ps getting all those letters was great :) thanks for the christmas stories and all of your cute notes! (kristiann, you have really good handwriting, trouwens) It's 2016. I've almost been graduated from High School for 3 years... tjonge jonge... That's freaky a little bit
It was a good week. A bit slow because of the holidays, but a good week nonetheless. :)
some wonders:
-There is a lady and her husband that showed up in church the week before Christmas for their first time. We had never met them before. Her nephew, Harison, was also with them, he is a member from Nigeria and brought his aunt and uncle to church! They came two weeks in a row, and the week after Christmas, He told us that she wants to be baptized! We had an appointment on Tuesday, and she committed to baptism in January. So we're now working with her on that. Her husband, a Dutch man, is a little more skeptical, but is open to hearing us out. Which is cool. :) The member is a good joint teach... he's awesome and we're so grateful that he invited his aunt and uncle to come to church with him!
-exchanges with Zr Hopkin. She is one of my missionary heroes. She is so good and sincere and dedicated and I was so grateful for the chance to work with her for the day. I can't praise her enough.
- While on exchanges almost every appointment we had fell through, but it still ended up being a good day! One of the investigators we went by wasn't able to meet, but Sister Hopkin, who loves art, saw the lady's paintings through the doorway, and asked to see them really quickly, so we ended up going inside and talking and even a little about the gospel! We prayed with her as well. It was a good miracle. :)
- New Year's eve was awesome. We have to be in at 4 pm, so that's 5 1/2 hours of just being at home. President Bunnell challenged us all to use that time to make goals. First Key Indicator goals, then personal goals to strengthen our testimonies, then goals for 3 years, 10 years, and 25 years from now. The 25 year goals was weird because I'll be 45 years old then, but it was cool to think about where and who I want to be and what I want to be doing. Making those goals was really good, and even though I had to think really hard about them, it was a very rewarding exercise. I'm excited to go and execute this plan now! It made the 31st a meaningful. The fireworks woke us up and they were, again, really really beautiful and it sounded like a war zone. haha They go crazy with fireworks here!
- We finally got back in contact with a recent convert/less active. She had a miscarriage and was angry with God, so she was kind of avoiding us for a few months, but now she's ready to meet again and get back on track! We're very excited about it
random things:
- Telling people "see you next year" never gets old hahaha
- We heard that there's going to be a worldwide missionary devotional on the 20th of January! So excited to see what it's all about.
-I was praying and I had the impression to express gratitude more. So I'm working on that this week. I want to make sure that others know that the small things they do don't go unnoticed.
- My brother (returned last month from the Korea Seoul South mission) sent me a letter in the mail and told me some advice he got from an RM when my brother was on his last transfer: "Slow down. Not your work, not your testifying and your teaching, but take a minute to take in the smells. Take in the scenery more. Enjoy every little conversation you have with anyone. Testify and be so grateful you get to do it in Dutch!" That advice has made a big difference. I'm trying to take small moments of appreciation. To just come to myself and notice where I am and what I'm doing. There's nothing more miraculous than being on a mission. I had a moment last transfer where I was praying to start our companionship study and I said, "wij zijn dankbaar dat wij uw zendelingen mogen zijn" and the full meaning of what I had just said hit me and I suddenly couldn't hold back the tears of joy and gratitude! (they were a little bittersweet I have to admit) I'm so grateful for the chance to be a set apart missionary! When my brother first got home, he wrote me several emails and in every one he said over and over, "I'm so jealous that you're still set apart!" It's really a setting apart from the world, isn't it? It's so cool, and I think I forget that too often. I'm so grateful for my family and the support and strength they give me. They are incredible people :)
Have a good week and good luck with school all of you school people.
veeeeeel liefs
Zr Watts
It was a good week. A bit slow because of the holidays, but a good week nonetheless. :)
some wonders:
-There is a lady and her husband that showed up in church the week before Christmas for their first time. We had never met them before. Her nephew, Harison, was also with them, he is a member from Nigeria and brought his aunt and uncle to church! They came two weeks in a row, and the week after Christmas, He told us that she wants to be baptized! We had an appointment on Tuesday, and she committed to baptism in January. So we're now working with her on that. Her husband, a Dutch man, is a little more skeptical, but is open to hearing us out. Which is cool. :) The member is a good joint teach... he's awesome and we're so grateful that he invited his aunt and uncle to come to church with him!
-exchanges with Zr Hopkin. She is one of my missionary heroes. She is so good and sincere and dedicated and I was so grateful for the chance to work with her for the day. I can't praise her enough.
- While on exchanges almost every appointment we had fell through, but it still ended up being a good day! One of the investigators we went by wasn't able to meet, but Sister Hopkin, who loves art, saw the lady's paintings through the doorway, and asked to see them really quickly, so we ended up going inside and talking and even a little about the gospel! We prayed with her as well. It was a good miracle. :)
- New Year's eve was awesome. We have to be in at 4 pm, so that's 5 1/2 hours of just being at home. President Bunnell challenged us all to use that time to make goals. First Key Indicator goals, then personal goals to strengthen our testimonies, then goals for 3 years, 10 years, and 25 years from now. The 25 year goals was weird because I'll be 45 years old then, but it was cool to think about where and who I want to be and what I want to be doing. Making those goals was really good, and even though I had to think really hard about them, it was a very rewarding exercise. I'm excited to go and execute this plan now! It made the 31st a meaningful. The fireworks woke us up and they were, again, really really beautiful and it sounded like a war zone. haha They go crazy with fireworks here!
- We finally got back in contact with a recent convert/less active. She had a miscarriage and was angry with God, so she was kind of avoiding us for a few months, but now she's ready to meet again and get back on track! We're very excited about it
random things:
- Telling people "see you next year" never gets old hahaha
- We heard that there's going to be a worldwide missionary devotional on the 20th of January! So excited to see what it's all about.
-I was praying and I had the impression to express gratitude more. So I'm working on that this week. I want to make sure that others know that the small things they do don't go unnoticed.
- My brother (returned last month from the Korea Seoul South mission) sent me a letter in the mail and told me some advice he got from an RM when my brother was on his last transfer: "Slow down. Not your work, not your testifying and your teaching, but take a minute to take in the smells. Take in the scenery more. Enjoy every little conversation you have with anyone. Testify and be so grateful you get to do it in Dutch!" That advice has made a big difference. I'm trying to take small moments of appreciation. To just come to myself and notice where I am and what I'm doing. There's nothing more miraculous than being on a mission. I had a moment last transfer where I was praying to start our companionship study and I said, "wij zijn dankbaar dat wij uw zendelingen mogen zijn" and the full meaning of what I had just said hit me and I suddenly couldn't hold back the tears of joy and gratitude! (they were a little bittersweet I have to admit) I'm so grateful for the chance to be a set apart missionary! When my brother first got home, he wrote me several emails and in every one he said over and over, "I'm so jealous that you're still set apart!" It's really a setting apart from the world, isn't it? It's so cool, and I think I forget that too often. I'm so grateful for my family and the support and strength they give me. They are incredible people :)
Have a good week and good luck with school all of you school people.
veeeeeel liefs
Zr Watts
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