This was seriously such an incredible week I am just bursting with joy. Seriously missionary work is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done and I am extremely grateful to be here in Lelystad. It is SUCH a special place. I'm just surrounded by such special people. :)
Monday last week was crazy.... we went to Amsterdam to the market with our district and these cute Brazilian ladies we're working with right now. Their friends met up with them so at one point zr Jones and I had 4 Brazilians following us speaking Portuguese. so funny
We rushed back home to Lelystad to pack our bags to sleep over for zone conference the next day, and before we left for Zoetermeer, we went bowling with the YSAs here in Lelystad. We could only stay for 30 minutes, but I have to say I was pretty good haha Well maybe not good, but not bad. :)
And then we had a 2 hour train ride and slept over at Zoetermeer with my favorite people: Amsterdam sisters, (Zr Hopkin & Ramirez), and Zoetermeer sisters (Zr Maughan, and Mashburn). All but the last are former companions of mine. It was so fun :) I love them so much!
and now in the words of my companion:
"We had a Zone Christmas Conference, and we had a really cool training on a new teaching style. With this new teaching style, the idea is that our lessons last only about 15 -20 minutes and that we meet with our investigators about 3 - 4 times a week. Its also very heavily question based, the idea is that people basically teach themselves, and then we confirm the truths that they've come for themselves to understand. We've seen a lot of miracles this week teaching this way.
One them, was with Angelique, the mom I wrote about last week who's 7 yr old daughter said the closing prayer. We had a solid lesson with her Thursday, it was so cool. We taught the third lesson by reading through 2 Nephi 31 with her. Right after we said the opening prayer, before we started reading, she paused and said (translated into English) "Oh and Sisters, do you remember how you asked to pray about the lesson last week? I've been praying about it. And I didn't get any big sort of answer. But it just felt good. I felt good about reading in the Book of Mormon and meeting with you."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, we just were bursting with joy. Praying about it is SO important, and so simple. But I've seen so many times on my mission people just don't do this first simple step, or they don't recognize the answer. And Angelique's experience was just so cool. She just went and did it, she knew what she was praying about and she was able to recognize the still promptings of the Holy Ghost. We asked her if we could come by Sunday, to try to start meeting more regularly, and she told us that all her 4 kids would be there and also her sisters 4 kids. But that if we were okay with that, she thought it would be really cool to go and share a lesson with all of them.
Ah, so yesterday we went over and did a quick 20 min message about Christmas to 2 adults, and 8 kids ranging from 3 months to 17 years old. It was one of the coolest lessons of my mission. We showed up and Angelique told us that all the kids were really excited to meet us and hear what we had to say. After our message, Angelique turned to all the kids and asked if they had any questions for us. She told them we were only 20 so theres no need for them to be scared ;) One of the teenagers asked how to pray.
Ah. I'm just smiling so big right now just thinking about. The gospel blesses families. It's cool to see.
Also, another mother we have been teaching told us she's going to ask her husband about baptism, and if he's okay with she said, and I quote "I don't want to wait very long." !! :D She came to stake conference yesterday, and she was so cute. She forgot it was starting later, so she showed up at the regular time and ended up just setting up. She's what we call a dry Mormon. I'm really excited for her to get baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, because really she is practically almost already a member. She's just going to receive so much more blessings and strength through it."
amen Zr Jones, amen.
sorry I'm getting lazy. But I just relaly loved those experiences this week. WE ARE SO BLESSED HERE.
We found out last night that Zr Jones is being transferred to Den Haag, and I'm getting Zr Young. She's been in Belgium for most of her mission, and I don't really know her, but she seems really sweet, so I'm excited :)
Saturday and Sunday was our Stake Conference. It was so fun and amazing! We have such cool people here. The adult session was in Haarlem, and it was really funny, the man who got up to say the closing prayer said "geliefde broeders.... euh.... geliefde Hemelse Vader..." (dear brothers... uh.... dear Heavenly Father...) We were all dying. There were a lot of funny things that happened in the meeting and it was just so happy. The whole time I just thought of the scripture Mosiah 2:41 (one zr Bush showed me in the MTC)
" 41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
I am so happy right now. :) Life is just so good and fulfilling and wonderful. It's not easy, but there's just so much to be grateful for. I read a lot about patience again this week. It just seems to be popping up everywhere in my studies haha It's a sign. But I loved this quote: "Time, that aged nurse, Rock'd me to patience"(-keats) Because it's so true. Time requires our patience. Neal A Maxwell said, "We are clearly not at home in time--because we belong to eternity! Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?"
He's so poetic and I love it! But it's true.
Sister Linda S Reeves said in her *awesome* talk this past women's conference, "Sisters, I do not know why we have the many trials that we have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward, we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that was required?” I believe that if we could daily remember and recognize the depth of that love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us, we would be willing to do anything to be back in Their presence again, surrounded by Their love eternally. What will it matter, dear sisters, what we suffered here if, in the end, those trials are the very things which qualify us for eternal life and exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior?"
I love that.
Do you feel what I mean? There's so much to be grateful for and just so much that God has given us to make us happy. We are here to have JOY. That's something I've really been learning this past month. I'm so grateful for that lesson.
Love you all! Be happy and love eachother, hé?
veeeel liefs
Zr Watts
Monday last week was crazy.... we went to Amsterdam to the market with our district and these cute Brazilian ladies we're working with right now. Their friends met up with them so at one point zr Jones and I had 4 Brazilians following us speaking Portuguese. so funny
We rushed back home to Lelystad to pack our bags to sleep over for zone conference the next day, and before we left for Zoetermeer, we went bowling with the YSAs here in Lelystad. We could only stay for 30 minutes, but I have to say I was pretty good haha Well maybe not good, but not bad. :)
And then we had a 2 hour train ride and slept over at Zoetermeer with my favorite people: Amsterdam sisters, (Zr Hopkin & Ramirez), and Zoetermeer sisters (Zr Maughan, and Mashburn). All but the last are former companions of mine. It was so fun :) I love them so much!
and now in the words of my companion:
"We had a Zone Christmas Conference, and we had a really cool training on a new teaching style. With this new teaching style, the idea is that our lessons last only about 15 -20 minutes and that we meet with our investigators about 3 - 4 times a week. Its also very heavily question based, the idea is that people basically teach themselves, and then we confirm the truths that they've come for themselves to understand. We've seen a lot of miracles this week teaching this way.
One them, was with Angelique, the mom I wrote about last week who's 7 yr old daughter said the closing prayer. We had a solid lesson with her Thursday, it was so cool. We taught the third lesson by reading through 2 Nephi 31 with her. Right after we said the opening prayer, before we started reading, she paused and said (translated into English) "Oh and Sisters, do you remember how you asked to pray about the lesson last week? I've been praying about it. And I didn't get any big sort of answer. But it just felt good. I felt good about reading in the Book of Mormon and meeting with you."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, we just were bursting with joy. Praying about it is SO important, and so simple. But I've seen so many times on my mission people just don't do this first simple step, or they don't recognize the answer. And Angelique's experience was just so cool. She just went and did it, she knew what she was praying about and she was able to recognize the still promptings of the Holy Ghost. We asked her if we could come by Sunday, to try to start meeting more regularly, and she told us that all her 4 kids would be there and also her sisters 4 kids. But that if we were okay with that, she thought it would be really cool to go and share a lesson with all of them.
Ah, so yesterday we went over and did a quick 20 min message about Christmas to 2 adults, and 8 kids ranging from 3 months to 17 years old. It was one of the coolest lessons of my mission. We showed up and Angelique told us that all the kids were really excited to meet us and hear what we had to say. After our message, Angelique turned to all the kids and asked if they had any questions for us. She told them we were only 20 so theres no need for them to be scared ;) One of the teenagers asked how to pray.
Ah. I'm just smiling so big right now just thinking about. The gospel blesses families. It's cool to see.
Also, another mother we have been teaching told us she's going to ask her husband about baptism, and if he's okay with she said, and I quote "I don't want to wait very long." !! :D She came to stake conference yesterday, and she was so cute. She forgot it was starting later, so she showed up at the regular time and ended up just setting up. She's what we call a dry Mormon. I'm really excited for her to get baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, because really she is practically almost already a member. She's just going to receive so much more blessings and strength through it."
amen Zr Jones, amen.
sorry I'm getting lazy. But I just relaly loved those experiences this week. WE ARE SO BLESSED HERE.
We found out last night that Zr Jones is being transferred to Den Haag, and I'm getting Zr Young. She's been in Belgium for most of her mission, and I don't really know her, but she seems really sweet, so I'm excited :)
Saturday and Sunday was our Stake Conference. It was so fun and amazing! We have such cool people here. The adult session was in Haarlem, and it was really funny, the man who got up to say the closing prayer said "geliefde broeders.... euh.... geliefde Hemelse Vader..." (dear brothers... uh.... dear Heavenly Father...) We were all dying. There were a lot of funny things that happened in the meeting and it was just so happy. The whole time I just thought of the scripture Mosiah 2:41 (one zr Bush showed me in the MTC)
" 41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
I am so happy right now. :) Life is just so good and fulfilling and wonderful. It's not easy, but there's just so much to be grateful for. I read a lot about patience again this week. It just seems to be popping up everywhere in my studies haha It's a sign. But I loved this quote: "Time, that aged nurse, Rock'd me to patience"(-keats) Because it's so true. Time requires our patience. Neal A Maxwell said, "We are clearly not at home in time--because we belong to eternity! Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?"
He's so poetic and I love it! But it's true.
Sister Linda S Reeves said in her *awesome* talk this past women's conference, "Sisters, I do not know why we have the many trials that we have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward, we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that was required?” I believe that if we could daily remember and recognize the depth of that love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us, we would be willing to do anything to be back in Their presence again, surrounded by Their love eternally. What will it matter, dear sisters, what we suffered here if, in the end, those trials are the very things which qualify us for eternal life and exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior?"
I love that.
Do you feel what I mean? There's so much to be grateful for and just so much that God has given us to make us happy. We are here to have JOY. That's something I've really been learning this past month. I'm so grateful for that lesson.
Love you all! Be happy and love eachother, hé?
veeeel liefs
Zr Watts
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