Monday, January 26, 2015

WHITE TO THE WASH IN.....(drumroll pleassssse....).....​...GOUDA

AHHHH. OH my goodness. So much to type. so LITTLE time. Guys. ahh. crazy.
 
ok. so imma just kinda go in order of all the important/funny/weird things that happened this past week....
 
1. Plane ride. the plane ride was really not bad at all. It was about 2.5 hrs to Detroit and then 7 hrs to the NDLS. maar...on the first plane ride to Detroit, me and Zr. R sat next to this guys named Ric Gumm. He is from California. around 60, married, no kids, 2 dogs  (that he loved talking about) anyways, we talked to him and found out he was flying to detroit for his father's funeral....found out he didn't have much of a good relationship with his father, and whatnot. so. I'm a missonary. so after some small talk, he found out what misionaries do, that we are going to Belgie and the Nederlands for 1.5 years, can't talk to family, the works. and that we are volunteers and don't get paid and spread the gospel. anyways, naturally, I led back into the convo. over his dad...asked him what he though about life after death....he said he hoped there was one, and believed in spirits, then basically we talked about the plan of Salvation. which was cool. anyways, super cool guy, super good conversation. He said he didn't think it was a coincidence that he met us. liked our point of view, thought we were very good people and learned more about mormons...basically had no idea about them. so that was sweet. I am glad we made a good impressoin on him. anyways...moving on.
 
2. Our first day in Ndls we got picked up from the airport with President and Sister Robinson, rode our first train ride to the mission office (Super cool, and super quiet) got to the mission office where all of our luggage already was...did some paper work, interviews with the pres and his wife, then we did street contacting I believe...that whole day was a blur so bear with me....anyways....FIRST TIME STREET CONTACTING!!!  I went with zr. Romney and elder Yokom who works at the mission office....it was scary but I had to just not think about the fact that I can't speak dutch and roll with it. so we did that, handed people cards and stuff.  then we went and ate at a delicious Panekooken restraunt, then slept that night at the mission home. so cool.
 
3. MEETING MY TRAINER so I have to say I have the cutest, nicest trainer EVER!!!! Her name is Zuster Fredrickson and she is from Kayesville Utah. So cute. We have fun. so we had to lug all of our luggage (my 3 bags + her 3 bags + her bike lol) onto like 5 different trains, I swear. lol I almost caused an accident walking across a cross walk with my luggage....while the other 3 missionaries were just watching me suffer...lol go me
 
4. our apartment is G-TO THE -HETTO (ghetto, lol) there are mice (haven't seen any yet) but it really is ok. I like it. I will send some pics of it.
 
5. THE HOORNWEG FAMILIE ohh man Zr. Hoornweg was a life saver on Wednesday. she picked us up from the train station with all our luggage, took us to her home, where we had our first dinner appointment (needless to say at most dinner appointments I have no idea what's going on lol) then she took us to our apartment with all our luggage!!! her husband is the ward mission leader so he's been helpful so far. he just got that calling like last week. so we will be working over there a lot. so far they have had us over for dinner twice
 
6. the elders in our ward who we go to a lot of dinner appointments with are Elder Clement and Elder Byers. I don't have much time to type about them but just know they are funny and elder byers is "such an expert" at everything and he's only been out here like....5 more weeks than me. lol
 
7. our day in Capelle. We went here to meet an investigator named Lidwina, but on our way there this lady named Meryka came over and asked us if we needed help because we looked lost....we told her we were looking for Norma street and for a lady named Lidwina....well Meryka knew just where she lived so she went over with us. lol Meryka is from Surunam (spelling...?) and so is lidwina so they spoke like surunam dutch to eachother...or so zr. F says...haha I can't understand anyone anyways!!! PEOPLE SPEAK SO FAST HERE IT'S INSANE AHHAAHHAH anyways...Lidwina didn't want to have anything to do with us so Meryka (who's actaully not all with it...) toko us to her appartment to get warm hahaha she insisted on it...and we ended up teaching her a lesson, just over het Boek van Mormon....and prayer....she was distracted tho. anyways. that was weird. but cool
 
8. akeel. there is this Arabic guy who we went and saw the same day in Capelle who said right at the beginning that he mostly just wanted to practice his dutch with us... (lol..yea right. I don't speak it....and Zuster F. has only been out like...6 mos. but her dutch is pretty good tho) so that lesson was weird....the whole time he just wanted proof about how we know the church is true.....we tried...we bore our testimonies, and he just kept arguing. so needless to say, we won't be going back. What is faith when you want proof???
 
9. after akeel we left and the whole time I had to pee ahhahaha but I wanted to get out of there...the spirit wasn't there and yeah no thanks. so we walked around, trying to find a potty (there are no public ones in Europe FYI)hahah so I ended up holding it until we met the elders and went to have dinner at the Hoornwegs...that was only like 1.5 hours but it felt like an eternity hahahhh
 
10. The De Jonge Familie!!! zr. DJ is from America, served a mission in this mission like 15 years ago and cam back after her misison to live here and met her husband here. all her kids who are old enough know both dutch and english....so that's super cool. she has 6 kids and is pregnant. we ate and talked in ENGLISH oh the blessed. hahahaha it was a nice break to be able to UNDERSTAND what is going on!!!!! ahhhhhhhh
 
11. Today is p day and I still need to find a bike and this guy in our ward rang our doorbell and said he knew of a place where they sell bikes in gouda...and he had his bike, and we had zr. F's bike, and I had no bike obvs....so it was my first time achter oping!!!! it's where you sit on the back of the bike .....and ride. haha. it was fun.



 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Lord Lives, and This is His Gospel!

Hey y'all
so this last week at the mtc is going by ever so quickly. we only have 5 more days left, and 4 more classes. we are wrapping up our last few lessons with our investigators. We committed Andy to baptism which was a cool experience. So we have just been teaching him the commandments so he's clear on those. We are done teaching Judith. We got a new investigator, Maria. Yesterday we taught 3 investigatore which is a lot to teach in a day haha but all three lessons were great because the spirit was so strong. Man oh man I'm excited to teach real investigators! 5 more days people! 
My mtc experience has actually flown by. but at the same time I feel like I was born here. the outside world doesn't seem real. so I'm excited, nonetheless. We got our flight plans a few days ago which made me super excited and happy! They got our visas except two of the elders in our district....so they might be going to the Utica New York mission. well one of them for sure is but one will find out if his visa is there on friday. so the spirits are a little low in our district. it might end up only being me, sister Romney, and Elder Wootan flying out to Amsterdam on Monday. I am the travel leader...whatever that means. haha. but I am really excited. 
umm let's see.....oh Elder Russell M. Nelson came and spoke again last night (he came and spoke on Christmas)!!!! it was such a great talk about investigators and conversion....honestly I don't remember exactly what he said haha I wrote it down but I don't have my notes with me but all I know is I felt the spirit so strongly. It is such a great experience every time we have devotionals (every tues. and sun.) because it's a room full of missionaries of the Lord, all there to serve the Lord. Me and Zr. Romney finally sang in the choir for the devotional....and I am glad we did because we sang a beautiful arrangement of "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" it was so good. there was an acapella part when we are singing about when Joseph saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ....I want you to know that I know with every fiber of my soul that the Lord lives and this is His gospel. We are here for a purpose. We are here not only to get a body, not only to learn and to grow, but to help bring others unto Christ. Why are we here if not to help others? Where is the reward in only serving ourselves? I know God lives and is the Father of us all. We ARE His children. We chose Heavenly Father's plan to come to Earth to live and to grow and we promised Him we would make it back to Him. He loves us so much. He sent His Son to earth to die for our sins. There is no other way we could make it back to him. Guys, it just makes sense. we are here to prepare for eternity. I know this is the true gospel. I know we are Christ's brothers and sisters. I know He is always in our midst. I know the Holy Ghost to be the third member of the Godhead. How cool is that? When we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we have the CONSTANT COMPANIONSHIP of a GOD in our minds and hearts?!??! I know the Spirit guides and directs us. He guides and directs us in our thoughts, as well as our emotions. Listen to those thoughts in your mind and ACT on them because chances are it's a prompting. and don't be afraid to write those promptings down. the Lord will give us more promptings through the spirit if we write them down because He see's that we care enough so we will remember them and not forget them. Anyways. that is my testimony. Hard times will come and they will go...and then they will come again and go...and it's basically a never ending cycle. but so is Christ. There is no beginning and no end. Al Fox said "Hard times will consistently be there, but so will Christ". Remember that as you go about your days and hard times. I love you all. I cannot wait to be in the mission. It is the Lord's mission and I am merely an instrument in His hands but I am so excited to be doing that; to be serving His children. 
I will send some pics. It's annoying because I can only send 2 pics for each email.....so I'm sorry for all the emails. Jen, how's my blog coming?
Dag, doei, Tot zeins!
oh Gretta, this is for you --
ik weet dat het evangelie waar is. ik weet dat Jezus Christus onze verlosser is. Ik weet dat God onze Hemelse Vader is en wij zijn zijn kinderen. Ik weet dat Joseph Smith het evangelie hersteld. ik ben heel enthousiast voor mijn zending in het Nederland. Ik houd van de mensen in het Nederland en Ik houd van God en Jezus Christus. Ik houd van jullie. Ik ben zo dankbaar om een zendeling te zijn. ik ben zo dankbaar voor Jezus Christus en zijn verzoening for ons. ik weet dat door de verzoening kunnen wij ons bekeren en terugkeren naar God en leven met Hem and Jezus en onze families. 
That is my testimony in het nederlands (dutch) if ya didn't know...no google translate used haha
Ik houd van jullie!!!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!
alle mijn liefde,
Zuster Harris

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Time Flies!

Hoi familie
 
so this week actually flew by. 
we leave in 1.5 weeks for the NDLS and I'm so stoked. sooo flippin stoked
umm so I wish I could remember all the funny stuff that happens around here  because there's always funny stuff happening...but I can't remember any right now and plus I don't have time to write about it....maybe I will
 
we have a total of 7-8 teachers so we never have the same teacher every day....it's a bit weird but it's ok. they are all going to school at byu so they're schedules are crazy. but I really like all of our teachers so it's cool.
nothing really new around here. same old same old....just trying to down the language as much as I can. we are able to teach full lessons without any notes really and it's so great. i love the dutch language. I feel so blessed. the gift of tongues, again, is real. the spirit is real. Christ is real. God is real. the church is true. I know that for myself or else I promise you I would not be here for 1.5 years for something that I didn't know was true. 
love you all. is there anything else you want to know? I never know what to type. did you guys watch the video I told you to do? gotta follow up on my invitation ;) it's what missionaries do!!!! hahah I CAN'T WAIT TO BE A MISSIONARY IN THE REAL WORLD IT REALLY IS LIKE A ZOO HERE BECAUSE WE LIKE SEE THE REAL WORLD OCASIONALLY AND WE'RE LIKE...."CARS!!!! PEOPLE!!!" HAHAHHA IM GOING INSANIUM IN THE CRANIUM
 
ok but reallly Im thrilled to leave the empty sea. it's been great here but you just get to a certain part that you are just so ready to move on. the people are waiting. 
 
but yeah if there is anything else you want to know let me know? I don't get many emails soo.....haha ;) except you mom and dad! and Jen! you're the real mpv's here. the rest of you can learn from them. jk I have gotten more emails than that....like 1 or 2 hahah so TELL PEOPLE TO EMAIL ME
 
I actually don't even have that much time to email so it's fine. 
ok love you all and you're all in my prayers. thank you for your prayers for me! I know they have helped me! I know the lord blesses us when we are righteous! stay righteous.
 
dag,
zuster harris