heh?*to be read like a nederlander*
Well folks, I'm being transferred out of Amsterdam! Which I kinda saw coming but is still a bit scary/sad I guess. But I'm so excited also. As you can tell, mixed feelings on the subject. haha
I'm going to one of the northernmost cities in Nederland, and my new companion will be Zuster Hopkin. It's super cool because Zusters Bush, Voss, and Dobler are in my district! Ah!!! Dreams really do come true! haha
Everyone who I've talked to tells me that city is gorgeous, and just a super cool area/ward in general, so I'm excited.
Things I will miss from Amsterdam:
the ward
Muchu
Zuster Karlson
everything!
Things I will not miss:
weed
weed souvenirs everywhere
just kidding, it's really not that bad unless you're right by the coffee shops, it's just funny to joke about. :) Amsterdam has been a wonderful place and I've learned so much!
Our ward has had some really hard blows these past couple of weeks, and it has been a trying couple of weeks for us all. But I'm so grateful for the examples of the members who do their best in a place where it's not easy to be a member of the church. Their living testimonies have been such a strength to mine and I can't imagine a life without having known them all. The Dutch members of the church are so inspiring to me and I'm grateful beyond words for their diligence and love. It's amazing to me how much I care about them, because 5 months, looking at it twice, isn't really that long of a time, but I just feel so much love for them.
I'm looking forward to the rest of my mission though, and I'm very excited to serve up north with Zuster Hopkin.
Zuster Karlson is a natural at missionary work, and I've been so blessed to be her companion. She is so patient and easy to get along with. But above all that, she's so humble and willing to share what she knows with others.
I've got a lot to learn and I'm so grateful to be here!
My favorite scripture this week was 1 Peter 4:8 "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." The footnote is a JST that says "preventeth"--Charity preventeth a multitude of sins. If we have charity, we avoid many mistakes. A few I can think of (because I see them in myself) are selfishness, impatience, refusing to forgive, greediness, and probably a billion others. I just thought it was a nice one.
I love you all and I hope you have a great rest of January! Because next week is February.... Ah! hoe kan dat?!
Love, Zuster Watts