Hello dear friends and family!

Im alive and well in Buenos Aires Argentina at the CCM! (CCM is the spanish abbreviation for Missionary Training Center). It is so amazing but crazy here! 

Wow I dont even know where to begin. This last week felt so long, but at the same time it blew by. The days all blur together here.

It was such a long flight to get here, I thought i was going to die! we flew part of the day and all night long. I felt so disoriented when I finally arrived a day later in Argentina. From the second I arrived at the CCM it has been GO, GO GO!!!! 

We get up at 630 every morning and have study time and classes and devotionals literally ALL day long. We only stop and breathe when we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh, and the food here is absolutely amazing! I love argentine food. Lunch and dinner consist of some kind of delicious meat (pork, carne, chicken), potatoes, french fries (but different from American fries) or fried rice, or pasta with meat. They serve HUGE portions and its muy muy rica.

My companion is Hermana (or Sister, which is the title us missionaries all have) Vernon from Manti Utah. She is the sweetest and we get along so well! She doesnt know much spanish, so I have had to do a lot of translating for her. But its fun! We have a lot of fun together, quizzing each other on new spanish words and phrases. Shes amazing and so dedicated. 

Im so grateful that I already know the Spanish language pretty well, because it would be so very hard if I didnt! My roommates (4 of them) are all Latina, and dont speak any English. Actually, most of the people here at the CCM dont speak any english. only a few of the teachers, the president, and a few of us gringo missionaries. There are probably about 150 of us missionaries here at the CCM, and im gonna guess like 110 of them are Latino. So its been an adventure for sure! haha! its funny to hear during meal times the gringo missionaries try to talk and joke with the latino missionaries. half the time they just look at us like we are crazy when we try to speak in spanish! haha! but they are all so sweet and friendly and patient with us. 

Ive been so blessed with the ability to understand spanish well. I translate for the gringo missionaries a lot of the time, because none of them know a lick of spanish. I had to give a short talk at a devotional a few days ago in front of EVERYONE (in spanish of course), which was a little nerveracking, but I did it. And afterwards, all the Latino missionaries asked me if i was sure i was from the united states because i spoke like a Latina! Haha! That made me feel good.

Well, we only get an hour to write each week, and man does it go fast. I hope all is well back in the States. Thank you for everyones sweet emails and prayers on my behalf. I love you all and miss you!

I love talking in Spanish all the time. The language is so beautiful, and I can't wait to be completely fluent! 

Oh and funny story - when we arrive at the CCM they are supposed to give you your name badge. I was so excited to get mine, and when they started to give us them, we realized that my badges werent here! They had not arrived here yet because my initial leaving date for my mission had been moved up. I was super sad at first, but after the first day Presidente Benton (the CCM president, who is the most amazing guy ever) made me a badge from someones old one. Then on Sunday mine finally came in. It is such an amazing feeling to put on that missionary badge each morning, which reads "Hermana Holt. I love being Hermana Holt and having this amazing opportunity to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ!

I love you all. Stay safe !

it will only let me send 3 of my pics on this email, so ill send another with the rest. 

Mucho amor, 

Hermana Holt 

My District