Queridos amigos y familia,
I'm sorry to say that I will no longer be able to post my updates to my blog. My mom will continue to send my emails on, but I will not be able to post onto my blog. If you are not receiving the emails from my mom, feel free to send her an email (susanmenka@yahoo.com) and let her know you want to receive them and she'll be happy to add you to the list. You can also email her and ask her what my direct address is at any given time. I have been moved from the Clay Hill Drive address, so don't send anymore mail that way.
I'd love to hear from any and all of you! Feel free to email me, or write me handwritten letters! Or type a letter and send it through regular mail! I hope you all are doing GREAT!
Love,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
P.S. I will be back, posting on my blog in full force in about a year from now (when I get home from the mish), May 2010! Stay tuned! :)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Just Another Week
Dearest friends and family,
I hope you're all doing well. We've been extremely busy, but before I get to anything else, I need to tell you about the baptisms we had a couple of weekends ago!
First off, thanks for keeping Morgan in your prayers. She was not able to get baptized, but her mom did let her come to the baptism, and said that she can go to the Young Womens activities, etc. just not to the actual services. We are still trying to meet her mom in person but we have been having a difficult time. Continue to keep her in your prayers. The baptism was amazing and we took pictures which I need to upload as well. It was the best thing ever to see those girls come up out of the water, and see the smiles on their faces, and know that they are going to be truly happy through the gospel.
Now a little bit about how things are going in our area. I LOVE this area. The ward members are great and love coming out with us. The bishop is SO anxiously engaged in the work. He is doing all he can, including fasting and praying, to help the work along. He loves getting to know our investigators, and coming out with us as well when he can. There are also so many people prepared to receive the gospel. In a couple weeks we'll have another baptism of a man named Dolores who is SO strong in the gospel. He is at church every Sunday. He will be great. We've also found a less active family in which the dad and two of the kids aren't members. We just passed by one day and spoke to the teenage son, and the next sunday the entire family was at church for the entire 3 hour block. They came again last sunday and brought their less active grandma with them as well. We have been meeting with them, and have dates for the two younger children to be baptized (the older one is already a member), and are working on the father. I guess he's had several dates set in the past, but always backs out at the last minute. We'll see.
Our baby hermana is named Hna. Dewey, and she is doing great. She speaks great spanish because she lived in Chile for 2 and a half years with her family, so she definitely doesn't have any problems there. She is the most optimistic, happiest person, and an absolute pleasure to train. She seems to be adjusting well even though we've been working very very hard. She will make an excellent missionary.
Just a fun little side note-one of the members in our ward brought us some really pretty jewelry that they had brought up from Mexico. It's a set of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. I LOVE it (even though I can only wear the bracelet because the rest is too flashy) because it is so authentic, and I have something to represent the people I have been serving.
Oh, and I would love it, if I could get some mail from y'all during the week. It's great to get emails from you on p-day, but p-day is usually an easy day for me, and it would be great to receive a little letter from y'all during the week to lift me up on those hard days.
Anyway, all is well, and I hope to hear from you all soon.
Sincerely,
Hna. Hollenbaugh
ps. if anyone who is reading this has contact with any of my students from my class last year, please tell them that I love getting their emails, but I'm not allowed to reply. In order to reply, I have to have their home address so I can write a handwritten letter. Thanks!
I hope you're all doing well. We've been extremely busy, but before I get to anything else, I need to tell you about the baptisms we had a couple of weekends ago!
First off, thanks for keeping Morgan in your prayers. She was not able to get baptized, but her mom did let her come to the baptism, and said that she can go to the Young Womens activities, etc. just not to the actual services. We are still trying to meet her mom in person but we have been having a difficult time. Continue to keep her in your prayers. The baptism was amazing and we took pictures which I need to upload as well. It was the best thing ever to see those girls come up out of the water, and see the smiles on their faces, and know that they are going to be truly happy through the gospel.
Now a little bit about how things are going in our area. I LOVE this area. The ward members are great and love coming out with us. The bishop is SO anxiously engaged in the work. He is doing all he can, including fasting and praying, to help the work along. He loves getting to know our investigators, and coming out with us as well when he can. There are also so many people prepared to receive the gospel. In a couple weeks we'll have another baptism of a man named Dolores who is SO strong in the gospel. He is at church every Sunday. He will be great. We've also found a less active family in which the dad and two of the kids aren't members. We just passed by one day and spoke to the teenage son, and the next sunday the entire family was at church for the entire 3 hour block. They came again last sunday and brought their less active grandma with them as well. We have been meeting with them, and have dates for the two younger children to be baptized (the older one is already a member), and are working on the father. I guess he's had several dates set in the past, but always backs out at the last minute. We'll see.
Our baby hermana is named Hna. Dewey, and she is doing great. She speaks great spanish because she lived in Chile for 2 and a half years with her family, so she definitely doesn't have any problems there. She is the most optimistic, happiest person, and an absolute pleasure to train. She seems to be adjusting well even though we've been working very very hard. She will make an excellent missionary.
Just a fun little side note-one of the members in our ward brought us some really pretty jewelry that they had brought up from Mexico. It's a set of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. I LOVE it (even though I can only wear the bracelet because the rest is too flashy) because it is so authentic, and I have something to represent the people I have been serving.
Oh, and I would love it, if I could get some mail from y'all during the week. It's great to get emails from you on p-day, but p-day is usually an easy day for me, and it would be great to receive a little letter from y'all during the week to lift me up on those hard days.
Anyway, all is well, and I hope to hear from you all soon.
Sincerely,
Hna. Hollenbaugh
ps. if anyone who is reading this has contact with any of my students from my class last year, please tell them that I love getting their emails, but I'm not allowed to reply. In order to reply, I have to have their home address so I can write a handwritten letter. Thanks!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Excuse me president... I'm doing what next transfer?
Alright everyone,
We got our transfer call on Saturday night, and the results are in for what I'm going to be doing for the next 6 weeks.
However, I got MY call for transfers on Friday morning. For any of you who have been missionaries, you know that if president calls you the friday morning before the usual transfer call, something crazy is up. That's why he calls the day before. To warn you.
We got the message from president on the way to an appointment. He didn't tell us anything, except for that I needed to call him back. I was immediately panicked and thought that surely someone had died or something. Worst feeling ever. I decided I didn't want to call him back until after we taught, because I knew if something bad did happen, I probably wouldn't be able to teach very effectively. So we went to our appointment, but no one answered, so Hna McMurtrey said she'd drive so that I could call him back. Unfortunately, he didn't answer. And neither did Sis. Hansen. The people in the office answered, but they gave me phone numbers that I already had, and then told me that he was going to be observing people's district meetings all morning (Friday we all have our district meetings at 10:30/11:30). Ugh. So we brainstormed for awhile who might know something and could maybe help us out, and decided that the assistants to the president (APs) might know something so we tried them. I explained the situation, and told Elder Rowberry my concern ("his voice didn't sound very good..."), and he just goes, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. You'll be excited."
What?
Did you just say I'll be excited?
Seriously did a double take after that one. He was just like, "yeah, you're going to be excited." PHEW. No one died. We got off the phone, and I told Hna. McMurtrey what he had said. She just smiled real big, giggled a little in typical Hna. McMurtrey fashion, and said, "You're training."
Alright folks. Here's the thing. I have one transfer in the mission. That means six weeks actually in the mission, speaking spanish to real spanish speaking people. People don't usually train until something like their seventh transfer... as in like 9 months in the mission. But the problem is that this transfer we have FIVE new baby hermanas coming in, and not enough senior companions to train them all. Hna. McMurtrey had several legitimate (although maybe a little bit intense) sounding guesses, which did not include me or any of the newer hermanas training, so I assumed it would be one of those. Boy were we wrong.
After an agonizing half an hour or so of trying to get ahold of president, he finally answered his phone, and this is how our conversation went:
"Hna Hollenbaugh! How are you?"
"I'm fine president, thank you, how are you?" (blah blah blah, formalities, etc.)
"Well hermana, I'm calling about transfers. Do you know Hermana Blanco?"
"Yes, president. My MTC companion."
"Oh yeah, your MTC companion. Well, the Lord has prompted me, and you are going to be working with Hna. Blanco, and the two of you are going to be training a brand new missionary from the MTC. Now, I've never done this before, but I really trust you two, and I know that you'll be great. Do you think you can do that Hermana?"
This was followed by lots of typical answers, such as, "Wow," and "I'm excited," etc. etc. I told him that I trusted him. Then we got off the phone.
Sooooooo... that's the biggest news as of late, folks. I'm going to be back with my MTC companion, and we are training. Already. It's crazy. BUT, I'm way excited and even though I have no ideas how all the dynamics are going to work out, I'm sure it'll be great.
Gotta go, but I hope you all are doing awesome!
Sincerely, Hermana Hollenbaugh
We got our transfer call on Saturday night, and the results are in for what I'm going to be doing for the next 6 weeks.
However, I got MY call for transfers on Friday morning. For any of you who have been missionaries, you know that if president calls you the friday morning before the usual transfer call, something crazy is up. That's why he calls the day before. To warn you.
We got the message from president on the way to an appointment. He didn't tell us anything, except for that I needed to call him back. I was immediately panicked and thought that surely someone had died or something. Worst feeling ever. I decided I didn't want to call him back until after we taught, because I knew if something bad did happen, I probably wouldn't be able to teach very effectively. So we went to our appointment, but no one answered, so Hna McMurtrey said she'd drive so that I could call him back. Unfortunately, he didn't answer. And neither did Sis. Hansen. The people in the office answered, but they gave me phone numbers that I already had, and then told me that he was going to be observing people's district meetings all morning (Friday we all have our district meetings at 10:30/11:30). Ugh. So we brainstormed for awhile who might know something and could maybe help us out, and decided that the assistants to the president (APs) might know something so we tried them. I explained the situation, and told Elder Rowberry my concern ("his voice didn't sound very good..."), and he just goes, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. You'll be excited."
What?
Did you just say I'll be excited?
Seriously did a double take after that one. He was just like, "yeah, you're going to be excited." PHEW. No one died. We got off the phone, and I told Hna. McMurtrey what he had said. She just smiled real big, giggled a little in typical Hna. McMurtrey fashion, and said, "You're training."
Alright folks. Here's the thing. I have one transfer in the mission. That means six weeks actually in the mission, speaking spanish to real spanish speaking people. People don't usually train until something like their seventh transfer... as in like 9 months in the mission. But the problem is that this transfer we have FIVE new baby hermanas coming in, and not enough senior companions to train them all. Hna. McMurtrey had several legitimate (although maybe a little bit intense) sounding guesses, which did not include me or any of the newer hermanas training, so I assumed it would be one of those. Boy were we wrong.
After an agonizing half an hour or so of trying to get ahold of president, he finally answered his phone, and this is how our conversation went:
"Hna Hollenbaugh! How are you?"
"I'm fine president, thank you, how are you?" (blah blah blah, formalities, etc.)
"Well hermana, I'm calling about transfers. Do you know Hermana Blanco?"
"Yes, president. My MTC companion."
"Oh yeah, your MTC companion. Well, the Lord has prompted me, and you are going to be working with Hna. Blanco, and the two of you are going to be training a brand new missionary from the MTC. Now, I've never done this before, but I really trust you two, and I know that you'll be great. Do you think you can do that Hermana?"
This was followed by lots of typical answers, such as, "Wow," and "I'm excited," etc. etc. I told him that I trusted him. Then we got off the phone.
Sooooooo... that's the biggest news as of late, folks. I'm going to be back with my MTC companion, and we are training. Already. It's crazy. BUT, I'm way excited and even though I have no ideas how all the dynamics are going to work out, I'm sure it'll be great.
Gotta go, but I hope you all are doing awesome!
Sincerely, Hermana Hollenbaugh
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Fainting Story, cont.
Before I get to anything else I want to finish the story I started last week.
While I was sitting on the stand trying to get my strength up so that I could get out of the chapel and out of the whole ward's watchful eyes, people began passing food up to the pulpit. We received a bunch of suckers, and some alcohol swabs. I think I scared my companion because at that point she was so worked up she started to cry. Finally I felt like I could get up and leave, so we got up and went into the hallway. We were going to sit on the couches in the foyer, but they were occupied, and Hna. McMurtrey was telling me about how the couches on the other side of the building are usually open. We decided to head that direction when I started getting lightheaded again and immediately went into the classroom we were next to and sat down again. Within minutes a group of about 10 ward members was out of the chapel and in the room with me taking my pulse, asking me if I had eaten breakfast, if I had locked my knees, diagnosing me, etc. etc. One sister gave me a granola bar, another opened a sucker and stuck it in my mouth, another handed me a waterbottle, and the best part was when another member came and handed me a plastic grocery sack from her purse, with something in it. I just took it and thanked her, and she proceeded to tell me that it was a hamburger. Our thoughts at that moment: Hna. Castaneda... why do you have a HAMBURGER in your purse? haha... anyway, eventually someone asked me if I wanted to go and lay down, and suggested the mother's lounge, which sounded great, and a ward member got us some blankets and we headed that way. We ended up spending the rest of the meeting in there.
After sacrament meeting was over a member came and told us the bishop wanted to see us, so we went down there and he just wanted to see how I was, what happened, etc. He and one of his counselors gave me a blessing (which was especially cool because it was in spanish), and then Hna. McMurtrey and I headed home. I went and got in bed, and Hna. called Sister Hansen (mission president's wife), who advised us to cancel the rest of our appointments for the day, rest, and that she'd call back in the morning to try and get a doctor appointment scheduled.
Anyway, conclusion is that we went to the doctor, and while we were there we were analyzing what I had eaten, etc. and we remembered that I had eaten a lot of fruit that morning (which was out of the ordinary... I don't usually like fruit in the morning), AND, right before we went to church, hermana was frosting the valentine's sugar cookies we had made. Everytime one broke, we'd say, "oh man... it broke... guess I've got to eat it!" which led me to eat probably at least five sugar cookies with frosting. That alone would've been enough to spike my sugar WAY up, but we also determined that I had eaten some wheat biscuits with honey for breakfast as well. The doctor said that wheat has been known as well to trigger a spike in blood sugar. SOOOO... basically I unknowingly set myself up for disaster. I've always known I'm sensitive to high amounts of sugar, but I never knew I'd react in that kind of way! I'm glad to report that I went and bought lots of high protein snacks, and other foods, and I'm just generally being more careful to make sure I balance my sugar intake. It's been working well.
Now, on to bigger and better things...
I had my first baptism yesterday! Her name is Jaqueline, and she's nine years old. Her parents have been inactive for quite awhile, but they recently started coming to church again. Since she's over eight, before she could get baptized, she needed to be taught like any other investigator, and so we've been teaching her. She was actually my very first lesson once I got out here to Houston! She's very shy, but was excited to get baptized and the baptism was a grand event. Her dad and brother-in-law had come up from Mexico, and her siblings and nephew were all there all dressed up and everything. Only her mom usually comes to church (with her of course), but it was so great to see them all their supporting her. They really are a great family.
Last Friday, we had our first really hot day. It was 90 degrees! It was definitely hot, and we were sweating, but it was manageable. I'm still worried though, because if it's 90 degrees in February... who knows what it will be like in July!
Finally, we're also teaching a group of three young girls, Jasmin, Carolina, and Morgan. Two of them are younger sisters of a recent convert who was just baptized in January, and the other, Morgan, is a friend of the girls. Carolina is 11 and the other two are 13. They are all scheduled to be baptized on the 7th of March, this coming Saturday, and we are so excited! All three of them are so excited about the church. We've already taught them everything, and we've even given them the For Strength of Youth pamphlet, which they loved and were excited to apply to their lives, but just a couple of days ago we heard of a little trouble on the home front. I guess Morgan's grandma heard that Morgan wants to get baptized, and is upset because she thinks that we aren't christians. Unfortunately we haven't been able to talk to her mom yet because she's always either busy, or we're running to another appointment. We're going to do all we can to smooth things over, but most of all, we need all of you to keep her and her family in your prayers! I have faith that Heavenly Father will help everything to work out, but we definitely need your help.
Thanks again for all your support! I got a letter from my amigas Caitlin and Kimberly this week and it was so fun to hear from them! I'll be sure to write you back soon girls.
Love,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
While I was sitting on the stand trying to get my strength up so that I could get out of the chapel and out of the whole ward's watchful eyes, people began passing food up to the pulpit. We received a bunch of suckers, and some alcohol swabs. I think I scared my companion because at that point she was so worked up she started to cry. Finally I felt like I could get up and leave, so we got up and went into the hallway. We were going to sit on the couches in the foyer, but they were occupied, and Hna. McMurtrey was telling me about how the couches on the other side of the building are usually open. We decided to head that direction when I started getting lightheaded again and immediately went into the classroom we were next to and sat down again. Within minutes a group of about 10 ward members was out of the chapel and in the room with me taking my pulse, asking me if I had eaten breakfast, if I had locked my knees, diagnosing me, etc. etc. One sister gave me a granola bar, another opened a sucker and stuck it in my mouth, another handed me a waterbottle, and the best part was when another member came and handed me a plastic grocery sack from her purse, with something in it. I just took it and thanked her, and she proceeded to tell me that it was a hamburger. Our thoughts at that moment: Hna. Castaneda... why do you have a HAMBURGER in your purse? haha... anyway, eventually someone asked me if I wanted to go and lay down, and suggested the mother's lounge, which sounded great, and a ward member got us some blankets and we headed that way. We ended up spending the rest of the meeting in there.
After sacrament meeting was over a member came and told us the bishop wanted to see us, so we went down there and he just wanted to see how I was, what happened, etc. He and one of his counselors gave me a blessing (which was especially cool because it was in spanish), and then Hna. McMurtrey and I headed home. I went and got in bed, and Hna. called Sister Hansen (mission president's wife), who advised us to cancel the rest of our appointments for the day, rest, and that she'd call back in the morning to try and get a doctor appointment scheduled.
Anyway, conclusion is that we went to the doctor, and while we were there we were analyzing what I had eaten, etc. and we remembered that I had eaten a lot of fruit that morning (which was out of the ordinary... I don't usually like fruit in the morning), AND, right before we went to church, hermana was frosting the valentine's sugar cookies we had made. Everytime one broke, we'd say, "oh man... it broke... guess I've got to eat it!" which led me to eat probably at least five sugar cookies with frosting. That alone would've been enough to spike my sugar WAY up, but we also determined that I had eaten some wheat biscuits with honey for breakfast as well. The doctor said that wheat has been known as well to trigger a spike in blood sugar. SOOOO... basically I unknowingly set myself up for disaster. I've always known I'm sensitive to high amounts of sugar, but I never knew I'd react in that kind of way! I'm glad to report that I went and bought lots of high protein snacks, and other foods, and I'm just generally being more careful to make sure I balance my sugar intake. It's been working well.
Now, on to bigger and better things...
I had my first baptism yesterday! Her name is Jaqueline, and she's nine years old. Her parents have been inactive for quite awhile, but they recently started coming to church again. Since she's over eight, before she could get baptized, she needed to be taught like any other investigator, and so we've been teaching her. She was actually my very first lesson once I got out here to Houston! She's very shy, but was excited to get baptized and the baptism was a grand event. Her dad and brother-in-law had come up from Mexico, and her siblings and nephew were all there all dressed up and everything. Only her mom usually comes to church (with her of course), but it was so great to see them all their supporting her. They really are a great family.
Last Friday, we had our first really hot day. It was 90 degrees! It was definitely hot, and we were sweating, but it was manageable. I'm still worried though, because if it's 90 degrees in February... who knows what it will be like in July!
Finally, we're also teaching a group of three young girls, Jasmin, Carolina, and Morgan. Two of them are younger sisters of a recent convert who was just baptized in January, and the other, Morgan, is a friend of the girls. Carolina is 11 and the other two are 13. They are all scheduled to be baptized on the 7th of March, this coming Saturday, and we are so excited! All three of them are so excited about the church. We've already taught them everything, and we've even given them the For Strength of Youth pamphlet, which they loved and were excited to apply to their lives, but just a couple of days ago we heard of a little trouble on the home front. I guess Morgan's grandma heard that Morgan wants to get baptized, and is upset because she thinks that we aren't christians. Unfortunately we haven't been able to talk to her mom yet because she's always either busy, or we're running to another appointment. We're going to do all we can to smooth things over, but most of all, we need all of you to keep her and her family in your prayers! I have faith that Heavenly Father will help everything to work out, but we definitely need your help.
Thanks again for all your support! I got a letter from my amigas Caitlin and Kimberly this week and it was so fun to hear from them! I'll be sure to write you back soon girls.
Love,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
Monday, February 23, 2009
Ella se desmayo!
Oh man, I have a great story to share with all of you this week.
A week ago saturday, a member of the bishopric called to see if I would be willing to give a brief talk on missionary work. Of course I agreed, and the next morning during my study time I crafted a nicely written talk on missionary work and on being examples to others (in spanish of course). We got to church, and I sat in the back with my companion and one of her recent converts until it was my turn to get up and speak. When the time came, I walked up to the pulpit, and began to speak. I introduced myself a little bit since I'm still fairly new to everyone, and then got to the main topic of my talk. Everything was going well, I felt good and was excited to be able to speak to my ward and share my testimony a little bit. A couple minutes went by and I began feeling really hot and started to sweat. I figured it was just a result of being up in front of people, and continued speaking. Maybe thirty seconds after that I started feeling kind of nauseous, and then I started having trouble breathing. My reading of my talk slowed as I continued trying to catch my breath enough to speak, but it wasn't helping. Not having the breath to continue speaking I stopped all together for a second to try and recover enough to continue, but that didn't help either. I started feeling dizzy, and the next thing I knew my companion was up on the stand right next to me and the bishopric was asking me if I was okay and setting me down into a chair on the stand.
Haha... I totally, and completely passed out while giving a talk.
Apparently after I stopped speaking my companion thought that I was just having trouble reading the words in spanish (which she thought was strange because we read together often in spanish and I never struggle much) and started giving me the "come on, you can do it, keep going" motion with her finger... until she saw me start swaying. Once she figured out that I was going to faint, (this is one of my favorite parts of the story), I guess she stood up in the back of the chapel and yelled (in english :s), "SOMEBODY CATCH HER!!!" Hahahaha... luckily the bishopric speaks english and got up quick enough to grab me and keep me from falling all the way to the floor, after I had hit my head on the microphone or pulpit or something (I've heard various versions of this part of the story) meanwhile Hermana McMurtrey ran up the aisle to get up to the pulpit and help.
I was sweating profusely, and sitting up on the stand looking out into the worried faces of the congregation as I tried to figure out exactly what was happening. The next speaker had gotten up without missing a beat (luckily) and drew a little of the attention away from me, nevertheless, most of the eyes were still on me.
uagh i'm out of time. This story is to be continued...
But just to make sure my family members don't freak out and think I'm horribly sick, I will say that I went to the doctor, and he did several tests on me and says that I AM hypoglycemic, and need to be more careful about the sugar content of what I eat (I had eaten a lot sugary stuff that morning, and my blood sugar plummeted while I was speaking). Anyway, I'll give the rest of the details next week.
I promise I am fine and totally back to normal now and no one needs to worry. My mission president's wife and my companion are taking fabulous care of me.
Sincerely,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
A week ago saturday, a member of the bishopric called to see if I would be willing to give a brief talk on missionary work. Of course I agreed, and the next morning during my study time I crafted a nicely written talk on missionary work and on being examples to others (in spanish of course). We got to church, and I sat in the back with my companion and one of her recent converts until it was my turn to get up and speak. When the time came, I walked up to the pulpit, and began to speak. I introduced myself a little bit since I'm still fairly new to everyone, and then got to the main topic of my talk. Everything was going well, I felt good and was excited to be able to speak to my ward and share my testimony a little bit. A couple minutes went by and I began feeling really hot and started to sweat. I figured it was just a result of being up in front of people, and continued speaking. Maybe thirty seconds after that I started feeling kind of nauseous, and then I started having trouble breathing. My reading of my talk slowed as I continued trying to catch my breath enough to speak, but it wasn't helping. Not having the breath to continue speaking I stopped all together for a second to try and recover enough to continue, but that didn't help either. I started feeling dizzy, and the next thing I knew my companion was up on the stand right next to me and the bishopric was asking me if I was okay and setting me down into a chair on the stand.
Haha... I totally, and completely passed out while giving a talk.
Apparently after I stopped speaking my companion thought that I was just having trouble reading the words in spanish (which she thought was strange because we read together often in spanish and I never struggle much) and started giving me the "come on, you can do it, keep going" motion with her finger... until she saw me start swaying. Once she figured out that I was going to faint, (this is one of my favorite parts of the story), I guess she stood up in the back of the chapel and yelled (in english :s), "SOMEBODY CATCH HER!!!" Hahahaha... luckily the bishopric speaks english and got up quick enough to grab me and keep me from falling all the way to the floor, after I had hit my head on the microphone or pulpit or something (I've heard various versions of this part of the story) meanwhile Hermana McMurtrey ran up the aisle to get up to the pulpit and help.
I was sweating profusely, and sitting up on the stand looking out into the worried faces of the congregation as I tried to figure out exactly what was happening. The next speaker had gotten up without missing a beat (luckily) and drew a little of the attention away from me, nevertheless, most of the eyes were still on me.
uagh i'm out of time. This story is to be continued...
But just to make sure my family members don't freak out and think I'm horribly sick, I will say that I went to the doctor, and he did several tests on me and says that I AM hypoglycemic, and need to be more careful about the sugar content of what I eat (I had eaten a lot sugary stuff that morning, and my blood sugar plummeted while I was speaking). Anyway, I'll give the rest of the details next week.
I promise I am fine and totally back to normal now and no one needs to worry. My mission president's wife and my companion are taking fabulous care of me.
Sincerely,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
Monday, February 16, 2009
Love Stinks
Ayayay...
I have several things to write about but I'm not feeling very witty today, soooo we'll just go with the flow.
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my favorite sisters Emily (on the 20th). Em I can't believe you're already 18! I hope you have a great birthday and remember that I'm thinking about you! :)
The weather here has been crazy lately. It is most definitely not winter anymore already (well, since like the 2nd of February) because it's been like at least in the 70s most days. Also, I experienced my first REALLY humid day. Thank goodness it's not really hot yet, but I got just a glimpse of what is to come... everything felt damp. Including the air. And it felt all stuffy outside. I can't imagine what it's going to be like in the summer...
I got a lovely little Valentine's package from my grandma a few days ago and the package with my shirts and skirts. Pretty fun! Funny story: The day before I got my valentine package, my comp got her valentine package. Her valentine package included a bunch of big sugar cookies with pink frosting, and a little skunk holding a heart that says "love stinks" (amongst other things) ordered from DearElder. We talked about, "oh no the last thing we need is more candy we were just getting rid of our old candy!" The very next day I got my valentine's package, from DearElder, which included a whole bunch of big sugar cookies with pink frosting, and a little skunk holding a heart that says, "love stinks". Apparently my grandma and her mom were on the same brain wave... we're going to take a picture when we have a little time with our matching cookies and skunks.
Also, I got the cutest little valentine's card from my cousins Cary Lynn and Rory and from my grandma's good friend Carol who is basically an adopted aunt or grandma or something. We've known her forever and she's been a great friend to our family.
Finally, I apologize to all my family who sent me emails last week who still haven't gotten a reply. I'm going to write you letters eventually, I just don't really have that much time with the computer so it's easier to write snail mail. Oh and grandma, the DearElder took like 4 or 5 days to get to me I think. So probably about the same as regular mail.
Happy Belated Valentine's Day to all!
Love, Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
I have several things to write about but I'm not feeling very witty today, soooo we'll just go with the flow.
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my favorite sisters Emily (on the 20th). Em I can't believe you're already 18! I hope you have a great birthday and remember that I'm thinking about you! :)
The weather here has been crazy lately. It is most definitely not winter anymore already (well, since like the 2nd of February) because it's been like at least in the 70s most days. Also, I experienced my first REALLY humid day. Thank goodness it's not really hot yet, but I got just a glimpse of what is to come... everything felt damp. Including the air. And it felt all stuffy outside. I can't imagine what it's going to be like in the summer...
I got a lovely little Valentine's package from my grandma a few days ago and the package with my shirts and skirts. Pretty fun! Funny story: The day before I got my valentine package, my comp got her valentine package. Her valentine package included a bunch of big sugar cookies with pink frosting, and a little skunk holding a heart that says "love stinks" (amongst other things) ordered from DearElder. We talked about, "oh no the last thing we need is more candy we were just getting rid of our old candy!" The very next day I got my valentine's package, from DearElder, which included a whole bunch of big sugar cookies with pink frosting, and a little skunk holding a heart that says, "love stinks". Apparently my grandma and her mom were on the same brain wave... we're going to take a picture when we have a little time with our matching cookies and skunks.
Also, I got the cutest little valentine's card from my cousins Cary Lynn and Rory and from my grandma's good friend Carol who is basically an adopted aunt or grandma or something. We've known her forever and she's been a great friend to our family.
Finally, I apologize to all my family who sent me emails last week who still haven't gotten a reply. I'm going to write you letters eventually, I just don't really have that much time with the computer so it's easier to write snail mail. Oh and grandma, the DearElder took like 4 or 5 days to get to me I think. So probably about the same as regular mail.
Happy Belated Valentine's Day to all!
Love, Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
Monday, February 9, 2009
Adventures in Houston
Hola Hola Hola! Cheek kisses and hugs from your favorite missionary in Houston!
It has been a fabulous but exhausting week! Let me start off by giving you some of our numbers. My companion says that we have the best numbers she's seen her whole mission (and this is her last transfer) this past week! We have 6 baptismal dates set, we taught 23 lessons (the goal for the mission is 20/week), we had 12 new investigators, and best of all, we had 7 of our investigators at sacrament meeting yesterday. The Lord has blessed us abundantly! We were running all over yesterday trying to make sure that all of our investigators got to the right classes and had someone to sit with, etc. It was SO great. It is very tiring and we have collapsed into bed every night, but it is so worth it to see these people experience the joy the gospel can bring.
I have several stories to share, and I have pictures that go with them! First I have a few pictures from my last few days at the MTC:
One of my teachers (Hna. Johnson) and I
My other teacher Hno. Vasquez (haha... there's no way to take an un-awkward picture with a boy as a sister missionary :))
My companion (far right) and I, along with our roommates and Branch President's wife (Sis. Romney)
All of the lovely hermanas from my district! We were lucky to have so many!
An hermana picture with our lovely hermana teacher :)
Our district with another district who we often spent time with (spanish-speaking of course :))
Our last all district picture before the first district member flew out to his mission
This little guy was my first cockroach! We found him one night as we were about to go to bed :)
Also last week, we drove up to the northern part of our area to look for a referral we had been given. The address ended up being wrong, but there were tons of hispanics around, so we decided to knock around and contact a little. While we were walking around, we got a call from one of Hna. McMurtrey's recent converts asking us where we were. We told her we were knocking doors, and she let out a huge sigh of relief. She went on to say that her husband had just driven past our apartments and he said that there was a fire right where our apartment is. At first we were sure that she must be mistaken, but we decided to drive home to check anyway. When we got there, we found out that the dry grass in the field next to our apartments had caught fire (picture above). We took this picture from our doorstep.
To make matters worse, the wind had blown the flames to our buildings, and they caught the roof of the building next to ours on fire (I don't know if you can see it... but it was that roof). Luckily no one was home when it happened, but everything smelled like smoke for days, and the trees next to the parking lot are still all burnt up. We are so glad that Heavenly Father is looking out for us!
It has been a fabulous but exhausting week! Let me start off by giving you some of our numbers. My companion says that we have the best numbers she's seen her whole mission (and this is her last transfer) this past week! We have 6 baptismal dates set, we taught 23 lessons (the goal for the mission is 20/week), we had 12 new investigators, and best of all, we had 7 of our investigators at sacrament meeting yesterday. The Lord has blessed us abundantly! We were running all over yesterday trying to make sure that all of our investigators got to the right classes and had someone to sit with, etc. It was SO great. It is very tiring and we have collapsed into bed every night, but it is so worth it to see these people experience the joy the gospel can bring.
I have several stories to share, and I have pictures that go with them! First I have a few pictures from my last few days at the MTC:
One of my teachers (Hna. Johnson) and I
My other teacher Hno. Vasquez (haha... there's no way to take an un-awkward picture with a boy as a sister missionary :))
My companion (far right) and I, along with our roommates and Branch President's wife (Sis. Romney)
All of the lovely hermanas from my district! We were lucky to have so many! 
An hermana picture with our lovely hermana teacher :)
Our district with another district who we often spent time with (spanish-speaking of course :))
Our last all district picture before the first district member flew out to his missionAnd what you've all been waiting for... pictures of me in Houston!
Hermana Blanco and I with our new companions after doing a session at the Houston Temple (which is sooo pretty)
My lovely trainer, Hna. McMurtrey and I
This little guy was my first cockroach! We found him one night as we were about to go to bed :)These Elders (Elder Briscoe and Elder Haslam) are our zone leaders. They came over to do an apartment check, and ended up leaving with a ton of our stuff! We gave them a bunch of leftover candy at first (in hopes of getting good marks on our check :)), but then they found a couple of volleyballs, an extra blender, and something else that they wanted. After coming in empty handed, that (above) is what they looked like when they left :)
Also last week, we drove up to the northern part of our area to look for a referral we had been given. The address ended up being wrong, but there were tons of hispanics around, so we decided to knock around and contact a little. While we were walking around, we got a call from one of Hna. McMurtrey's recent converts asking us where we were. We told her we were knocking doors, and she let out a huge sigh of relief. She went on to say that her husband had just driven past our apartments and he said that there was a fire right where our apartment is. At first we were sure that she must be mistaken, but we decided to drive home to check anyway. When we got there, we found out that the dry grass in the field next to our apartments had caught fire (picture above). We took this picture from our doorstep.To make matters worse, the wind had blown the flames to our buildings, and they caught the roof of the building next to ours on fire (I don't know if you can see it... but it was that roof). Luckily no one was home when it happened, but everything smelled like smoke for days, and the trees next to the parking lot are still all burnt up. We are so glad that Heavenly Father is looking out for us!Anyway, things are going great down here. I have so much more to share, but I'll have to save them for later. But, I got my chocolates from Coy, and I got a dearelder from Grandma (which I didn't get until the 5th or 6th of February). I will be writing you both back this week.
You all are great, keep sharing the gospel, and know that Heavenly Father loves you!
Love, Hermana Austin
Monday, February 2, 2009
Houston, we have landed.
My lovely family, friends, and all others who may be reading this blog :)~
I am officially here in my mission! It feels so good to be here!
I don't have much time, but I'm going to give all of you my direct address here, so that the mail you send will get to me faster:
4211 Clay Hill Drive #509
Houston, TX 77084
The weather is so great already. I love it. It will be getting very hot very soon I'm sure, but for right now, I'm enjoying the 75 degree weather and big blue sunny skies.
I'll write all of you next week to give you more of an update, but I hope you're all doing fabulous!
Love,
Hna. Austin Hollenbaugh
I am officially here in my mission! It feels so good to be here!
I don't have much time, but I'm going to give all of you my direct address here, so that the mail you send will get to me faster:
4211 Clay Hill Drive #509
Houston, TX 77084
The weather is so great already. I love it. It will be getting very hot very soon I'm sure, but for right now, I'm enjoying the 75 degree weather and big blue sunny skies.
I'll write all of you next week to give you more of an update, but I hope you're all doing fabulous!
Love,
Hna. Austin Hollenbaugh
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
MTC week 10: My last week in the MTC!
Hola a todos!
Well, I survived my last week in the MTC, and I can already tell how difficult it's going to be to say goodbye to people so many times! I have grown so close to my district my teachers, and my branch, etc. Even though I didn't shed any tears (I hardly ever cry for some reason...), I will miss them all very much. It's so strange to think that tomorrow morning I'll get on a bus and leave this place, and I will never be able to return as a young missionary. However I have made some fabulous memories here and taken some great pictures, and I know that I will always remember my time here and the people that I have come to know and love.
Recently, my companion received a letter from one of her close friends. Enclosed was an excerpt, adapted from a talk given at a missionary farewell given by Shari Richards Turbo in 1994. She read it to me and substituted my name in and I knew that I had to have a copy. I thought it would be fun to share with all of you... especially those who aren't particularly familiar with the work of sister missionaries. This really portrays it well.
"It is exciting for me to see how many wonderful women are choosing to serve missions. I've been blessed to [have been] a sister missionary and I've been blessed to work with many other sisters.
It takes more than a mission call to become a "real" sister missionary.
Not just anybody can do it, but I believe that [Hermana Hollenbaugh] has what it takes, and I wish for her the kind of mission that will show her how to become a "real" sister missionary.[Hermana Hollenbaugh], I hope you feel the powerful spirit of the MTC as you struggle hour after hour to study the gospel and learn the lessons in Spanish.
I hope you feel the frustration of trying to bear your testimony in Spanish but not knowing enough Spanish words to say what's really in your heart.
I hope you feel the Spirit whispering Spanish words to you in an important lesson with a special family.
I hope you feel and appreciate the courage it takes to approach someone on the street, at their house, or on a bus and interrupt their busy lives to ask them about their beliefs and to tell them about yours.
I hope you feel the humble, sweet spirit that comes as your investigators kneel and pray for the first time.
I hope you have a difficult companion who makes you struggle and grow as you try to work together.
I hope you have an "awesome" companion who is like your best friend, who cries with you when you get transferred.
I hope you have days when all you do is knock on one door after another.
I hope you have to walk on muddy roads in your best dress.
I hope you learn what it's like to scream at the wind, rain, and blazing hot sun that just won't quit.
I hope you learn what it's like to stand at the door of [someone who doesn't like mormons] and bear your testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon while they quote scriptures and attack you with things and words you can't understand.
I hope you feel the power of the spirit as people believe you when you testify of the Savior's love for them.
I hope you feel the disappointment of a family you thought was "golden" telling you they don't want you to come anymore.
I hope you experience the joy of the hugs that come from someone wet from the waters of baptism.
I hope you learn what it's like to sit in a Sacrament Meeting and listen to a young woman you taught bear her testimony.
I hope there are times when you feel utterly alone and inadequate as you walk the streets of [Texas].
I hope you feel the unconditional love, strength, and support that come from your family at home--and from your Heavenly home as well.
I hope that in a year and a half you can stand at the pulpit and realize that there are no words to describe what your mission means to you. But you'll know, and that's the important thing.
I hope that you can stand here and feel the great peace that comes from diligently and faithfully serving a mission.
THEN... you'll be a "real sister missionary."
I love this so much. I know I will have many if not all of these experiences at some point over the next 16 months I will spend in Houston, but it is so worth it. After spending 10 weeks here in the MTC, I know without a doubt that there is nowhere else I'd rather be than here. I have felt the Savior's love in my life in a way that I have never felt it before. I KNOW that he loves me, Austin Hollenbaugh, personally. He knows all of my strengths and all of my weaknesses perfectly... better than I know them. Those nights that I have laid in bed worried about my spanish or my ability to share the incredible importance of this message, he has been there with me, and brought great peace and comfort to my heart. And most of all I KNOW that he can do this for all of you. I pray that each of you will recognize this in your life and let the Savior take your burdens and heal you. Because he can and will if you let him.
I love you all!
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
ps. think of me tomorrow morning at 6am!
Well, I survived my last week in the MTC, and I can already tell how difficult it's going to be to say goodbye to people so many times! I have grown so close to my district my teachers, and my branch, etc. Even though I didn't shed any tears (I hardly ever cry for some reason...), I will miss them all very much. It's so strange to think that tomorrow morning I'll get on a bus and leave this place, and I will never be able to return as a young missionary. However I have made some fabulous memories here and taken some great pictures, and I know that I will always remember my time here and the people that I have come to know and love.
Recently, my companion received a letter from one of her close friends. Enclosed was an excerpt, adapted from a talk given at a missionary farewell given by Shari Richards Turbo in 1994. She read it to me and substituted my name in and I knew that I had to have a copy. I thought it would be fun to share with all of you... especially those who aren't particularly familiar with the work of sister missionaries. This really portrays it well.
"It is exciting for me to see how many wonderful women are choosing to serve missions. I've been blessed to [have been] a sister missionary and I've been blessed to work with many other sisters.
It takes more than a mission call to become a "real" sister missionary.
Not just anybody can do it, but I believe that [Hermana Hollenbaugh] has what it takes, and I wish for her the kind of mission that will show her how to become a "real" sister missionary.[Hermana Hollenbaugh], I hope you feel the powerful spirit of the MTC as you struggle hour after hour to study the gospel and learn the lessons in Spanish.
I hope you feel the frustration of trying to bear your testimony in Spanish but not knowing enough Spanish words to say what's really in your heart.
I hope you feel the Spirit whispering Spanish words to you in an important lesson with a special family.
I hope you feel and appreciate the courage it takes to approach someone on the street, at their house, or on a bus and interrupt their busy lives to ask them about their beliefs and to tell them about yours.
I hope you feel the humble, sweet spirit that comes as your investigators kneel and pray for the first time.
I hope you have a difficult companion who makes you struggle and grow as you try to work together.
I hope you have an "awesome" companion who is like your best friend, who cries with you when you get transferred.
I hope you have days when all you do is knock on one door after another.
I hope you have to walk on muddy roads in your best dress.
I hope you learn what it's like to scream at the wind, rain, and blazing hot sun that just won't quit.
I hope you learn what it's like to stand at the door of [someone who doesn't like mormons] and bear your testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon while they quote scriptures and attack you with things and words you can't understand.
I hope you feel the power of the spirit as people believe you when you testify of the Savior's love for them.
I hope you feel the disappointment of a family you thought was "golden" telling you they don't want you to come anymore.
I hope you experience the joy of the hugs that come from someone wet from the waters of baptism.
I hope you learn what it's like to sit in a Sacrament Meeting and listen to a young woman you taught bear her testimony.
I hope there are times when you feel utterly alone and inadequate as you walk the streets of [Texas].
I hope you feel the unconditional love, strength, and support that come from your family at home--and from your Heavenly home as well.
I hope that in a year and a half you can stand at the pulpit and realize that there are no words to describe what your mission means to you. But you'll know, and that's the important thing.
I hope that you can stand here and feel the great peace that comes from diligently and faithfully serving a mission.
THEN... you'll be a "real sister missionary."
I love this so much. I know I will have many if not all of these experiences at some point over the next 16 months I will spend in Houston, but it is so worth it. After spending 10 weeks here in the MTC, I know without a doubt that there is nowhere else I'd rather be than here. I have felt the Savior's love in my life in a way that I have never felt it before. I KNOW that he loves me, Austin Hollenbaugh, personally. He knows all of my strengths and all of my weaknesses perfectly... better than I know them. Those nights that I have laid in bed worried about my spanish or my ability to share the incredible importance of this message, he has been there with me, and brought great peace and comfort to my heart. And most of all I KNOW that he can do this for all of you. I pray that each of you will recognize this in your life and let the Savior take your burdens and heal you. Because he can and will if you let him.
I love you all!
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
ps. think of me tomorrow morning at 6am!
New Address in Texas
I'm now out of the MTC and in Houston Texas. Here is my new address to write to me at.
16623 Hafer Road
Houston TX 77090
That is the address for the mission home. I will be assigned an area soon so I will be posting the address for that soon. You can still send my letter to the mission home, but it will take longer to get to me. Keep watching for updates!
16623 Hafer Road
Houston TX 77090
That is the address for the mission home. I will be assigned an area soon so I will be posting the address for that soon. You can still send my letter to the mission home, but it will take longer to get to me. Keep watching for updates!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
MTC Week 9
Dearest Family and Friends,
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my favorite girls, Michelle Hadley, and Heather Sabin! I hope you both have a fabulous 22nd year! Write me and let me know how it is! Also, Heather, I need your address. I've been wanting to write you and I don't have it!
Also, can I just say that I've come to dislike national holidays since I've been in the MTC? Because we DON'T GET MAIL on those days! One, we never even know what day it is (so we totally got a new president of the US and I am like, completely oblivious), all the days are exactly the same, and it is rather unfortunate when you think it's been a normal day, and then at the end of a very long, tiring day, you realize that the mail wasn't open. ha. Oh well... I was just walking to our room last night and thinking about how that has come about... chistoso.
Caitlin, could you check my facebook profile and okay anyone who has added me as a friend? One of my MTC teachers did, and a couple others might have... just okay anyone who requested me.
Thank you thank you thank you to One Grandma, Grandpa Hollenbaugh, my little sister Emily and Carol for sending me letters this week! It was so great to hear from all of you, and I will try my best to write you back soon!
This week was great. Last Wednesday, we went to the RC again (we go every week) and I made a call in Spanish for the first time! Our teacher told us we had to try at least one (thanks Hermana Johnson ;)). We were all super nervous, but we each said an individual prayer before, and just went for it! It turned out to be a fabulous experience because compared to all of the English calls that we've made, the Spanish-speakers that we spoke to were so kind and receptive. I called one sister who had ordered a DVD to make sure that she had received it. She said that she had, and that she had LOVED it! I was so so excited and so after taking care of all the required prompts for info on the computer screen, I asked her (in my broken Spanish) which part she liked best, hoping for an opportunity to bear testimony to her, and then she started speaking super fast and I couldn't understand anything she said!!! :( Anyway... I still loved it, and she was super patient with me. I feel so blessed to go out and work with such a hospitable, friendly people. Also, SO weird... The first person from our district to leave for the field left on Monday morning! I can't believe we're actually leaving. I'm getting super nervous! My emotions have been a little roller-coaster-like lately in that one second I'm way psyched to head out, and then the next I can't picture myself walking up to random people on the street and teaching them about the gospel. Wow. If anyone has any tips for a smooth transition let me know... although I'm pretty sure no matter what you do you just have to jump in and do it!! Aaaah!
So funny story:
On Sunday we went up to the temple as a district to take pictures (it was our last Sunday as a full district!) and get a little fresh air. Everytime we go up there, no matter how solid our resolve to get the whole district together for a picture, it always takes at least 15 minutes to get everyone in the same place at once so that we can get the picture taken. Some of the other sisters, a couple elders and I were waiting for the group to get organized. Someone asked if we were ready to take the picture, and Hermana Hepner goes, "I was born ready." And then Elder Bost goes, "Yeah... I was born, and then I was like, 'where's my district? We have to take a picture...". hahaha... maybe it's just that I've been in this little MTC bubble for so long, but it was really quite funny.
I've gotta go, but I hope you all are well, write me, and I'll send you one more email before I get out to TX next week!
loves
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my favorite girls, Michelle Hadley, and Heather Sabin! I hope you both have a fabulous 22nd year! Write me and let me know how it is! Also, Heather, I need your address. I've been wanting to write you and I don't have it!
Also, can I just say that I've come to dislike national holidays since I've been in the MTC? Because we DON'T GET MAIL on those days! One, we never even know what day it is (so we totally got a new president of the US and I am like, completely oblivious), all the days are exactly the same, and it is rather unfortunate when you think it's been a normal day, and then at the end of a very long, tiring day, you realize that the mail wasn't open. ha. Oh well... I was just walking to our room last night and thinking about how that has come about... chistoso.
Caitlin, could you check my facebook profile and okay anyone who has added me as a friend? One of my MTC teachers did, and a couple others might have... just okay anyone who requested me.
Thank you thank you thank you to One Grandma, Grandpa Hollenbaugh, my little sister Emily and Carol for sending me letters this week! It was so great to hear from all of you, and I will try my best to write you back soon!
This week was great. Last Wednesday, we went to the RC again (we go every week) and I made a call in Spanish for the first time! Our teacher told us we had to try at least one (thanks Hermana Johnson ;)). We were all super nervous, but we each said an individual prayer before, and just went for it! It turned out to be a fabulous experience because compared to all of the English calls that we've made, the Spanish-speakers that we spoke to were so kind and receptive. I called one sister who had ordered a DVD to make sure that she had received it. She said that she had, and that she had LOVED it! I was so so excited and so after taking care of all the required prompts for info on the computer screen, I asked her (in my broken Spanish) which part she liked best, hoping for an opportunity to bear testimony to her, and then she started speaking super fast and I couldn't understand anything she said!!! :( Anyway... I still loved it, and she was super patient with me. I feel so blessed to go out and work with such a hospitable, friendly people. Also, SO weird... The first person from our district to leave for the field left on Monday morning! I can't believe we're actually leaving. I'm getting super nervous! My emotions have been a little roller-coaster-like lately in that one second I'm way psyched to head out, and then the next I can't picture myself walking up to random people on the street and teaching them about the gospel. Wow. If anyone has any tips for a smooth transition let me know... although I'm pretty sure no matter what you do you just have to jump in and do it!! Aaaah!
So funny story:
On Sunday we went up to the temple as a district to take pictures (it was our last Sunday as a full district!) and get a little fresh air. Everytime we go up there, no matter how solid our resolve to get the whole district together for a picture, it always takes at least 15 minutes to get everyone in the same place at once so that we can get the picture taken. Some of the other sisters, a couple elders and I were waiting for the group to get organized. Someone asked if we were ready to take the picture, and Hermana Hepner goes, "I was born ready." And then Elder Bost goes, "Yeah... I was born, and then I was like, 'where's my district? We have to take a picture...". hahaha... maybe it's just that I've been in this little MTC bubble for so long, but it was really quite funny.
I've gotta go, but I hope you all are well, write me, and I'll send you one more email before I get out to TX next week!
loves
Saturday, January 17, 2009
MTC week 8
Dearest Family and Friends!
It is so great to have another opportunity to write you. I can't believe I've been out on my mission for just about 2 months already! Time flies! Anyway, it's been fun to receive updates from a few of you, and I'd love to hear from more! One quick note: while I'm here in the MTC, it doesn't cost a cent for you to send me a note through the DearElder.com website. However after I leave (in TWO weeks!) it is no longer free. I don't know how much it costs, but I don't want anyone to have to pay anything extra to send me letters through the site. I will make sure that I keep my address while I'm out in the field up-to-date, and just send me a letter that way! I don't mind if you type it up and then put it in an envelope and send it, or if you email me. Whatever is easier for you is just fine for me :).
Let's begin with a funny story. The night of January 6th, Hna. Blanco and I were back in our room, getting ready for bed. In fact, our whole building was full of sister missionaries getting ready for bed (there's probably 300+ sister missionaries here right now). Sisters were brushing their teeth, taking showers, putting their pajamas on... etc. All of a sudden, a shreiking beeping sound pierced our evening activities. My first thought was that it was the fire alarm, which I quickly told myself it wasn't... because why in the world would they do that to us at that hour of the night? It was almost bed time for goodness sakes, and heaven forbid that the missionaries get in bed after 10:30pm right? Well, to my dismay, and Hna. Blanco's as well, it was the fire alarm, we quickly threw on our big coats over our pajamas put the first shoes we found on, and ran out the door and down the stairs. Out of the doorways for each floor came a river of sisters some with toothbrushes in their mouths, some with towels in their hair, all wearing completely mismatched coats and pajama pants... etc. Luckily, someone in charge opened the gym for us (which is right across the courtyard from our building) and we were able to keep warm while we waited for the verdict on exactly what had happened. After about 10 minutes, they let us back in, and as we were climbing back up the stairs we heard shouts of, "it was BURNT POPCORN". haha... The whole situation was quite a sight... and I wish all of you could've been there to see. We were glad that there wasn't any real fire, and that it hadn't taken long to get things in order so we could go to bed. A little discomfort is worth a great memory... right? :)
Another fun thing that happened this week, is that Hna. Blanco and I got a letter from a sister that went to Houston, spanish-speaking last transfer, just before Christmas. We told her to write us and tell us how things are down there, and she did! She was so energetic and happy! Some of my favorite quotes from the letter:
"If you didn't think that this is the most amazing place in the world before, BELIEVE IT! Today is pday, and it's the first chance I've had to write anyone a letter but I wanted to tell you how amazing and fun this work is! I'm in the area of Katy, southmost part of the mission... and it IS the land of milk and honey!... We teach LOTS because we have like 20 investigators... Opening your mouth is not as hard one would think."
I'd like to close with my testimony, which I wrote in my journal on the fourth of January: "I feel so touched by the words of the scriptures, and the lives of the prophets. I want to be steadfast in the work as they were, and know the scriptures as they did, and be able to teach anyone about the gospel and just to be able to be friendly. I love the Book of Mormon and the Bible and all scripture. It's so eloquent and beautiful and comforting. These scriptures bring such peace and joy into my heart every time I read them. As always, I feel so privileged to be here, even though it's difficult, everyday I know that it's worth it."I hope you all know how much I love this work, and how much the gospel can change your life.
Love,Hermana Hollenbaugh
It is so great to have another opportunity to write you. I can't believe I've been out on my mission for just about 2 months already! Time flies! Anyway, it's been fun to receive updates from a few of you, and I'd love to hear from more! One quick note: while I'm here in the MTC, it doesn't cost a cent for you to send me a note through the DearElder.com website. However after I leave (in TWO weeks!) it is no longer free. I don't know how much it costs, but I don't want anyone to have to pay anything extra to send me letters through the site. I will make sure that I keep my address while I'm out in the field up-to-date, and just send me a letter that way! I don't mind if you type it up and then put it in an envelope and send it, or if you email me. Whatever is easier for you is just fine for me :).
Let's begin with a funny story. The night of January 6th, Hna. Blanco and I were back in our room, getting ready for bed. In fact, our whole building was full of sister missionaries getting ready for bed (there's probably 300+ sister missionaries here right now). Sisters were brushing their teeth, taking showers, putting their pajamas on... etc. All of a sudden, a shreiking beeping sound pierced our evening activities. My first thought was that it was the fire alarm, which I quickly told myself it wasn't... because why in the world would they do that to us at that hour of the night? It was almost bed time for goodness sakes, and heaven forbid that the missionaries get in bed after 10:30pm right? Well, to my dismay, and Hna. Blanco's as well, it was the fire alarm, we quickly threw on our big coats over our pajamas put the first shoes we found on, and ran out the door and down the stairs. Out of the doorways for each floor came a river of sisters some with toothbrushes in their mouths, some with towels in their hair, all wearing completely mismatched coats and pajama pants... etc. Luckily, someone in charge opened the gym for us (which is right across the courtyard from our building) and we were able to keep warm while we waited for the verdict on exactly what had happened. After about 10 minutes, they let us back in, and as we were climbing back up the stairs we heard shouts of, "it was BURNT POPCORN". haha... The whole situation was quite a sight... and I wish all of you could've been there to see. We were glad that there wasn't any real fire, and that it hadn't taken long to get things in order so we could go to bed. A little discomfort is worth a great memory... right? :)
Another fun thing that happened this week, is that Hna. Blanco and I got a letter from a sister that went to Houston, spanish-speaking last transfer, just before Christmas. We told her to write us and tell us how things are down there, and she did! She was so energetic and happy! Some of my favorite quotes from the letter:
"If you didn't think that this is the most amazing place in the world before, BELIEVE IT! Today is pday, and it's the first chance I've had to write anyone a letter but I wanted to tell you how amazing and fun this work is! I'm in the area of Katy, southmost part of the mission... and it IS the land of milk and honey!... We teach LOTS because we have like 20 investigators... Opening your mouth is not as hard one would think."
I'd like to close with my testimony, which I wrote in my journal on the fourth of January: "I feel so touched by the words of the scriptures, and the lives of the prophets. I want to be steadfast in the work as they were, and know the scriptures as they did, and be able to teach anyone about the gospel and just to be able to be friendly. I love the Book of Mormon and the Bible and all scripture. It's so eloquent and beautiful and comforting. These scriptures bring such peace and joy into my heart every time I read them. As always, I feel so privileged to be here, even though it's difficult, everyday I know that it's worth it."I hope you all know how much I love this work, and how much the gospel can change your life.
Love,Hermana Hollenbaugh
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Happy 2009!
Dear friends and family,I hope all of you are well. I am in my 7th week at the MTC, and I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My companion and I were adding it up and it looks as though we're going to end up being here for TEN and a half weeks. The transfer doesn't occur until the 28th, and we decided that we should've come in the day before Thanksgiving... but since no new missionaries came that day, they just had double come the week before. So lucky us... we get 2.5 extra weeks of MTC time. At first we were a little disappointed, but it'll be nice to have some extra practice and time to prep before we leave. I'm sure we'll need it.
Since I didn't have time last week to write about what Elder Holland talked about, I wanted to spend some time and talk about it this week. He was so inspiring.
He opened by having the grandchildren that had been able to come with him get up and sing a few primary songs (Away in a Manger, and I Am A Child of God). He called them "The Holland Family Singers". It was so cute because they ranged in age from probably 3 or 4 to about 10 or 11 and it was so fun to see they're faces as they sang. There was a little boy who was all dressed up with a fancy vest on and he had the biggest smile as he sang. After they sang, Elder Holland's wife got up and told us that the main reason that they had brought their grandkids was because they wanted us to have some little ones around to remind us of our own families. It was such a sweet gesture, and very appreciated, because we hardly EVER get to see little kids, and it's always fun when we do. Then, she said that SHE wanted to be here on Christmas morning to represent our mothers. She told us that if they were here, they'd tell us how proud they are of us, and how much they love us. She went on to talk about how we are all children of God, and as such, her grandchildren, in a way, could be seen as our little brothers and sisters. She told us that they look up to us, and thanked us for setting such a wonderful example for her grandchildren. I was so touched by her wish to sort of "simulate" our families being here, and then to make that connection for us.
Then Elder Holland got up. He is SO funny. The first thing he said when he got up was that the meeting had been so enriching up to that point that he didn't even need to speak. We had just had another musical number, a beautiful version of "Oh Holy Night" sung and accompanied by one of the missionaries. He mentioned how he couldn't sing, but he said, "I CAN pray... should I pray? We can close this up right now and go home." And then he realized what he'd just said to a bunch of missionaries, and said, "Well, not you... you can't go home. You're not going anywhere." He said it in such a joking tone... it was hilarious. Then he said, "There's nowhere on the face of the earth I'd rather be, than right here with you." I had written in my journal how I hoped that he knew how much we loved and appreciated him for being willing to be with us on Christmas, and when he said that I knew he did. He went on to discuss how "we get to count this as one of our little tokens of sacrifice" (being without our families on Christmas). "Think of those wimps sitting at home, around the fire, opening presents, being fed by their mothers." And with his fist in the air he said, "Way to sacrifice!". Haha... it was so so funny. Then he got a little more spiritual and began sort of painting with words the picture of the manger scene, before anyone else arrived. He talked about how important it was to remember that Christ was born without ANY material things... and this was likely so that he could relate to us. He talked about Joseph the carpenter and how he is one of the least known, most underappreciated people in scripture. Finally, he talked about 12 roles of the Savior. He gave us an assignment to do the same with the 12 days following Christmas... to choose one role that the Savior plays for each of those days and to study it.
UGH. I'm out of time. Again I hope you all are well, and to hear from you soon!
Love,Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
ps. Melanie Monroe, I want your address!
Since I didn't have time last week to write about what Elder Holland talked about, I wanted to spend some time and talk about it this week. He was so inspiring.
He opened by having the grandchildren that had been able to come with him get up and sing a few primary songs (Away in a Manger, and I Am A Child of God). He called them "The Holland Family Singers". It was so cute because they ranged in age from probably 3 or 4 to about 10 or 11 and it was so fun to see they're faces as they sang. There was a little boy who was all dressed up with a fancy vest on and he had the biggest smile as he sang. After they sang, Elder Holland's wife got up and told us that the main reason that they had brought their grandkids was because they wanted us to have some little ones around to remind us of our own families. It was such a sweet gesture, and very appreciated, because we hardly EVER get to see little kids, and it's always fun when we do. Then, she said that SHE wanted to be here on Christmas morning to represent our mothers. She told us that if they were here, they'd tell us how proud they are of us, and how much they love us. She went on to talk about how we are all children of God, and as such, her grandchildren, in a way, could be seen as our little brothers and sisters. She told us that they look up to us, and thanked us for setting such a wonderful example for her grandchildren. I was so touched by her wish to sort of "simulate" our families being here, and then to make that connection for us.
Then Elder Holland got up. He is SO funny. The first thing he said when he got up was that the meeting had been so enriching up to that point that he didn't even need to speak. We had just had another musical number, a beautiful version of "Oh Holy Night" sung and accompanied by one of the missionaries. He mentioned how he couldn't sing, but he said, "I CAN pray... should I pray? We can close this up right now and go home." And then he realized what he'd just said to a bunch of missionaries, and said, "Well, not you... you can't go home. You're not going anywhere." He said it in such a joking tone... it was hilarious. Then he said, "There's nowhere on the face of the earth I'd rather be, than right here with you." I had written in my journal how I hoped that he knew how much we loved and appreciated him for being willing to be with us on Christmas, and when he said that I knew he did. He went on to discuss how "we get to count this as one of our little tokens of sacrifice" (being without our families on Christmas). "Think of those wimps sitting at home, around the fire, opening presents, being fed by their mothers." And with his fist in the air he said, "Way to sacrifice!". Haha... it was so so funny. Then he got a little more spiritual and began sort of painting with words the picture of the manger scene, before anyone else arrived. He talked about how important it was to remember that Christ was born without ANY material things... and this was likely so that he could relate to us. He talked about Joseph the carpenter and how he is one of the least known, most underappreciated people in scripture. Finally, he talked about 12 roles of the Savior. He gave us an assignment to do the same with the 12 days following Christmas... to choose one role that the Savior plays for each of those days and to study it.
UGH. I'm out of time. Again I hope you all are well, and to hear from you soon!
Love,Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
ps. Melanie Monroe, I want your address!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Excerpts from my Journal
Hey There Everyone:
This week, I figured I'd just send all of you an excerpt from my journal since what most of you are probably curious about is Christmas and what it was like here. I wrote in detail (almost like a story) what Christmas was like here, and thought you all might enjoy it.
12-24-08"Tonight was probably the most amazing Christmas Eve I've ever had the opportunity to experience. Everything was pretty normal up until the Christmas Eve Devotional we had at 7pm. We got there about an hour early to make sure we got good seats (my district and I) and then we waited. About 15 minutes before each devotional begins, we sing prelude hymns (all the missionaries) together to get us in the mood to listen and appreciate what is said. During the singing of our final prelude hymn, Pres. Boone and his wife walked in, and suddenly the whole audience shot to their feet. I felt the spirit wash over me and completely envelop me, and I saw Elder Bednar's face briefly before some other missionaries could stand up and block my view. The whole meeting was so full of the spirit, and he felt so incredibly personal! He told us that there was no place he'd rather be then here at the MTC with his family on Christmas EVE. I so wish I could box up exactly what and how I felt, so that every time I open to this page in my journal, it could all come rushing back to me.
"Anyway, some of his family members got up and spoke briefly in their very friendly manner, and it felt just like he said he wanted it to... like a Christmas Eve Family Home Evening. He had missionaries read some scriptures for him while he talked about three traditional Christmas symbols (trees, lights, shepherds) and had us flipping through our scriptures non-stop. My pen was flying trying to record all the fabulous connections he made regarding the symbols, and I loved every single, solitary second of it. I honestly wished that he would keep going on into the night.
As a closing hymn, we sang "Silent Night" and in that moment, I decided that there was no place I'd rather be, than sitting at the feet of an apostle, singing Christmas carols with 2000 other missionaries. The only thing better would have been to have my family there. Then, as if things could've gotten any better, President Boone came to the pulpit and announced that we would all have the privilege of shaking Elder Bednar's hand! I don't think I could've received a better Christmas gift. He looked me right in the eyes, and I could feel, without a doubt, that Elder Bednar is called of God. It was a fabulous evening, full of the spirit.
"12-25-08"I don't think I could've asked for a better Christmas! Honestly, I was expecting them to not really do much special for us... in the spirit of sacrifice and serving. But the devotional last night was so unbelievably marvelous and then this morning they fed us breakfast, which was surprising because I thought they might just give us cereal so they didn't have to have people work on Christmas morning. After we ate, my district and I (and a few others) decided to go into the kitchen and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to the cafeteria workers, who I always feel like are rather under-appreciated. That was probably one of the highlights of my morning. They were so excited and grateful to be appreciated. After breakfast, we went to our classroom, where one of our district members, Hermana Torres, had left us each a little gift of a bracelet, a picture of Christ, and a little candy. I was so touched that she had taken time on her p-day to hand-make these bracelets for us. Then, while we were admiring our gifts and talking about how excited we were to be in the MTC for Christmas, the zone leaders came in and brought us gifts the MTC presidency had sent for us! We each got a little Christmas sack filled with candy, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, a fancy scripture marker with all different colors of lead inside, and a beautiful little sack with a drawstring. Inside of it was a gorgeous pearl necklace! I was actually just wishing this morning that I had a pretty necklace to wear, and it was the perfect gift. I love it so much.
"This is such a fabulous holiday, and I feel so loved and encouraged and appreciated and supported. I've been sitting here waiting to see who would be here for our 10am Christmas morning devotional, and Elder Holland just walked in. I hope most of all, that he knows how much we appreciate and love him for being willing to share his Christmas with us.
""After Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke to us today, he stood up, blew us a kiss, wished us a Merry Christmas, and walked towards the door. We were a little disappointed I think, because we were all hoping he might shake our hands like Elder Bednar had, but we all got up anyway and began walking out. We went out the side door of the gym, and fluffy, white snowflakes were falling. I saw a little group of about 20 missionaries waiting and watching where Elder Holland would come out of the building to see if they could see him again, and I decided to join them. After a few minutes, sure enough, the door opened and out came Elder Holland and his wife and family who had come to be with him at the devotional. I peered around the edge of the group of elders, stepping into 6 inch deep snow in the process. He yelled over to us, in a joking tone, something about how we were 'crazy for standing out in the snow like that.' The truth was, I couldn't have cared less! We watched someone hold an umbrella over his wife to keep her dry while she walked around to the passenger side of a light blue sedan and got in. Elder Holland got into the driver's seat and he slowly pulled out and began inching up the road, rolling past all the missionaries hanging from the curb. He had his window down and his arm out, waving to each one of us as he passed. When he got to me, the car kept moving, but we made eye contact for a moment. As strange as it sounds, I felt as if he could see into the very depth of my being... as if he knew me for exactly who I was. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to pull the car over and offer to stay with us for lunch, and then after lunch, tell us that he couldn't bear to leave us, and stay with us a little longer. I felt so much like a little child... with only that pure, simple, wish. All I could do as he ever so briefly saw me, was smile, wave, and wish him a 'Merry Christmas' before his eyes moved onto the next person and the car continued to roll forward up the road. It was such a magical moment.
"I hope you all had a magical Merry Christmas as well.
Love,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
Editor's note:
Austin asked me to add an "editor's note" to explain anything confusing in her letter this time. I thought I might just define some of the words/phrases she used first and :
devotional--speakers come and give a talk that is gospel related.
district--the other missionaries that are going to Houston with her
prelude hymn--religious songs that are played or sung BEFORE the actual meeting
Elder Bednar--one of the twelve apostles
President Boone--MTC president
Elder Holland--one of the twelve apostles
"full of the spirit"--she felt the warm feeling of God and Christ letting her know that the things she heard were true
p-day--personal day (the day of the week that the missionaries get to do a few things for themselves like send e-mail and have some personal time.)
Additionally, Austin describes how excited she was to see Elder Bednar and Elder Holland. Members of the church are discouraged from treating the general authorities of the church (prophet and apostles) as celebrities. However, they are apostles of the Lord and seeing and interacting with an apostle of God is exciting and I'm sure a very moving experience. I believe this feeling of closeness to the Lord is what Austin is trying to convey.
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This week, I figured I'd just send all of you an excerpt from my journal since what most of you are probably curious about is Christmas and what it was like here. I wrote in detail (almost like a story) what Christmas was like here, and thought you all might enjoy it.
12-24-08"Tonight was probably the most amazing Christmas Eve I've ever had the opportunity to experience. Everything was pretty normal up until the Christmas Eve Devotional we had at 7pm. We got there about an hour early to make sure we got good seats (my district and I) and then we waited. About 15 minutes before each devotional begins, we sing prelude hymns (all the missionaries) together to get us in the mood to listen and appreciate what is said. During the singing of our final prelude hymn, Pres. Boone and his wife walked in, and suddenly the whole audience shot to their feet. I felt the spirit wash over me and completely envelop me, and I saw Elder Bednar's face briefly before some other missionaries could stand up and block my view. The whole meeting was so full of the spirit, and he felt so incredibly personal! He told us that there was no place he'd rather be then here at the MTC with his family on Christmas EVE. I so wish I could box up exactly what and how I felt, so that every time I open to this page in my journal, it could all come rushing back to me.
"Anyway, some of his family members got up and spoke briefly in their very friendly manner, and it felt just like he said he wanted it to... like a Christmas Eve Family Home Evening. He had missionaries read some scriptures for him while he talked about three traditional Christmas symbols (trees, lights, shepherds) and had us flipping through our scriptures non-stop. My pen was flying trying to record all the fabulous connections he made regarding the symbols, and I loved every single, solitary second of it. I honestly wished that he would keep going on into the night.
As a closing hymn, we sang "Silent Night" and in that moment, I decided that there was no place I'd rather be, than sitting at the feet of an apostle, singing Christmas carols with 2000 other missionaries. The only thing better would have been to have my family there. Then, as if things could've gotten any better, President Boone came to the pulpit and announced that we would all have the privilege of shaking Elder Bednar's hand! I don't think I could've received a better Christmas gift. He looked me right in the eyes, and I could feel, without a doubt, that Elder Bednar is called of God. It was a fabulous evening, full of the spirit.
"12-25-08"I don't think I could've asked for a better Christmas! Honestly, I was expecting them to not really do much special for us... in the spirit of sacrifice and serving. But the devotional last night was so unbelievably marvelous and then this morning they fed us breakfast, which was surprising because I thought they might just give us cereal so they didn't have to have people work on Christmas morning. After we ate, my district and I (and a few others) decided to go into the kitchen and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to the cafeteria workers, who I always feel like are rather under-appreciated. That was probably one of the highlights of my morning. They were so excited and grateful to be appreciated. After breakfast, we went to our classroom, where one of our district members, Hermana Torres, had left us each a little gift of a bracelet, a picture of Christ, and a little candy. I was so touched that she had taken time on her p-day to hand-make these bracelets for us. Then, while we were admiring our gifts and talking about how excited we were to be in the MTC for Christmas, the zone leaders came in and brought us gifts the MTC presidency had sent for us! We each got a little Christmas sack filled with candy, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, a fancy scripture marker with all different colors of lead inside, and a beautiful little sack with a drawstring. Inside of it was a gorgeous pearl necklace! I was actually just wishing this morning that I had a pretty necklace to wear, and it was the perfect gift. I love it so much.
"This is such a fabulous holiday, and I feel so loved and encouraged and appreciated and supported. I've been sitting here waiting to see who would be here for our 10am Christmas morning devotional, and Elder Holland just walked in. I hope most of all, that he knows how much we appreciate and love him for being willing to share his Christmas with us.
""After Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke to us today, he stood up, blew us a kiss, wished us a Merry Christmas, and walked towards the door. We were a little disappointed I think, because we were all hoping he might shake our hands like Elder Bednar had, but we all got up anyway and began walking out. We went out the side door of the gym, and fluffy, white snowflakes were falling. I saw a little group of about 20 missionaries waiting and watching where Elder Holland would come out of the building to see if they could see him again, and I decided to join them. After a few minutes, sure enough, the door opened and out came Elder Holland and his wife and family who had come to be with him at the devotional. I peered around the edge of the group of elders, stepping into 6 inch deep snow in the process. He yelled over to us, in a joking tone, something about how we were 'crazy for standing out in the snow like that.' The truth was, I couldn't have cared less! We watched someone hold an umbrella over his wife to keep her dry while she walked around to the passenger side of a light blue sedan and got in. Elder Holland got into the driver's seat and he slowly pulled out and began inching up the road, rolling past all the missionaries hanging from the curb. He had his window down and his arm out, waving to each one of us as he passed. When he got to me, the car kept moving, but we made eye contact for a moment. As strange as it sounds, I felt as if he could see into the very depth of my being... as if he knew me for exactly who I was. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to pull the car over and offer to stay with us for lunch, and then after lunch, tell us that he couldn't bear to leave us, and stay with us a little longer. I felt so much like a little child... with only that pure, simple, wish. All I could do as he ever so briefly saw me, was smile, wave, and wish him a 'Merry Christmas' before his eyes moved onto the next person and the car continued to roll forward up the road. It was such a magical moment.
"I hope you all had a magical Merry Christmas as well.
Love,
Hermana Austin Hollenbaugh
Editor's note:
Austin asked me to add an "editor's note" to explain anything confusing in her letter this time. I thought I might just define some of the words/phrases she used first and :
devotional--speakers come and give a talk that is gospel related.
district--the other missionaries that are going to Houston with her
prelude hymn--religious songs that are played or sung BEFORE the actual meeting
Elder Bednar--one of the twelve apostles
President Boone--MTC president
Elder Holland--one of the twelve apostles
"full of the spirit"--she felt the warm feeling of God and Christ letting her know that the things she heard were true
p-day--personal day (the day of the week that the missionaries get to do a few things for themselves like send e-mail and have some personal time.)
Additionally, Austin describes how excited she was to see Elder Bednar and Elder Holland. Members of the church are discouraged from treating the general authorities of the church (prophet and apostles) as celebrities. However, they are apostles of the Lord and seeing and interacting with an apostle of God is exciting and I'm sure a very moving experience. I believe this feeling of closeness to the Lord is what Austin is trying to convey.
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