Week 2 in the MTC

Letter to home

Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
Okay so here we go week two! it has been an adventure!

I have realized it just like a bunch of body snatchers here! It is like "The Host" (the book not the movie) here! Fo' real! Everyone trusts everyone, everyone loves everyone! and my companion was sent away because she was really sick and boom two days later she's back and back to normal WHAT!!!??? The other night I got up to go to the bathroom and cam e back to a locked door. I knock and nothing I knock again and nothing so I just got an extra blanket and slept on the couch in the main area. I'm awakened 5 hours later by a security guard who says "sister, why are you sleeping on the couch,"
 "well I got locked out of my room"
"have you been crying?"

"no, I've been sleeping"

"would you like back in your room, sister"

"yes I would"

Then no questions asked lets me into my room i could have been a murderer!! Disguised as a sister who got locked out of her room! no, but really she was so concerned and just took care of me it was really cool. I really felt at that moment I was living in a perfect world where everyone trusts everyone and even for meal times you swipe your card for statistical reasons but you don't get charged same with laundry. It is quite odd and quite wonderful!

So the language is a little better and yet my lessons are terrible! So we met with our investigator Jen a couple more times. My companion was in quarantine and so i taught with two other sisters and he was wondering about the atonement and why it was necessary so this is how it went down...

me: "so, I break your book. I say I am sorry and you say it's okay. But it's not okay"

Jen "no it's not okay"

me: "yeah so i get you a new book and now it's okay"

Jen; "uh yeah okay"

me: "Jesus Christ paid for that book so we can just say I'm sorry and it's good"

(now he's looking at me weird so I bring up the scripture saying no unclean thing can get to heaven)

me: "the atonement makes it so we can go to heaven. not clean no heaven"

(then Jen starts laughing (probs at my dutch or the fact that I was talking about the savior give us new books idk) so i start bawling i mean BAWLING, sobbing uncontrollably) then my dear sisters try to dig us out of this hole aabout books i've gotten us into while I try to stop crying. ugh it was annoying and now everyone who sees me says "niet rein nee hemel!" and then fake cries  yep that is right.

Next story...

Doing a door approach:

an elder from the other district: "hello i'm elder so-in-so and this is my companion elder so-in-so and we are his children." then he just busts out laughing and leaves because in dutch "we are missionaries is "wij zijn zendelingen" and "we are His children" (referring to Heavenly Father) is "wij zijn zijn kinderen" it was hilarious!!!!!!

Next story...

doing a door approach:

(person opens the door)

me in dutch: Hi! i mean Hallo. Hoe heet u?

english translation: Hi! I mean hello. Who are you?

that door approach was a terrible beginning but we have a meeting tomorrow with him so he must be really nice or it wasn't that bad idk.

Next story...

Yesterday or teacher Brother Mohrmon (yep that's right) was telling us about his life in dutch and he said this long thing and one of the sisters yells, "ik ook" or "me too" and he's says, "oh really, you're the only boy?" but in her defense it really did sound like he said he was the youngest.

So the best thing happened this week. relief society was given by Sister Janice Kapp Perry who has written songs like "we'll bring the world his truth," "i love to see the temple," "a child's prayer," "love is spoken here," "as sisters in zion" and many more! She came and spoke to us it was amazing and then she says she wrote new words to "as sisters in zion" called "the sisters of zion" and we were the first people to sing it ever! I wish I could remember all the words but basically it was the best song ever and everyone was bawling! It said stuff like "we're fighting alongside Helaman's army" and "we're going out in numbers far greater than before" ahhhhh look out for it and know I sang it or rather cried it first!

So it was mother's day and I didn't get to call but I was thinking a lot about mothers and along with the lyric in the new "the sisters of zion" song i had an epiphany! All of the missionaries going out right now are like Helaman's army and so we have the mother's of Helaman's army. Without the Mother's and what knowledge faith they had Helaman's army would not have succeeded. I know that I have a Helaman's army mom who has raised my for this moment right now and I hope you know mom that you are exactly that! Read about them and know you are one of them!!! Thank you so much for all that you have done and all that you do!

So the pictures I am sending are quite ridiculous because none of us realized we had the netherlands flag upside down and so it looks like we are Belgium and Russia! Well, yeah! We are idiots. But alas.

I basically love love love it here! It is truly the best I just can't get enough. The days are not long enough!! I love everything. It is weird because we had one teacher and then Jen our investigator became our next teacher and yesterday we had a sub. Through working with different people in the language i have realized i really don't know dutch I just get used to the person and rely on their facial expressions and gestures. I thought I was really getting it but then the sub came in and I sat there not knowing a word he said. I know that I will learn tons here and then got over there and not know anything I just know it. Especially when they speak at normal speed i'm like heyo none of that!

It is amazing the spirit is so strong and i am learning so so much! The church is true ya'll! the gospel has been restored and we have the chance to be a part of it! Dang i love this work!! i will write again next week with more delightfully embarrassing stories! Yayy! 

Ik houd van u!!!!

Zuster Elting

p.s. Ik houd van u (i love you) it's direct translation is I hold you close bahhh so cute!! so ik houd van u!!

that's my collega Zuster Andersen she is all better now