tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61226494843001261512024-03-19T04:20:41.414-07:00Bikes, Dikes, and Waffles: 18 months serving in the Belgium/Netherlands MissionChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-87385069107105670382014-09-02T14:37:00.001-07:002014-09-02T14:37:24.769-07:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
August 2014</h2>
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August 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well the funeral was beautiful!!! It was an honor to
be there and it meant so much for the Den Bosch ward that we could be there.
The service was so Christ centered because J. was so Christ-like. I thought a
lot about what our lives say about us, do they reflect Christ? I think we all
need to start living a life so that Christ is the main focus at our funeral. It
was great to see his parents. They are anchored in hope and in testimony. I was
so impressed. They were walking around serving others and making sure everyone
was taken care of. At one point the father was searching around for a ride for
us. I thought wow this man is so Christ-like he has every excuse to have a pity
party and yet he's making sure the missionaries have a ride. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am being transferred to Groningen! I'm excited and
nervous. I have a lot to do there and God has just granted me what I've waited
my whole mission for. Time to raise the bar.<o:p></o:p></div>
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August 10, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome to Groningen! City of wonders.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I feel home here. It's a crazy feeling. My first day here my
companion says, "Oh yeah one of the guys in the ward was super excited you
are here he says you're family and that there is an old Elting woman who is
going to pass away soon and he hoped you would come soon enough to talk to her." WHAT!!!?? So cool. He's a great guy and has
already given me his family tree to see the Eltings’ and found a photo of Opa
Klaas and Oma Jelly's gravestone. WHAT!!!???<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is literally a dream to be here and so many people know
the Elting name here and assume I'm just a Dutch sister. It's cool. We haven't
visited family members yet that will come when we have more time. Missionary
work here is booming and I'm with such a hard working companion! I'm stoked to
work with Sister Wood she has already taught me so much! We work overtime
here!! Haha There are just sooooo many investigators to keep track of. I didn't
know this could ever be a problem. We finally got a planning session in
yesterday because we were almost at both of our breaking points. One
investigator came to church yesterday and he stayed for like a half hour then
disappeared. He had like a panic attack and so we had to go try to salvage that
(thankfully it turned out okay) then we were running late to our next
appointment. Ahh! The day before we had a meeting in Zwolle but the trains
weren't working and we ended up being soooo late to all of our appointments but
everyone was so patient with us and all of our appointments went through.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The craziest thing about all of our investigators is because
this is a student city they are all SOOO smart. We are teaching a few
philosophers so needless to stay my studies have turned from peaceful
edification to avid, desperate scarfing. But hey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day we were rushing to an appt. (we were going to be
late) and we passed three 20ish year old guys who were dressed like
missionaries as we passed we heard one ask, "If Jesus exists, why do so
many babies die?" But we couldn't stop because we would be late, but we
both felt prompted to stop. Well we go to our appointment and she wants to
reschedule and wasn't expecting us. AHHHHH! So we had like an hour and we both
realized that we should have just followed the prompting because God knows
better!!! Sooooooo we decided to hunt them down. We are going all around and
finally we find them and had a REALLY great talk with them. Only one of them
really had any interest in learning but it was so cool to talk to them. It was
really great because they kept asking questions they thought they would stump
us but of course through the gospel of Christ you can answer those questions of
the soul and they were shocked and satisfied with all of the answers. It was so
wonderful to be able to just have the answers to questions that haunt so many
people. What a blessing!<o:p></o:p></div>
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August 18,2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well Groningen is wonderful! Unfortunately it is SOOOO cold
but hey that's what we get for serving in the North Pole. We found 6 new
investigators this week! We are so blessed. School starts here this week and it
is already soooo busy. I love working in a college city! <o:p></o:p></div>
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First miracle of the week was on Monday night. We had a
couple potentials to look up and we had no success and it was raining while the
sun was shining (a foreshadowing) so we look up and saw a rainbow so we
followed it to do some door knocking and....no success. But then we had one
more person to look up and it was really our last chance we still had 40 ish
minutes before we could go in and it was cold so we hoped (for selfish reasons)
someone would let us in. We knock on this lady's door who was not so positive
last time but she had been reading in the book of Mormon we gave her and found
answers to her questions. She invited us in and we had a beautiful lesson with
her. She said she had lost her faith after her grandma died pretty recently but
when she read the Book of Mormon she found it again. The craziest thing is that
she doesn't speak Dutch all that well but the Book of Mormon was in Dutch but
she had just read the first two chapters over and over again so she could
understand. We told her we could get her a Book of Mormon in her own language
and she was soooo happy. It was soo cool. We are meeting with her this week
again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also we had another wonderful miracle. When I knew I was
going to Groningen I felt like I needed to contact J.’s grandma who is an
inactive here. Well we get a call from a man from Alkmaar and he says that he
set up an appointment with her and wanted us to be there. It was such a miracle
to talk with her and recognized me. She has come back to church and yesterday
when I saw her at church I said, "I’m glad you are here!" and she
says, "of course I'm here it can't otherwise!" (doesn't quite
translate in English) <o:p></o:p></div>
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Later this week we found this great couple who just started
going to a church and when we knocked on the door with a book about Christ the
man made an appointment instantly! We
met with them and it was such a great lesson we look forward to going back this
week!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shout out to Brittany: <o:p></o:p></div>
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This week we went by a potential from Russia. She is a sassy
old lady with BROKEN Dutch. When we got
inside I told her that I had a friend who lived for a while in Novosibrisk
(spelling?) and she got so excited and started speaking to me in Russian.
Because her Dutch is just as hard to understand as the Russian I was just
playing along and I think she just thought we understood. I needed you Brit!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Alsoooooooo, a brother from the ward took us to an Elting
woman who lives down the street and when he introduced me to her she just
smiled so big and almost started crying. She is so precious and sassy. She is
in her 90s and in a nursing home. It was wonderful to talk with her she said
she knew Klaas Elting!! Super cool<o:p></o:p></div>
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August 24<sup>th</sup>, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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This week was overwhelming. Train rides and meetings and
meetings and meetings and train rides and not sleeping in our own beds and
finally Saturday evening my body just had had enough. Seriously flesh is weak!
My mind was ready to go more but my body flipped and I got really sick. A weird
sick though and although I was really doubting being able to go to our appointments
the next day let alone church. I went to sleep and the next day I did fine.
This is why I'm convinced that the worst torture method would be sleep
deprivation. All I needed was a good night's rest in my own bed. Thankfully.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The greatest miracle however is with a wonderful
investigator. She has had (I would argue) the worst life imaginable. But she is
just good. Inside and out, a good person who was dealt a REALLY bad hand. We
had an appointment last night with her.
We racked our brains planning the lesson but couldn't seem to grasp anything to
teach her so when we sat down. Sister Wood asks simply what she would like to
talk about that day. This led to her telling us that she has been asking God
what she needs to do and that He is calling her to our church. She wondered
about being baptized a second time but said her answer was a simple
"yes" She told us she is planning on quitting smoking this week and
that she wants us to help her keep busy. She also said that she wants to have
quit smoking for 4 weeks before baptism but that she wants to set a date for
the end of Sept. or Oct. Sheis wonderful and also told us that she'll be in
church from now on. Needless to say we are sooooo excited. Pray for her!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This week I've learned a lot about being a better teacher.
About preparing an environment where the Spirit can enter and testify of truth.
I have been able to do a little self-inflection (is that a thing?) but I've
been on my mission for a while now and I have read and memorized the doctrine
we are to teach and so I've become quite casual in teaching it. You could say
I've been leaning on my own understanding. I remember hearing in the MTC just
how we should never underestimate the challenge that each lesson will be. In
Groningen this is especially true. People ask questions that I don't have
answers to. It's been soo great and humbling. There is so much I don't know
about the gospel and that is okay. I've come to know that a testimony of the
restoration is the fundamental that we should build on, and I'm just grateful to
have the eternities to keep learning because there just isn't enough time!!! <o:p></o:p></div>
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August 31, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well this week has been busy, busy. More traveling and
traveling and just rushing from one appointment to the next. It's been fun
though and the weather has been nicer:) One of our investigators chose a baptismal date....Sept 27th! She is
wonderful! We worked hard this week getting to know members and it is funny and
interesting to see the cultural differences within this little country. We
finally got an appointment with a young single adult investigator and he wants
a new beginning! It was great to teach him and tell him that through Jesus
Christ you can begin anew anytime, anywhere! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I think you'll be proud to know that we had a pioneer
celebration where my companion fiddled (she learned in a week) and I taught
line dancing! SOOOOO fun! We did relay races and played stick pull and leg and
arm wrestling and watermelon seed spitting. Man, that was really crazy to
experience again, we loved it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I talked with some kids yesterday who yelled "you're
fancy!" (rough English translation) at us. So we chatted for a bit and it
was really cool. The girls were like 9 or so and they heard my accent so they
got excited and wanted to say things in English. So cute. They asked why I was
here and I told them that my companion and I tell people about Jesus and asked
if they knew anything about Jesus. They all got really excited and said they
did and one of the girls told me that she was named after Rebekka in the bible.
Man, kids are so good! I left them with a card and was reminded about Elder
Kruisinga (one of the senior couple men). As a young teenager he would go to
church even though he wasn't a member but the missionaries took no thought to
try to teach him because he was so young. Later fortunately he became a member
but I thought, hey I'm going to contact these young girls (plus they were
asking me all the questions) you never know!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kijk! This is a big company for drywall or something.....Haha
cool, eh?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Zuster Meier and a ward member with Chelsea</div>
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Chelsea and her MTC companion Zuster Andersen </div>
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Biking with<br />
Zuster Meier<br />
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Chelsea and Elder Ipson on his last day.<br />
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Last day in Haarlem</div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-34789318381051803662014-07-30T13:48:00.001-07:002014-07-30T13:48:37.262-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
July 6, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hello happy July. Wow time is flying. After a very
unsuccessful week last week we buckled down and got to work. I have been
studying a lot about consecration and about what it takes to consecrate our
actions. I'm beginning to feel the difference between dedication and
consecration. We worked hard to consecrate our time and efforts this week and
saw some cool things and this next week we are FULL with appointments.</div>
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And just
to add icing to the cake our ward leaders are beginning to really respect us
(this is a big deal as it takes a while to earn the trust of the Dutch). We had
a dinner apt with the relief society president and we were 20 minutes late
which is TERRIBLE in Dutch culture, but because neither my companion or I wear
a watch we had no idea and we left when the Spirit told us to. We were helping
another sister in the ward who had just had an appendectomy and when we showed
up 20 minutes late to the RS president's house we thought we were going to be
slaughtered. But we told her what we had been doing and she had no idea that that
sister was even home yet and she was so grateful that we had thought to go
visit her. I'm just saying...throw your watches away. Time is irrelevant. It's
the Lord's time anyway so why don't we use it the way he would like us to?<o:p></o:p></div>
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We picked up some new investigators and are working with
some inactive members. I have to say I have a great love for reactivation. To
help a person remember their testimony is almost sweeter than helping someone
gain one. I love inactives!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yesterday was fast Sunday! We were taught in relief society
a lesson by a man about the priesthood. It was interesting...and he kind of got
slaughtered and although I shouldn't say this it was deserved. He came in so
mighty and told the sisters that it takes time to prepare to give a blessing.
Okay, yes I can agree, but then he says "so don't get mad if we tell you that
you have to wait a week". Oh man! The sisters (myself included) were not
having that. NO brethren, when Elder Holland says “Be Ready” he means it, and
it made me so grateful to have the priesthood in my home where I can trust that
I can receive a blessing when I need it. I can't imagine my home without the
priesthood I would not have it any other way. Thank you worthy priesthood
holders for being ready.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of our investigators was supposed to be baptized on
Saturday but it looks like it's going to be longer than expected. He's so close,
and he's the only thing standing in his way. He needs lots of prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So Fourth of July was uneventful here:) my companion and I
sang patriotic songs all day and ate a red cake while I had to soak my feet in
apple cider vinegar while weekly planning. Yes, my athlete's foot or something
like that is back...woohoo so that was a nice holiday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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July 14, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, we got permission to watch the World Cup and we lost. :( Nederland
is devastated, it was tragic to say the least but they played really good and
classy. I was proud. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We have a new investigator. He's pretty cool and he's been to church three
times already, and he told us on Wednesday, in our first apt that he would be
baptized. One of our investigators set
our next apt for Aug 13<sup>th</sup> and another had a setback and was
unavailable to meet, so we'll just say things are a little slow right now. We're
working hard though and the fruits will come we know that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This week I have learned how unorganized I am with
everything and well, I am trying to learn how to do that better. This next week
comes with a lot of responsibilities and while I’m looking forward to it I
realize my weaknesses, but hey, Ether 12:27. “And if men come unto me I will
show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be
humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before
me; for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I
make weak things become strong unto them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well this is a lame email I know I don't have much to say
other than the church is true and the work will go forth no matter what. There
are dry spells in our lives and those are opportunities to learn and grow I know
that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In other news Zuster Meier and I have started this thing
where we send a little text to the sisters and the zone leaders every day with
a joke or a challenge. It is quite entertaining. We call it #scattersunshine.
Haha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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July 21, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Never let earthly circumstances disable you spiritually”
Elder Hallstrom April 2010<o:p></o:p></div>
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This week has been awesome. First of all I was on exchanges
in Amsterdam and we taught a girl our age from Taiwan. She had never prayed
before so we taught her about the Godhead and how to pray. At the end she
prayed. “Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that I can meet nice people here in
Amsterdam. Thank you that my family let me come here to study. And...are you
really there?....in the name of Jesus Christ amen.” We all open our eyes and
are all tearing up. It was just a wave of the Spirit a tsunami really. Then she
says “I don´t know why but I feel like I want to cry.” We told her that, that
was an answer from Heavenly Father through the Spirit to her. It was beautiful!
She is so humble and wonderful. They set an appointment up with her for the
next day. I hope it went well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We taught one of our investigators about the word of wisdom
and challenged him to try it out. He was skeptical but he´s going to try and
that is all we can ask!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I learned a lot this week about the government of God and
how it is based on revelation and councils. https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/ward-council-and-mission-leaders?lang=eng<o:p></o:p></div>
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Man, when councils are done correctly. Without judgment and
only looking for solutions, miracles happen. I am so grateful for how the
church is run!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This last week there was much to do and I finally realize
the power that comes when we are ``treasuring up`` the words of Christ. It´s
true that when we are focused on good things, thinking about how to help others
and about just questions, when it comes down to it I have what I need when I
need it. It´s a freaky concept, but
true.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sooooo, this week feed my sheep took on a very literal
meaning. This is Zuster Meier, the sheep did not want the Book of Mormon. Sad!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>July 28, 2014</div>
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"Will we respond with love when an opportunity is
before us to make a visit or phone call, write a note, or spend a day meeting
the needs of someone else?" Elder Rasband<o:p></o:p></div>
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This week we had zone training! It was lots of fun. I spoke
about being a consecrated missionary and did a training on communication.
Elders Ipson and Chantry did a great job and making sure everything went
smoothly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On Wednesday however I received some bad news. My favorite
family from Den Bosch, well their little boy drown on Tuesday. It has been
really an interesting week. There have been so many deaths lately in the news
and yet nobody that I've known personally until now. I called them as soon as I
could and it was such an inspiring phone call. First of all, what do you say to
parents who just lost a child? The first
thing the boy’s father says to me is "of all the missionaries....you were
his favorite". Oh man that killed me
then he says, "Lovely Sister Elting, most of the time parents go to the
spirit world before the child but this time our boy went first, and you know
his favorite song was ‘I Hope They Call Me On a Mission' so he's just preaching
the gospel in this lovely way to my mom and my sister." What beautiful faith!!!! We talked a bit more
and I told them I have some videos of him on my camera of him singing "How
Great Thou Art" and he invited me to the funeral and I told him I would
ask but that I didn't think I could come. Den Bosch is quite far. The next day
I called president and he said that my companion and I should go. Man, I am so
grateful to be able to go. We'll be going tomorrow to Den Bosch.</div>
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I have gained
such a love this week for prayer and the Atonement. I know that God answers our
prayers because of many instances but particularly this week. The Atonement of
Jesus Christ can swallow up ANY pain or sorrow. There are literally no limits
to this wonderful gift. I wondered this week after receiving so much strength
why I sometime forget to use the Atonement for just everyday things. Of course
we seek or even blame God when tragedy strikes but why are we not seeking His
strength and guidance daily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness is not an
eternal state of happiness but a hope despite tragedy. This little boy was one
of the precious pure spirits that was needed to do work on the other side. In
God´s plan of happiness the relationships we have built here on earth are not
meant to end with death and that is what I know with all my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*<i>We are devastated by this news and our hearts are breaking for this family. In Chelsea's letters, while she was in Den Bosch, she spoke often of this sweet little boy and loved him so much. He brought a lot of joy to her while she was serving in that area. This family took such great care of Chelsea by feeding her and being a huge comfort and support during the holidays and her birthday. I will be forever grateful to them for the love they have shown her. Please join us in praying for them during this time of sorrow. </i></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-58035554088106888892014-06-30T14:20:00.003-07:002014-06-30T14:20:59.903-07:00June 2014<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
***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. ***</div>
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June 30, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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?<o:p></o:p></div>
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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<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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well i hope you have a good week i love you and will talk to
you next week:)<o:p></o:p></div>
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June 9, 2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, my companion and I just got done cleaning pigeon poop
for two hours off of our balcony.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> I HATE BIRDS!!!!</span></b> 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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Glad I got that off my chest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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!<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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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!?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-53596928880355342012014-06-02T12:51:00.001-07:002014-06-02T12:51:06.134-07:00My week has been really good. Not wearing a watch has taught me a lot. I am more aware of how much the Lord can do for me, if I but let Him. I have learned, so far, a lot about BEING where I am when I am there. Sometimes I will catch myself looking at the clock on the wall while in and appointment, knowing that we need to leave soon but then I am instantly chastised because I should be 100% there while I'm there. Sort of like the man who chases after two rabbits and catches none. In that way I have felt our appointments have been better and that we are learning to rely on the Spirit more.<br />
<br />
On Sunday we left a dinner appointment and usually when we leave this lady's house we have to run to catch a bus, but this time we felt we could walk. Along the way I stopped a man and began to talk to him...fully aware that we needed to leave. But it was cool because the conversation just wrapped itself up, it wasn't rushed and we left on great terms. The man said he wasn't really interested but that he would look at the website. After talking with him we sprinted because we felt the need to and as we were sprinting a man on the street looks at his watch and yells "You better hope it is late!" As we were sprinting there came the bus and the bus driver was just cracking up. We got on it perfectly and whether it WAS late or not, I will never know because we didn't have watches, but what I DO know is that God knew we needed that bus and he also knew that we needed to talk to that man.<br />
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This week has been one of the most amazing weeks of my mission. I have not felt so often that I was not actually speaking the words coming out of my mouth. I have felt, this week, like I an instrument in the hands of the Lord and it is so interesting to experience. One experience led to a man who had been investigating the church for 2 years to finally set a baptismal date. July 5th!!!! Another led an entire room of people to understanding. We had a lesson at church for our investigators, recent converts and less active members. It's a class of about 15 people and one of the members teaches it and it was going a really weird direction. My companion intervened a little and brought it back just a little. I sat in that class so uneasy. I knew I had to say something because we weren't feeling the Spirit, I just didn't know what. I just raised my hand and began to speak. The words were not my words, that dutch was not my dutch, and the entire room was still. I can't even recall really all that I said but I know that it was clear and it was bold. It was really PREACHING the gospel. Two of the people in the class were at church for the first time and they BOTH came to me afterwards and thanked me for what I had said. It was so bizarre and it is the biggest goal I think I have in my life, to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord at all times.<br />
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The experiences from this week have been absolutely incredible.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-6228720548337186352014-06-01T19:38:00.001-07:002014-06-01T19:38:15.633-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Missionary Fun!<br />
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<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-59222819019093666382014-06-01T19:00:00.000-07:002014-06-01T19:00:08.085-07:005/5/14<br />
Temple and Keukenhof<br />
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First of all the temple was great. I haven't had that spiritual of an experience in the temple yet. I received a lot of revelation for what the Lord wants from me for these last 6 months.<br />
The Keukenhof was a dream!!!! So beautiful. I wish you could see this stuff and smell it and taste it. Spring here is a dream, it is the best time of year to be here!<br />
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We have a baptism date! Our investigator will be baptized on May 17th!<br />
My companion and I are calling the last 6 months "Operation: transformation" and as part of my transformation I set daily personal goals and it's been really improving my missionary work. It has been a hard week so far and I expect nothing less for these next 6 months. I feel some big challenges coming, mountains to climb, eh!<br />
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We have 5 new investigators this week! We had an amazing lesson with them, it was completely led by the Spirit. On our way to that appointment we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in a parade. It was like a miniture rose parade. All the floats were of flowers and it was awesome and quite funny how it all happened. But hey, it's Nederland!<br />
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Yesterday was Herdenkings dag which is like their Memorial day and it was also fast and testimony meeting, so it was cool to hear so many war stories from members of the ward and how the stories of the parents in concentration camps or in the military has strengthened their faith. It was so interesting to hear it because it really was not that long ago.<br />
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So our church building has been under construction so we've been meeting in another church. We decided we wanted to go to their service as it is right before ours and we thought it would be cool. Well we show up and 9:32 and the service started at 9:30 and they had locked the doors. We literally couldn't go. I thought about how sad that was that if your are late to church even by two minutes you just can't go to church for the week. Sad.<br />
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Today is the day when Nederland was freed from the Germans in WWII so we went to the Anne Frank house. Sooooo cool. We weren't allowed to take pictures. Also, we met some Mormons in line there on vacation and they bought our tickets! It was so nice and so dang awesome!<br />
Also we celebrated my one year mark this week with cheesecake!<br />
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5/12/14<br />
Both Zuster Schwab and I are staying in Haarlem! And we're getting another set of sisters in our ward in the city right next to us... should be interesting.<br />
Operation: transformation is going well. Our theme for this week is operation: invitation. We are working on inviting EVERYONE to learn about the gospel, that means a lot of contacting. Also, Zuster Schwab and I have really been working hard on our Dutch. We try to only speak Dutch to each other and slow Dutch, so as to pronounce it better. One of the old ladies in the ward complimented our improvement without knowing we had been doing that, so hey, it seems to be working!<br />
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5/19/14<br />
So I was reading the talk by Elder Packer called "The Test" and the whole time I just kept thinking "Obama needs to read this" then it came to me. I can just send it to him, so I wrote him a letter about why i sent it and I hope he reads it. It's actually a very supportive and uplifting letter just explaining that as saints we pledge allegiance to our country because of our love of God and because of the freedom we have learned to understand that comes from obeying God's commandments. I actually feel super good about my letter to him and even my companion read my letter and said she thought it was a great idea.<br />
Whether he reads it or not I guess I'll never know, but I felt very prompted to write it even if it is just for myself to have pledged allegiance to a country I didn't think I cared all that much about until now. You should read that talk, it is powerful. Man the early saints are soooo awesome!<br />
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In other news two long lost members showed up to church on Sunday!!! And we had our baptism. What an amazing experience. He told us he feels like he had been missing something in his search for the right religion until he received the Holy Ghost. So amazing!<br />
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The weather has been a dream!! We went to the beach to have a meeting with our ward mission leader on Sunday, it was GREAT! Also, we went to the beach today too, oh man good stuff!<br />
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5/26/14<br />
This week we had zone conference where we learned from the Den Haag Stake President how to get into facebook referral houses. We have received 545 referrals and we need to be getting in the houses of those that requested. It is a 9 step approach that is soooo bold. I love it! We basically walk into their house saying "recht door?" Understanding of the Dutch culture is necessary when hearing this.<br />
We had a super cool lesson with one of our investigators. He just eats up the gospel but was baptized in another church and doesn't understand why he should be baptized again. We had a bold lesson about authority and he is going to read Joseph Smith History to get a better understanding. We are finding that one of the hardest things about teaching investigators is that their families won't support them. I can understand that to a certain degree but any honest seeker of truth should not be told not to research things for themselves. This is the case with a few of our investigators. They have testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but are afraid to be baptized because of what their family will think. We spoke with a man yesterday who is just crazy about his family and I wondered if, heaven forbid, his family was all of the sudden gone. He would have no more purpose in life. This is what these people are missing. That deeper purpose of life and that assurance that no matter what happens to us or our families, the gospel of Jesus Christ provides a way to have our families forever no matter what.<br />
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The past is a foreign country. We went to a big crazy BBQ with a member...it was so American. Everyone talking with everyone and being loud and eating with our hands and just totally American. It was so odd to me. I felt super out of place and yeah, I didn't really like it. I have really come to love the Dutch culture. Knife and fork, reverent civilized conversations, no outbursts of laughter. Weird how that happens. I have a feeling adjusting back to American culture will be difficult. Good thing I don't have to do it for a while.<br />
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So the biggest change in my mission and on my missionary work happened yesterday. This professional golfer from Zimbabwe walks into church with her other pro golfer friend. She was just sharing all these wonderful insights with classes and with our investigators and after a wonderful church service she challenges my companion and I to take off our watches and not wear them ever again. Zuster Schwab and I are like, "Do you realize we are in the Netherlands where punctuality is the BIGGEST deal? If you are late to an appointment, you better have been hit by a train." So we kind of just blew it off and told her that the night before we sprinted for 15 minutes to a dinner appointment because we were going to be late. (We weren't, by the grace of God) and she says, "Do you think the Spirit could have told you to run?" yes, "you don't need a watch for that" true. In fact that whole experience was guided by God. We had no idea where we were, how close we were, or how to get to the house. We just ran as fast as we could in the direction we felt. Looking at our watches proved to only stress us out more. God knows that it's important for Dutch people that we are on time, but by stressing out about being on time I can tell you I have ignored a lot of spiritual promptings. Not any more. So after church, Zuster Schwab and I took off our watches (she even threw hers in a canal) and we aren't wearing watches anymore. Yesterday we already saw cool successes and felt more guided by the spirit because of it. I'm stoked for the miracles we will see.<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-75241133765200486912014-06-01T18:42:00.003-07:002014-06-01T18:42:32.076-07:004/7/14<br />
Here I am in Haarlem, 11 months into my mission and still feeling like a greenie.<br />
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Haarlem reminds me of Dordrecht. It is a cute old city, only it is SO populated. Whoa! On the train ride to Haarlem I was able to see the tulip fields and wow, that was cool. It doesn't look real. We are really close to the tulip fields. Haarlem is where the movie "The Best Two Years" was filmed and it's hilarious to see that same church and that same train station. It's great!!!<br />
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We have some really cool investigators and 2 people with baptismal dates. I walked into the promised land I think. There is a ton of work here to do and I am super stoked to be working here.<br />
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We have been taking Dutch lessons from a lady in the ward because according to everyone here our uitsprak (pronunciation) in addition to other things is not good. So here we are 11 months out and we are learning the alphabet...it's humbling. Last lesson we spent like 10 minutes on Pres. Uchtdorf's name because apparently I can't say it properly.<br />
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Conference was great, I am in love with the talks about covenants. I don't think I quite understood the magnitude of covenants. Also, to hear them speak about standing up for your beliefs because we WILL have to defend them was so inspired. I think missions are partly for that reason. To learn how to find a stand and then take it. This is an everyday thing here, and I fear, increasingly, an everyday thing elsewhere too.<br />
In other news, my companion Zuster Schwab and I will be teaching a 17-18 year old high school class about the church on Thursday. NERVOUS! We taught the 11-12 year old class back in November but nervous nonetheless. Pray for us and for our tongues to be loosed!<br />
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Lately, I have been studying testimony. What a testimony is and where it comes from and how do we recognize it. I found I have been over complicating what a testimony is. Searching for some WOW moment in my past where I knew certain things were true. I have been taking each sentence in "Preach My Gospel" and identifying why and how I know it to be true. It's been a great study so far and I'm only on sentence 3! Super cool. I have found that testimonies are really quite simple and that we gain testimonies of things daily and it depends on faith. It is what we do with the testimonies that matters. Testimony and faith govern our lives. We believe the light to turn on when we flip the switch, whether that came from prior experience or from the knowledge that we have about electricity and science, it is inderdaad faith! It is the more rare type of faith that matters, it is the faith, the testimony, that MAKES things happen, that we ought to be concerned with. Go-Go gadget faith. GOOD STUFF!<br />
FIJNE WEEK ALLEMAAL!<br />
Groetje<br />
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4/14/14<br />
I'm doing great and Haarlem is a Dream! A different dream than I expected but a dream nonetheless. My companion is amazing! She's so cool and does krav maga or whatever that intense fighting stuff is called. We have great workouts in the morning.<br />
So we have been soooooo busy, it's insane! Our stake president started this campaign called the "Finding Faith in Christ Easter Campaign" it's a link on facebook and it's a free "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD. Once it is requested we are sent their info and we go try to talk to them. He was at one of our dinner appointments and he said 150,000 ads for the church equals 20 referrals, but 20 sharesof this link equals 20 referrals. So we've been getting our members to share this link and in less than a week our mission has received 243 referrals. We are to contact them as soon as possible which is so hard because we already have appointments planned, but it is so cool.<br />
While going to contact a referral two days ago we happened upon a tulip field. It was possibly the greates day ever!! It didn't look real, also I'm sure that is how it looks in the Celestial Kingdom. It was a dream.<br />
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4/28/14<br />
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Koning dag! It is the greatest. Everyone is wearing orange and is so happy and selling all of their stuff for really cheap. I bought a chocolate fountain for a euro! We gave out 50 Book of Mormons and a couple thousand cards (many of which we picked up off of the ground) but hey, it was a great day. We saw tons of success.<br />
The funniest thing, I wish I could have recorded it. Our ward mission leader has a 4 year old son who helped us with our Konings Dag booth. He stood on a box of Book of Mormons with the "Together Forever" DVD in his hands and yelled "gratis DVD!" which is just "free DVD" and then if people looked at him he would just say softly with his cute little voice "wilt u een gratis DVD" and he ended up giving like 5 away and some people paid him. He was sooo happy! It was the cutest. One lady stops and says "What is the DVD about?" and he looks at it curiously and says "I think it's about families" ohhh mand he was the best. It was quite a site to behold.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-15848742283898496442014-06-01T18:29:00.003-07:002014-06-01T18:29:38.874-07:003/3/14<br />
Well, we have received some unexpected opposition. I am trying to find what it is that I'm supposed to learn from this but the defensive part of me is getting in the way. I am really looking forward to the growth this experience can bring. I guess it is preparing me for the real world. It is very odd and so strange and has been a struggle for me. My mom told me before I left that she hoped I would encounter hard things to strengthen me, well I am.<br />
Our new friend came to church again and this time she brought her nephew and that was cool. That means we have to translate for them, which is rather difficult but actually really fun!<br />
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3/24/14<br />
We went to a concentration camp this week. Whoa, it was pretty crazy. Kamp Vught was a labor camp and mostly a transportation camp. So people went there and prayed they could stay because the next step would be a death camp. Oh some of the things were so sick. They have a monument for all the kids that died there and their ages. It is horrific. I took as many pictures as I could before my camera died, but I didn't know if it was appropriate to smile so some of them are awkward faces.<br />
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So my companion does not like fish and I don't like tomatoes well.... we went to an Armenian member's house for lunch after church and guess what we had. Her favorite, a traditional Russian dish....fish head soup. Besides the eyeballs staring at me and the tomato pieces (which I swallowed whole) I rather enjoyed it, but my poor companion suffered.<br />
Well, I think I like salmon. I've just been in a seafood mood and salmon was my only seafood option at a sandwich cafe and so I went out on a limb and loved it. Also, the fish head soup was salmon and I thought it was delicious. So hey, who knew.<br />
Finally, this week we had several bad moments with animals. A swan hissed at us (so scary especially the size of swan it was) frogs are everywhere (who knew?) we saw a water chicken fight. Crazy!<br />
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3/31/14<br />
I'm being transferred to Haarlem!!! I leave on Wednesday. I have mixed feelings. Yesterday was super hard. I knew I'd be leaving and I was just looking at all the ward members and how much I love them all. But I know it will be good.<br />
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Also, I will be companions with a sister training leader which means that I will go to different cities two times each week and work with different sisters. So I will be going to Amsterdam with Zuster Morris! I am super stoked!<br />
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Lately I've had less and less people tell me my Dutch is good and also less and less people ask me to repeat things so I'm taking that as my language is getting better. When Dutch people compliment your Dutch it's because they didn't understand what you said and know they have to say something back after you spoke. The problem now is I am going to a different province where the Dutch is different. Here they speak Brabants and so i speak Brabants and in Haarlem they speak the most modern and correct Dutch so in a way I have to relearn the language based on the culture of where I live.<br />
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And, YES the tulips ar out in full force!!!!<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-27730516728293112852014-06-01T18:25:00.000-07:002014-06-01T18:25:39.917-07:002/10/14<br />
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This week was great, birthdays on the mission are great! Everyone is so thoughtful and wonderful and I had the most delicious cake of my life. Not sure if it was really that delicious or if me being off sugar for the last month had anything to do with it. Either way, YUM!!<br />
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In other news my companion and I received the stomach flu this week. Not fun.<br />
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2/17/14<br />
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I'm staying in Den Bosch for another 6 weeks!!!! This time I am getting a new companion. Zuster Rosenlof! She was in our MTC district and she's the greatest.<br />
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Well we got dropped by almost all of our investigators so that was a bummer, but the couple that stayed came to church for all three hours and one told us he wants to be baptized. Also, it was quite possibly the windiest week EVER! I was tipped over on my bike multiple times.<br />
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In other news however, we are challenging members in all of Nederland to create mormon.org profiles because that is the face of missionary work now. We will be working a lot through the internet now...the catch is that we can't use the internet so it has to be through the members. We've heard many people say, "oh, well I don't do stuff online". Well you better start now because that is what the Lord is requiring of us. So I would encourage all of you members to make a profile also! You never know who's life you'll touch. If you are not a member go to mormon.org and check out my profile and the profiles of people in your area.<br />
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Valentine's day was romantic....we were stuck in another city in the pouring rain and our dinner appointment forgot about us. We had bought her flowers too. So we just doorbell ditched them to a random homeowner.<br />
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I finally got the birthday/hump day package. I was thoroughly entertained!!!!! Wow, that was great, I loved it! I love getting pictures. I was so freaking excited. I loved all the camel references...classic. Thank you so much!<br />
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2/24/14<br />
Great week, great weather and a wonderful new companion who unfortunately is sick.<br />
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We had a cool miracle yesterday though. We get a call from a lady we previously taught a couple of times but due to some circumstances could no longer teach her. She wanted a ride to church so at the last minute we find a member to pick her up and well, not only is she coming to church but also her sister and her sister's son. The son only speaks Italian but fortunately our EQ president served his mission in Italy and so was able to speak with him.<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-77740140222228422192014-06-01T18:20:00.001-07:002014-06-01T18:20:13.901-07:001/20/13<br />
We've had a couple of interesting experiences this week. We were invited in by a family who's sole intent was to bible bash and they just slaughter us. It was wretched, they said stuff like "the Book of Mormon is nothing" and "God creates war" as well as awful things about our Savior. Both my companion and I were crying. It was truly awful. But then yesterday, it happened again and we knew exactly how to handle it. We've learned we just have to be bold and take control of that situation. <br />
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I have decided that Heavenly Father is the master choreographer and life is just a dance! We have seen evidence of the Lord's hand in our life this week. First, we were knocking on doors and this woman opens up and says that she has been expecting us. She said that we had talked to her friend 14 days ago (she had been counting) and was preparing to meet us. She invited us in and told us that she was so sad (her husband had recently passed away). She told us we couldn't take the pain away. We told her that we most definitely could not take the pain away, but that the Savior could and wants to. We testified that God loves her. She said that she doubts that. We told her that us coming to her door is evidence that He is aware of her, and loves her. He sent us to her door and He prepared her for our visit. Another example is we had been teaching this family and we could tell that the mother was struggling or worrying about something however every time we wanted to ask her about it typical family and life situations were always occupying her attention. We knew we needed to speak with her alone and free from distractions so that she could open up. Well during our visit this week, as dinner was concluding an opportunity presented itself, which never happens in this household. We knew that the Lord had choreographed that opportunity so that we were able to help her. It was wonderful.<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-26358852840660787222014-06-01T18:14:00.001-07:002014-06-01T18:14:39.102-07:00December<br />
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Everything is going well, we had a dry week contacting but have seen a lot of success with members. On Thursday however, we went to go get our Nederland ID's and there was a huge storm!!!!!! All the intercity trains were shut down so we have to take sprinters everywhere. A two hour trip took us seven hours!! While we were at the train station they announce a "code red", well we don't know what that is so we asked a girl on a train a couple of days later and she looked at us like we were crazy. So a "code red" is like an emergency broadcast, it is announced on TV, radio, internet, everything. It means "DO NOT GO OUTSIDE"</div>
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12/30/13</div>
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So, at a dinner appointment with nearly half the ward (since everyone here is related) people started freaking out about my boots and saying they are going to buy me boots. I told them I already talked to my mom about it and I've just been putting it off because it hasn't been bad weather and now today one of the ladies is coming with us to make sure I have "good" boots. *Side note, the boots are a little torn up, I mean not like my blue shoes I wore in Boise with the holes in the bottom. But Dutch people are obsessed with clean and things being in good shape. You should see how often they are cleaning their windows and cars. Uncle Tim is right. No one, NO ONE has a dent in their car. Unfortunately the Dutch care more about my worn down boots more than I do. </div>
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One of the coolest miracles is we were asked, that when we pray to ask people that we are with if there is anyone that we can pray for. Well we did that with an lady who let us in and she just started crying, and told us to pray for her daughter and granddaughter. So we did and she cried all through the prayer and then when we were done she takes the Book of Mormon and says "I think this might be what I need right now." It was pretty amazing. We have an appointment with her this week.</div>
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Christmas in the Netherlands</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-41732846653758548442014-06-01T18:06:00.001-07:002014-06-01T18:06:10.130-07:0012/2/13<br />
We had a special experience. A school invited us to present to them and eat Thanksgiving with them. So it was a class of about 40 kids ages 13-14. We presented about America, Thanksgiving and about our church. Talk about freedom of religion. They specifically asked us to talk about our church, where it comes from, why it's different and well, anything. It was bilingual class so although they are Dutch the class is in English. All the kids cooked a huge meal for us and they had to do it the American way, which means with recipes using cups and tbsp not grams. We went in the kitchen with them and this one group was assigned to make rice crispy treats and I walked over and, yeah, they were not what rice crispy treats should look like. So the teacher comes over and asks if they followed the recipe, to which they replied "yes". So then she says "Oh really, what is an ounce?" The kids didn't know and turns out 8 ounces of marshmallows to them was 8 marshmallows total. I was dying, it was hilarious. The food was great! The kids did a wonderful job and they were so fun. They participated in our presentation and asked questions and we all had a really good time. We gave them all Mormon.org cards and even the head of the program came in and started asking us questions during the presentation. <br />
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Thanksgiving dinner was spent with a family in the ward who's son just left on his mission. They cooked a great Dutch/American Thanksgiving complete with crokets on the table with the dinner. It was awesome.<br />
We had a dinner appointment this week with members and their little boy was hilarious. He kept pretending to shoot me and then apologizing and telling me it was just a joke. Then we played Jenga and I ask "What's your favorite animal?" and he replies "you", I was cracking up. Then he went behind me (I'm sitting on the floor) and he's doing that hiding from me thing, and I ask who it is and he says his name, and I say "I don't know him" and he gets annoyed and yells who he is and where he lives. I then turn my head to look at him and he kisses me on the cheek. Oh man, it was so funny!<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-78713711250760095812014-06-01T17:03:00.002-07:002014-06-01T17:36:28.628-07:00November 2013<br />
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So I'm fixing my bike AGAIN!!!<br />
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11/11/13</div>
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Well this week we had lots of appointments scheduled and let me just say, first of all, that this is no exaggeration when I tell you that ALL of them cancelled on us. We had one lesson this week, and it was unscheduled with someone we looked up on a fluke. Turns out she just wanted to bash and brought out an anti-Mormon book and tried to read it. Yeah, I wasn't having any of that, and with lots of praying we actually had a really good lesson about authority and the Holy Ghost. I was really quite a cool experience.</div>
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I went to Maastricht this week for exchanges witht he sister training leader. I was great but man is their accent HARD to understand. It is heavily influenced by German because it is right there on the border. I had a difficult time understanding them. It's like the "Jersey" accent of Nederlands. Interesting and fun, but I am gland to be back in Den Bosch.</div>
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My companion and I gave talks on Sunday. That was intimidating and fun! Other than that we found a couple more potential investigators this week and have appointments scheduled with them this coming week. Although this past week was dry we are looking forward to this next week. Diligence is key and laughter, that helps too.</div>
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11/18/13</div>
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So as far as this week goes we saw an ice cream looking truck that said "de grill" on it and it was playing Mexican like music, so we went over and the lady opened it up and there were whole chickens and ribs!!!!!! Naturally we bought some and it was so great. It was like a taco wagon but we named it the Chicken bus. Yum!</div>
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We found a new investigator and we had a lesson with him on a park bench. He started to cry (picture this, it's a buff dude with tattoos all over) and said he wants peace and fears he's a lost soul. We talked about Jesus Christ and the Atonement, and he told us he wanted to do whatever it takes to feel peace and happiness. We ended the lesson and he went up to his apartment. We start to leav and two giant police cars show up with 4 police in each. They get out and go get him, arrest him and take him away. We were like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO he has to come to church!!!! Po Po be messing everything up. Oh man, that was a bummer, so needless to say we haven't had contact with him for a couple of days. Boo</div>
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Also, I have been wondering how to get my American accent to go away. Apparently it is really, really bad. To the point where I had just had it this week. i conatacted a man at the door (in Dutch like I always do) and he says, "I don't speak English." I was like, what? I'm not speaking English. So anyway, I've come to the conclusion that the main indicator is that I cannot roll my r's with the back of my throat, only with my tongue. So the other day I am saying the word "kinderen" over and over because that is the word I find that mine doesn't sound anything like how the Dutch say it. So here I am biking along and saying "kinderen, kinderen, kinderen" and then BAM, I rolled the r with my throat. So I can do it now. Whenever we're biking I practice my r's and my companion tells me I sound like a crazy person, but I don't care because I want this American accent gone.</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-17811319747419778292013-11-04T11:45:00.004-08:002013-11-04T11:45:51.374-08:00November 4
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's raining soooo much today and yes I did spend most of my P-day
fixing my bike again. ohhhhhhhhhhh man opposition it's a blast.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well these last two weeks have been us working working working
with little to no success but this week we are seeing the fruits!!!!
It has been a BOMB week. We have three new
investigators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this coming week we are full of
appointments!!!! It is so so great! We gave a lesson on a train one
night to a girl who looked like Pocahontas and when we were getting
ready to get off at our stop (we were already going to give her a
Book of Mormon) but she asked us if she could buy one.....uhhhhhh no,
you can just have it! It was the best thing ever! Also members of our
ward have been calling us and telling us about their missionary
experiences and it has been an amazing week. We had two first lessons
with a baptismal commitment and one responded with "why
not?!"and the other was positive but a little unsure. It seems a
bit crazy to invite people to be baptized on the first visit but it
eliminates any confusion for why we're there and surprisingly it
doesn't scare people away when we go forward with faith. It is great
to see people wanting to make promises with God and to work towards
building a relationship with Him. It's beautiful to take part in. So
yes, this week has been BOMB! miracle after miracle! Being in the
right place at the right time and in the right mindset.
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love you all!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Zuster Elting</span><br />
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-44577873397414189702013-11-04T11:36:00.001-08:002013-11-04T11:36:10.985-08:00October 21
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, we went to the temple this week. It was epic! Oh man, it was
so cool in Dutch I paid more attention and even thought I heard quite
a few things I don't remember ever hearing. Also found out I really
cannot say patriarchal in Dutch. It's dang hard. The temple here is
so small but beautiful! As for a sort of theme there I got the
feeling it was falling water but when I asked the workers said there
wasn't a theme they knew of.
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A lot of people from our mission are leaving and that is a huge
bummer HUGE! They gave their ""dying testimonies""
and it was emotional.
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Opposition my friends, it's everywhere. So my first day here I
popped my bike tire and have riding a bike that's pedal falls off
well one night it was just done. It's really late and really dark and
the pedal falls off and we can't find the screw anywhere so we walk
it to a members house because we have an appointment to get to so we
go to the appointment and no one showed up. boo. So we take a bus
home and have to pick the bike up the next day. Well it is a good 20
minute bike ride on a working bike but with the bike without a pedal
Sister Morris and I took turns scooter biking it home. When we first
began it was slow and it's dark and raining and then to make our
trial even better some kids come out and start throwing fireworks at
us well, more near us just to scare us. But you know how I am with
fireworks so yeah. Classy. It was such a work out and man we were
SORE! Near the end I couldn't do it anymore and so I held on to
Sister Morris and she biked us both home. We even had some people
cheering us on it was funny. We arrived on time home and safely!
aaaaahhhh trials.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our week in a nutshell would consist of lots of fallen through
appointments and lots of knocking doors. We actually went out the
other day and wrote with chalk ""</span><a href="http://mormon.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">mormon.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">""
or ""waar kom ik vandaan voor dit leven?"" and
unfortunately we didn't have enough chalk but we're going to write
the plan of salvation when we get some more! It'll be great! We make
the most out of every day! We have a lot we really just have been keeping on keeping on. We see little successes everyday so it's been really great we just need to put forth our effort and time for a bit and the Lord will take care of it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of our investigators came to church! it was great! the ward was so perfect and welcoming and she had a great time and told us she received an answer to one of her questions so that was AMAZING!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">that brings us to last night......welllllll lets just say THE STANDARD OF TRUTH HAS BEEN ERRECTED! PERSECUTIONS MAY RAGE! MOBS MAY COMBINE! Well we are tracting along at about 8 last night and we get done with a street and turn around to go get our bikes and there is a crowd of sorts on our path so we walk towards them. A woman runs at us and then another woman and they are just screaming at us! We calm them down and find out that they've called the police on us and have the whole neighborhood thinking we are two thieves trying to get in their houses. Zr. Morris said she literally just couldn't understand what they were saying she just heard ""police"" so I explain who we are and apologize for scaring them. (two 20 year old girls in skirts are pretty scary you know) and everyone calms down and they just tell us to go and they'll explain things to the police when they come. It was madness. Zr. Morris said if the police came she would have just starting reciting the standard of truth! hahah really it was quite scary thinking back but during that moment it was fine it was truly help from God that helped calm these people down because I mean the old lady got literally the whole neighborhood up in arms about us. It was crazy. And right when had turned around the elders called and they were actually on the line when this happened I just kept the phone on so they could hear everything. It is pretty cool because we asked why the elders even called and they said they didn't know why they just felt they needed to. It was really comforting to know that the Lord takes care of us even when mobs are combining!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tune in next week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Zuster Eltingof fun and when we stop
having fun we switch and do something else. That is the trick we've
found so </span><br />
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-37571609403904668692013-11-04T11:11:00.000-08:002013-11-04T11:11:25.891-08:00October 14<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Welllllllll folks my time in Dordrecht is up...for now. And to all
you haters that don't believe me when I put things into the universe
I say Ah ha!! Well I will be serving in Den Bosch. Don´t ask me
where it is or anything about it I just don´t know. What I do know
is that I will be serving with Zr. Morris who was my very dear friend
in the MTC. Before we left we put it into the universe to be
companions and HELLO! The universe responded! I´m soooooo excited. I
will for sure miss Dordrecht part of me is worried I will leave but
my heart will stay here. Dordrecht is the oldest city in Holland and
is just gorgeous and perfect and the people are good and kind the
ward is full of angels! I love Dordrecht and so I will put into the
universe to serve here again later.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In other news, God answers prayers!!!! Once upon a time a couple
of weeks back I ignored a prompting and it was the coolest prompting.
Well, it was to play basketball. Yes, it´s true the Lord wanted us
two girls in skirts to play basketball. It would have been great. You
know talking with natives, maybe get some interest in the church and
earn some respect. Well, I ignored it and have hated my self ever
since. One day, Tuesday October 8th to be precise, We were going to
an appointment but we left a half an hour early. No idea why it just
worked out that way and as we´re biking I look at my watch and think
that we need to talk to some people, we need to find someone during
this time. At this point we´re rounding the corner and I think hey,
this is the way towards the basketball courts and then I just prayed.
``Heavenly Father, If there is someone playing basketball I promise I
will play.```wellllllll, we turn and I see the bouncing of a
basketball through the trees and so I just yelled `WE`RE
PLAYING!!!!`` and my companion is confused but quickly knows what I
am talking about because I talk about playing basketball to find
people all the time. So we stop and I ask this one young man if we
can play he says, ```turlijk wel`` a.k.a. OF COURSE!!! so all the
sudden he´s interested in why we have name tags and why we are
rocking skirts and that we´re American. We chatted about the church
and about why we are here and he´s super awesome. We asked him why
he´s out playing and he says he doesn't play for a team he does´t
play at all or even really like it but he had a free day today and
just felt like playing basketball. He told us he never gets the
impulse to play basketball. COINCIDENCE? nee. Well we´re shooting
around and this African man we see all the time named Kabo happens to
be walking by so we call to him and he comes over and is playing with
us too. It was a gem of an experience and tragically we had to leave
shortly after Kabo came but alas it was super great and I´m sticking
to it....basketball is the best way to contact people.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I´ve thought a lot about that experience this week and how
perfectly orchestrated it was. Kabo, Daniel, us leaving early, going
that specific way it is easy to play it off as luck or coincidence
but the fact is, is God is aware of everything and everyone. He loves
us and wants the best for us so He provides ways for us to be in the
right place at the right time for the right opportunities to come and
for us to draw nearer to Him.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Side note: I don´t know if in Dutch it´s creepy and weird like
it is in English but my companion pointed out to me that i happened
to ask young 17 year old Daniel, `kom je hier vaak?` or as we say,
`so, do you come here often?`haha classy. But hey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So many funny things happened this week and I have had to pray so
much to have the Lord help me stop laughing. I am laughing at bad
times and it has been not so good this week but between service at a
member´s house and visiting a lady in the nursing home I have been
in stitches.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So Dordrecht is getting Elders! We are so excited and and ward is
so excited! On Saturday they were bringing the stuff to furnish it
and get is all ready to go and we had no idea anything about this
until the Friday before and so we called the office to see if we can
help and we were told that the ward members will be coming to help
and that if we wanted to we could come come help for a bit but that
it wasn´t necessary. They were to begin at 1:00. So we decided on
Saturday that we´ll go see if they need help. This is around 2:30pm
and we arrive to find a senior couple from den Haag. That´s it. We
asked if others had come and gone....nope. NO ONE from our ward came
to help. I was ticked. So, we stayed for almost 3 hours putting
tables together (it´s all from IKEA so there is assembly required)
hanging curtains, moving couches, cleaning, etc. Yeah. Well, I´m
still upset about it. I don´t mind doing it but the fact is the ward
is so excited for Elders but won´t help. It is absurd. The lights
still need to be done among other things but, who knows if that will
get done. I understand people are busy but it was Saturday and not
only that but the Saturday after conference when your motivation to
do good things is super high and excited....yeah I´m a bit
disappointed. So that instance among others has made leaving
Dordrecht a little easier.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sorry for the downer. I think everyone should watch the talk by
Elder Oaks again just to remind ourselves of what the Lord expects of
us and what we covenanted to do. It was a good wake up call for me to
realize my church calling and duty to God are the most important and
should always take first priority and my other cares and concerns can
just take a backseat for a while.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wellll, I wish I had more time, this week was a treat. Just know
life her in the land of the tulips (where I have yet to see one) is
grand. Peace and blessings peace and blessings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Zuster Elting</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-79749674090368039002013-11-04T10:52:00.001-08:002013-11-04T10:52:07.995-08:00October 7
<br />
Too many things happened this week I'm not sure I will get
everything down. Also it will be a jumbled mess I can assure you.<br />
<br />
<br />
First of all, we made tortillas from the recipe aunt Cheryl
sent!!!! HEERLIJK!!!! Thank you so much!!!<br />
<br />
This week I have been told I walk like a farmer and sing like a
horror film, that I'm going to get fat, that I have acne and need
herbs for it, asked, "you start fights a lot, huh?" and
"you're a lot of trouble at home aren't you?" Had to climb
a ladder and clean a lady's windows because "I’m scared to do
it but you, you're not afraid of anything," .....good times<br />
<br />
Well, we have this Russian woman who is kind of investigating.
It's really hard to have a lesson with her because she thinks we're
her therapists but she's spicy and hilarious we love her. Well we
were going out to contact and she was going to a man's house so we
just went with her....I can’t remember if I told you all this but
we got volunteered to clean his house. Cool! So we go and after two
hours we have another a appointment and get ready to leave.
Welllllll, let me tell you. DO NOT MAKE RUSSIANS MAD! I was fearful
for my life. She just starts raging. Saying that we cannot be people
from God and just cussing and saying all this nasty stuff about us.
So, I get defensive but the Lord shut off my ability to speak Dutch
suddenly so I literally couldn't say anything back. I just nodded
apologized and then left. So today we see her in the grocery store
and oh man I am scared. She comes walking to us and I’m ready to be
yelled at some more but she came and apologized and said she thought
we were cool and she wants to go get drinks....uh ok. but alas
luckily we still have our spicy Russian.
<br />
<br />
Also this morning (the morning of all mornings) we ran into this
man we see literally every day. He is from Albania and always invites
us to get something to eat or drink with him and we always say no
because we're either on the way somewhere or it's a sketchy bar he's
sitting outside of but yesterday Zuster Packer and I were talking and we
were like "next time we see him we need to get drinks (delicious
Dutch Fanta of course) with him" and boom this morning we
decided to go eat breakfast out and guess who was there?????? Yep so
we got our food and went and sat by him and had a lovely chat about
his life and something about driver's licenses.
<br />
<br />
So we were coming back from Alblasserdam and this man said
something to me about being a young lady which is common tragically
here in Dordrecht we are constantly getting hit on so I just say oh
well I’m not that young and then he tells me my Dutch is bad and
then switches to English. He asks where we're from and we tell him
then he starts cussing and tells us how much he hates America which
is always lovely. Then he says "you are people from God"
and then he takes his necklace and kisses it. But it wasn't a cross I
have no idea what it was. Then he just gets up and leaves and upon
parting says, "Look out for ugly guys like me." things like
this happen all the time it's just weird.
<br />
<br />
So I'm sending this picture. While we were in Rotterdam this week
to watch conference there was a group of 3 men and a woman outside of
a bar (sounds like the start of a good joke, too bad) Well the one
man yells at us "Hey I know you!" and so we walk over and
we've never seen him before and he is like "You are the Mormons
you have a temple in Salt Lake and also one here" Yes this is
true and they are all so curious about us and ask if we want a beer
or coffee which of course leads to why we don't drink them and then
the one man just stands up and wants a picture with us so we take a
picture with him and he makes a joke about polygamy but he also knows
it has been abolished (this guy did his homework) and then the people
at the table suggest he give us a license. (I’m thinking a fake ID)
but he writes this license in the picture and it says "Free to
speak about Jesus and the Mormon church in all of the Netherlands"
and then says for the other countries he needs to charge. It was
hilarious but we also through the course of that evening found out
why Rotterdam isn’t open to sisters....<br />
<br />
Question: have you heard of the book "Spiritual Roots of
Human Relations" by Steven Covey. Well, I highly recommend it.
One of our members read a bit from it to us and it was incredible!
<br />
<br />
In other spiritual news....conference was amazing. We go to
Rotterdam to watch it live which means your ten o'clock session here
is 6 in the evening. Luckily our investigator likes conference better
in English so I understood the whole thing! Wow. It was so incredible
though! There are so many things happening and we had better jump on
board because the train is leaving! Oh wow, I just loved it! I think
the talk by Pres. Uchtdorf "Come, Join With Us" was the
most inspired thing I have ever heard. I loved it! It answers any
issue people may have with the church and is just so amazing! Wow.
<br />
<br />
I hope all is well there. Missionary work here is moving. It's
kind of glacial speed right now for us but with the push from
conference and with help from the members we will see miracles. We
can only do what our faith allows. Build your faith and allies
mogelijk is!
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Zuster Elting<br />
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-4471967970068968982013-11-04T10:23:00.003-08:002013-11-04T10:23:36.881-08:00September 30
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, we're knocking doors and we meet someone from Morocco, Spain,
Indonesia, and Italy. I love knocking doors it's either really good
or really funny. I got to use my little bit of Spanish it was
awesome! And the Italians taught us some Italian. Coolness!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On one of the doors I feel like I need to talk to them about
prophets so, the little girl is translating what I say to the old man
(they are Moroccans) and they are Muslim so prophets are kind of a
sore subject but we proceed. Then he just leaves randomly and comes
back and tries to hand us money. I do not know what he heard from
what we were saying maybe it was when I was saying that we need help
in the world and that's why prophets are so important. hahaha anyway
it was hilarious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Zone Conference was EPIC! So great. We talked about the total mind
shift. Made me realize I need to build my faith more. I'm limiting
God by thinking things will fall through or that no one will say yes.
It was a great wake-up call.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I realized something the other day. Well a poster reminded me
actually. something very frightening is going to happen soon.
Halloween? No... something much worse. Two words...Oktober fest. Yes,
I don't know why it didn't occur to me that that would be happening
but ohhhhhhh man.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, the way to open public doors here is by pushing a giant red
button. The red buttons that look like world destruction
buttons....yes those ones. I don't know why I need to tell you that
it just throws me off whenever I have to push one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, a member made us Mexican food this week! Woot woot. It was
epic, it still didn't have beans but itally delicious nonetheless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We finally got in touch with an inactive we have been trying to contact for a long time! She was so excited to see us and we have a dinner appointment later this week. She has a niece out on a mission in the US! She says she's been thinking about church lately and that she needs to come back not for her but for her children's sake. It was so cool to see that because we were starting to doubt we would ever contact her. We hope to help her see that is not just for her children's sake. That it is for her too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the other side of missionary work our baptismal dates don't have dates anymore and are really having a hard time keeping appointments or commitments. It's pretty crazy how things change so fast and it is evidence that the adversary is real and he has power. Only the power we give him of course, but tragically that is quite a bit sometimes. We are trying to figure out what we are doing wrong and how we can help them better. It's been a couple frustrating weeks. Growing pains. But we've picked up another investigator and our work with inactives is going really well. Reactivation is missionary work too! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Zuster Packer and I have decided that missionary work is just wifey training. We serve, we cook, we clean, we teach, yeah. So I see what the prophet is doing getting more sisters out here....smart man. We award each other wifey points when we do some homemaker thing well. I lost points the other day for losing my temper with the plastic wrap. Boo. We even reward the elders wifey points to. We're thinking it should be a twelve week program. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The weather has been cooling off its about 18-19 degrees celcius which I don't know how much that is but it's not THAT cold and everyone here has like serious winter coats on. I don't really get it. We were out one night with just light sweaters on and these people bundled up said "lekker weer, eh" and started laughing. I was so confused because we weren't cold I don't know what they were laughing about. Apparently we're super funny. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love you all!</span><br />
<br />
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-33477307120882063442013-11-04T10:01:00.002-08:002013-11-04T10:05:28.119-08:00September 9th<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me start with street contacting. I decided to try a new tactic. I decided to hold a Book of Mormon and try to hand it to the person we talked to. Only 2 people held it but one of the two took it! It helped with all the stares we usually get. Now they glance at us and just stare at the book in my hand. It's great!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So there was this man very intently trying to get a picture of a crane and so I walked up and in Dutch asked him if he was a photographer, to which he replied "I'm English and I don't want to talk about Jesus." It is so hard for me to not laugh when things like that happen. People are silly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another contact we are walking alone in an alley (good start to a story right!), and this gangster looking man is walking towards us and Sister Packer says, "Let's talk to the thug." So of course I was all over that idea. So we talk to him and I ask him if he was raised in a religious home and he goes on some tangent, I have no idea what he's talking about, but I heard something about Nazis so yes of course that is a perfect lead in to where the Book of Mormon came from I thought. Although I didn't know what he was saying he took a Book of Mormon and gave us fist bumps. Nailed it. Respect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What made me feel really good this wee is during the maarkt we realized that people don't even take the free cheese that they hand out. So that made me feel a little better when they don't take a Book of Mormon. Another great thing that happened this week is that we were looking up a former investigator and we knocked on a door and asked if he was there and the woman who answered the door just starts yelling at us "I will not be converted!" then stops and says that the man does not live there, he lives next door. People just freak out when they see us. It's quite comical really.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, so Sunday was the bomb!! After church we decided to go to Papendrecht and on the way a man says "oh hey sisters" and we were like what, because no one is ever happy to see us so we just stop and don't know what to do. He tells us he's working in Dordrecht and wants to come to church. He's from Lybia and was baptized in Portugal. Super cool guy. Then on the way back there is a biking gang of old people all speaking English!!! With American accents. I was like "what...that is my favorite language!!!" So this man yells "It's the Mormon missionaries. I thought only boys did that." then he calls all the other old people and says "Come meet the girls from Utah." Turns out they are on a two week biking trip through the Netherlands and Belgium. Cool beans! We chatted for a while and then no more English for us. The Lord spoiled us on Sunday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That brings us to today. We did a zone p-day. We played soccer in one of the little field things they have all over the place. We are just playing and minding our own business when BAM! Like 50 little kids storm the field and so we played with them. They didn't like us very much...they thought we couldn't understand them. So one of the little kids is like "they speak English so well because they practice all the time" another says "no they're from England" so one of our Elders said "We're from America." Then all of a sudden they all loved us. They were all asking questions and shouting "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". It was hilarious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also, random side note. I love Holland, no joke but I love America. I never appreciated it and now I must eat my words. In this last week people have bashed America to us and I never realized how defensive I get for America. I truly love America and Americans. GOD BLESS AMERICA!! And the English language, I like that too! Also, I saw a restaurant called "Amigos" and got so excited only to find out it's flippin' pizza and doner. BOO!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love you all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tot Volgende Keer</span>Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-65793228035202310552013-09-03T17:39:00.000-07:002013-09-03T17:53:44.585-07:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">I'm
staying in Dordrecht for 6 more
weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">I'm
sooooooooooooo happy. I love love love Dordrecht. woot woot!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">I
thought i would begin this week with the 3 hardest things for me.
Warning: these are not spiritual, they are very temporal, natural man
type things.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">1.
Not being able to dance.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">OHHHHHH
it's such a burden. Almost too heavy to bear. It is probably the
greatest use of self control ever! I hear plenty of music all day
long on the Streets or at the maarkts and shoot it's hard not to
dance sometimes. I was thinking to myself, are dance battles allowed.
Because I feel like I could dance battle people into listening to us.
Or at least it might earn us some respect around here. Well, I will
be asking about this dance battle business because I really think
great things could come of it.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">2.
Lord of the Rings.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">I
have no idea why I'm having Lord of the Rings withdrawls. I receive
daily reminders of something within the Lord of the Rings and then I
think "oh I'll just put it on when we get home" nope. No
LOTR for me :( not yet....</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">3.
Mexican food or the lack of rather.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">I
believe I have mentioned this before. We found black beans
today.....I'm so close and yet sooooooo far! They were a tiny can and
super expensive so we didn't buy them. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh rage!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">In
other news we met a kid on a train named Roger. He was listening to
music and this is how it went down:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
Packer; What are you listening to?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Roger:
blah blah blah (some radio station)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
Packer: What kind of music is it?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Roger:
yeah</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
Packer: What kind of music is it?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Roger:
Yeah. It's nice.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
packer: no, what KIND of music is it?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">Roger:
yeah</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">It
was so funny.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">And
now for contacting corner. This weeks top contacting stories,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">1.
I begin contact and get rejected. Zr. Packer asks what she believes
in and she replies, "I believe a lot and I'm closing this
argument"</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">hahaha
it was classic. I mean that was a really heated encounter....not. So
now Zr. Packer and I interrupt one another and close the argument
that wasn't happening.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2.
People like to touch our name tags and say "Oh, I already know
about you." - Zr. packer HATES it. </span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-size: medium;">So
this week we did service at a lady in our ward's house. It was
hilarious! Both Zr. Packer, myself and apparently the next door
neighbor can't understand her. So, she tells us what to do in the
garden. We don't understand so I just start raking up the leaves. She
comes barreling out and starts yelling at me telling me that I need
to leave the leaves so that the plants have a nest. OOOOOOkay. So, I
ask her what are we supposed to do then? She says something else I
don't understand. So I start sweeping the patio and taking out the
weeds from in the cracks. Here she comes again. No no no no no, you
can't pull out the weeds you must cut them out with a knife.
oooooooooookay. So we cut out weeds for two hours and her patio
looked "netjes" as she said. Then she wanted to give us
something as a reward for our work. Corn. Cold corn on the cob.
hahahahaha it was the greatest. It was super yummy, it was just so
random. But the next day I was reading in Ruth and after she had
worked for Boaz for the day she was rewarded with corn just like us.
I felt so great!!! We were just like Ruth just then and I felt so
proud!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">So
I was on exchanges with Zr. Gallego on Wednesday. LOVED IT!!! Here I
am 178 cm and she is 140cm. It was quite a sight. She is
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I don't know what it is, but people just
want to do great things around her. We've been trying to get this one
lady to pray for weeks and Zr. Gallego barely mentions prayer and the
lady says, "You know I think I want to try that.".
WHATTTTTTTT!? I was just sitting there like are you kidding me? Well,
it was super great! I learned so much from her. She's just amazing!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQh-3sPvgTtpgtWuZA4qWEHuA007ZIMq8MVdub0cSRiHV07hBp0gyKUFti9a_ahhHheTv-kAX52A5m5jsONcBNMfuUbN5MrZVmuCSlTtpciq7iTIIQjhOAqoJyK2cBTnVaNkPJo3iUtY/s1600/Chelsea+companion+and+windmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQh-3sPvgTtpgtWuZA4qWEHuA007ZIMq8MVdub0cSRiHV07hBp0gyKUFti9a_ahhHheTv-kAX52A5m5jsONcBNMfuUbN5MrZVmuCSlTtpciq7iTIIQjhOAqoJyK2cBTnVaNkPJo3iUtY/s1600/Chelsea+companion+and+windmill.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-74775388374483553112013-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:002013-09-03T17:55:39.022-07:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">OH
OH OH! I found Mexican food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, sort of. Once upon
a time I haven't had Mexican food for the whole time I've been here,
true story. I tried to make it, turns out refried beans, black beans,
don't exist? And the flat things they named tortillas are NOT
tortillas. </span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">So,
we go to the Maarkt every week. It is FABULOUS!!! It's a great way to
contact and we get fresh fruits and veggies there. Also, they have
all the fish out there too. We walked passed this huge fish booth and
I got so excited. There are so many different kinds and they were
just calling to me but I looked at Zr. Packer all expectantly and she
just shook her head. Needless to say, we haven't bought any fish.
It's probably good anyway, we don't have time to cook it.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Well,
here we are at the maarkt and all of the sudden, Zr. Packer gasps and
says "ZR. ELTING!" and I turn and the most beautiful sight
is right in front of me in the form of the Mexican flag.
Yes!!!!!!!!!! Well, we ordered burritos and I chatted with the lady
for a bit about how hard my life is without Mexican food and whatnot.
Then, they give us the burritos and it was yummy, but I was still
very sad. They had to use the dutch tortillas and there were no
beans. So I'm still searching, but it will tide me over for a while.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL1zYtqTqXAoodwwzW-hc9d3090Rk_p5WRm-ZS08FFu2IX-uFBDJDX3tCKIBAkvvm3VIovTLQfM0US6R3Z1YgRITGSnv1UhN11U-7WLXMcTFTQ8toacEd0mifo6wQwusPF_0KnH-eKVs/s1600/Chelsea+mexican+food.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL1zYtqTqXAoodwwzW-hc9d3090Rk_p5WRm-ZS08FFu2IX-uFBDJDX3tCKIBAkvvm3VIovTLQfM0US6R3Z1YgRITGSnv1UhN11U-7WLXMcTFTQ8toacEd0mifo6wQwusPF_0KnH-eKVs/s320/Chelsea+mexican+food.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
Packer had a great idea though. We are going to use my intense need
for Mexican food as a way to contact. I'm just going to ask people
anywhere we go for a Mexican food place. Also, it's getting a little
out of hand because every time I see someone who looks Mexican or if
I hear Mexican music I freak out and say "oh Zr. Packer! They
could cook for us!" Well, anyway, I will be ever searching it
seems.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">I
have officially decided this week. I love tracting! Street contacting
scares me to death but tracting, no! I love tracting!!! It is not
very effective but at the door I feel like they know for sure what
we're offering. On the street it's hard I feel like I have to get
into this guarding position to make sure they listen to me for just a
second.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Zr.
Packer and I are going to write a book of excuses we've heard here.
Some are hilarious. Also, when we contact Muslim people they just say
"I'm Muslim”, as if that makes us walk away. Turns out we
still have something we want to share with you. That doesn't change.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">So,
coolest thing happened this week. We Always visit this inactive
member and she is in a assisted living place. She has some CRAZY
Nederengels. Meaning she speaks both English and Dutch and they are
super intermingled and it gets confusing. Well, we shared my favorite
old testament story in 2 kings 6:11-17 about the army of angels, and
we talked about the angels in our lives. I told her about Cole and
how I've been able to feel him helping me. She just looked at me and
said, "Are you making this up?". So we asked her loved ones
that have passed on, and asked her if she thinks they still cared
about her. She said she didn't know but it was a nice idea. We
testified to her that they do love her and that they are there for
her. It was silent for a moment and I was fighting crying. When we
left, we got into the elevator and Zr. Packer just turned to me and
said, "Did you feel them?" They really are all around us. I
can't imagine how hard it is for them, that we can't see them. I know
for a fact they are there. They were there in the lesson with us. So
cool.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">So,
one of our investigators has been drinking for 40 something years and
stopped for 10 days. We were in contact with him every day to make
sure he was alright. Well, Tuesday his Phone is shut off and we were
a little concerned. We thought the worst. After a couple days of
trying to get in contact and nothing. We were super concerned but
Sunday comes and he just waltzes into church. So no worries everyone.
We found him.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">What
more can I say? hmm....well, I don't know. All I know is that I love
it here! It is so hard to get discouraged when you live in the
Netherlands. I love it here so much. The flowers just kill me! I love
them so so so so so much!!! I get a little distracted by them...I
think other missionaries get annoyed with how excited I get about
things here, but it's just so amazing! At kinderdijk I was just
beside myself. I LOVED IT!!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!! I just kept reminding
everyone that we're in the Netherlands and that it was real life.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Also
dutch is coming along swell. I can understand most things and I can
say more and more everyday. I learn so much every day! And it is
super nerve wracking to try new things but people are super patient
with me and help me so much. I'm getting to the point where Dutch
doesn't sound like a foreign language anymore. which is a good thing
but now I don't feel cool speaking it I just feel normal. Before I
felt like I knew a secret code or something, but now it's just what
you do. I guess that's a good thing...</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Well,
everyone. Do your home and visiting teaching. Say your prayers and
eat your veggies for tomorrow we die. (That's how the scripture goes
right?)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">IK
HOU VAN JULLIE</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Liefs,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: medium;">Zuster
Elting</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-75519714813935575302013-08-05T15:23:00.001-07:002013-08-05T15:23:19.019-07:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
dierbare familie,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
I felt very proud reading that you called my city Dort. It is my hometown for sure. I love it here I never want to leave. So it's been a blazer here. a good 36-38 degrees c which is dang dang hot. Well I actually don't know just how hot it is but it feels so hot!!!!!!!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
So, first week of transfer two goes like this. Day one I get lost without a companion in Leiden. super fantastic I'm saying all these goodbyes and good lucks and suddenly I look around and I have no companion so I called everyone and their dog and had a nice sister escort me to the train station where I went back to Rotterdam where apparently I was supposed to be. Allllllssoooo before we left for the station in the first place we were achteroping which is basically where one person sits on the back of the bike while the other rides. It's hilarious. I was riding and zr Anjeweirden is on the back well I hear this awful sound and then all the sudden the bike stops and yeah so we are late because some stupid wire thing decided to wrap my tire all in it ah.....it was a sign. So then all that jazz goes down in Leiden and I find sister packer and her 3 suitcases and no bike. So achteroping again....i think not so I stashed my bike and we got home yadda yadda. then we decided to go to Sliedrecht and look some people up before our dinner appointment. Well, it turns for the worst...my bike was making an awful sound but then as Sister Packer was trying to get on the back again. it was done. my wheel bent completely and it was just done. So we walked for days to the appt and then they took us to the station. So as of now both my companion and I have no bikes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
I really don't envy the missionaries that have to walk. It is totally different. It has helped me to learn the bus and train system really quick and also my way around with shortcuts and whatnot. This week has been a challenge to say the least. Also found out it will be cheaper to buy a new bike than to get mine fixed. I will be probably buying a new bike soon. Thankfully our district leader told us that they may have some at the mission office which would be such a huge blessing but who knows.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
It rained that last two days which was so great. we haven't seen rain for weeks....who knew? also, the thunder here is out of this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the loudest I have ever heard everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
Today we went to Rotterdam to play futbol with our zone. on our way there we took an intercity train which just means it doesn't stop until we get there. but we are riding along and then we're stopped. everyone starts freaking out saying this isn't normal. we are just chillin on some tracks. and the only thing I could think is....Bane is here. Any second now we are going to hear his scary voice over the intercom. yep, I was so certain. But alas it wasn't true just my IMAAAGINATION.</div>
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I don't really know what else to sayyyyyyy, oh wait I do!!!!!!!!!</div>
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If you would like to help me out. I think that you all do. Please please do your visiting and home teaching. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<wbr></wbr>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<wbr></wbr>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please please please do it! i would argue it is near the most important job in the church. Please do visiting and home teaching and also let your visiting and home teacher visit you. Sometimes it seems like a burden but it is soooooo belangrijk and noodzakelijk and lots of other important words. Please please. If you are not being visited. het mag niet uit!!!!!!!!!! the worst thing I have heard out here is "no one visited me so I'm not going to do my visiting or home teaching" oh GAG me! That is the most absurd thing I have EVER heard. Well, be the faithful home or visiting teacher for some one else, and seriously you don't have to have a lesson or treat but just make sure you leave them better than you found them.</div>
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Let a sister know what I can do for you. what I should pray for and who needs mail..... I need your addresses if you want mail. Also, if you have e-mailed just know that I won't e-mail back, I would prefer to write letters to just know they are on there way if you've e-mailed and I have your address. Keep them coming I love reading emails from you all!</div>
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Peace and blessings</div>
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Zuster Elting</div>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-17162717423954808472013-08-05T15:10:00.002-07:002013-08-05T15:10:42.822-07:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HEEEELLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry I didn't write last week. our email time was cut short.
Sad. but alas. So recap from what you missed in a day in the life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week was possibly terrible. One of our companions left and
although it really actually wasn't a bad week it just felt off. We
had exchanges and I had to lead the city...bad idea. well actually it
would have been fine except that day we had planned to go to a dorp
we have only been once before and that week we lost the map. So it´s
me and a dumb GPS on the phone....yes it was a long day. The poor
sister with me was ever so wonderful despite me. It was terrible.
That was literally the worst day of my mission so far. but alas turns
out I survived and I know more than ever of the greatness of God and
my own nothingness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having a bummer week we deemed this week ``Redemption Week``
and it has been the best week of my mission thus far!! Funny how that
works. Prayer has played a huge role and it´s silly to think I
wasn´t taking advantage of prayer like this the whole time. The
blessings are there, they are pending I just need to ask for them. It
is shocking to see the things the Lord is willing to bless me with if
only I ask. This week I feel comfortable with Dutch. It has been a
huge blessing and has curbed my fear of talking with people. It has
been so wonderful. Our numbers for this week weren´t perfect but
``Redemption Week`` has been a game changer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SOOOO I may or may not have found boterkoek. if it is ridiculously
disgusting and ugly and just ughhhhhh then yes I found it. My
companion and I were looking for a treat for weekly planning and I
saw a box of what was called Boterkoek and I thought ``could this
be???`` so I bought it and it was the grossest thing in the world I
tried so desperately to like it but it was impossible and it was
straightway thrown in the trash. So I hope that isn´t what our
family has been searching for, the coveted boterkoek. I am still
looking because I know it´s out there somewhere....but where?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next order of business, there are rednecks everywhere. We went to
a stake activity on Saturday and guess who was on the playlist? Alan
Jackson and my girl Shania Twain. Yes sir, Dutch people can be
rednecks too. It´s good to know really.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, Wednesdays are transfers and guess who is staying in
Dordrecht????? MEEEE! I am so happy! Unfortunately my trainer is
leaving which is a major bummer but we have put it into the universe
to be companions again later. I am ultra nervous but it´s going to
be a great growing period and I LOVE Dordrecht so I am so happy to be
staying. Sister Packer from my MTC group will be my companion and we
will be training one another for the next 6 weeks. Yes that means us
two 6 week old missionaries are running Dordrecht. The Lord has crazy
faith in His missionaries. It is going to be wonderful. I can´t wait
to see what she can bring to Dordrecht.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also I have seen some crazy stuff these last two weeks. I´ll just
leave it at that but man crazy stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, last week all of the sudden I haven´t been as sleepy. Getting
up in the morning is easier and I´m not dying mid-afternoon now. I
thought, sheesh i guess I'm just barely getting over jet lag. I've
been super grateful for that but I was just puzzled for how it just
suddenly was okay. Then I got your letter. Thank you so much for your
prayers. You cannot even imagine how big of a difference it has made.
I just started bawling when I read that it was your prayers. Thank
you so much. Prayer is real and God hears you and He answers
you! It has been such a testimony builder. Thank you thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love you sooooooo sooooooo much. I am doing well, I pray for you and I can most definitely feel your prayers. Keep them coming! I need them! Well, have a great week. and tune in next week who knows what will happen here in Dordrecht.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ik hou van jullie,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zuster Elting</span></div>
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<br />Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-91659431260522324302013-07-15T15:28:00.004-07:002013-07-15T15:28:50.287-07:00Sorry folks, I have been a bit behind posting Chelsea's adventures. Over the last couple of weeks she has faced some ups and some downs. Pretty typical of an L.D.S. mission. She loves the food (at least the chocolate and drop which is licorice). She has already been blessed with the opportunity to meet a relative of hers. She went to Belgium to get her visa and was able to do some fun stuff while she was there. <br />
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So now that your up to speed here is her latest e-mail.<br />
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<i>So hello, this week has been great. I don't really know what to say. It has been perfect weather here well, plus wind so what else is new? Great news my freckles have made an appearance so that's Always nice. I am getting enough sun that is for sure and I have some awesome missionary tanlines!!!</i></div>
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<i>Well, our baptism was cancelled because of the smoking addiction our investigator can't kick. well, wonder of the week: he is getting headaches every time he smokes!!! this is a huge answer to all of our prayers and a blessing he received. He is doing really well and last time we checked he hasn't had any!!! so awesome!</i><br />
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<i>So "wonder" in dutch is a miracle if that didn't make sense. Well this passed week was actually kind of off. didn't really know why or how or anything just that it was off. then we had district meeting and an Elder gave us chocolate and since that moment we have seen tons of miracles and our week was wonderful after that! so I would be lying if i said I didn't believe there was a direct correlation. Last week we didn't buy any chocolate (which is rare and also stupid) because we're are trying to be healthy or something like that. But truth is if we want to see miracles we must have chocolate. truth.</i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJ9VFjIMS8UGvKil61Vmrql9MTD32uEwgMUgKMGTh7Sf5S58b7sCSH-meiWjWGKa-BZlW3nIVhKjCmgGoqOYKMZiCD9mUvt8BhbUVSMruE0FMs4FWlcvfSuIerZcHmmBeyC5b3Jilj_s/s1600/DSCN0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJ9VFjIMS8UGvKil61Vmrql9MTD32uEwgMUgKMGTh7Sf5S58b7sCSH-meiWjWGKa-BZlW3nIVhKjCmgGoqOYKMZiCD9mUvt8BhbUVSMruE0FMs4FWlcvfSuIerZcHmmBeyC5b3Jilj_s/s320/DSCN0282.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First stroopwaffle</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVs-zCsncNeI1cF_v7sK-iFuGTJKp04tNOwRTYZGSnYeKh7SyWYsuzavT64euFp4S-nuWwfoI9ydRLbEefSUZxuJxyE3iuA71HVTrmD0tuwrq4QBnJkFi5Ladl3ciu7q54BwoXp-GHgU/s1600/DSCN0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVs-zCsncNeI1cF_v7sK-iFuGTJKp04tNOwRTYZGSnYeKh7SyWYsuzavT64euFp4S-nuWwfoI9ydRLbEefSUZxuJxyE3iuA71HVTrmD0tuwrq4QBnJkFi5Ladl3ciu7q54BwoXp-GHgU/s320/DSCN0285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elting relatives</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfhlcaNCGbxUKSK6pk0PKKilK73Sb5mW5UW1dUAKBJh1UBXKBCi4m7QXq_yA9gKcUccCq1bqbylsqft7BKGMmdX3-lELOZkGScaimuSubH8f5AleIBDzYrG-G_O-qwkUUoAUsvTW9Iac/s1600/DSCN0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfhlcaNCGbxUKSK6pk0PKKilK73Sb5mW5UW1dUAKBJh1UBXKBCi4m7QXq_yA9gKcUccCq1bqbylsqft7BKGMmdX3-lELOZkGScaimuSubH8f5AleIBDzYrG-G_O-qwkUUoAUsvTW9Iac/s320/DSCN0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My welcome from my companions</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAguSahx5x8XQqyHnGVgOl74YJNZPSg_Up4qCbNzQMmIGEe0FS2Ifg3-EXpVs331LuhqA1bRQM1XgnO9VSdqBJEulLVoUbkv-Po_SRnu1TNHM8duI7iCxNRTGEr65Tp6WwsmgmFD1U04/s1600/DSCN0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAguSahx5x8XQqyHnGVgOl74YJNZPSg_Up4qCbNzQMmIGEe0FS2Ifg3-EXpVs331LuhqA1bRQM1XgnO9VSdqBJEulLVoUbkv-Po_SRnu1TNHM8duI7iCxNRTGEr65Tp6WwsmgmFD1U04/s320/DSCN0298.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgium</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk2nQo7QVyIG2Kr6xntQ_7yjFLX-pptFRz02U51HIA0e7hGBAcDaxE0UuCoLO9TBghl1x2MVVC31AZK-lm6wJ8cZTDUF-r4JEwZEPN9h9VhLTaYLC9h38R966R51f50jTrt9VjHj2mtM/s1600/DSCN0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk2nQo7QVyIG2Kr6xntQ_7yjFLX-pptFRz02U51HIA0e7hGBAcDaxE0UuCoLO9TBghl1x2MVVC31AZK-lm6wJ8cZTDUF-r4JEwZEPN9h9VhLTaYLC9h38R966R51f50jTrt9VjHj2mtM/s320/DSCN0300.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgium</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLjEDfeFPn6-oC0mM_rJy0gO90zGdnUUf3jInA7x-2F5SsmeQSR_5MUG5TW1R6Psy1DfvvVcNOdWl9DWyDMFZnvyTYDIELQf7OUrnVnpGj-qIewHqZO6IfisADt2iroxS24AF4OmRlng/s1600/DSCN0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLjEDfeFPn6-oC0mM_rJy0gO90zGdnUUf3jInA7x-2F5SsmeQSR_5MUG5TW1R6Psy1DfvvVcNOdWl9DWyDMFZnvyTYDIELQf7OUrnVnpGj-qIewHqZO6IfisADt2iroxS24AF4OmRlng/s320/DSCN0304.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQhFLPbaLNg2q6juECjr4y26yd8XBk8arN4rmGaG8WYBUyNgQTH1EwnsSGtGtbTYpjIuqLUKMsjN8R70D3drt9LIu8IBW3GPBc_Ovjn0lcGAjzPLmFoVGxl-mGbVIafOiyIm8hcO5uxU/s1600/DSCN0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQhFLPbaLNg2q6juECjr4y26yd8XBk8arN4rmGaG8WYBUyNgQTH1EwnsSGtGtbTYpjIuqLUKMsjN8R70D3drt9LIu8IBW3GPBc_Ovjn0lcGAjzPLmFoVGxl-mGbVIafOiyIm8hcO5uxU/s320/DSCN0319.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belgium</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnmJu-9rOCqE5TA-Q_FeRaRa1aflQadb6Jiq9kSfMhXXma-RLdQ-gsKqUSCVxnXJBn-ffU7JnVL7k-7BZny2Hme4hN1QIp7kzOqevkxRH8DaLUVn21Mg069Cg_Dc_AcDZsP3Rv3mj-yo/s1600/DSCN0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnmJu-9rOCqE5TA-Q_FeRaRa1aflQadb6Jiq9kSfMhXXma-RLdQ-gsKqUSCVxnXJBn-ffU7JnVL7k-7BZny2Hme4hN1QIp7kzOqevkxRH8DaLUVn21Mg069Cg_Dc_AcDZsP3Rv3mj-yo/s320/DSCN0322.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The giant atom</td></tr>
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Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6122649484300126151.post-43938215596123134072013-06-17T07:35:00.003-07:002013-06-17T07:36:24.023-07:00Week 1 in the field<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So I made a list of first impressions my first day and then also some things I've noticed through the week I hope you enjoy:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-Humidity is the devil. Cutting my hair was wonderful in the mtc and now I look like a pom pom. Seriously it curls and frizzes and I look like a dang fool. alas</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-everyone dresses so well!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-my allergies are ALIVE!!!!!! they are really bad here but alas I'm on the hunt for some meds (mine are all the drowsy ones and I'm drowsy enough as it is)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-people are really nice! they want to understand me and want to be understood. They are very patient. Especially when I tell them how long I've been here</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-people believe in themselves. That is the common thing. "I don't believe in God. I believe in myself. People who believe in good are poor like the people in Africa. But I believe in myself so I have a good life" →yes that's a real and frequent reply</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-the chocolate is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-Three course meals....yep i like it here starting with the best antipastas ever!!!!!!!!! bread and cheese for every meal no joke.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-first day we were served vodka shots with our dessert...so of course they were sent away</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-people think our church is all about money...or perhaps church in general</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-water is gold!!!!!!!!! They have the best water here!!!!!!!!! And they serve it in gorgeous vases so it's served like a lavish drink.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-it smells terrible here</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-within minutes of arrival we were being made fun of by French girls behind us....apparently americans are a joke</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-you can tell the elders that have been here a while from the new ones by how they dress</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-seriously fashion is a big deal here. the men wear tailored suits and skinny ties and nice shoes...thank you!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-EVERYONE notices the mormon missionaries! People are constantly staring. it's funny to watch people look at my tag and practically take off running or at least avoid eye contact like i'm flipping Medusa or something</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-just in the first day I met at least one person from Russia, Singapore, Africa, Turkey, Portugal, Puerto Rico. The first day contacting I was with a chinese speaking elder and he acted like he couldn't understand us so the elder said, "nederlands?" no "english" no "chinese" no and then the man said Russia so I said the one word I know in Russian which is goodbye and the elder was like "ahhh you speak russian?" and by this time the guy was leaving so alas I needed Brittany!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-Mom, you would die. There are so many birds here and they are super friendly...too friendly...you would pass away</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-yep we eat with our left hand. it is so hard and I am ultra uncoordinated. it's embarassing really</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-i don't really like the meat here</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-my first day contacting a man looks at my tag and says "you're from here" and I said "no but my family is" and he says "yeah is it Frisland?" I don't know so alas! but it was super cool.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-I'm in Dordrecht which is the man made Island and it is awesome I really love it!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-we've had all dutch lessons so far but one and I think we taught 16 lessons last week</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-the drop is soooooo good</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-biking here is sooooooooo cool!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-everyone...well, most people smoke cigarettes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-they are so much more technologically advanced than America</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-by looking our the window in the morning I have no idea what weather I'll experience that day</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-yes, it rains alot</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-gouda quesadillas are money</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-riding a bike in a skirt in the wind= challenge</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-i am getting sunglasses pronto. so many things fly in my eyes every day</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-The Netherlands suffers from chronic wind</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-people try to get me to speak english...so apparently my dutch isn't as good as I think it is</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-there is an amazing African family in our ward and the first thing they said to me was "you are welcome here" awwww it was so nice</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-in sacrament yesterday I forgot how good there bread is and when I took one I was like "what is this?" the bread is so good. nothing in america can compare</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I really love it here!!!! It is beautiful the food is great the people and members are great. my trainers are great! It is by far the hardest thing, but it's all good. People will listen on the street but they won't hear more. it's hard but it's all good. it's so worth it. to be honest I can't understand hardly anything around me and it's hard but people are good. I truly believe that. everything is going well here. I am so busy I think about you and pray for you everyday! I love you so much! I hope all is well.</span></div>
Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02402105849806867705noreply@blogger.com1