Goede Dag Familie!
I got your package this week. Thank you!! It was great to see so many pictures. Cozette and Niki look so much older! I can't believe Niki went to a dance-- I hope the boys she danced with were good ones :)
Dad, the withdrawals are fine. I had to buy a new coat for this winter- my other one got lost/stolen. Thanks for keeping an eye on the finances for me.
As far as the city, it is still going slow, but we have seen a few awesome miracles. They are like rays of sunshine that energize us to keep working to see the miracles that will lead others into the waters of baptism. Zr. Ekstrom and I heard this morning that there will be no changes in our companionship this transfer, which we were both excited about. We're great friends, we've already decided to be friends when we get back to BYU after our missions. We seriously have too much fun together. She is even goofier than I am, which is great when the work is going a little bit slower. I am grateful to be serving with her.
We got work this morning that they have closed the city of Haarlem for missionary work right now, but have opened Antwerpen again for sisters! Finally we have sisters in the northernmost and southernmost areas of the mission! This is truly exciting. I hope to be able to serve in Antwerpen sometime before I go back home... I'd love to learn Flemish. Exciting things are happening in the mission. Our numbers are going down, but the work, and number of baptisms just keeps climbing. We're excited to get Groningen going as well.
My Dutch is going really well. Not teaching very many lessons this transfer has taken a toll on my language skills, but as we start teaching more, it will all come back. Most people are really impressed that we speak Dutch as well as we do- or at all. Most people from other countries just get by with English, which almost everyone speaks. Its to a point where few people switch over to English while I'm talking to them, which hopefully means that my accent is improving :) I'm starting to be able to trick kids into thinking that I'm Dutch, so that must count for something. I am enjoying so much the ward and area here.
We have a new directive from our mission leaders-- no more tracting along doors to find people. Well, at least not too often. They really feel like there are better ways to find people, which I think is great. We are starting to find people a lot more as they walk on the streets or through surveys and things. It is a very exciting time to be here as the mission makes so many changes.
Well, my time is up! Take care family- I miss you all and love you tons!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ever Onward!
Dearest family,
It was soooo great to hear from you all. I do love getting e-mails from you. It builds me up a lot and helps me keep on going! It sounds like all is going well with you there. I am anxiously awaiting the pictures from you :). Hopefully they come today. Mail seems to take a lot longer to get to northern Netherlands than South Holland.
Well, the work here in Groningen is going on as slowly as ever. We have had some great new ideas for finding people this week, however, so things should start going better soon. We went on exchanges this week, so for a day I headed down to Zwolle to work for a day with Zuster Sharp (who is in her first transfer) and her trainer (Zr. Baxter) came and worked here with Zuster Ekstrom for a day. I was so excited to have Zuster Baxter working in my area- she is in her 12th transfer (most sisters only stay 11) and is a missionary I have always admired. I figured if anyone could give us some good tips and help us get the work started here, it would be her. I got back from exchanges and Zr. Ekstrom told me that they had had the weirdest exchange ever and talked to crazy people pretty much all day. It was disappointing, yet somehow comforting to know that the difficulty in the work probably doesn´t have anything to do with our personal skills- after all, we´re doing our best. I was blessed to serve with Zr. Sharp. She is a sweetheart and spent the entire day praising my Dutch, finding skills, and teaching abilities. She even told me that my accent is the best one she´s heard yet from the missionary sisters... ahh, the naive innocence of a greenie ;) We found a really neat young lady for them to teach in Zwolle while talking to people on the street. It was so much fun!
I have chosen a scripture that is my theme for the transfer. It is 2 Nephi 33:6-7. Nephi talks about his faith that through the atonement of Christ, MANY of the children of God will be saved. I know that is true. Despite hard transfers, I know that there are many souls here in the Netherlands that are ready to hear the Gospel and be cleansed through the blood of our Savior. The Gospel is such a beautiful thing, and I know that people here will just love it when they give it a chance.
Dad, you would be proud of me- I have gained a reputation in the mission of being a really hard worker- apparently despite my reluctance to clean my room when I was younger, I still learned the Gulliver work ethic. The sisters call me the energizer bunny. I find that really interesting, because one of the areas I am constantly striving to improve is diligence and learning to work harder constantly. Working hard shows the Lord that we truly desire to accomplish His work. The work must go on!!!
I love you all. Soon I will have amazing stories to share of the miracle of the Groningen area, I just know it!!!!!!
Ik hou van jullie
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
It was soooo great to hear from you all. I do love getting e-mails from you. It builds me up a lot and helps me keep on going! It sounds like all is going well with you there. I am anxiously awaiting the pictures from you :). Hopefully they come today. Mail seems to take a lot longer to get to northern Netherlands than South Holland.
Well, the work here in Groningen is going on as slowly as ever. We have had some great new ideas for finding people this week, however, so things should start going better soon. We went on exchanges this week, so for a day I headed down to Zwolle to work for a day with Zuster Sharp (who is in her first transfer) and her trainer (Zr. Baxter) came and worked here with Zuster Ekstrom for a day. I was so excited to have Zuster Baxter working in my area- she is in her 12th transfer (most sisters only stay 11) and is a missionary I have always admired. I figured if anyone could give us some good tips and help us get the work started here, it would be her. I got back from exchanges and Zr. Ekstrom told me that they had had the weirdest exchange ever and talked to crazy people pretty much all day. It was disappointing, yet somehow comforting to know that the difficulty in the work probably doesn´t have anything to do with our personal skills- after all, we´re doing our best. I was blessed to serve with Zr. Sharp. She is a sweetheart and spent the entire day praising my Dutch, finding skills, and teaching abilities. She even told me that my accent is the best one she´s heard yet from the missionary sisters... ahh, the naive innocence of a greenie ;) We found a really neat young lady for them to teach in Zwolle while talking to people on the street. It was so much fun!
I have chosen a scripture that is my theme for the transfer. It is 2 Nephi 33:6-7. Nephi talks about his faith that through the atonement of Christ, MANY of the children of God will be saved. I know that is true. Despite hard transfers, I know that there are many souls here in the Netherlands that are ready to hear the Gospel and be cleansed through the blood of our Savior. The Gospel is such a beautiful thing, and I know that people here will just love it when they give it a chance.
Dad, you would be proud of me- I have gained a reputation in the mission of being a really hard worker- apparently despite my reluctance to clean my room when I was younger, I still learned the Gulliver work ethic. The sisters call me the energizer bunny. I find that really interesting, because one of the areas I am constantly striving to improve is diligence and learning to work harder constantly. Working hard shows the Lord that we truly desire to accomplish His work. The work must go on!!!
I love you all. Soon I will have amazing stories to share of the miracle of the Groningen area, I just know it!!!!!!
Ik hou van jullie
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Zion's Camp
Dearest family,
Hello!Wow, what a week. This was the kind of week that I hope to only experience once in my mission. I nicknamed it Zion’s camp- that should tell you a little bit about how it went. I started feeling funny Tuesday, and Wednesday during studies, I started feeling really sick. I laid down to rest a little bit, and then felt like I needed to call the elders for a blessing. It was weird, because I wasn’t that sick, but I did it anyways, and about 30 minutes later, I started getting really sick. For about 4 hours I threw up about every 25 minutes and was basically miserable (some weird virus or food poisoning, I´m not sure which). The worst part was that about 2 hours into the ordeal, Zr. Ekstrom started throwing up too-- ahh, true companionship unity :).
It was really miserable, and whatever it was put us out of work for a whole day, and then we could only work a little bit the next few days. I´m finally feeling better, and we worked full days this weekend, but I still feel nauseous most of the time. It was pretty rough. The worst part is that all we want to do is see the work here grow. That is our biggest desire and we have been working hard to see that happen, and then not being able to work for like 4 days just killed us. We are still in good spirits and ready to tackle the city with even more energy than before- now we´re 3 days behind!! We´ve got to get a move on. Zr. Ekstrom really is a great companion. I´ve never laughed so much while being sick before =). Despite the time spent in bed, we still managed to work a lot with the members this week, and even got a few referrals! That is the best kind of missionary work possible, so we felt like it was still a successful week.
It is so interesting to me how the Lord refines us. He shows us our weakness and then shows us how we can be made strong through Him. He never just shows us our weakness- if we can´t find a solution to a weakness or problem we have, we either need to look harder, or be patient because it’s definitely there. It always is.
Good to hear that all is well with you all. I can´t wait to see pictures of you. I´m sure everyone has changed a little since March. Well, I love you family! Take care and don´t forget to pray- its how we protect ourselves from getting off course!
Ik hou van jullie!
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Hello!Wow, what a week. This was the kind of week that I hope to only experience once in my mission. I nicknamed it Zion’s camp- that should tell you a little bit about how it went. I started feeling funny Tuesday, and Wednesday during studies, I started feeling really sick. I laid down to rest a little bit, and then felt like I needed to call the elders for a blessing. It was weird, because I wasn’t that sick, but I did it anyways, and about 30 minutes later, I started getting really sick. For about 4 hours I threw up about every 25 minutes and was basically miserable (some weird virus or food poisoning, I´m not sure which). The worst part was that about 2 hours into the ordeal, Zr. Ekstrom started throwing up too-- ahh, true companionship unity :).
It was really miserable, and whatever it was put us out of work for a whole day, and then we could only work a little bit the next few days. I´m finally feeling better, and we worked full days this weekend, but I still feel nauseous most of the time. It was pretty rough. The worst part is that all we want to do is see the work here grow. That is our biggest desire and we have been working hard to see that happen, and then not being able to work for like 4 days just killed us. We are still in good spirits and ready to tackle the city with even more energy than before- now we´re 3 days behind!! We´ve got to get a move on. Zr. Ekstrom really is a great companion. I´ve never laughed so much while being sick before =). Despite the time spent in bed, we still managed to work a lot with the members this week, and even got a few referrals! That is the best kind of missionary work possible, so we felt like it was still a successful week.
It is so interesting to me how the Lord refines us. He shows us our weakness and then shows us how we can be made strong through Him. He never just shows us our weakness- if we can´t find a solution to a weakness or problem we have, we either need to look harder, or be patient because it’s definitely there. It always is.
Good to hear that all is well with you all. I can´t wait to see pictures of you. I´m sure everyone has changed a little since March. Well, I love you family! Take care and don´t forget to pray- its how we protect ourselves from getting off course!
Ik hou van jullie!
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, October 5, 2009
"The Frozen North"
Hello family!
It was a great week. Watching conference was really incredible and uplifting. We got to watch the first 3 sessions and then will watch the fourth next week. It was so inspirational to hear the testimonies of such strong leaders testifying of the truths we share and defend daily. Their examples are so great!
I had an interview with the Mission President that was really great. We talked about feeling inadequate for the tasks Heavenly Father gives us. He talked about feeling like a normal person being asked to do such big things (like being a mission president) and how he knows that as long as we stay humble, but have confidence that we really can do it with the Lord, that we will be just fine. It was a great conversation. I love the mission president and his wife. They are just so REAL. They are so loving and humble. Awesome examples. When Zr. Ekstrom (who I love sooo much) and I walked into interviews, President said "ahh, the sisters from the frozen north". I think that is a pretty accurate description of the area. It is starting to get COLD! I have a really nice jacket that I bought here, so I am staying warm, but winter is coming fast. By the way, the scarves you sent me are fabulous! They keep me so warm.
I hope you haven’t sent the pictures yet. I accidentally gave you the wrong address. Well, actually, it was right, just the street name needs to be "D.D. Eisenhower" instead of just Eisenhower. I think it still might get to me if you have already sent them, but I’m not sure. The rest is correct.
We are really enjoying the area here. The work is going slow. We have a total of... 0 investigators now, but lots of potentials! Actually, the members are so excited to have us here that some are introducing us to their friends. We love referrals! We have dinner appointments almost every day because the members are so excited to have us here. It is really a great ward. We can all feel that the Lord has so much in store for the area. It is humbling and inspiring!
Other than interviews, it was a really normal week. It is great working with Zuster Ekstrom. She is really enthusiastic and determined in the work, which helps me stay enthusiastic. I have come to realize on my mission that I have a pretty good work ethic. I credit Mom and Dad for teaching us how to work. I look back at a week, and realize that we have accomplished a lot and worked REALLY hard. The result is usually that I am dead tired every Sunday night, but the next morning, I somehow have energy to begin again. That’s the Spirit for you!
I am so excited to get your pictures. I’ve been dying to see you all! I haven’t seen Cozy since her birthday, so I bet she looks really different.Today marks my 11th month mark, which means that you all should probably hear about my release date within 2 months or so from the office. It makes me sad to dwell on it, so I won’t say anything more.
Well, I love you all family! I’m glad you all enjoyed conference. I hope the Birthday cards I am sending get to Dad and Heather in time. If not, know that they’re in the mail.
Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
It was a great week. Watching conference was really incredible and uplifting. We got to watch the first 3 sessions and then will watch the fourth next week. It was so inspirational to hear the testimonies of such strong leaders testifying of the truths we share and defend daily. Their examples are so great!
I had an interview with the Mission President that was really great. We talked about feeling inadequate for the tasks Heavenly Father gives us. He talked about feeling like a normal person being asked to do such big things (like being a mission president) and how he knows that as long as we stay humble, but have confidence that we really can do it with the Lord, that we will be just fine. It was a great conversation. I love the mission president and his wife. They are just so REAL. They are so loving and humble. Awesome examples. When Zr. Ekstrom (who I love sooo much) and I walked into interviews, President said "ahh, the sisters from the frozen north". I think that is a pretty accurate description of the area. It is starting to get COLD! I have a really nice jacket that I bought here, so I am staying warm, but winter is coming fast. By the way, the scarves you sent me are fabulous! They keep me so warm.
I hope you haven’t sent the pictures yet. I accidentally gave you the wrong address. Well, actually, it was right, just the street name needs to be "D.D. Eisenhower" instead of just Eisenhower. I think it still might get to me if you have already sent them, but I’m not sure. The rest is correct.
We are really enjoying the area here. The work is going slow. We have a total of... 0 investigators now, but lots of potentials! Actually, the members are so excited to have us here that some are introducing us to their friends. We love referrals! We have dinner appointments almost every day because the members are so excited to have us here. It is really a great ward. We can all feel that the Lord has so much in store for the area. It is humbling and inspiring!
Other than interviews, it was a really normal week. It is great working with Zuster Ekstrom. She is really enthusiastic and determined in the work, which helps me stay enthusiastic. I have come to realize on my mission that I have a pretty good work ethic. I credit Mom and Dad for teaching us how to work. I look back at a week, and realize that we have accomplished a lot and worked REALLY hard. The result is usually that I am dead tired every Sunday night, but the next morning, I somehow have energy to begin again. That’s the Spirit for you!
I am so excited to get your pictures. I’ve been dying to see you all! I haven’t seen Cozy since her birthday, so I bet she looks really different.Today marks my 11th month mark, which means that you all should probably hear about my release date within 2 months or so from the office. It makes me sad to dwell on it, so I won’t say anything more.
Well, I love you all family! I’m glad you all enjoyed conference. I hope the Birthday cards I am sending get to Dad and Heather in time. If not, know that they’re in the mail.
Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
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