Elder Holt's in Chile: Week 1 Friends in the CCM

Hello Family!!!

I have been very anxious to write you all week! We found out last week that our P day was Thursday, but they didn't give us a P day, because we had just gotten here... Lame right? We thought so, you know that is funny that you brought up Elder Holt, because I forgot to mention that last week,(Another Elder Holt is going to the same mission and flew out with Connor, Mom) I was talking to Elder Powell and Elder Warburton as I was waiting to pass through the security in Salt Lake and Elder Powell thought I was the other Elder Holt. Elder Holt kinda reminds me of the Mormon version of Adi from the Polo team, so I have a couple memories from polo when I look at my shirt, speedo, and now Elder Holt.

Speaking of Scouts and Scout camp,(I had mentioned our Scouts were leaving this week, Mom) I am very glad you sent me on those as a kid, because I use to get scared I would get home sick there, but I never did because I was always with a good group of guys, and I think that is the reason I still have not gotten home sick here! :)

Speaking of language, it hasn't been to bad, I did have a hard time with it at the beginning. They had us start teaching an investigator in Spanish a week ago tomorrow and we ended that investigator yesterday, but it was way tough last week! Elder Robertson and I had some fun experiences with him though! Last Satuday during the lesson, I didn't feel good about it at all. It was tough, and so all I did was just read my part in Spanish, after the lesson we went back to our class room (which is pretty much our home) and hung out with our district. I kinda just went to the window and stared out it for awhile in frustration of not being able to get the language down, (I am one of the slowest learners in my district) and an Elder named Elder Horsley stopped to ask if I was okay and I said yes, so Elder Robertson told me to pray and so I did, as I was praying, I didn't realize I had a few tears fall to the ground and Elder Horsley, who is going to another mission stopped by and patted me on the back and waited for me to finish my prayer, and after I had finished he just asked "How can I help?" Which at this point I realized I had started to have some frustration tears come out, which then turned into tears of Joy, to know I had a friend there who wanted to help me out and I just couldn't hold back the tears. So he helped me to learn some of the things that everyone was learning that I just didn't understand at all. So then on Sunday in district meeting we all shared why we came on a mission and Elder Horsley was saying when the age changed he didn't know if he should go at the semester or at the end of the school year, so he had a blessing from his uncle and then it took him a couple weeks to figure it out, but he did figure it out and that was that he was suppose to come now, and I counted that as a tender mercy to me, because he noticed that I was struggling and so he stopped to help me. The Lord works in very mysterious ways and I Love it!

Past that, the language is getting easier day by day, the second day I learned how to pray and to say my testimony in spanish, but I don't know how to write it without the one I wrote, so you'll get that later! :)

Funny thing that you mention the ancestor story, because I was going to ask if you could send me some, although if you could write them in Word and then send it to me, that would be Amazing! :) Um, thought this because at the devotional on Tuesday we listened to a talk by Elder Nielson and his wife and his wife said we should have stories so we can pray to have the courage, attributes, and strength from our ancestors, so if you would send that, it would be awesome! :)

Okay, so the reason I titled this weeks letter as Friends in the CCM is because I have made and seen many friends here! The second day, I found Elder Chase, and Elder Moyes, and then later on in the week I found Elder Dehlin, and then just on Tuesday night I forgot Elder Simpson was coming but I heard someone yell my companions name, and then his companion yelled my name and it was dark so I couldn't see who it was and I got a Huge hug from Elder Simpson! It was way sweet to see him! I got pictures with them all to send to you, except Elder Simpson, I was hoping to see him yesterday or today, but I haven't seen him yet, so I'll send a picture back later sometime!

This morning we had the chance to go to the temple, which was Amazing! I Loved it, and I felt the spirit SOOOOOO much! I'll send a couple pictures of that as well!

A lesson I learned from another Elder was, if you are having a hard week, wait till Sunday and it will all be better, and that is true, you feel the spirit so much and there are no lessons!! :) BEST DAY! (besides P day of course)

Uh oh yeah! So I don't remember who told me it was the rainy season in Mexico, but they were right. I have never seen rain like this... Ever. It rains for up to an hour, to a couple hours every night (Except when the greenies come for some reason) but it rains REALLY hard every night! It is kinda cool! It always is a thunder storm as well!

Um, oh and the mosquitoes, yeah when we first got here, everyone's room was FILLED with mosquitoes, so we had a hay day killing them all, and yet we still find new bites in the morning and kill them all the time!

well, that pretty much sums up my week.

Say hello to everyone for me! :)

With much Love,

Elder Holt