Oi Mooie Familie!!!(Hello beautiful family! * the dutch use beautiful to describe everything!*)
Today is a gorgeous day here in NL! Actually, today really is quite beautiful- rather warm and even sunny! This week has been a great one. For a while over the past few weeks, I have been battling a nasty cold that didn't seem to want to go away, but I survived and feel great now. Its amazing how the Lord strengthens us here in the mission. He needs us in tip-top condition and sees that we have all of the strength we need to be effective.
We saw an awesome miracle yesterday with one of our investigators. His name is Jose. He is from Capo Verde and speaks portuguese and Spanish and only a little Dutch and english. Communicating with him directly is very hard, but with ward members help, we always seem to manage. After only having the 1st and 2nd lessons (which took quite a few appointments each to teach becuase of the language barrier), we asked him if he would be baptized. Without even hesitating, he said "Sure. What day?" The member with us was totally taken aback and said something like "are you sure you think you're ready?" but Jose was totally ready and he will be baptized in March! He is an amazing person that I am learning to love despite our inability to communicate. That puts our number of investigators with a baptismal date at 3 currently!!
To answer a few of your questions:Other than my cold, I have been feeling great. I can't even tell that I ever had a stomach issue. It hasn't bothered me one little bit- regardless of how much belgian/dutch chocolate I eat!In a typical day, I have some sort of muesli/granola for breakfast or cheerios from the military base (one of our senior couples was in the military and brings us cheerios!). Lunch is usually pitas with Gouda and lentils or something of that nature, and dinner is usually pasta unless we go to a members house in which case it is somthing awesome like split pea soup( which is amazing here in Holland) or something potato-ey and meaty. I am keeping a little "food diary" of all of the fun things I get to eat (all of which are tasty and usually not scary at all- thank goodness for modern food handling systems!). I will have to mail you all a few pages- its kind of fun! My latest favorite is patat (or belgian frits if you're below the border) with awesome curry sauce. Its basically a paper cone filled with french fries and sauces. It is so amazingly awesome- I think I just might break 110 pounds if I'm not careful...As for the e-mail situation, I have exactly 30 minutes total to read and write my e-mails. I don't have a chance to print any, so if you send any extra good ones, be sure to print them out and save em for me! I don't usually have a total time crunch- as long as no one writes me a novel, i should be fine!I
t is so fun to hear from you all. It makes me happy to get to check in with you all every once in a while and hear about the new happenings around the house. I hope that apartment situation works out- it sounds like it'll be a lot of work- but a blessing as well! And I can't believe Cozy is walking! That is just awesome! Take a pic of her standing sometime and send it on over!!
I can feel myself slowly adjusting to life on a mission. Its sometimes really really hard, exhausting, a little embarassing/humiliating, and awkward, but overall, it is a rewarding and joyful experience. The language continues to be a challenge- the more I speak the more I realize I don't know how to say much! The Lord has blessed me though, and I can see drastic improvement from just 3 weeks ago when I arrived here in the field. Every once in a while I get to teach someone in English, and it is like a little gift from Heavenly Father reminding me that I know how to do this- I just need to work and wait for the language to come.
The work is so awesome! Well family, I love you all lots! Niki- good luck with the LA trip and the academy- let me know how it all goes! Heather and Phil- my prayers are with you for your success with the job/apartment situation. Jamie- Hang in there with school, things are always harder at the beginning. Mom- Thanks for your sweet letters- I really appreciate you keeping me updated about the family. Dad- skiing? SWEET! Et smakkelijk!
I love you all and miss you! Pray for missionary experiences!
Love,Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Second week in Rotterdam
Hello my lovely family!
Well, it has been another fabulous, if at times wet, week in Rotterdam! I haven't had any trouble getting your e-mails. sorry if I put everyone on alert- I do love hearing from you all though, so keep 'em coming!
Today we had an especially comic bike ride riding the 30 minutes up to the church from our apartment- the rain was CRAZY!! We showed up for our zone p-day activity completely drenched. As much as i appreciated the make-up they gave us in the MTC make-up class, its really got nothing when it comes up against the full-speed winds and rain of Rotterdam North!
We have seen quite a few miracles this week. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates now, and we found 7 new investigators this week!! Woohoo! Our goal was only 4, so we feel very blessed. As a result, next week will be totally crazy, but crazy weeks as a result of new investigators are always a good thing!
I also had my first "superwafel" which is an oversized oh-so-caramely stroopwafel made by the cute little dutch ladies in their stand on the street. I was absolutely amazing. I think I may just gain the "Netherlands 30" as I like to call it from stroopwafels alone.
My companions are a lot of fun. My trainer, Sis. Matos, is from Chicago and goes home at the end of this transfer. My other companion Sis. Wieland is from oregon and this is just her 3rd transfer. She is really enthusiastic and has very good dutch for someone who has only been in the land 3 months. Tomorrow I have my first interview with Pres. Woodland, so that should be a lot of fun to chat a little with him and get some advice on how I can improve.
The bike is still a challenge, but I haven't had any super- problems yet. I definitely feel every little bridge and man-made hill here in the Netherlands. It makes me feel real bad for missionaries serving in places with real hills :) Thats neat that you looked up my house! We live in a little apartment in what looks like a row house, but is really two apartments. Its a small apartment, but its warm, which is what really matters.
My dutch seems to be improving- I am seeing the gift of tongues every day as I work to better understand and talk to the members and investigators I work with. The Lord truly prepares his servants, and I have seen how he has worked with me and is preparing me to be an effective servant for his Dutch children. I just keep plugging away- I figure I'll get it!
Funny story- so at the baptism of one of the kids in my ward the other day, I picked up a cream puff and as I did, one of our investigators came over to me and said something to me, pointing at the cream puff. I just kind of smiled and nodded, and bit into my cream puff. Well, the cream came squirting our everywhere, and she looked at me funny. I asked her how you said "cream", and she explained that she had warned me that the cream would squirt everywhere and was really amused that I hadn't gotten it- ahh, the countless embarassing moments with the language barrier!
Ok, well ,thats all the time I have today- I love you all tons!! Oh, and thanks for the pics- I got them on the 14th, so about 6 days after you sent them.
I love you all!!
Love,Zuster Gulliver
Well, it has been another fabulous, if at times wet, week in Rotterdam! I haven't had any trouble getting your e-mails. sorry if I put everyone on alert- I do love hearing from you all though, so keep 'em coming!
Today we had an especially comic bike ride riding the 30 minutes up to the church from our apartment- the rain was CRAZY!! We showed up for our zone p-day activity completely drenched. As much as i appreciated the make-up they gave us in the MTC make-up class, its really got nothing when it comes up against the full-speed winds and rain of Rotterdam North!
We have seen quite a few miracles this week. We have 2 investigators with baptismal dates now, and we found 7 new investigators this week!! Woohoo! Our goal was only 4, so we feel very blessed. As a result, next week will be totally crazy, but crazy weeks as a result of new investigators are always a good thing!
I also had my first "superwafel" which is an oversized oh-so-caramely stroopwafel made by the cute little dutch ladies in their stand on the street. I was absolutely amazing. I think I may just gain the "Netherlands 30" as I like to call it from stroopwafels alone.
My companions are a lot of fun. My trainer, Sis. Matos, is from Chicago and goes home at the end of this transfer. My other companion Sis. Wieland is from oregon and this is just her 3rd transfer. She is really enthusiastic and has very good dutch for someone who has only been in the land 3 months. Tomorrow I have my first interview with Pres. Woodland, so that should be a lot of fun to chat a little with him and get some advice on how I can improve.
The bike is still a challenge, but I haven't had any super- problems yet. I definitely feel every little bridge and man-made hill here in the Netherlands. It makes me feel real bad for missionaries serving in places with real hills :) Thats neat that you looked up my house! We live in a little apartment in what looks like a row house, but is really two apartments. Its a small apartment, but its warm, which is what really matters.
My dutch seems to be improving- I am seeing the gift of tongues every day as I work to better understand and talk to the members and investigators I work with. The Lord truly prepares his servants, and I have seen how he has worked with me and is preparing me to be an effective servant for his Dutch children. I just keep plugging away- I figure I'll get it!
Funny story- so at the baptism of one of the kids in my ward the other day, I picked up a cream puff and as I did, one of our investigators came over to me and said something to me, pointing at the cream puff. I just kind of smiled and nodded, and bit into my cream puff. Well, the cream came squirting our everywhere, and she looked at me funny. I asked her how you said "cream", and she explained that she had warned me that the cream would squirt everywhere and was really amused that I hadn't gotten it- ahh, the countless embarassing moments with the language barrier!
Ok, well ,thats all the time I have today- I love you all tons!! Oh, and thanks for the pics- I got them on the 14th, so about 6 days after you sent them.
I love you all!!
Love,Zuster Gulliver
Monday, January 12, 2009
Adventures in Rotterdam
Goede Dag mijn lievling familie!!
Picture in your mind this:A dashingly beautiful sister missionary atop a brilliantly blue cruiser-style bike dressed in all the latest of european fashions gracefully rolling along the streets of Rotterdam- every once in a while ringing her little bell and saying such quaint things as "dag" or "avond" as she rides to yet another sparklingly beautiful appointment...
Pretty cool, huh? ok. So thats not AT ALL how the last week has been. Its more like me dressed like a black-colored abominal snow woman trudging up a hill about half-mile behind my trainers on a second hand bike in the driving wind and below freezing temperatures (Dad, whoever told you its not cold enough for the water to freeze over in Holland has clearly never been to Rotterdam), on our way to yet another cancelled appointment in the ghettos of Rotterdam where we get whistled at by little boys riding around on their bikes.
Overall, I am TOTALLY LOVING IT!!! Missionary work is the best. I will definitely be a LOT stronger as a result of all of our biking. We are on our bikes at least 3-4 hours out of the day riding around our area which takes in most of Rotterdam. I am in a threesome, and the first few days I was so behind on the streets that my trainer and other comp decided to start riding with me in the middle so I didn't get lost. I am improving in my speed, and my bike is pretty nice, so I shouldn't have any problems once I build up a little bike-muscle in my thighs.
The city of Rotterdam is very cool. It was hit very hard during world war II and has almost no remaining historical buildings, but still has a very Netherlands-feel to it. The diversity in the people we tract into is so cool. This week we have taught lessons to refugees from Rwanda, immigrants from Surinam, and people from capo verde, portugal, peru, aruba, and the Netherlands of course. We teach a lot of people who speak very little dutch, so I will probably pick up a little bit of portuguese, as english, dutch, and portuguese seem to be the most common languages of our investigators and members here in Rotterdam.The work is amazing!! Never ever believe that the work in Europe is slow in any way, because it is simply not true. Pres. Woodland told us that we are here to baptize and that we are in many ways building the future leadership for closed countries such as china and india, etc by teaching so many buitenlanders (immigrants). Thats not to say we don't teach plenty of dutch people. We have a dutch investigator (Lennika) who is super close to having a baptismal date- next discussion we're pretty sure she'll committ to being baptized in Feb. We also have another man, Andre, who will be getting baptized in Feb. The service is just after transfers, so hopefully I get to stay here at least two transfers to see the baptism!
I'm not even sure where to start telling you about all of the miracles I have witnessed. WE truly are instruments in the Lord's hands as we move about the city ending up in EXACTLY the right spot at the right time. Every time we show up to an appointment and get stood up, we just need to turn around and look up and down the street and we are guaranteed to see someone who is ready for the gospel, or who at least is interested in learning more. The other day we had a cancelled appointment and ended up running into a man from Capo Verde who made an appointment with us and asked us to pray with him right here on the street- which doesn't happen every day! The next day we were stood up for an appointment and as we were unlocking our bikes, a muslim boy abaout 15 years old came up to us and said that he wanted to be baptized a Christian-- that definitely doesn't happen every day! Of course we will have to get his parent's permission, but if we had not been there, he may never have had contact with a christian group for a while (he lived in a mostly muslim neighborhood). So many miracles! Every time we pray, pick a street, and go tracting, we find the elect here in Rotterdam who have been prepared to hear our message.
The Dutch is very hard, but I think biking might be an even greater challenge! I'm sure you can imagine me on a bike riding along busy streets ALL DAY LONG...My lack of skills is actually quite a comic relief at times. Well, I don't have much time- we still have our 30 minute time limit here in Rotterdam. I'd love to hear from you all! Let me know how life back home is. I miss you all tons! I love you lots!
Love, Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Picture in your mind this:A dashingly beautiful sister missionary atop a brilliantly blue cruiser-style bike dressed in all the latest of european fashions gracefully rolling along the streets of Rotterdam- every once in a while ringing her little bell and saying such quaint things as "dag" or "avond" as she rides to yet another sparklingly beautiful appointment...
Pretty cool, huh? ok. So thats not AT ALL how the last week has been. Its more like me dressed like a black-colored abominal snow woman trudging up a hill about half-mile behind my trainers on a second hand bike in the driving wind and below freezing temperatures (Dad, whoever told you its not cold enough for the water to freeze over in Holland has clearly never been to Rotterdam), on our way to yet another cancelled appointment in the ghettos of Rotterdam where we get whistled at by little boys riding around on their bikes.
Overall, I am TOTALLY LOVING IT!!! Missionary work is the best. I will definitely be a LOT stronger as a result of all of our biking. We are on our bikes at least 3-4 hours out of the day riding around our area which takes in most of Rotterdam. I am in a threesome, and the first few days I was so behind on the streets that my trainer and other comp decided to start riding with me in the middle so I didn't get lost. I am improving in my speed, and my bike is pretty nice, so I shouldn't have any problems once I build up a little bike-muscle in my thighs.
The city of Rotterdam is very cool. It was hit very hard during world war II and has almost no remaining historical buildings, but still has a very Netherlands-feel to it. The diversity in the people we tract into is so cool. This week we have taught lessons to refugees from Rwanda, immigrants from Surinam, and people from capo verde, portugal, peru, aruba, and the Netherlands of course. We teach a lot of people who speak very little dutch, so I will probably pick up a little bit of portuguese, as english, dutch, and portuguese seem to be the most common languages of our investigators and members here in Rotterdam.The work is amazing!! Never ever believe that the work in Europe is slow in any way, because it is simply not true. Pres. Woodland told us that we are here to baptize and that we are in many ways building the future leadership for closed countries such as china and india, etc by teaching so many buitenlanders (immigrants). Thats not to say we don't teach plenty of dutch people. We have a dutch investigator (Lennika) who is super close to having a baptismal date- next discussion we're pretty sure she'll committ to being baptized in Feb. We also have another man, Andre, who will be getting baptized in Feb. The service is just after transfers, so hopefully I get to stay here at least two transfers to see the baptism!
I'm not even sure where to start telling you about all of the miracles I have witnessed. WE truly are instruments in the Lord's hands as we move about the city ending up in EXACTLY the right spot at the right time. Every time we show up to an appointment and get stood up, we just need to turn around and look up and down the street and we are guaranteed to see someone who is ready for the gospel, or who at least is interested in learning more. The other day we had a cancelled appointment and ended up running into a man from Capo Verde who made an appointment with us and asked us to pray with him right here on the street- which doesn't happen every day! The next day we were stood up for an appointment and as we were unlocking our bikes, a muslim boy abaout 15 years old came up to us and said that he wanted to be baptized a Christian-- that definitely doesn't happen every day! Of course we will have to get his parent's permission, but if we had not been there, he may never have had contact with a christian group for a while (he lived in a mostly muslim neighborhood). So many miracles! Every time we pray, pick a street, and go tracting, we find the elect here in Rotterdam who have been prepared to hear our message.
The Dutch is very hard, but I think biking might be an even greater challenge! I'm sure you can imagine me on a bike riding along busy streets ALL DAY LONG...My lack of skills is actually quite a comic relief at times. Well, I don't have much time- we still have our 30 minute time limit here in Rotterdam. I'd love to hear from you all! Let me know how life back home is. I miss you all tons! I love you lots!
Love, Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Cherie's in the Netherlands!
Cherie arrived in Belgium on Tuesday Jan. 6th, 2009. She has been assigned to the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We have posted her new address. When we hear from her we will start posting again and pictures are soon to be posted too!
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