Wow, what a week. This has been a week of stress, tests of faith, and answered blessings. The zone leaders called us on Saturday to give us our transfers and when my companion handed me the phone he had a VERY sick look in his eye. The first thing that the Zone Leader said to me was, "Elder Holmes, we're scared for you but we're equally proud of you. But mostly scared. You're going to Jorge Newbery." My heart sank. Jorge Newbery is the most dangerous area in the mission. And I was the first white missionary to go there for 2 years. They took "Yankee" missionaries out of that area because of how dangerous it was and because of how the "chorros" or gangsters acted towards them. And on top of that, I was going to be training a new Elder when I, myself, had just BARELY finished my training. After that very panicked and confused phone call, I recieved A TON of other calls saying, "Elder Holmes.. I'm sorry but, man you're going to die." Obviosly not helping me. At first I was absolutely shocked and scared, but then I thought to myself, "Well.. If this is where the Lord wants me, I'll go." And I ignored what my comp and the other Elders were saying and continued on. Upon arrival to the new area and getting my trainee, I realized just how hard this transfer was going to be. Gangsters lined the streets, the house we were living in was absolutely disgusting, and I literally feared for my life at every second. No doubt, the worst living conditions I had ever been in. I prayed harder than I ever have for help. I was supposed to train someone in an area like that? I needed help. So I asked the Lord to be my support and to help me press on through that trial. Well, the second day I had in that area, the assistants to the President called and said, "You're having an emergency transfer. You and your comp are going to Batàn today!" You have no idea the amount of relief that I experienced. hahah. Batàn is the most beautiful, safest, and nicest place to be in this mission. And it's just right outside of Mar Del Plata and 25 minutes away from the beach. I believe that the Lord was testing my faith. I think He put me in that situation to see how I would react and to see if I would keep going. And now that I'm here in Batàn, I absolutely feel 1 million times better. This area is beautiful and SO safe. I almost feel like I'm in Plain City again (;
My prayer is that we might me faithful to the Lord's commandments. Hard or easy, they are put in place for a good reason. We might not know the reason now, but If it's a commandment from a loving Heavenly Father, we can know that it's for the better. My prayer was answered in the form of an emergency transfer. Just confirming what it says in Ether 12:6 that it's only AFTER the trial of our faith that we recieve the testimony we're looking for. And now I'm training a new Elder (Which is super rare for how young I am in the mission), living in one of the most beautiful areas in the mission, and learning SO much about myself. But most importantly I'm coming closer to Christ. I invite all of you to join me and bring yourselves closer to Him. We recieve so many blessing by striving to do so.
Thank you SO much for all of your support and prayers. Please continue keeping me in your prayers. I'm still worried about the training and would love all the help I could get. Wow, I'm already in my 5th month in the mission. That's crazy to me. I still have a long ways to go, but I'm ready for it and very very excited. I love you all and hope that you are all happy, healthy, and staying faithful. Until next week!
¡Espero que Dios les bendiga!
Elder Holmes
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| This is a throwback to the Christmas conference since he didn't send any pictures this week! |
