March.28.2016 photos

1. Sister Bischoff and myself at the Gilbert Temple

2. Three of my companions and myself at the Gilbert Temple!

3. I'm crazy and put a box on my head. Notice the box says Sister Bischoff, not Sister Holbrook. *Wink wink, nod nod*

March 28.2016

Hey all! Sister Bischoff and I have been sick ALL week. We are different types of sick too, so that's more annoying that just one type of sick. Not sure how/why, but it is. ANYWAY, when we weren't stuck inside this week we were able to get a little bit of work done. 

Monday night we went to the Gilbert Temple Welcome Center, which is basically the stake center near the temple, but we have it set up so that we can give tours and do all sorts of cool things. 

Thursday morning I went to a service project where we pulled weeds. It was so fun. It reminded me of working at the Alaska State Fair, so that was great!

Friday morning we got to go to the temple as a zone and we had Kneaders afterward. THEN Brandy, a lady that we've been working with went through the temple in the evening for the first time ever, so it was awesome to be able to go. Sister Ledua and Schmauch got to come because Sister ledua worked with her a lot. It's so fun having my last companion and my MTC companion be companions. LOVE IT. 

Saturday morning we went to a ward breakfast/Easter egg hunt. The bishopric played egg roulette and it was hilarious! Then later in the afternoon we went to the stake center to help set up the mingle activity before the General Womens Broadcast. It was so great! I took so many good notes. Mostly I learned that we need to serve and love those around us. What a wonderful message.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I am so grateful to know that Christ lives, and that because He was resurrected, we will also be resurrected. #hallelujah 

Love, Sister Holbrook

March.21.2016 photos

1. Sister Bischoff and myself at Discovery Park

2. Photo with a Centurion

3. Easter Pageant companion selfie

March 21.2016

Every week as a missionary is amazing. 

Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to the Mesa Easter Pageant with some investigators. IT WAS AMAZING! We took a photo with a centurion. So that was fun. We wanted to get a photo with the actor that plays Jesus, but we couldn't find him. 

Friday we got to go AGAIN. It was even more amazing the second time! If you don't know what it is, please look it up. SO amazing. Here's a video. 

Easter Pageant

Sunday we got to attend stake conference which was amazing. The stake presidency here has so much love for the people in this area. A couple of them got emotional when talking about being able to serve in this area. I definitely felt the spirit and it made me emotional as well because I LOVE this area and these people and this is my one chance to serve them. I want to make it the best I can. 

Sunday evening we had our Missionary Choir Concert. It was amazing. The building was packed and the spirit was so strong. I got to see several people from my last area, which was so fun! It was just a wonderful evening. 

Interesting food update, I've been sick for the pas week so I am no longer allowed to have gluten or dairy, as per my mission nurse. So basically all the fun stuff is out of my diet. All well, I'm hoping that it improves my health. We shall see :)

I love being a missionary. I hope that you can feel that through my emails and photos. This is the hardest, but greatest thing that I have ever done. I think about where my life would be without my decision to serve a mission and it kind of makes me sad. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has EVERYTHING to offer and how can I not sacrifice 18 months of my life to offer it to others? I know that Christ lives and that he was resurrected so that we can also be resurrected. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the Savior. 

Love, Sister Holbrook

1001 N. Burk St. 

Gilbert, AZ 85234

March 14.2016

1. Cheesy photo of us filling the font

2. Abel and myself

3. Sister Macie and myself on exchanges

March 7 photos

1. Happy Easter!

2. Sister Bischoff ate it on her bike, hard!

3. Selfie with my new companion!

March 7.2016 photos

1. Saying goodbye to Sister Ledua

2. Paint on my face from a service project

3. Me wearing the cool helmet that weighed a million pounds

March.7.2016

So I am extremely happy and I just can't contain it! This week has been just so amazing! 

We had our last lesson with Alonso and Abel on Monday before they moved to Texas on Tuesday. I was really sad to see them go because we have become such amazing friends, and we've only known each other a very short time. HOWEVER, we have been in contact with the missionaries in San Antonio and they are doing an amazing job teaching them and getting Abel ready for his baptism this Sunday! Him and Alonso are flying back on Saturday, Abels getting baptized on Sunday and then they fly back to work on Monday. So amazing! They also both got up in their Texas YSA ward and bore their testimonies. It's so amazing to see how the gospel can change people!

On Wednesday I got a new companion! Her name is Sister Bischoff and she's from Blackfoot Idaho! (Potato Museum anyone?) We get along SO well! It's been sad to not have Sister Ledua, but it's been fun to have a fresh start and the opportunity to learn from a new companion. We just laugh ALL THE TIME, so that's awesome! 

Sister Ledua and Sister Bischoff actually switched places! Sister Ledua is now in a trio with Sister Taylor, (missionary choir conductor) and Sister Schmauch, (my MTC companion.) I am super jealous, but also so happy in my companionship. We get along and have SO much in common, it's crazy :) 

Friday at Weekly Planning our zone leaders brought a helmet and sword just to be silly and give zone callings. I tried on the helmet and it was so heavy and loud. I have no idea how people used to wear armor. I feel like it would decrease your effectiveness. All well, I never have to do that, so no worries here :)

Saturday was an insane day. We have decided that when we run into members, (which is all the time because, hello, Arizona,) We're going to share a scripture with them and have a lesson. Saturday we had 5 lessons on the street, 6 member lessons on the street and 2 recent convert lessons. We also talked to 45 people, so it was an amazing day! I've decided that as a missionary, there is just no time for anything other than missionary work. I know that that's how the program/schedule is designed, but we barely have time for sleep, yet we love it!

I am so grateful to have Sister Bischoff as my companion at this time and for the opportunity I have to share the gospel. I know that Christ lives and that he loves all of us. If you don't feel his love, I invite you to pray to recognize it. He DOES love you. 

Anyway, have a wonderful week and I'll have more fun stuff to share next week!

Love, Sister Holbrook

Feb.29.2016 photos

2. Being helpful by making birthday cupcakes

2. The glasses search party!

3. Holbrook, Schmauch, Young Ledua. Sorry it's upside down!

1. Me staring longingly at oreo cupcakes 

1. Recording at the Allens mansion

3. Elder Dayley is officially the zone selfie master!

Feb.29.2016

Hey everyone! What a wonderful week it has been!

Tuesday was insane. We recorded music for a mission CD. We started at 12 noon and didn't finish until about 830pm. There were struggles and we had to move buildings and ended up at the Allens home. They're a senior couple in our mission and their home is basically a mansion. While at the Allens, I decided to do a flip on their ground level trampoline, during which, my glasses flew off my face and we had to have a search party to help me find them, because of course, I was super blind. It was an amazing day all in all because I got to spend time with amazing people like Sister Schmauch and we got to sing a lot!

We met with Abel many times this week. Him and Alonso are moving to Texas TOMORROW. So sad, but Abel is getting baptized here so that his parents can attend, so that's awesome! We're sending him off, but we get him back, even if it's just a short amount of time!

So the news is in and Sister Ledua is being transferred. She's been in this area for over 8 months so everyone loves her, which is going to be hard, but I'm excited to have a new companion to learn and grow from!

Okay, We're super busy today so that's all I've got. I hope you have a wonderful week, and any time you're worried or stressed about things of this world, just read 3 Nephi 13:32-33.

Love Sister Holbrook

Photos!

1. Brads Baptism!

2. Beanie Boo tea party

3. Zone photo, compliments of some random guy that was running up and down the mountain. People are crazy.

3. Kinsie Peterson and myself #transformationmonday

1. Zone Selfie, compliments of Elder Dayley

2. Sister Taylor. We are mission besties. We have the SAME taste in music. 

Feb.22.2016

Hey everyone! What a week it has been.

Tuesday we met with Alonsos brother and started teaching him. We invited him to be baptized and he said yes! Him and Alonso are moving to San Antonio at the end of the month, so he might get baptized in Texas, but it's all good, at least we get to start teaching him!

We had Family Home Afternoon on Thursday. Basically it's a lunch party for our zone and we get to play basketball and eat and all sorts of fun stuff. I love the zone, and I get along so well with most of the missionaries, so it was extremely fun. I was fasting on that particular day, so I didn't enjoy the food aspect as much, haha, but the fun and games were in full force! Also, I've decided that I need to have a ground level trampoline in my future home.

Friday we went to a members house to practice for me to sing in church on Sunday. While we were there, we got invited to a tea party with beanie boos! They are little stuffed animals with giant plastic eyes. I had no idea what they were until a couple months ago. Someone gave me one, and I re-gifted it to this little girl. As a result, she loves me :)

Saturday we went to Brads baptism! We started teaching him when I first got to this area, about a month ago, and we had to pass him off to the elders in the area where he actually lives. The baptism was in the tiny corner of Mesa that's actually in our mission. It was an amazing baptism and you could feel the Saviors love completely envelop him as he entered the waters of baptism. I love being a missionary.

On Saturday I also got to go out to lunch with Kinsie! She's an amazing friend and took me to Chipotle, so basically I was in heaven. I am so grateful that the Lord has put such amazing people in my life to bless me on a continual basis. We also took a polaroid selfie and I'll compare that to a photo from about 2.5 years ago. It's amazing how much change can happen in that time.

Sunday we got to attend a lot of church,as per usual, and in the Cortina 3rd ward I performed a special musical number. "I sang If The Savior Stood Beside Me/Teach Me To Walk." It's a beautiful medley, and it was so fun to sing! I got a ton of compliments, but I give full credit to the spirit. When we sing praises to our Lord, there's no way the spirit can't be felt in the hearts of those listening.

This morning we hiked the San Tan Mountains as a zone, and it was amazing! I love hiking, especially when it's not a million degrees outside, so this time of year is perfect. I'll probably send out another email with photos from that.

I think that's it for now, I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Holbrook

More Photos!

We got some awesome stuff from an awesome member, then we tried it out.

Have a great week!

Photos!

1. Some sort of awesome gecko

2. Sister Ledua is 9!

3. All I do is bike bike bike no matter what!

Hey friends!

You know what's awesome? Being a missionary!

This week was so cool! Here are some highlights.

We did tons of service including, but not limited to cleaning, packing, raking and sorting. I met Sister Allison, the older sibling of AP Elder Allison that ALSO served in this mission. How crazy is that? We taught several lessons to less active members or recent converts, passed off one of our investigators and got a new investigator!

The reason we passed off an investigator is that he doesn't live in the area that we cover, but we have been teaching him because his friend is our stake president. We've been having lessons at the stake presidents home and it's been wonderful, but we invited the elders in his area last night and officially passed him off. He's getting baptized on Feb. 20th, and even though it's out of our area, we are definitely still going!

The ward mission leader from one of our wards spoke in church on Sunday. He invited one of his friends to listen to him speak, then we went over to his house afterward and the ward mission leader invited his friends to take the lessons while we were sitting there with him. He accepted and is so ready to learn. He even said the closing prayer for our lesson and it was the most sincere and heartfelt prayer I've heard in a while. It made me reevaluate how my prayers become kind of repetitive. I want to have a relationship with God, not just tell him the laundry list of stuff I need or am grateful for.

Sister Ledua turned 9 months old this week! We took a photo with my 6, haha, we cheated a bit, but it was fun!

Also, I got a ton of mail this week! So good job everyone, haha :)

I love you all and i hope you all witness miracles this week!

Love, Sister Holbrook

So many photos

1. Sister Caldwell and myself at our last District Meeting together

1. Me with some of the most adorable children in the entire world

2. Sister Reed Pulling me on the long board

 3. Me pulling Sister Reed on the long board

3. Sister Ledua and myself

2. Sister Reeds Christmas present from her Grandfathers wife #killinit

  1. Sister Ledua and myself walking home from a meeting

2. Long boarding to church #legitness

 3. Saying goodbye to Sister Reed :(

NEW AREA

So I've been transferred, but it's been AMAZING! As soon as I heard, I said goodbye to most of my people. I love my first area and it was hard to leave, but I'm excited for a new challenge!

On Wednesday we went to the transfer building and our photos were paired up with our new companion on the door of the church building. It was a lot less exciting than the transfer meetings that I'm used to, but it was still pretty cool. My new companion is SISTER LEDUA! You might recognize her because when my first companion went home, I was in a trio with her and Sister Reed for a couple days. She is from Fiji and Tonga. She has been out 9 months and likes spam... Gross, haha, but I love her anyway! Turns out Sister Reed (one of my besties,) didn't go home until today, so I got to spend the last 5 days of her mission with her. We were definitely the power trio! This is also a biking area, and none of us are small, so we kind of looked like a gang when we would bike up to peoples houses.

This area is AMAZING! The members here have a solid understanding of what missionary work is and what their role is. The first night here we had a lesson in a members home and he invited 3 of his employees to learn about our church. He set it up, he invited us over and he extended invitations. It was amazing. We also had a lesson at the Stake Presidents home, (he's my doctor, so that's cool :)) and his friend is on date for baptism, AND he got up and bore his testimony in church yesterday about how he felt the spirit for the first time. This guy isn't even a member of the church, but he bought a white shirt and tie and new shoes, went to church and then spoke to the congregation. I am just blown away.

Needless to say, I am loving my new area. I'm still in the city of Queen Creek, so that's exciting, just a little farther north, and the closer to Gilbert you get, the smaller the area because the members are so condensed. Oh, oh, oh! We live with members. They are the Tate's and they are so awesome. i'm excited to get to know them better as well! They have a basement apartment and it's so nice. I've seriously lived in the best missionary housing since I've been out. My new address is:

19111 E. Canary Way

Queen Creek, AZ 85142

You can send me stuff at that address, or the mission office address, I just won't get it for a while if it's to the mission office because my zone leaders don't go there that often. It's to far apparently. #lazy and stuff.

EXCITING STORY OF THE WEEK: Sister Reed sold her bike, and this is biking area, so on Saturday night she borrowed a skateboard from a member to get to the next lesson in a timely manner. She has horrid balance, so I took over and didn't get very far before giving up and walking to the lesson. After that lesson, we borrowed a long board from a member because I can kill it on a long board. We tied a belt to the basket on my bike and Sister Reed pulled me on my bike while I long boarded beside her. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I ended up on the cement. I only got a little bit of road rash, but we had another appointment, so I hopped back on and we kept going! THEN, Sister Reed, the one with the terrible balance, decided that she wanted to try, but that she wanted to do it sitting down on the long board. Let me tell you, pulling someone on a bike is not easy at first, especially if they are bad at steering or stopping or anything balance related. We made it home safe and sound! THEN, we had to ride like that to church yesterday, so a ton of people saw me being pulled by Sister Reed while long boarding. I think I'm making the most awesome impression in the members minds. Seriously, I shall hereby be known as the awesome long boarding sister. Anyway, that's that story. You're welcome. Pictures attached for complete understanding.

One more quick story before I go. Last night was Sister Reeds last night on her mission, and I know you're supposed to go to bed at 10:30 as a missionary, but it was her LAST night, and I'm going to miss her a lot, so we maybe stayed up late. We did a bunch of productive stuff though. We cleaned the basement, packed up all of her stuff, planned pranks to pull on the elders, made planner covers and just talked. It was so great. It made me realize that I want to take full advantage of every moment and opportunity that I have as a missionary. I only have a year left, will I be proud of that year when it's my turn to go home?

I am so grateful to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that Christ lives, and that as we allow him to change us, we will be happier, better people and that we will be able to face the challenges that we come across, because He is the way.

Best of luck this next week everyone! I hope you all experience miracles in your lives. You are all wonderful and I hope to hear from you next week!

Love Sister Holbrook

Photos

2. Cleaning the Garcias home. I love those people!

1. Kaitlyn Howard, (Tiffanys daughter). She was being such a ham!

3. We found an Ewok dog. I love him.

I'm getting transferred!

So, I've been in my first area for almost 6 months and I'm getting transferred. It's bittersweet, but I'm excited for some new growth and learning experiences!

I GOT TO BE TRAINED BY ELDER HOLLAND. It was amazing. We all got to shake his hand, which he referred to as our personal interviews, and then I got to sing for him! I say that we sang for him, but really it was for the group of missionaries as well as him, but whatever, I'm going to say that I got to sing for Elder Holland. We sang I Stand All Amazed in a beautifully arranged quartet and it was so powerful. The spirit was so strong, and I guess we made Elder Holland cry. Man, I missed singing. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget. THEN we got to be trained by him. He is such a funny and down to earth man. He also knows how to put the fear of God into people, so needless to say, I'm going to be making some changes in my life in the near future. It was just so amazing to have the opportunity to sit at the feet of an apostle of the Lord.

So about transfers, for those of you that write me or send me stuff, I'll be getting a new address! If you send stuff to the South Butte address, I won't get it. Instead, send it to:

1001 N Burk St.

Gilbert, AZ 85234

That way I will actually receive the mail you send!

That's all for now, I hope you have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you later!

Love, Sister Holbrook

2 flat tires

1. Sister Caldwell and I out biking our days away

2. A screen shot from a video I made where I was laughing at myself for popping 2 tires. I look crazy, haha, so I look fairly normal.

3. A recent selfie. You're welcome. 

2 flat tires

This week was AWESOME!

We recently received news that we will no longer be having transfer meetings, which is sad because our mission is so tiny that it's easy for us to all get together every 6 weeks. All well, obedience brings blessings.

On Wednesday I popped the back tire on my bike. I didn't just pop it either, I sliced it through and through with a broken glass bottle. I felt like an idiot, but it was perfect timing because Thursdaywe had zone conference where we can bring our bikes and have them repaired. The "patch lasted only a short while and late Saturday afternoon the same tire popped. I was told they would replace it, but it was only patched. Our fleet coordinator picked up my bike that evening and gave me a spare for the time being. Hopefully my bike will get fixed this week because the spare is so tiny and Sister Caldwell and I made a goal to bike every day, and so far we're killin it!

Some other exciting news, we tracted a TON this week. We've been stinking at talking to people recently, so we bike all the time and talk to EVERYONE! It's so great.

Saturday morning we had zone sports, but instead of playing regular sports, we had a NERF WAR! My zone is awesome. We set up all sorts of tables and shields in the gym and went crazy. It was a blast.

Some more exciting news. At our zone conference we were told that Elder Holland will be coming to our mission THIS Friday to do some training for the missionaries. I AM SO EXCITED! Plus, I've been asked to perform in a special musical number for when he is here. I am so nervous, but I also can't believe that it's really happening! An apostle of the Lord is coming and I get to sing for him. Unreal.

Anyway, there were a billion more amazing things that happened, but such is missionary life :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week full of miracles!

Love Sister Holbrook

MIRACLE WEEK!

Riding bikes at night selfie

I'm 5 months old! 

door knocking selfie