June 2014

***The big news from Chelsea this month is that she has asked to extend her mission.  So instead of coming home on October 28th of this year, she will be coming home on November 19th. ***

June 30, 2014

WORLD CUP!!!!!! Well Nederland is undefeated so far. GO orange!!!  World cup here is greatness. It's probably the one thing Nederlanders are united in. We are not allowed to watch it but there is no need because every time we score the entire neighborhood, yea, the entire country hoots and hollers and toots these really loud horns and yells "Hup Holland Hup!" it is soooooooo cool.  After the game is over, and we've won, when you walk down the street there is just a brotherhood. People look at you and then start yelling and then you have to yell back it's quite entertaining. We were on a bus last night after the game and everyone was tooting their horns at the bus driver and he was just honking the horn like the whole way it was priceless. Also EVERYONE is wearing orange.

This week we had a missionary activity where we invited one of the ladies in our ward to speak about her experience living in China. It was sooooo great. Our Relief Society President  placed an ad for the activity in the newspaper and all of the sudden, so many unfamiliar faces walked in. It was sooooooo great! Also my companion and I have decided we need to invade China and free all the illegal children...who said that?

This week we've been working with the zone leaders for a plan for the zone. The zone leaders are Elder Chantry and Elder Ipson. It is Elder Iipson's last transfer and we've decided on a theme that is SO him. We are going military style. Basically they sent out recruiting letters to all of the zone members requesting their help on a secret mission to find "the bag" and well, we don't have all of the training figured out but we are going to do a training to help us all become more converted and eventually open "the bag" which hasn't quite been located yet...haha

Well, I have studied much about communication lately. There is an article in the February  2014 Liahona about communicating with a spouse and think it may be one of the most valuable lessons I have learned and I have still so much to learn. But basically there are 3 types of communication 1. surface→ schedules, happenings in the day 2. personal→ dreams, hopes, fears, likes and dislikes and 3. validating→ compliments, noticing how one is feeling and empathizing.

Last transfer Sister Schwab and I did a week where we focused on validating people and it was such a great experience. I think validation is the most important type of communicating with others.

well i hope you have a good week i love you and will talk to you next week:)

June 9, 2014

Well, my companion and I just got done cleaning pigeon poop for two hours off of our balcony.

I HATE BIRDS!!!! They wake us up in the morning at like 6 and they make babies on our balcony and then the babies die and then they rot and they just poop everywhere. My companion and I have had it. We have tried nearly all the suggestions from other missionaries to get rid of them, but seeing as we are hardly ever home they just do what they please....ugh.

Glad I got that off my chest.

Well this week was a great week. We went and played at the dunes for P-day last week and that was loads of fun!! We were all really sore for a couple of days. Our investigator who has a baptismal date is AMAZING! He starts our appointment out with telling us that he was awakened at 2 in the morning the night we had left last week and he just kept being haunted by the question "What's the difference? What's the difference?" He couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, (At this point my companion, myself and our joint teach are like "the difference between what?) but he continues and says he gets up and starts to read the bible looking for answers, and then he says "I found the answer to what the difference is between Joseph Smith and John Wesley" (John Wesley is the founder of the Methodist religion which Our investigator is a part of) he proceeds to read us the scripture that out of the mouth of two witnesses shall every word be established, (we're thinking oh no) but then he says "and then I knew. Both Joseph Smith and John Wesley were servants of God." (uhhhh...) "BUT," he says "while John Wesley was a servant of God, Joseph Smith was a prophet." BLESS THE HEAVENS!!! It was so amazing. Then he just starts testifying about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith as a prophet and I am still to this day confused as to how he drew that conclusion but the Lord works in mysterious ways. He began the Methodist church in Amsterdam and it has grown to 300 people and now he is to be baptized here. It is proving to be a hard transition for him. He needs prayers.

Also another investigator came to Stake Conference it was her first time ever in church. President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen spoke. After the meeting she told us it was different than what she expected. We asked, "better or worse?" Worse she says. Well, she then told us she just wants it to sink in and that all of what was said went right over her head. A.K.A. she does not want to meet with us again. We testified to her and told her that it wasn't ever meant to just come in one day. Sister Schwab told her to have patience with herself and with God and then testified of the church as the true church. She begins to cry. She told us that she wants to feel passionately about something, like we do about the gospel. She told us that baptism might be her answer but that she wants to take it slow. After standing for a bit with tears streaming down all of our faces she just hugs me for a long time and then Sister Schwab, and we say that we love her and she says she loves us too. She then takes out her agenda and is planning to come on Sunday again to church. It was the biggest turn around I have ever seen. I never knew I could love these random strangers so much. She is a kindred spirit. Pray for her too!

Amid all of these wonderful moments we decided to stop visiting one investigator and another told us that she does not want to meet anymore. Every week is a roller coaster.

Another beautiful moment of the week is when we had a missionary activity in our ward, where we asked a new American couple to talk about where they are from. It's a chance for the ward to get to know members from other countries in the ward and also a great excuse to invite your non- member friends. The place was packed!!! They played the national anthem, I cried (man I haven't heard that song in a long time). We ate yummy southern food, line danced and now the sisters in Ijmuiden have a new investigator!! Beautiful!!

This week has been a blast, we've seen so many miracles, and it's hot, and the sun is shining!! What more could we want!?