I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can... Week 1

August 26, 2015

This has been the hardest and longest week of my life! I am so exhausted and sad all the time but the Lord is helping me through! My P-days are on week days and are never the same. We study Spanish all day and all night! I am learning a ton but I am still no good! Elder Nelson was going to come on Monday but I guess the vice president of Guatemala got arrested and the president fled the country so he didn't come. All the guys here are awesome I feel like I have know them for a long time and we all get along pretty good. Send me letters! just look up the Guatemala MTC address and put my name on it. It would mean so much cause then I can read them all the time not for just one hour on P-day. It is crazy beautiful here and the weather is perfect. The days feel like weeks and the week felt like a day. The time will go by faster when I am actually changing peoples lives but I cant do that till I speak Spanish. I know that we will all be blessed by this work and I love and miss you all! What is going on at home? Keep me posted! I Miss you guys a lot but I came out here so other peoples families will have what ours does! I Know that we will be together forever! They give us a ton to eat and I hope I don't get fat haha!

AND THEN (in reply to another email I sent him):

It is hard always being with someone! The food is really good but my stomach is still not used to it! I can get letters and the padded yellow envelopes with stuff in them. The best thing is going to the temple! we get to go and do a session every P-day! My Spanish is the worst! I love you!

Rantings of the Missionary Mom

So, we sent our first missionary (and baby of the family) off to serve the Lord for two years! No big deal right?  I mean our oldest got married and moved SIX hours away with our first grandbaby (no worries, she's back now)  and we lived through that.  Our second joined the Army and went to Iraq for a year, we survived that too (with a lot of faith and prayers), THEN he got married and made his home in TEXAS! Don't worry he moved back TODAY! Even though number three has stayed close by, she ENJOYS flying through the air and now teaching her babies to "stunt" so that's heart stopping!  Baby girl hemorrhaged during child birth (don't worry the doctor & nurses didn't notice... I had to tell them)! Cut to number five... ya, he's a professional BULLRIDER!  Do I even need to say anything else about that (enter more faith and prayers)??? And then there's Bailey aka: Bailey Bud!  He IS the baby of the family, and according to his siblings quite spoiled, although me and grandma don't really think so.  He has always been quite independent, smart, and faithful (a tender mercy for sure).  Although true to his word, he called the love of his life Madi at the L.A. airport during his layover to the Guatemala MTC INSTEAD OF HIS MOM!  But hey, I can remember being young and in love, so really I am just proud of him for choosing to serve the Lord and for Madi who supported him in his decision (good choice Bailey Bud, good choice - referring to Madi btw). And I have to relearn BlogSpot, because let's be honest, I have NOT updated my blog since 2011... yup, I'm a slacker.  So, I love my Elder Bailey Bud Holmes, and I will bide my time over the next two years with service to the Lord, my family, my kids at school, and the community I love, and sharing Elder Holmes with you here, on his mission blog.

-Bailey's mom

I Have Arrived!

August 19,2015
Hey mom we are here at the MTC they are giving us a minute to email home. It is so beutiful here everything is so green. The food we ate today was pretty good. we had burritos for breakfast. They had us put our cameras in a tote and they took them away so i am not sure if you will get any MTC pictures. we passed the temple and it was amazing but right across the street was a run down gas station with armed guards (there are armed guards everywhere) my spelling is so bad becuase they only have Spanish spell check. Sorry! I got my name tag it is pretty cool. I havent really processed that i am gone. I really miss you all back at home. I love you all so much. Talk to you on P-Day!