................Sister Lauren Holmoe..... .......Tallahassee, Florida Mission....: Week 48

May 12, 2014! (and then there was 7............)

Good morning everyone! Highlight of the week HANDS DOWN was the Skype Sesh obviously!!! You have no idea how much fun that was!! I agree with you Mom, an hour was WAY too short! I got off the call and was like oh my gosh I didn't even ask Erik how the gas n go was going or how is dating life is or ask y’all if you'd seen any good movies or what songs had come out!! I was like, can I get another turn!?! haha! Oh well, I'll take what I can get! It was amazing just seeing everyone’s faces and laughing and talking like I had only left yesterday! Gave me the energy I'll need for the next 7 months!! It was GREAT seeing Miles and Briggs too!!! SO CUTE!! Anyways, I love y’all so much! SO much!!

Monday night was our last and final dance and yoga class which was a huge success!! We gave everyone Book of Mormon's and testified of how it has changed our lives! Youstina from Egypt especially loved it. The other girl Katie then wanted us to teach her more THAT NIGHT so we did :) It was such a great lesson. We sat on the bench swing on campus and it was the perfect summer night weather. We have taught her a little bit here and there and that night she opened up to us how she is scared for the answer she'll receive when she prays because she is pretty sure all we've taught is true. She is nervous but excited at the same time. I love this girl!!!! She is total hipster and so sweet, she definitely has the gift of discernment as well. Good things for her future!

We had other sweet experiences this week as we were out in the community more! God definitely placed us in the right places at the right time! We were biking around one afternoon and event after event led us to running into this lady who just happened to be a former investigator. She is 26 and has 3 children. She remembered tons of BOM stories and all the names like Nephi and Lehi and Alma! We were dying haha! She has agreed to let us come teach her and her kids again! They are the cutest family ever! We were tracting in one neighborhood and met AWESOME people. One Indonesian lady and her 6 year old daughter answered the door. This ladies husband had just died two days earlier. They were still in shock. As we were teaching about the message we share on the Plan of Salvation the 6 year old girl comes up to me and gives me a big hug and says, "Mommy, she loves me." It was a really special moment how instantly connected we felt with this mother and daughter. The mother agreed to let us come back in a few days and share this message on eternal families. I am really looking forward to it because there was such a strong spirit on that porch that evening. Another family we met "OYMing"(open your mouth) are TOTALLY future Mormons!!! They have 4 little kids, LOVE Mitt Romney, are church hopping looking for the best fit, already live the Word of Wisdom, and have such a light about them! You don't run into these families every day I'll tell ya that much!!!

We were able to serve our members a lot this week. I got my mad painter skills on and painted an entire room! We also helped an elderly lady move! Serving our members is a great way to build their trust in us as missionaries and strengthen them! Working with members in this work is KEY and I know that!

As I mentioned in Skype we had great adventures in the city of Brundidge! Everyone knew we had entered the town. This was a small town you'd see in a movie. Everyone knew everyone and if you weren't Baptist or Methodist then you were a no one. I wish y’all could have seen the glares we were getting!! That’s why my favorite thing to do is kill ‘em with kindness!!! :) :) We did meet some awesome less actives though and there is potential work to be done there!

Grady and Mary Richards got baptized on Saturday. They are the cute couple the elders have been teaching for a while now. It was a great baptism and such an honor to help Mary get in the font and change afterwards. She was so grateful for our assistance. Another highlight of the baptism was I played the piano hehe :) Since it is an automatic one I was just the one in charge of clicking the buttons....more like the DJ! But the man leading was like, "Sister Holmoe will be providing the music this afternoon!" Never heard that before! classic!!!

Well once again, AMAZING to skype with y’all!!! Next time I see or hear you, it will be the end of my mission! Let’s do this!! I love you all to the moon and back!! Thanks for your encouragement and support! Have a wonderful week!!! Happy Mother’s day again Mom and Happy birthday Danny on Friday!!! <3/ Sister Holmoe

ps We'll try to go meet those Troy folks y’all met this week! WHAT A CRAZY SMALL WORLD!?! I LOVE IT :)

Dance and yoga! Youstina and Katie