This week we went to follow up on a volunteering opportunity at this old folk's home in Duivendrecht (south amsterdam) The people there were really excited that we had come because we're young, and one of the bewoners was asking for religious people to come visit her. They asked if we had any other ideas of what we could do and when I mentioned I can play the piano a little, they freaked out and were so excited. I am really hopeful that this will be a great opportunity to show people more about mormons and to just really represent our faith.
We biked from Diemen all the way to the west side of A'dam last Thursday, which took about an hour, to teach our friend. She's so lovely and we sing hymns with her before and after every lesson. She's so sweet. Then we biked another hour to the other side of A'dam. It was insane. But I love love love biking, so it's great. My legs and knees were a bit sore by the end of the night though.
Friday was the busiest day of my life. We went in the morning to a park (west side of a'dam) to meet a lady who referred herself. She's from France but she speaks perfect english. She had been going to church years ago in France, but stopped when she moved here to Nederland. We had the best talk ever about God and why we believe in Christ, and she is just one of the sweetest humans I've ever met.
We then went all the way back to where we started to have a birthday party for a recently baptized girl. We watched the video "Finding Faith in Christ" and ate speculaas cookies and sugar waffles and it was just a super gezellig time.
Friday night we ate with the Nti's who are from Ghana. They always have all of the missonaries over all at once and they make us eat so much African food. Broeder Nti tells us "this is an Africa house, so we eat the Africa way. We don't use spoons or forks or anything but our hands because God gave us hands for a reason." It's awesome. We had a rice ball with peanut soup and a chicken leg in the soup. They just give us so much food, I woke up the next morning still full! Not even kidding. They are the most loving people.
Saturday we went to eat with a ward member, and she had also invited her friend & her husband and their kids to eat with us as well. We had a really good discussion with her about church. She said it’s been so long since she has been to church. A lot of people we've talked to feel that way, and every time we just testify that the church is for imperfect people. There's a scripture in th eBook of Mormon and I think it's in 1 or 2 Nephi that says something like "he forbids none to come unto him." Christ wants all of us to come to him! Don't ever feel unworthy to pray or to come to church, because nobody else there is perfect either!
It was funny at the end of the night, the son was choosing who would say the closing prayer, and he did a little dutch version of eeny-meeny-miney-moe and ended up landing on the husband--the only nonreligious person in the room! It was so funny. His wife said it for him, which was SO COOL.
The girlfriend came to church agian this week! We were so happy! And we're meeting with her tomorrow. We're so excited about her.
Primary program is next week, and I'm playing the piano for them, so pleas pray for my fingers to remember the notes. As a missionary the practicing time is very very limited, so I'm feeling pretty nervous about it haha. The kids are so cute and excited though. good luck D with your primary program next week! I'll be thinking of you the whole day!
My favorite scripture I read this week was Jacob 7:26. Jacob is so funny. Throughout the whole book of Jacob he's saying that he's just so anxious and I just feel so bad for him, but this verse he says that their lives passed away before them "as it were a dream" I don't know why that stood out to me... probably because I'm a weirdo who likes reading and that just seemed incredibly poetic, but I started looking at the footnotes and it cross referenced to James 4:14-15, where it says,
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."
We need to realize that our lives are short and that we need to do all we can NOW to prepare for the next life. I just love the poetic surprises in the scriptures. So good
Love you all and hope you have a good week.
sorry for the spelling errors. This computer is in dutch and everything is underlined in red so I just don't even know anymore
zuster watts