Another Awesome Week!

From: Nicholas Holmes <nicholas.holmes@myldsmail.net

Shouts out to Lee this week for being a boss in the charity thing! Sounds like he is tearing it up!! Way to go!

This week was filled with a bunch of awesome stuff. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to tell you everything that happened! I'll start off by telling something that I forgot to tell you a couple weeks ago was that I saw Renata in Embu! It was so cool! I was walking with Elder c. santos back from lunch and she was driving past! It was way cool to see her and hear that she is doing awesome! I saw Elder Cole this last week too and he said that a family that I found were all baptized which I got super pumped about! Just a bummer that I wasn't able to see the baptism! 

This week President visited our zone to have interviews with all the missionaries here. While he was doing interviews, the assistants gave an awesome training. My interview with President was good and short! He said that his son had called Sister Pinho and asked if they knew Elder Holmes and told her all about Scott's dancing skills! haha! Pres invited me to go to a meeting on Saturday with one of the seventies, with 5 other missions, and all the zone leaders! I'm not a zone leader but he snuck me in! haha! So Saturday was an awesome day! Elder Evans of the seventy visited São Paulo and had a meeting with the 5 missions that are here in the city of São Paulo. It was a super awesome meeting. He talked a ton about families and what we need to be doing now to prepare for after the mission. He talked a lot as well about our purpose as missionaries, and about what we should be focusing on when we are teaching. He said that we really need to teach the importance of the family because in today's world, the family really is being hit hard! I thought a lot about my family and how blessed our family is because of the gospel!  I'm so grateful for my family!  It was way good! I was lucky that I had the opportunity to be invited to participate! I was hoping that maybe one of my friends would be there though, like Elder Jensen, but I didn't see anyone I knew! Before the meeting, we went to a steak house that's next to the temple, so that should answer dad's question! yeah, there are quite a few in our area, I think, but I've never been to one. They're pretty expensive. 

After the meeting we started heading back to our area, and when we got back we had a baptism!  It was way awesome! Sandra was baptized and was super happy! Remember that Sandra we found when we were actually looking for Santa! She was way happy and it was such an awesome experience. On sunday as well she was confirmed and she was all smiles. Our investigator Alison went to church yesterday as well!  He's not married so we are working with them so that they can mark a date for marriage this week! Antonia had to work but she is stoked to go to church next week! This week she told us that a while back she had missionaries from a different church in her house and that she didn't feel anything. She didn't want to go to church or even meet with them more. But she said when we're in her house it's different. She said that she feels something different when she talks to us. It was a way cool experience that shows me that the Holy Ghost will do the teaching. We just have to be the messengers! Ricardo went to church as well yesterday! I was super stoked that he went and he enjoyed it a ton. I can see his life changing. We talked to him last night and he just said it was great and wants to go every week! Super awesome! 

Hope everything is going awesome back there in the states! Everything is going awesome here! Sorry I didn't answer too many questions but I will answer them next week! I was reading the Ensign this week and I can't remember who it was but he asked us if we as members are praying everyday and night to find someone to share the gospel with, because if we are, we will for sure find someone. Also President Hinckley, I think, one time made a challenge for everyone to set a date in the future that you will have someone to bring to church. If you have this date, you will have a time period set and God will know your desires! My challenge to each of you is to set a date in the future. A day by when you will have found someone to share this gospel with! This gospel is so true and will bless the families of this world that are having problems! I love you all. Have a great week!!

Elder Holmes