This was recieved on 12/29/13

It was really cool to be able to talk to you guys this week!! I loved it! I couldn´t believe that we were so far away from each other, and still able to communicate. It was cool.
 I am melting in the heat and humidity. You walk outside for 2 minutes and you already have to wipe the sweat off your face. It´s kinda brutal down here. It was SO cold during the winter,and right now it is just so HOT. I don´t understand bipolar Rio Grande do Sul.

*some pictures of our skype. He looked awesome and tan!*

12/22/13

How's your companion? My companion Elder M is... hilarious, quiet, crazy, a spazz, serious, spiritual... I don´t know he is just so many different things. He´s cool, and we like each other. So that´s the most important thing.

How do you like living with 3 missionaries? Living with 3 missionaries is a party. We only speak portuguese in house but we are teaching Elder M english.

Are you guys clean? no

You said you were opening the area does that mean it's a new ward or did they not have missionaries before? Generally when you get transferred your new companion is already in your new area. He already has investigators, and has everything figured out. For us, we had nothing. We went to the Area book, and we make contacts (yay). But we have 20 new investigators in the last 2 weeks, so it seems to be working. Also, our area is kinda dangerous

My area had a LOT of problems with missionaries in the past... So, that´s why we´re both new. The other 2 who were here got transferred.

Are you liking your ward? I really like the ward. Now I appreciate having a piano. In Arroio we had nothing and yeah... it was rough

i´m doing well and excited for Natal here in Brazil. It´s stinking hot here though. Elder M and I are progressing in our area, my portuguese is improving, and everyone is just super pumped for natal. Things are going well, and I cannot believe that its almost 2014. 2014 will be 1 year straight of missionary service, I´m excited. I hope everyone is doing well, and has a great Christmas. Don´t worry about me, I´ll just be down here
drinking chimarrão and eating churrasco on Christmas. The mission is always telling us to Think about what we´ll give to Christ for Christmas this year. I think the same applies with anyone. What will you give to Christ this next year?

Elder Holloway

12/16/13

 

wow, so my new place is pretty much a party and my companion is awesome. we live with two other Americans on the 3rd floor of an apartment building. We´re on the north side, yo. We are right next to the Grêmio stadium and right next to the airport. Every 5 minutes a jet passes 100 feet over our heads. It is so cool. It will never get old. the city is way different. Making contacts here is way easier. There are a lot more people, noise, but my area literally has no hills (yay) and it is smaller. Elder M and I are opening our area. THis means we´re both new here and have no one to teach, yay! Ha, we are finding new people and enjoying ourselves in the blazing hot sun. I do like my companion, and I am trying to teach him english but its hard. I don´t know if he has much desire. But I´ll keep trying.We are in a ward! With a chapel! and a real baptismal font! We also have a piano. I miss arroio a lot though.

here, i´m definitely eating less rice and beans. THe members here are crazy with the food. It is hard to not gain weight. Yesterday for example, we ate lunch with members, with ice cream after, after we ate dinner with members with ice creams and m&m´s, after that we all recieved an early Christmas present of a box of chocolate, and after all that, another family had a ton of extra delicious food from their dinner that they delievered to our door. I´m eating too well haha.

We´ll be going to the centro today. Man, sometimes I can´t believe where I´m at. never imagined I´d be seeing all the things I am, and meeting all the people I´m meeting. I´m loving being a missionary and i´m thankful that I decided to go. I know that you gain a testimony of principles of the gospel when you live them. Missionary work is the same. I was nervous before, and didn´t know what to expect, but living it makes all the difference.

ate proximo segunda!

Elder Hollywood

Here is one from 12/9/13! I love my kid!

Well we just got the call. I´m getting transferred! To Humaità. Basically I´ll be in the middle of Porto Alegre. Wow, this is going to be awesome. My companion is Brazilian. So that means my portuguese will be getting really good really fast haha.

I´m sad though to be leaving arroio dos ratos and elder g. I love this place. It is my first ´home´outside of the states, so it will be hard to leave.

Wow, so I can´t believe that its almost Christmas. I´ve been out for almost 6 months. Geez, time is just flying out here on the mission. The mission really is teaching me a lot. I´d recommend it to anyone. There´s nothing better than a mission to be pushed to your limit, learn and teach about Christ, and feel the spirit everyday.

Oh yeah, I read this talk from Uchtdorf, You Can Do This Now, and I thought it was one of the best talks that I had ever read. Listen to it if you get a chance.

I thank you all for the love and support, especially the Young women of the Roxborough ward. THank you for the super awesome Christmas package!

Elder Holloway

This by far my favorite picture Bryant has sent me! He looks so good!

This was sent 11/25/13

 

Well this week might have been the best week of my mission. Aside from the 2 churrascos that we ate, we also went to the temple, had 3 baptisms and the branch here was given the authorization to start looking for land to build a chapel!! The work here in Arroio dos Ratos really is progressing. A lot of prayers are being answered especially the prayers of those who started the branch here. They´ve been waiting a long time to see this kind of progress.

Well Elder G and I are doing well. We are enjoying our last 2 weeks together. theres a 100% we´re getting split up this next transfer. It will be good for us, but I really have learned a lot from him, so I´m grateful for this experience together.

That one boy who I´ve mentioned a few times (the one with the extremely difficult family circumstances) well he was one of the 3 baptized this week! As well as two young women who we had been working with for so long.

I´m doing well and also just survived my first 5 months in the mission. Fastest 5 months of my life

Last week Bryant sent me a link to this video. I absolutely love it!