May 30th, 2011

Family,

Well, This week has been absolutely insane. It was pretty boring and usual until the weekend--as usual. We had mission conference in Ottawa, with Elder Malm, from the 2nd quorum of the seventy, on friday. We had to wake up at 3:30 to get there on time and then we were spiritually uplifted, and then spiritually spanked by him after he discussed our numbers vs. our potential for this mission. He shared a great scripture, which has quickly become one of my favorites, D and C 124:99. Vision is key in the work of God. I was lucky enough to give a talk during mission conference on the Book of Mormon. Wooo... That was fun, good public speaking practice.

Elder McRoberts and I were spiritually inspired after conference and have returned to the work with renewed determination. On Saturday, we had a very strange experience. A pass off potential investigator invited us to a little BBQ with some of the family, not many people. What we learned when we showed up is that this family is Haitian, and not many people= about 50. We walked into this house, with Caribbean Jazz BLASTING so loud that we couldn`t hear anyone saying anything, until we walked out into the backyard. Panicking, I looked around to confirm my fears. Yup. We were the only white people around. Just Elder Aubin, (on splits with us) McRoberts and I. We sat next to this really physically fit Haitian who was drinking and pretending to play a little recorder. Then jokingly Elder Aubin played a song he learned in elementary school on it...then Elder McRoberts played The theme of Pirates of the Caribbean, title Jack Sparrow, on this cheap little recorder. WHITE. It was a strange sensation, as all these black people just kept walking past us and talking to us... In a last ditch effort to avoid all awkwardness, we manned the grill and started taking orders. The mormons catered this party. And the funny part is, this family was throwing this party for their son, because he just finished his first Communion.

Comparison. Three Black Jehovah`s Witness who speak little english attend a baptism celebration/baptism luncheon in Star Valley, Wyoming with the Bateman family. About the same scenario here.

We were there for 3 hours, and after the first little bit, we discovered that only one missionary could man the grill at a time. So I took some advice from Mission Conference, and I "let my guard down." Hardest thing I`ve ever done in my life. But I managed to just let my guard down and talk it up with a bunch of Haitians. Hayden would have just had a ball. There was a man there that looked just like Bill Cosby.
It was a blast.

I`m very grateful to have come to this mission, because in this mission I get a little test of every mission. A little glimpse of Haiti, a little glimpse of South America, and more than a couple glimpses of Europe, just for example. People around the world live here, and it is my wonderful opportunity to meet with all of them. Canada Montreal Mission is the mission of all missions.

On Sunday we had 5 investigators show up to church, all of them brought by members of the ward. Our member encouragement is finally paying off, we`ve been working very, very hard with these members and now they are just bringing people! The work is truly rolling forth. We had an investigator who is very excited to join the church, I caught her in the library after church trying to buy just about everything the church had to offer, and while teaching her afterwards about baptism, she said "Well I would love to just get baptized tomorrow!" Haahahaha...WHAT. This women has obviously been more than prepared. And we are so grateful to be able to help her. We are doing big, BIG things in Mascouche, and we hope that with transfers coming up this Saturday, that president will leave us together long enough to do it all.

Well that`s all family, I`ll keep you posted about our investigators as they progress.
here are some pictures.

Peace be the Journey,

Elder Holm

May 25th, 2011

FAMILY.

This week was interesting. We had a pretty boring week until saturday. We had a plan to fast all saturday until our appointment with the HERNANDEZ family, because they told us we really need to in order to eat all the food they would have for us. So we started saturday morning with some service, helping a member build his porch. This small white man, who is married to a large angry pregnant Haitian woman who has 7 children from a previous marriage. Its just a sad sight. Anyways, She forced us to eat an entire pizza between us two... 3 hours before our HERNANDEZ appointment. We were screwed. But the only thing worse than an angry spanish family is an angry pregnant haitian.

At the HERNANDEZ home, they rolled out the red carpet for us. Delicious food. But, so much. We were sooo slow, and the last ones eating. As we were trying with all our might to eat this food whilst scary brother HERNANDEZ chuckled in his low, mexican mufasa voice, the home teachers came. They told us to stay in our seats while everyone else went to listen to the message, and finish our meals. During the prayer, Elder McRoberts swiped his chicken off his plate and stuffed the tomatoes in his napkin, praying that no one noticed that he had magically cleared his plate in 25 seconds. I was facing away from the family, so I had no idea when they were watching me or not. I just sat there, waiting for my stomach to digest food. Very awkward. After the hometeachers finished, one of them shook my hand and said "if you dont finish, they will be very, very offended." With this prompting I took another bite, then quietly excused myself, and went to the bathroom to vomit. And thus it was. I left the bathroom with full intention of finishing my plate, but sister HERNANDEZ had already cleared it. They were really, really offended. They told us that that was the last meal we would receive from them. And then they asked us when they were going to send spanish missionaries up to Mascouche. Ouch. Discrimination based on stomach size. It was pretty funny, looking back on it, mouthing "HELP ME" to elder McRoberts while he whispered "I am going to throw up, I am going to throw up".

The mission is a crazy place, I have found a love for french canadians and I am so glad I didn't go south. Good luck Hayden! Eat food, practice.

Peace be the journey,

Elder Holm

May 16th 2011

Family.

Well this week is another one down. We found a new investigator while visiting a less active lady. She opened the door, said she didn`t have time, and then told us to teach her son. So we started. He was all bandaged up--the week before he had fallen from the balcony on the second story of their apartment building when the balcony railing broke--and landed on his face. Almost died, had a life changing experience. Which is good! Elder McRoberts and I were like "Sha-Wing!!"

The other members of our district had a double baptism, and decided to do it at our chapel. While filling up the font, a member of the ward thought he would help...and suddenly there we were, an hour away from the baptisms and the font was full of ice cold water. We had giant pots of water boiling in the kitchen, special moments of just staring at the water heater in the janitor`s closet, and plenty of stress to go around. Baptisms never go perfectly. Ever. But hey, that`s okay.

I feel like I`ve lost a lot of my french with this here illness, which is too bad. I just can`t concentrate anymore. But I`m on the path to recovery now, I should be fine soon, and all french will come back. I`ve attached some photos, so enjoy!

Well we have been working really hard. More success to follow!

peace be the journey,

Elder Holm

May 2nd, 2011

Te Pedimos Que Bendigas La Familia De La Cruz,

 

We`re learning a little Spanish in order to really talk to and earn the trust and respect of all the spanish families in our ward, there are like 6 or 7 big ones. And we want referrals really bad.

 

We have been too slammed with unfortunate circumstances to appreciate each others presence, Elder McRoberts and I. But will be really fun soon. This past Sunday was my first Sunday in the Mascouche ward. It`s a big one. And funnily enough, only one lady has piano skills, but is too afraid to play in front of people. So the whole ward of some 100-225 people sing without piano. It`s ridiculous. We will have to change that. I hacked my way through a introductory testimony, and in my testimony told the ward I`m here just to help them with the work, not to do the work all lonely like. So I`ve set the scene, they know where we stand. In Elder`s quorum we got to teach about preach my gospel and walk them through a role-play. We plan on meeting with member families on a daily basis, to really get things going. Big things for Mascouche, big things. 

 

The members here tell me I`ve got a bad North Accent, and it`s kind of hard to understand them here. They are the ones with the terrible accent.  I went to the doctor today and still nothing is resolved, except the doubt that Montreal is a terrible place to drive and very easy to get lost in has been infinitely dispelled. Carter is Number 1 for the month for sending all those amazing pictures that he did, hopefully the rest of the family can follow his good example. 

 

That`s good that Hayden is leaving earlier, that would not have been fun to wait until December. Hope the rest of the family is doing well. I`ll write more when there is more to write... 

 

Peace be the journey, 

 

Elder Holm