Hello family! 3/30/2009
Today we heard about transfers, and after a whole lot of fretting and worrying that I would get sent away from my beloved Rotterdam, we finally got news that I would be staying at least another transfer!!!!! I am so relieved- I just love the people here so much, and I want to be here to see that our investigators are all cared for. Our senior companion Zr. Kriser goes home this week. She is such a sweetheart! I will truly miss her great example and fun spirit. President decided to cut us down to just 2 sisters here in Rotterdam, so my companion Zr. Wieland is now my senior companion- she's a nervous wreck! I am pretty nervous too, but I know the Lord will take care of us and the work here in Rotterdam will be just fine.
As for pictures, they are coming- I have to mail them next week, but they are on their way. I haven't found a reliable source for picture cd's yet, but as soon as I do, I'll mail home my files. Until then, I'll send some prints. I'm sorry its taken so long- its just REALLY expensive to print and mail pictures. My comp and I are looking forward to having just two of us- things should go a lot faster on P-days and I should be able to figure the pictures out.
I have a quick question- I remember the sisters doing a 8-step family mission plan with you guys a little while ago- do you all have a copy of the plan? We want to start a family mission plan program here in Rotterdam and we need some more ideas on what to do to get it started. If you have it, could you mail it?
My love for the language, people, and the land here grows every day. Sometimes its wet and rainy, but still beautiful. Spring is slowly coming and there are flowers everywhere! It is so beautiful. I loved flowers before my mission, and my love for them has grown so much the past few weeks- I’m pretty much addicted. My future house will be FILLED with flowers- that I know for sure.
I had a neat experience the other day. I was riding my bike to an appt. and I saw a man walking on the street, and I felt like we should talk to him. I didn't do it, and kept riding, but the thought didn't leave, so I yelled to zr. Wieland (we were on splits) and we turned around and rode after this guy. I jumped off my bike and stopped him and asked him if we could share a message with him. Luckily, he didn't speak Dutch, so we got to talk in English. We have now met with him again and he is an investigator! It is so neat how the Lord directs the work here. He knew we would be on that street at that specific time to meet Fabian, and sent him walking just so we could find him and share the Gospel with him. The Lord truly does want to bless his children and directs us toward his prepared children every day- we just have to be listening to his promptings and ready to take action to follow them.
I love you all family! You brighten my weeks with you letters. I know you are all busy, and I appreciate the time you take to write to me and catch me up on life. I hope you all remember how much the Lord loves you and how happy he is with you for doing your best to serve him every day. I have seen the blessings from him so clearly in my life before my mission and now that I am here in the Netherlands.
Ik hou van jullie!
Groetjes,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Sister-Missionary Sandwich
Hello Family!! 3/23/2009
Well, what can I say... its been another FABULOUS week here in the Netherlands!! Heather and Phil, thank you sooo much for the sweet pictures of Cozy. She is getting so big! I wouldn't have recognized her at all. I'm so glad she had a good party. It sounds like it was a blast.
Well, I have a rather amusing story to share with you today. One of the new things I've had to adjust to since coming here is using public transportation. We use trains, trams, metros, and buses, all of which is just a confusing mess to a small-town girl like me. Well, the other day, we were waiting for our metro, which was coming in like 2 minutes, when I remembered we needed to call Moniek, one of the new members in our ward. I have a really hard time understanding Dutch over the phone, so I usually don't make phone calls, but I decided I needed to practice, so I volunteered to make the call. I was really nervous to call her, but I did anyways. I was in the middle of a conversation and was actually doing ok when our metro came, so we had to jump on while I was still on the phone. Well, I jumped in the metro behind my companion just as the doors were closing, and I'm not sure how, but somehow, I ended up inside and my missionary bag was half-in, half-outside the doors. This was a problem. There I was stuck to the doors of the metro by my bag, which is strapped around me trying my best to understand a woman speaking dutch with a Rwandese accent with my senior comp desperately trying to pull me out of the door. Finally, a man from the outside came and started pushing on my bag, while another person ran over to the door open button across the car and the doors finally opened. Then I went to sit down and try to somehow recover the phone conversation and almost sat in someone’s turkse pizza. Anyways, I finally made it to a seat and said "even wachten", which means wait just a second and handed the phone to Zr. Kriser because I was dying trying not to laugh. Its almost my 3rd transfer, yet the greenie moments keep on coming :)
We are having so much success! We really do have a great companionship. We have so much unity and positive energy in my companionship. Zr. Kriser leaves us next week which is really too bad. She has been such a good influence and example for me. Her ability to help people feel God's love for them is incredible. Actually, its sometimes too incredible- we've had 2 different men this transfer fall in love with her from a 2 minute door contact and show up to church or somewhere to profess their undying love to her. Actually, yesterday we had 10 investigators in church (which is like 3 times the usual) and one of them kind of proposed to her- luckily I was there to dump a huge pile of hymnbooks in her arms and tell her to take them to the chapel before she had to respond. My Dutch is actually surprisingly good when I'm saving Zr. Kriser from one of her admirers- I just start talking up a storm to distract them before things get too awkward. I guess that’s what she gets for being so darn cute!
We are all pretty sure Zr. Wieland and I will both stay next transfer, which will be AWESOME! I would be sooo sad if I had to leave now when we have so many people we're working with. The language is still a challenge, but really does get better every day. I am determined to speak as much as possible, and am really enjoying getting more involved in our lessons.
Well, I am planning on printing some pictures today, so I will hopefully get them back next week and mail them ASAP. I love you all so much! Heather and Phil, good luck in China! Be safe and enjoy it. Dad, you need to take it easy- you sound stressed out! Then again, I must say its impressive that you still got all those amazing dance moves! Mom, keep up the amazing work and service with seminary- you're awesome! I love you all tons and tons! Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Well, what can I say... its been another FABULOUS week here in the Netherlands!! Heather and Phil, thank you sooo much for the sweet pictures of Cozy. She is getting so big! I wouldn't have recognized her at all. I'm so glad she had a good party. It sounds like it was a blast.
Well, I have a rather amusing story to share with you today. One of the new things I've had to adjust to since coming here is using public transportation. We use trains, trams, metros, and buses, all of which is just a confusing mess to a small-town girl like me. Well, the other day, we were waiting for our metro, which was coming in like 2 minutes, when I remembered we needed to call Moniek, one of the new members in our ward. I have a really hard time understanding Dutch over the phone, so I usually don't make phone calls, but I decided I needed to practice, so I volunteered to make the call. I was really nervous to call her, but I did anyways. I was in the middle of a conversation and was actually doing ok when our metro came, so we had to jump on while I was still on the phone. Well, I jumped in the metro behind my companion just as the doors were closing, and I'm not sure how, but somehow, I ended up inside and my missionary bag was half-in, half-outside the doors. This was a problem. There I was stuck to the doors of the metro by my bag, which is strapped around me trying my best to understand a woman speaking dutch with a Rwandese accent with my senior comp desperately trying to pull me out of the door. Finally, a man from the outside came and started pushing on my bag, while another person ran over to the door open button across the car and the doors finally opened. Then I went to sit down and try to somehow recover the phone conversation and almost sat in someone’s turkse pizza. Anyways, I finally made it to a seat and said "even wachten", which means wait just a second and handed the phone to Zr. Kriser because I was dying trying not to laugh. Its almost my 3rd transfer, yet the greenie moments keep on coming :)
We are having so much success! We really do have a great companionship. We have so much unity and positive energy in my companionship. Zr. Kriser leaves us next week which is really too bad. She has been such a good influence and example for me. Her ability to help people feel God's love for them is incredible. Actually, its sometimes too incredible- we've had 2 different men this transfer fall in love with her from a 2 minute door contact and show up to church or somewhere to profess their undying love to her. Actually, yesterday we had 10 investigators in church (which is like 3 times the usual) and one of them kind of proposed to her- luckily I was there to dump a huge pile of hymnbooks in her arms and tell her to take them to the chapel before she had to respond. My Dutch is actually surprisingly good when I'm saving Zr. Kriser from one of her admirers- I just start talking up a storm to distract them before things get too awkward. I guess that’s what she gets for being so darn cute!
We are all pretty sure Zr. Wieland and I will both stay next transfer, which will be AWESOME! I would be sooo sad if I had to leave now when we have so many people we're working with. The language is still a challenge, but really does get better every day. I am determined to speak as much as possible, and am really enjoying getting more involved in our lessons.
Well, I am planning on printing some pictures today, so I will hopefully get them back next week and mail them ASAP. I love you all so much! Heather and Phil, good luck in China! Be safe and enjoy it. Dad, you need to take it easy- you sound stressed out! Then again, I must say its impressive that you still got all those amazing dance moves! Mom, keep up the amazing work and service with seminary- you're awesome! I love you all tons and tons! Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, March 16, 2009
Joy in Missionary Work!
Liefte familie, 3/16/2009
I love you all so much!! Thank you for the e-mails! They were all so perfect- just a little info to keep me updated, but not too long so that I have no time to write-- you guys are just amazing!
What can I say about the work….It is more amazing than I have ever experienced. We have seen the work here in Rotterdam multiply this transfer to the point where we as sisters can't keep up with it. We are starting to work with the sisters from Gouda (a neighboring city) one day a week so that we can cover more ground, because there is just no way we can keep up with it all. We are all dead by the end of every day, but we have been blessed with the purest joy as we devote ourselves to the work. It is a joy indescribable that penetrates us even in the worst of circumstances. It is so interesting, we go out on the streets every day teaching people about finding joy and happiness, and even though so many people reject that joy every day, we as missionaries begin to understand and experience that joy more and more. I have felt more pure joy in the past week than I have ever in my life, and I am so grateful. I think the joy we experience as we serve the Lord wherever we are in life, on a mission, or just in normal life, is a foretaste of what it will be like in the eternities. It is a joy that I recognize from significant moments in my life- my first time through the temple being one of them. The Lord just wants us to be happy and joyful, and he is so willing to let us experience joy if we do the simple things that he asks us.
We are now working with 7 baptismal dates and this week we taught 43 lessons. WHEW! We were BUSY! It was so awesome! Serving with Sis. Kriser, who has about 3 weeks left in her mission, has been so fun. She has seen the blessings from serving an honorable mission and is so willing to share her joy and love for the people and the work with us. It is a contagious joy and I feel so blessed to serve with her.
The weather is starting to warm up drastically- I was actually warm the other day on my bike! And of course, with the warm weather comes FLOWERS! They are so beautiful. The tulips will take a few more weeks to bloom, but there are daffodils everywhere and the world is just such a beautiful place here in spring. Of course, the awesome weather just adds to our enthusiasm, so life is great! I am a little worried however- I'm pretty sure it will be downhill from here because I can't imagine my mission getting any better than this :)
As for your questions: No, I can't really get attachments. You can try one next week if you want, but I don't think it will work. No flat tires since I got my new outer tires put on! Keep praying for em! As for the ward, it is amazing! It is a very multi-cultural ward, but is over half Dutch, and the members are so devoted and prepared to work with us to increase the work. My favorite lady is Sis. Hoppen- she's actually English, but speaks perfect Dutch (she translated the Book of Mormon for the church) and comes on joint teach with us all the time. She is so awesome! She reminds me a lot of papa with her enthusiasm and sense of humor. We call her our Dutch grandma, and she just loves the sister missionaries. As for special experiences this week, we were on splits, so it was just Sis. Wieland and I a few evenings ago, and we went to go see a member who wasn't home, but we contacted a young Dutch man who is pretty much the most golden investigator I've ever heard of or seen. He is TOTALLY prepared for the gospel and came to church 2 days after we met him and had read like 6 chapters from the Book of Mormon. AMAZING! We also went to Kinderdijk today with the Servoss's (a senior couple in our area) That was so fun to see all of the windmolen (windmills). I think windmills and wooden shoes will always have a special place in my heart for ever.
Well family, I love you tons! Take care of yourselves!
Ik hou van jullie
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
P.S. Congrats on Cal Poly little family!
I love you all so much!! Thank you for the e-mails! They were all so perfect- just a little info to keep me updated, but not too long so that I have no time to write-- you guys are just amazing!
What can I say about the work….It is more amazing than I have ever experienced. We have seen the work here in Rotterdam multiply this transfer to the point where we as sisters can't keep up with it. We are starting to work with the sisters from Gouda (a neighboring city) one day a week so that we can cover more ground, because there is just no way we can keep up with it all. We are all dead by the end of every day, but we have been blessed with the purest joy as we devote ourselves to the work. It is a joy indescribable that penetrates us even in the worst of circumstances. It is so interesting, we go out on the streets every day teaching people about finding joy and happiness, and even though so many people reject that joy every day, we as missionaries begin to understand and experience that joy more and more. I have felt more pure joy in the past week than I have ever in my life, and I am so grateful. I think the joy we experience as we serve the Lord wherever we are in life, on a mission, or just in normal life, is a foretaste of what it will be like in the eternities. It is a joy that I recognize from significant moments in my life- my first time through the temple being one of them. The Lord just wants us to be happy and joyful, and he is so willing to let us experience joy if we do the simple things that he asks us.
We are now working with 7 baptismal dates and this week we taught 43 lessons. WHEW! We were BUSY! It was so awesome! Serving with Sis. Kriser, who has about 3 weeks left in her mission, has been so fun. She has seen the blessings from serving an honorable mission and is so willing to share her joy and love for the people and the work with us. It is a contagious joy and I feel so blessed to serve with her.
The weather is starting to warm up drastically- I was actually warm the other day on my bike! And of course, with the warm weather comes FLOWERS! They are so beautiful. The tulips will take a few more weeks to bloom, but there are daffodils everywhere and the world is just such a beautiful place here in spring. Of course, the awesome weather just adds to our enthusiasm, so life is great! I am a little worried however- I'm pretty sure it will be downhill from here because I can't imagine my mission getting any better than this :)
As for your questions: No, I can't really get attachments. You can try one next week if you want, but I don't think it will work. No flat tires since I got my new outer tires put on! Keep praying for em! As for the ward, it is amazing! It is a very multi-cultural ward, but is over half Dutch, and the members are so devoted and prepared to work with us to increase the work. My favorite lady is Sis. Hoppen- she's actually English, but speaks perfect Dutch (she translated the Book of Mormon for the church) and comes on joint teach with us all the time. She is so awesome! She reminds me a lot of papa with her enthusiasm and sense of humor. We call her our Dutch grandma, and she just loves the sister missionaries. As for special experiences this week, we were on splits, so it was just Sis. Wieland and I a few evenings ago, and we went to go see a member who wasn't home, but we contacted a young Dutch man who is pretty much the most golden investigator I've ever heard of or seen. He is TOTALLY prepared for the gospel and came to church 2 days after we met him and had read like 6 chapters from the Book of Mormon. AMAZING! We also went to Kinderdijk today with the Servoss's (a senior couple in our area) That was so fun to see all of the windmolen (windmills). I think windmills and wooden shoes will always have a special place in my heart for ever.
Well family, I love you tons! Take care of yourselves!
Ik hou van jullie
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
P.S. Congrats on Cal Poly little family!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Another Crazy Week
Hello Family!
Well, this week was CRAZY! We have put a new focus on goal making in our companionship and we have seen TONS of blessings as a result. We were busier than ever, and we saw so much progress in the work here. Our district leader was blown away with our numbers this week. The coolest thing about it was that through the week, each day seemed so hard, and we were constantly exhausted. It just felt like we were trying our best and our best just wasn't good enough, but we kept pushing forward every day and saw amazing miracles that helped us surpass our goals. We had 5 investigators in church, which is higher than I have ever seen on my mission so far. It was such a miracle, and as we counted up our numbers on sunday night, we were all three humbled by how much we were able to accomplish despite our weaknesses and shortcomings throughout the week. It was a hard, tiring week, but we all learned that that is simply what it takes to see progress in this great work. The Lord blesses you after you have done ALL you can and can give no more. He is always waiting to help you go even farther when you show him you are willing to give him your all.
This week I traveled to Brussels with Sister Bennett (my MTC comp). We had to go down and get our Belgian residency permits. It was a fun trip. We got to see our old district and hear how everyone's areas were doing, and it was overall a really fun experience. I ate my very first Belgian sugar waffel (which was really, really tasty) and tried Belgian frits (not too impressive- I like dutch patat with curry sauce better- mmmm!) It was a lot of fun, but it drove me crazy to be on trains all day in a land where everyone spoke french- I just wanted to be on the streets talking to people!
As for the bike, the tally on flat tires is now 3, so I took it to a bike shop, and the really nice bike man took one look at my tires and told me I needed new ones- which I totally agreed with (mine were really, really old and nasty). It cost 45 euro for 2 new tires and one new innertube, so it was kind of expensive, but the bike is in much better condition now, and that should solve my problems. Funny story- a few weeks ago, I patched the inner tube on my bike tire, which I was very excited about- it wasn't probably perfect, but I was very proud of myself. The man at the bike shop took my tire off to see if I needed a new inner tube, and looked at the tube and said something that translates basically to "well, there is a hole here, and it looks like its been patched a few times. And this patch here(pointing to my patch)... its just a little weird." I said something to the effect of "oh yes... that one does look quite weird. Ok, I guess I need a new one" and tried not to start laughing. Dutch people are just so honest, but there was no way I was going to admit that the weird one was my patch. Honestly, what does he know anyway...
Well, I think that pretty much wraps up the adventures from this week. I have passed my 4 month mark on the mission. That means I have been on my mission for a third of a year! Crazy! It really is starting to fly by. Oh, and I've decided I never want to leave Rotterdam- I just love it too much! Well, I'd better go- we have to hop on a train and run to Den Haag (the "Hague") to pick up my companions residency permit- so much for a restful p-day!
I love you all and pray for you nightly! Ik houd van jullie allemaal!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Well, this week was CRAZY! We have put a new focus on goal making in our companionship and we have seen TONS of blessings as a result. We were busier than ever, and we saw so much progress in the work here. Our district leader was blown away with our numbers this week. The coolest thing about it was that through the week, each day seemed so hard, and we were constantly exhausted. It just felt like we were trying our best and our best just wasn't good enough, but we kept pushing forward every day and saw amazing miracles that helped us surpass our goals. We had 5 investigators in church, which is higher than I have ever seen on my mission so far. It was such a miracle, and as we counted up our numbers on sunday night, we were all three humbled by how much we were able to accomplish despite our weaknesses and shortcomings throughout the week. It was a hard, tiring week, but we all learned that that is simply what it takes to see progress in this great work. The Lord blesses you after you have done ALL you can and can give no more. He is always waiting to help you go even farther when you show him you are willing to give him your all.
This week I traveled to Brussels with Sister Bennett (my MTC comp). We had to go down and get our Belgian residency permits. It was a fun trip. We got to see our old district and hear how everyone's areas were doing, and it was overall a really fun experience. I ate my very first Belgian sugar waffel (which was really, really tasty) and tried Belgian frits (not too impressive- I like dutch patat with curry sauce better- mmmm!) It was a lot of fun, but it drove me crazy to be on trains all day in a land where everyone spoke french- I just wanted to be on the streets talking to people!
As for the bike, the tally on flat tires is now 3, so I took it to a bike shop, and the really nice bike man took one look at my tires and told me I needed new ones- which I totally agreed with (mine were really, really old and nasty). It cost 45 euro for 2 new tires and one new innertube, so it was kind of expensive, but the bike is in much better condition now, and that should solve my problems. Funny story- a few weeks ago, I patched the inner tube on my bike tire, which I was very excited about- it wasn't probably perfect, but I was very proud of myself. The man at the bike shop took my tire off to see if I needed a new inner tube, and looked at the tube and said something that translates basically to "well, there is a hole here, and it looks like its been patched a few times. And this patch here(pointing to my patch)... its just a little weird." I said something to the effect of "oh yes... that one does look quite weird. Ok, I guess I need a new one" and tried not to start laughing. Dutch people are just so honest, but there was no way I was going to admit that the weird one was my patch. Honestly, what does he know anyway...
Well, I think that pretty much wraps up the adventures from this week. I have passed my 4 month mark on the mission. That means I have been on my mission for a third of a year! Crazy! It really is starting to fly by. Oh, and I've decided I never want to leave Rotterdam- I just love it too much! Well, I'd better go- we have to hop on a train and run to Den Haag (the "Hague") to pick up my companions residency permit- so much for a restful p-day!
I love you all and pray for you nightly! Ik houd van jullie allemaal!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, March 2, 2009
Climbing Windmills!
Hello Wonderful family!
What a great P-day we've had today! I just got back from climbing around on a windmill- literally! One of the members here owns a windmill and let us have a little tour and gave us some baking mixes to make some authentic Dutch breads- very cool! (too bad we don't have an oven...) It was so cool to get to see up close one of the national monuments here in Rotterdam (actually, all windmills are national monuments, there are just not too many left here in Rotterdam). Fun fact- There are enough windmills in the Netherlands that if the modern water pumping systems ever stopped working, they could start the windmills up and keep the land above water. It was so fun. We are TOTALLY out of time this p-day, but next p-day I"ll print some pictures and send them!
Well, the highlight of the week was one of our bikes getting stolen. I was using my trainer's bike while mine is waiting for me to put a new light on it, and we went into a discussion and came out and my trainer's bike was totally gone. It was really sad, and I felt really bad- we had been lazy and not locked them all together like we usually do. Luckily I still have my bike and now we have learned our lesson- Always put 2 locks on a bike in Rotterdam. We were at one of our investigator's houses and he is a huge Ghanaian man (formerly a sky marshal) and once he found out, he was on the phone with some of his "connections" and had found me a new bike. We explained we didn't need it, and later decided that was better because the bike he would have given us would probably be a black market bike stolen from some other missionary anyways :) So we all learned our lesson, and thankfully, we all still have a bike to use.
The work here in Rotterdam is going great- we are actually more busy than we can handle at present. We're going to ask permission to not do any finding for a week and just visit our investigators to try and catch up on them all. Currently we have 3 people preparing for baptism and a ton of others we're teaching when we can. Last transfer, we found 33 new investigators and taught something like 130 lessons. Pretty Crazy! Even my senior companion is overwhelmed with the work. It is stressful, but so rewarding! I am finding true joy as I work to bring this beautiful gospel to all of the people I meet every day.
Yesterday, we all went up to Zwolle to hear Elder Oaks speak. It was a very cool experience. Of course, all of the missionaries were about 2 hours early, so we were all there to greet him when he came in. It was really awesome. We all lined up to shake his hand, and I was at the end of the line. He went down the line greeting each missionary and saying a few words to them. I was really excited to meet him, kind of like just before Christmas. Then, half way through the line, he got distracted, and then I guess thought he had already greeted all the missionaries, because when he finally shook my hand, all he said to me was "oh, hello... again" and moved on to the next person in line. I was kind of caught off guard, and then just thought it was quite funny. On the train ride home everyone talked about their awesome moment meeting Elder Oaks, and my story was quite comical in comparison. Ahh, life is just funny sometimes. Of course his talk in the stake conference was awesome, and it was fun to see all of the missionaries.
The missionaries a transfer behind us in the MTC are here now, so it was fun to not be the newest ones for a change. Oh, my MTC companion Sis. Bennett was transferred into our zone, so we have a grand old time now whenever we see each other. We have to head down to Brussels this week to get our Belgian legality, so we will spend a whole day as "companions" again, which will be really fun.
Well, my half hour is almost up, which is actually good considering P-day is almost up and we've still got to go shopping :) I love you all so much and pray for you every day! Keep me updated on the happenings- after all, I have been gone almost 4 months if you can believe it! I love you all tons!
Love,
Zuster Gulliver
P.S. Ik houd van jullie
What a great P-day we've had today! I just got back from climbing around on a windmill- literally! One of the members here owns a windmill and let us have a little tour and gave us some baking mixes to make some authentic Dutch breads- very cool! (too bad we don't have an oven...) It was so cool to get to see up close one of the national monuments here in Rotterdam (actually, all windmills are national monuments, there are just not too many left here in Rotterdam). Fun fact- There are enough windmills in the Netherlands that if the modern water pumping systems ever stopped working, they could start the windmills up and keep the land above water. It was so fun. We are TOTALLY out of time this p-day, but next p-day I"ll print some pictures and send them!
Well, the highlight of the week was one of our bikes getting stolen. I was using my trainer's bike while mine is waiting for me to put a new light on it, and we went into a discussion and came out and my trainer's bike was totally gone. It was really sad, and I felt really bad- we had been lazy and not locked them all together like we usually do. Luckily I still have my bike and now we have learned our lesson- Always put 2 locks on a bike in Rotterdam. We were at one of our investigator's houses and he is a huge Ghanaian man (formerly a sky marshal) and once he found out, he was on the phone with some of his "connections" and had found me a new bike. We explained we didn't need it, and later decided that was better because the bike he would have given us would probably be a black market bike stolen from some other missionary anyways :) So we all learned our lesson, and thankfully, we all still have a bike to use.
The work here in Rotterdam is going great- we are actually more busy than we can handle at present. We're going to ask permission to not do any finding for a week and just visit our investigators to try and catch up on them all. Currently we have 3 people preparing for baptism and a ton of others we're teaching when we can. Last transfer, we found 33 new investigators and taught something like 130 lessons. Pretty Crazy! Even my senior companion is overwhelmed with the work. It is stressful, but so rewarding! I am finding true joy as I work to bring this beautiful gospel to all of the people I meet every day.
Yesterday, we all went up to Zwolle to hear Elder Oaks speak. It was a very cool experience. Of course, all of the missionaries were about 2 hours early, so we were all there to greet him when he came in. It was really awesome. We all lined up to shake his hand, and I was at the end of the line. He went down the line greeting each missionary and saying a few words to them. I was really excited to meet him, kind of like just before Christmas. Then, half way through the line, he got distracted, and then I guess thought he had already greeted all the missionaries, because when he finally shook my hand, all he said to me was "oh, hello... again" and moved on to the next person in line. I was kind of caught off guard, and then just thought it was quite funny. On the train ride home everyone talked about their awesome moment meeting Elder Oaks, and my story was quite comical in comparison. Ahh, life is just funny sometimes. Of course his talk in the stake conference was awesome, and it was fun to see all of the missionaries.
The missionaries a transfer behind us in the MTC are here now, so it was fun to not be the newest ones for a change. Oh, my MTC companion Sis. Bennett was transferred into our zone, so we have a grand old time now whenever we see each other. We have to head down to Brussels this week to get our Belgian legality, so we will spend a whole day as "companions" again, which will be really fun.
Well, my half hour is almost up, which is actually good considering P-day is almost up and we've still got to go shopping :) I love you all so much and pray for you every day! Keep me updated on the happenings- after all, I have been gone almost 4 months if you can believe it! I love you all tons!
Love,
Zuster Gulliver
P.S. Ik houd van jullie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
