauty of every building around... We were in a hurry and so I couldn't take pictures haha. We'll see if we can make our way back there some day. 

Today we took a trip down to Fuengirola to hear what is known among missionaries as "The Man Talk." If you've ever seen Second hand lions, it's basically the chat that the old man gives to the boys after he beats them up at the bar. Haha. I now think I have some pretty good life plans for after the mission. I'm not going to think to much about that though. 

Also I was wondering if you guys have received some sort of flight itinerary from my mission office? Just wondering cause it looks like all my group has been getting theirs.

Well that's basically my life here. Hope you're all doing good. I haven't heard anything yet so I'll assume you're doing well and busy. Unless the Trump Clinton battle has sparked a 2nd civil war in the U.S. And Texas has delcared war on Mexico. You should be doing alright.

Love you guys hope you have and awesome week.

Con mucho amor Elder Holman

IT'S ... ALIIIVE September 22, 2016

Hey Family,

Si I'm writing you today because I changed my Preparation day for this week so that we could go on an adventure with a member named Juan. And what an adventure it was!! But before we get to that I just wanted to wish a special happy birthday/ birth weeks to the family. I know that theirs a lot of them. Hope that you've all had some really special days. I'll try and be home for them next year ;). 

So I guess I'll just tell you about my last week first and then about the adventures of the day. Last week was also exciting we had a 70 come to visit our mission. Now maybe that just sounds normal to you Utah Folk that get to see general authorities all the time in conferences and Sacrament meetings but this is the first seventy to come to our mission for about a year. It was Elder Zwick. He talked in the April 2014 conference so "[he's] kinda a big deal. He has leather bound scriptures." So we had a mission wide conference with him! There was also this pretty great duet that some missionaries sang in Spanish. They did a really great job. (Haha I was one of them.) President asked us to prepare it a couple day before and so we had an Hermana with a Masters degree in Piano Performance write us out a new version and we sang it. I was so nervous I almost soiled myself. But I didn't mess up. I'll send you guys the video if I'm able to, sometimes sending stuff over email doesn't work at all for me. Apparently we did a good job because my bishop heard about it and asked us to sing on Sunday in the sacrament meeting. 

Also we were in charge of the fruit and so we decided to take some artistic liberties as to the fruit formation. I'll send fotos of that too. Other than that everything else was cool and normal. Raquel was confirmed in sacrament meeting on Sunday as well. She is the happiest that I have ever see her. Also if you want to hear about some Spanish racism I have a tale for you! We were out talking to people in the street and I contacted this really nice looking guy in the street and started talking to him and then all of a sudden this old Spanish man came up to me and yell "Be careful! He's a Muslim! And gave me a talk about being extremely careful who I talk to and not to talk to the Muslims because they're going to take over Spain! Haha people here are crazy. I love them though. There are some really good ones out here. 

So today we went to a place called "el Caminito del Rey" or the King's Path basically it's a hike over platforms that are suspended about 300 feet over a river in a valley. Look it up on google to see some pictures. I'll send you some too. The trip to this Caminito started out by walking through a really long cave that just had a light at the end of the tunnel. Now I know that you're all expecting me to tell a story about how we had to hold on until we got to the light. But you know what. It wasn't that rough to walk through the cave that we were in because we were so grateful and excited for what we were going to see and do on the other side. We weren't focused on the bad smells the lack of light or the fact that I broke my sunglasses when I hit my head in the roof (Spanish people are short.) sometimes in life we just have to find joy in the journey while we're traveling the journey of life. Keeping our eye on the good things to come and knowing that we'll be out of our caves and on to even greater adventures soon. Or more scripturally speaking "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." But hey sometimes walking through caves is an adventure too, just ask Skyler and Chance!


Hey but I love you guys so much and thank you all for the emails you've sent me this past week I've really appreciated all of them. I love you guys tons and hope you have an awesome week.

Con Mucho Amor
Elder Holman

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