Hello family!
Well, to day is a sad day- we found out that Zr. Ekstrom will be leaving to go to Amsterdam tomorrow, and we´re both a little mopey about the whole thing. We just got along so well! Its ok though, I get to stay here in Groningen for another blessed transfer, and I will be joined by Zr. Stapleton, the Zr. from St. Kits who was in the MTC 6 weeks behind me. It´ll be a fun challenge to combine her Caribbean personality with my good old-fashioned American work ethic. It´ll be fun :)
We had an amazing zone conference this week in Amsterdam. I was truly inspired by the messages from the assistants and President Brubaker. He spoke about optimism and how we can develop a spirit of optimism in our work. It sounds a lot like the coaching workshop dad´s going to. Anyways, he talked about how helplessness and despair are the opposites of hope and optimism. He emphasized how they are all learned responses to our situations and we can control and reprogram ourselves to respond to our situations with optimism. He talked about how the Gospel is the gate that leads to optimism, Christ being the only person who has truly overcome the world and the cares that it brings. It was very inspiring and a great reminder to keep our expectations and optimism high.
We saw an amazing miracle this week. We went tracting on Monday night and were let into a door of a young Indian woman. She led us upstairs and had us sit down and said "I´ll go call everyone". It turns out there are 13 nurses who had immigrated about a week before for a work program from India, and we were able to teach a first lesson to 11 of them and made a return appointment to bring them all copies of the Book of Mormon. It was so cool!! We got 11 new investigators in just one hour of tracting. A total miracle!
Our other investigators are doing well too. Joanne, our favorite, is doing great and is working to recognize her answer to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. She says that she´s pretty sure she has her answer, she just has to wait a little while to be sure ;). She will miss Zr. Ekstrom a lot, but we are convinced that she will be ready soon to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. It is so exciting!
I spent a day after Zone conference working in Zwolle, and was able to work with Zr. Wieland, my comp from Rotterdam, again for a day. It was fun to get back together and see how we have grown and changed in the 7 months since we served together. She goes home in 6 weeks, along with the group of sisters that was just ahead of me in the MTC. That will leave zr. Bennett and I as the oldest... yikes!
Life is just fabulous here on my mission. I am just so full of joy as I get to work here in Groningen. The Lord has taught me so much, and has so much in store for this area. It is probably a blessing that Zr. Ekstrom and I are being separated- we were just so comfortable together, it was hard to progress like we do in other companionships. It will be great for us. I have been feeling lately that I need to do some serious pondering and figure out what kind of missionary the Lord needs me to become to accomplish His work in the best way possible. Our potential when we work with the Lord is so large- and I don´t want to just work at the comfortable level and never achieve the kind of missionary that He knows I can become. It is a daunting task, but I want to do everything possible to be the best that I can.
I love you all and hope that you all stay happy and safe.
Ik hou van jullie!
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
Hello family!
It was great to talk to you all! I am so glad you all enjoyed your Christmas. What were the highlights? I don´t have a ton of time to write this week, but I wanted to make sure you all know how much I love you.
Today is Zr. Ekstrom´s birthday. We made american pancakes and eggs and bacon to celebrate and had a party fixing our bikes, which both took quite a few hard blows in the snow and ice we´ve been having. Such is life for a missionary!
I´ll write more next week, but we´ve got to get these bikes fixed. I love you all so much. The church is true!!!!
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
It was great to talk to you all! I am so glad you all enjoyed your Christmas. What were the highlights? I don´t have a ton of time to write this week, but I wanted to make sure you all know how much I love you.
Today is Zr. Ekstrom´s birthday. We made american pancakes and eggs and bacon to celebrate and had a party fixing our bikes, which both took quite a few hard blows in the snow and ice we´ve been having. Such is life for a missionary!
I´ll write more next week, but we´ve got to get these bikes fixed. I love you all so much. The church is true!!!!
Liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
White Christmas
Fijne Kerstmis!!
Hello family! Well, this week has been exciting- we´ve seen a TON of snow- very unusual for this area, that has made missionary work, and biking, a little crazy! There is about 6 inches of snow on the ground, and it has been pretty consistently snowing for the last couple of days. Crazy! Most of the wards in the north here cancelled church yesterday because of the snow. Of course it would be a crazy winter the winter I got sent to the frozen north :) Luckily my comp, who´s from Alaska, doesn´t mind it too much and keeps me going when I think I´m going to die from the snowy conditions!
I had the weirdest experience this week. I soft-boiled an egg to eat it, and then didn´t, so I put it in the fridge. Then the next day, I wanted to warm it up, so I stuck the whole egg in the microwave and warmed it up for a minute. I then peeled it, and put it on my plate, and when I stuck my fork into it, the egg exploded! I was covered in really nasty smelling egg yolk and the whole thing was everywhere. Of course my trusty sidekick/companion helped out by laughing hysterically at me. It was so weird! Lesson learned: don´t put a boiled egg in the microwave with its shell on.
Our plans for Christmas are really great. We´re spending Christmas eve with an older lady and an older couple in the ward who are so much fun. They´re throwing a little party together, and they are just the cutest Dutch people ever. It should be really fun. In the Netherlands, they always celebrate 2 days of every Holiday, so the 25th is "first Christmas" and the 26th is "second christmas". Its really fun. The first day is the big, religious holiday, and the second is more of a shopping/family day. We will be spending Christmas with a family from Curacao, and second Christmas with our favorite investigator, Joanne, and another Dutch family in the ward. It will be a really fun week.
I have so much enjoyed my studies this week, which have all revolved around the role of the Savior in the plan of salvation. In church on Sunday, a member of the stake presidency came to speak and invited me up, unexpectedly, in the middle of his talk to bear my testimony. My heart was full as I had the opportunity to share my feelings about the wonderful sacrifice our Savior has made for us all. It was so special to share those feelings with the members in church. We get to share our testimonies with non-members more often than the members, and it was really a special opportunity. I just love all of the unexpected opportunities on my mission to testify of the Savior. It is really something we all have the opportunity to do every day if we are open to looking for the opportunites, to do it. There is a reason our baptismal covenant is that we will witness of Christ- the opportunities are all around us, waiting for us to take advantage of them. Missionary work is just so exciting!
Well, I love you all very much. I wish you all a wonderfully merry Christmas! I will be thinking about and praying for each one of you this season. I hope you all know how much I love and cherish each one of you. I feel truly blessed to have been given such wonderful parents, sisters, brother in-laws, and niece(s). I am looking forward to talking with each of you. Be safe, and don´t forget to think about your little missionary here in Nederland!
Veel liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Hello family! Well, this week has been exciting- we´ve seen a TON of snow- very unusual for this area, that has made missionary work, and biking, a little crazy! There is about 6 inches of snow on the ground, and it has been pretty consistently snowing for the last couple of days. Crazy! Most of the wards in the north here cancelled church yesterday because of the snow. Of course it would be a crazy winter the winter I got sent to the frozen north :) Luckily my comp, who´s from Alaska, doesn´t mind it too much and keeps me going when I think I´m going to die from the snowy conditions!
I had the weirdest experience this week. I soft-boiled an egg to eat it, and then didn´t, so I put it in the fridge. Then the next day, I wanted to warm it up, so I stuck the whole egg in the microwave and warmed it up for a minute. I then peeled it, and put it on my plate, and when I stuck my fork into it, the egg exploded! I was covered in really nasty smelling egg yolk and the whole thing was everywhere. Of course my trusty sidekick/companion helped out by laughing hysterically at me. It was so weird! Lesson learned: don´t put a boiled egg in the microwave with its shell on.
Our plans for Christmas are really great. We´re spending Christmas eve with an older lady and an older couple in the ward who are so much fun. They´re throwing a little party together, and they are just the cutest Dutch people ever. It should be really fun. In the Netherlands, they always celebrate 2 days of every Holiday, so the 25th is "first Christmas" and the 26th is "second christmas". Its really fun. The first day is the big, religious holiday, and the second is more of a shopping/family day. We will be spending Christmas with a family from Curacao, and second Christmas with our favorite investigator, Joanne, and another Dutch family in the ward. It will be a really fun week.
I have so much enjoyed my studies this week, which have all revolved around the role of the Savior in the plan of salvation. In church on Sunday, a member of the stake presidency came to speak and invited me up, unexpectedly, in the middle of his talk to bear my testimony. My heart was full as I had the opportunity to share my feelings about the wonderful sacrifice our Savior has made for us all. It was so special to share those feelings with the members in church. We get to share our testimonies with non-members more often than the members, and it was really a special opportunity. I just love all of the unexpected opportunities on my mission to testify of the Savior. It is really something we all have the opportunity to do every day if we are open to looking for the opportunites, to do it. There is a reason our baptismal covenant is that we will witness of Christ- the opportunities are all around us, waiting for us to take advantage of them. Missionary work is just so exciting!
Well, I love you all very much. I wish you all a wonderfully merry Christmas! I will be thinking about and praying for each one of you this season. I hope you all know how much I love and cherish each one of you. I feel truly blessed to have been given such wonderful parents, sisters, brother in-laws, and niece(s). I am looking forward to talking with each of you. Be safe, and don´t forget to think about your little missionary here in Nederland!
Veel liefs,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Monday, December 14, 2009
Back From the Dead!
Dear family,
Whew! Today was the first day since getting sick that I really felt "back to normal". What a relief! After almost 2 weeks of either lying in bed all day or severely adapted work schedules, it is great to get out and work!! Well, actually today is p-day so we went shopping!!! We just got a new investigator- she's a good friend of a member and called us for an appt. She is 22 and super awesome! She's a great investigator and is also a great friend. She came shopping with us and showed us all of the places to get the clothes we need to stay warm this winter. I used the generous gifts of money from my grandparents to buy a really cute hat and some warm scarves today. This California girl is FINALLY learning how to stay warm!! We won’t have any cold heads this season! I'm hoping it will help a lot- last winter I kept getting a cold, but I'm determined to avoid getting sick this season.
I sent your Christmas package today. It is full of fun Dutch Christmas things... actually, I think it’s completely food- hey, that’s Dutch for ya- but unfortunately, because of my sickness, it will probably be very late. Know that I was totally planning on having it on time :) This will probably be the last package that I send. It’s really expensive. But I really wanted everyone to get a taste of my mission experience!
We have seen amazing success considering our lack of work for 2 weeks. The Lord has blessed us with new investigators such as JoAnne, who called us to set up an appointment, or another referral from a member who wants to meet with us tomorrow and learn about the plan of salvation. It is so amazing to me that when we try our best, the Lord sends us success even in our weakest of moments.
I love you all and hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas season. It is such a wonderful time when we all get to think extra about the Savior and all that He has done for us. I loved President Monson's talk at the Christmas Devotional about helping others feel God's love through our kind acts of service and expressions of love. That is something that we can all do this season to show the others around us how much they are loved by their Heavenly Father. The sweetest moments on my mission have been moments where I have talked with someone and after our conversation thought "God sent me here to this moment to make sure I was here to help this person". That is a feeling we can each have in our regular lives if we are constantly willing to follow the Spirit. Each of us can become a tool in the master's hands as we go about our everyday activities- even more so in this season. I love the Lord and I am so glad that I can be here in the Netherlands serving Him this year.
Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
Whew! Today was the first day since getting sick that I really felt "back to normal". What a relief! After almost 2 weeks of either lying in bed all day or severely adapted work schedules, it is great to get out and work!! Well, actually today is p-day so we went shopping!!! We just got a new investigator- she's a good friend of a member and called us for an appt. She is 22 and super awesome! She's a great investigator and is also a great friend. She came shopping with us and showed us all of the places to get the clothes we need to stay warm this winter. I used the generous gifts of money from my grandparents to buy a really cute hat and some warm scarves today. This California girl is FINALLY learning how to stay warm!! We won’t have any cold heads this season! I'm hoping it will help a lot- last winter I kept getting a cold, but I'm determined to avoid getting sick this season.
I sent your Christmas package today. It is full of fun Dutch Christmas things... actually, I think it’s completely food- hey, that’s Dutch for ya- but unfortunately, because of my sickness, it will probably be very late. Know that I was totally planning on having it on time :) This will probably be the last package that I send. It’s really expensive. But I really wanted everyone to get a taste of my mission experience!
We have seen amazing success considering our lack of work for 2 weeks. The Lord has blessed us with new investigators such as JoAnne, who called us to set up an appointment, or another referral from a member who wants to meet with us tomorrow and learn about the plan of salvation. It is so amazing to me that when we try our best, the Lord sends us success even in our weakest of moments.
I love you all and hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas season. It is such a wonderful time when we all get to think extra about the Savior and all that He has done for us. I loved President Monson's talk at the Christmas Devotional about helping others feel God's love through our kind acts of service and expressions of love. That is something that we can all do this season to show the others around us how much they are loved by their Heavenly Father. The sweetest moments on my mission have been moments where I have talked with someone and after our conversation thought "God sent me here to this moment to make sure I was here to help this person". That is a feeling we can each have in our regular lives if we are constantly willing to follow the Spirit. Each of us can become a tool in the master's hands as we go about our everyday activities- even more so in this season. I love the Lord and I am so glad that I can be here in the Netherlands serving Him this year.
Ik hou van jullie!
Love,
Zuster Cherie Gulliver
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