IOWA

Hello! I made it to Iowa! It's been a crazy few days, and it has been very different.

In the MTC there is this thing called TRC. Where you practice discussions and lessons with "fake" investigators. But everyone acts real. My companion, the spirit, and I... well.. to say the least we dominated the lessons. Got two people to cry, (It was weird), and got a baptismal commitment out of one. "I boast not of my own strength, but of the Lord's."

We sat around on tuesday because we didn't have any lessons or anything. Then Tuesday night came and the sisters in our district asked us to give them blessings. Sister Browne asked me to give her one. I was freaking out. I said a quick prayer and put my hands on her head, (with the rest of the district in the circle). I dont remember anything I said, but I tried my hardest to just listen to the spirit and say what it told me to. It's crazy how in tune to the spirit the MTC has made me. I finished, and she was bawling.. haha. I was a little nervous still though that I hadn't listened to the spirit. Then Elder Payne (my companion) asked me to give him one. I don't remember anything I said in that prayer either. Because I don't remember what I said, I'm thinking the whole thing was the spirit. So not only did God answer my prayer by helping me with the blessing, but hers too. It feels amazing to be a tool in the Lord's hand.

We woke up way early, went out to the bus, and got on a plane to Denver. Elder Mckell and I took advantage of being together and became travel companions from the get-go. We sat next to each other on the bus and first flight and got caught up. Once in Des Moines, we met our mission president, he's super funny. The first off the plane felt like walking into a steam room. Holy Crap. It's incredibly hot here. We went to the mission home, sat around, ate, and got sleeping assignments for the night. The next day, we drove out to Iowa City for a transfer meeting. I was assigned to the Ames 1st Ward, with Elder Claridge as my trainer.  So then we started the drive ALL the way back to Ames. First, the trailor door fell open on the freeway. I was laughing very hard. Then, the tire on the trailor popped, and we had to change it. We ate at Arby's so that was good.

We got to Ames, helped the sisters move in, (oh Sister Browne was assigned to the same ward that I'm in), and went to our place. My new address is 3500 N Grand #3 Ames, Iowa. Our neightbor is a smoker, and the smoke seeps through the wall. We opened the door to our apartment, and it smells like crap. Some weird mixture of cigarette smoke, decaying plants and wet stuff. It's awful, and apparently it's smelt like that as long as my companion has been here. (hopefully he's not the problem). But we move next month so then it will be awesome.

WE ALREADY HAVE A BAPTISM. I'm just kidding, I freaking wish. The first day here, we volunteered all day at this GIANT event called Iowa Games. It's like the Olympics for the state of Iowa, for every sport there is, and some fake ones. The first day we showed up way early in our shirt and tie, and grabbed some lawn chairs and jumped in the back of a moving truck. We chilled (more like cooked. It's so freaking hot.) in the back with the door open having people give us the weirdest looks ever. We were with this CRAZY old guy with tatoos all over his body and I'm pretty sure he was on some type of drug, and this other guy who drove the truck. We moved crap ALL DAY LONG. Countless boxes of jersey's, TONS OF BEVERAGES, podiums, fruit, literally everything every sport needed. It was freaking heavy, freaking hot, and took freaking long. Ha we drove all around dropping everything off. The old guy kept it pretty entertaining with his swearing and crazy old cackle, but to say the least, it was hot. Everyone kept saying, "IT IS SO HOT. IT'S USUALLY NOT THIS HOT". And i just thought, well great, I'm glad I'm cooking out here. Finally the day ended, and some members took us out to dinner at this world renown BBQ and icecream parlor. It was very timely and appreciated. The next day, we woke up even earlier and volunteered again, keeping score and doing the stats to the basketball tournament for Iowa Games. It might have been the longest day of my life. It was entertaining though. I had my favorite team, and player, (number 3, he was a baller) and they went all the way to championship! Oh, we got the 6th graders too, forgot to mention that tidbit. haha. It was everything youth sports are cracked up to be! Sub-par quality of play, swearing jumping coaches, and CRAZY mothers who get kicked out of the game! It was really really funny. but 12 hours of scoreboard sucks.

We've had two lessons with members, with 0 investigators. So we have a lot of work to do this week. We have to share the car with the sisters so this week we don't have a car either. I can't wait to actually start preaching the gospel. That's what I love, and that's what I'm looking forward to. I want to change someone's life by teaching them the Restored gospel! freak.

I know that I have been called to this work, and cannot wait to GET TO WORK. This is a work to change lives, to give people the opportunity to be happy forever with their family. I'm grateful and humbled that He trusts me enough to retrieve his lost sheep. I know God loves his children, and that I get to show them their potential, and remind them how much he loves them. We missionaries are an army, with Christ as our captain and leading the way.

-Elder Hollan