Soeur Holt has now been out for just about four months (almost three months in Guadeloupe) and she is starting to realise that she has a finite time as a missionary. She’s thinking about her purpose as a missionary and whether she is making the most of her time. It is really good to hear that she is considering how she can best follow the Saviour: I said to Soeur needs and Soeur Robinson this week that I don’t just want to coast through a mission, which I think can be so easily done. I don’t want to just go through the motions- I want to see the results; I was encouraged to turn to the definition of a successful missionary in Preach My Gospel chapter one and I also found these scriptures during a personal study.

The purpose of a missionary outlined in the book, Preach My Gospel is: Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

Why is this? Because of the transformation that comes through the Saviour. The scripture that Souer Holt mentions is Hebrews 6:10-11: For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.

The promise that God does not forget your work was highlighted for Soeur Holt this week as she struggled with an horrific headache for 3 days. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that if people are sick or struggling that they can receive a blessing from those who hold the priesthood. This is something that Soeur Holt was always able to turn to her dad for, but on her mission there are others she can turn to. Finally I got a blessing from my zone leaders Elders Palmer and Osario; I am never alone, I always have my companions and my zone around me. Most importantly Heavenly Father knows me and loves me and knows of the sacrifices I have made to be here on a mission and knows of my love for the people here.

There had recently been some alterations to the way missionaries plan their time, it had changed a lot since her dad served his mission so we asked Soeur Holt about the process of planning. For the big weekly planning session we follow the step by step process laid out in Preach My Gospel and that usually occurs on a Thursday afternoon for three hours. Daily planning is every morning for 30 minutes and the same we follow Preach My Gospel:

“Be prayerful as you discuss the lessons or topics you can study during personal and companion study time that will help you with your plan. Write these topics in the space provided on the daily schedule. Review your daily schedule. Have a meaningful activity planned for every hour of the day. During the Sunday-night planning session, total and submit your weekly Call-In Summary Report, write your weekly letter to your mission president, and finalize your goals for the coming week. Prior to leaving your apartment the next day, review your goals, plans, and schedule. Make revisions if needed. Always pray before leaving your apartment. You can tell how effective your daily plans are when you don’t need to ask others, ‘Now what should I do?’”

In terms of forward planning we tend to look three four days in advance and set up appointments and then just reconfirm every morning.

Soeur Holt was able to have lots of different experiences this week; visiting with members, going on exchanges with the Sisters from Martinique and teaching. The Sisters held a family home evening with a special friend last week, she is planning on being baptised soon. Her story is that all of her children are baptised, just not her and now, she will be joining the rest of her family as a member of the Church.

Soeur Holt continues to attend Abymes branch on her own as a missionary, but with Soeur Emma (who is soon to go to Tahiti on her mission) acting as her companion.

We also got two weeks’ worth of photographs so we will post a gallery below.