What an amazing month this has been! We were asked to help staff the Family History Booth at the Texas State Fair in Dallas—the largest state fair, with between 3½ to 4 million visitors each year, in the United States. Every third day since the last week in September we have driven 35 miles to the train station in Denton. There we catch a train before 8:00 am and travel one hour, then change trains in Trinity Mills and travel another hour to the Fair Park Station in Dallas. After making our way past BIG TEX who towers over the crowds, greeting fair goers with his big booming voice (everything is BIG in Texas) "Howdy folks, I'm Big Tex! Welcome to the State Fair of Texas." We then make our way to our booth, where we spend the next six hours on our feet signing people up for help with familysearch.org It is at once intimidating, scary, tiring, and then—we meet some wonderful people who get excited, after we finally convince them the service is free! A few have inexplicably found themselves with misting eyes, as they contemplate finding their ancestry! Of course we know why. Anything connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints carries a wondrous spirit—of goodness, happiness and truth—which we have witnessed touching so many people since becoming missionaries over six months ago.
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| BIG TEX Greeting Crowds |
What an amazing month this has been! We were asked to help staff the Family History Booth at the Texas State Fair in Dallas—the largest state fair, with between 3½ to 4 million visitors each year, in the United States. Every third day since the last week in September we have driven 35 miles to the train station in Denton. There we catch a train before 8:00 am and travel one hour, then change trains in Trinity Mills and travel another hour to the Fair Park Station in Dallas. After making our way past BIG TEX who towers over the crowds, greeting fair goers with his big booming voice (everything is BIG in Texas) "Howdy folks, I'm Big Tex! Welcome to the State Fair of Texas." We then make our way to our booth, where we spend the next six hours on our feet signing people up for help with familysearch.org It is at once intimidating, scary, tiring, and then—we meet some wonderful people who get excited, after we finally convince them the service is free! A few have inexplicably found themselves with misting eyes, as they contemplate finding their ancestry! Of course we know why. Anything connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints carries a wondrous spirit—of goodness, happiness and truth—which we have witnessed touching so many people since becoming missionaries over six months ago.
I am here to tell you, missionary work IS work. I've never been so tired in my life! (Well maybe) And if traveling 5½ hours round trip, plus the 6 hours at the fair are not enough, every day we spend back in our little town in northern Texas, we have been teaching, teaching, teaching. We have a wonderful baptism tonight. We taught a first discussion with a Pentecostal woman yesterday, who a few days ago literally YELLED at us in terrible anger, for living in sin with multiple wives! Elder Holt amazed me with his ability to calm her down. But I will tell that story another day, except to say that as we taught she was tearful and receptive. Oh my! We have a 12 year old scheduled for baptism on November 2nd, and many other wondrous stories of the Lords hand working his promised miracle!
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| Elder & Sister Holt (we were asked to dress casual) |
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| Elder Holt got to watch the last quarter of the big rivalry game between Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns! (Longhorns Win) |
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| View of Dallas from the train |
