A Letter Finally!

Hello familie!

Sorry about the short letters the last few weeks. We went down to Zwolle for a zone p-day and didn´t have much time to write, with all of the travel, but today I have my full 30 minutes, so here goes:

The snow here is still insane! It is snowing more this year than it has in about 15 years, supposedly, which is throwing all of society into quite a panic as snow plows, shovels, and salt is in very short supply. The roads are pretty bad, and church was even cancelled yesterday because they couldn´t clean the freeways fast enough to keep it safe to drive. The temperatures are around the same last year, there´s just a bunch of pretty powder everywhere that makes missionary work all the more interesting :)

One good thing is that I am now an expert in staying warm out in the snow for hours at a time. My snow gear generally consists of a wool sweater, my wool coat, a thick scarf (the Dutch people have the cutest scarves ever!), either a wool hat (bought with my Christmas money from Grandma G- Thanks Grandma!!) or these cute little ear-muffs that Ryan sent me, two pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of tights-leggings, two pairs of socks, my boots, and some awesome wool insoles. Geared up like this, we could stay out all day and be just fine. The only thing that stays tricky is biking in the snow- I haven´t fallen yet, but I´ve peeled Zr. Ekstrom off the ground a few times. When its actually snowing, we have these totally dorky-looking hats that resemble riding helmets (as in a horse-riding helmet) and match each other. They have a brim on them, so when you wear that with an ear-band, it keeps the snow from flying into your eyes. Without it, its possible to ride, you just end up with mascara ALL over your face... lovely!

We are still extremely low on investigators right now in Groningen. We are still working with Joanne, however, the young girl who´s like our best friend. She is progressing so wonderfully in the Gospel and we are sure she will receive a testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith soon and decide to be baptized. She is the most sincere person I have ever taught as far as her investigation of the church goes. It is such an honor to work with her.

Hey daddy-o, thanks for the talk about planting seeds that you sent. I felt like we should share the story in it about Tunutu with a sister in the ward when we went to teach her a lesson, and as I was reading it, she began to cry. At the end, she expressed how the description of a young man with long, unkempt hair and tattoos described perfectly her non-member son, who had strayed very far from the Gospel path. She said that hearing a story from someone who had watched such a man embrace the Gospel and be changed through it gave her so much hope for her son. It was a very tender moment for the three of us. Who knew that your mission would help people I work with here on my mission? The blessings of the Gospel and our service to the Lord are truly eternal. The things we do now in our lives have such an impact to bless or hinder ourselves, and our families in the future. I love the Gospel!!!!!

Another transfer is winding to a close, and Zr. Ekstrom and I are sure our time as companions in limited. Who knows what next week will bring, but I´m excited to see what the next big adventure will be. Since Belgium is open for sisters, I´d love to serve there at some point. Only time will tell. As far as when I am flying home, whatever works best for you all is great. LAX will be fine- I'm not too big on small planes anyways. It´ll be fun to drive home and possibly go to the temple. Plan away!

Enough about that stuff... I am so grateful to be here. It is such a great time to be serving the Lord. I love you all and pray for you every night.

Ik hou van jullie!

Liefs, Zuster Cherie Gulliver
P.S. I´m printing pictures to send this week. Keep a look out!