It's gonna...gonna...gonna...GONNA.....it's gonna be May.

Sorry for all of you who don't know that Backstreet Boys reference (or is it Nsync?)

Anyways, this month is already rolling into May which is crazy. I honestly feel like I just got into the land. Also, If you're wondering why I'm emailng you today it's because this Monday is a national holiday called "Kings Day", pretty much every one wears orange and is drunk and I honestly don't know why it's even a holiday or what actually happens on kings day , all I know is it's on a p-day so we had to switch our p-day to today because they want us out proselyting all day on kings day...so that's exciting. I also am going to Germany on Kings Day for a dinner appointment so that's something else exciting. Yay for small countries!

Anyways, not much has happened since last Monday...So this email might be pretty short...sorry. I am learning my way around Assen and it's growing on me. I love the people and the atmosphere of the city. Our apartment is right by the centrum so we look out our window and see everything going on. It's been raining today but other than that it's been pretty nice weather. We bike literally everywhere...I absolutely love it. My thighs are hating me though haha.  

There are still some invesigators I haven't met yet because we haven't been able to get in contact with them since I got here a week and a half ago, but I hear they are great. I am excited to meet them. We work with a lot of less actives and do lots of service. But it's great. We are praying for new investigators too. We are working hard and having fun. We come in each night exhausted and plan and get ready for bed then pray then we are out...then we wake up and do it all over again and I have to say there's nothing else I would rather be doing with my time. A hard thing about missionary work is that the days are almost exactly the same and you have to be diligent and have the same energy and excitement about each new day. It's great. It makes you appreciate the small little miracles so much more. I love missionary work and I love being a missionary! Ik hou van je allemaal en tot het volgende week!

Liefs,

Zuster Harris

1. after a LONG day of door knockin...this is what I look like. yay

2. lol 'Vaart' in dutch is pronounced like 'fart' in english...thus, fartz. lol. you can see I have become quite the mature missionary in the past 4.5 months.

3. me and Zr. Jensen after a terribly awkward incidence (everything is Always awkward as a missionary. everything. Always. yes.)

4. mah nametag yayyy

5. Us and Bernadette! she is a member who just got baptized like 2 ish years ago and she kind of has the mind of a child...but she is sweet and quirky and I love her. we walk with her every week to get groceries, paint her nails, and help with other stuff.

6. yay me

 

Change is a good thing right?

Well to start with this letter, I want to write a few cools things about Gouda, where I've been serving for the past 3 months...the place where I started my mission, and the place that has won my heart....

1. Gouda has BEAUTIFUL little canals everywhere 

2. the cute, unevened houses are my favorite(with people inside who just slam their doors in your faces hahaha)

3. the centrum is so lovely with the bells that are chiming all the time and birds just flying everywhere

4. the people in our ward are some of the greatest people I've ever met 

5. the sweetest, kindest investigators live here...and you grow so close to them that you don't ever want anything bad to happen to them or their family (dishonor on you, dishonor on your family!! sorry for those of you who have never seen Mulan before hahaah) 

anyways, we got the call last night that I will be transfered up to a place called Assen (pronounced "aww-sen') but it's in the north and supposedly there are fields everywhere and old people haha. so I will maybe have tons of mission omas and opas :)

well hey, I am sad to be leaving Gouda...but excited for this new adventure. Missions are basically just non-stop adventures. Leaving Gouda will be hard because me and sister fredrickson white washed this area (we both came in brand new to this area...) so we have been able to see the fruits of our own labors...we committed one of our investigators, Xander, to baptism on May 2nd. So hopefully I'll be able to come down for that...he's such a cool guy. Teaching him has been so great...We've seen him change so much. 

We had a great week last week!!! we went to the temple, then to Keukenhof (where I basically just took a bunch of close ups of flowers, so sorry about that hahaha.) and I saw Sister Romney and Elder Wootan! it was a party. well I hope you all have a great week!!! I invite you guys to find a talk from this past week's general conference and read it...it was a great conference. 

ik hou van julie!!!!!

liefs, Zuster Harris

 

 

 the picture of me and the guy in the light blue shirt is Xander, our investigator who we just committed to baptism! also these are just some pics of ward member who I love so so so much.

GENERAL CONFERENCCCCEEEE

GOEDE DAG ALLEMAAL

ok first off. this week was. absolutely. nuts.

hahah.

So my amazing companion/trainer is sister training leader in our zone (Rotterdam zone) so we go on exchanges A LOT so last week on Tuesday morning after district meeting in Gouda I went to Dordrecht again, I had to double pack because the next morning I went to gouda to see my companion for about 5 minutes then I went straight to UTRECHT hahaha and we didn't go home the whole day so I was hauling my backpack full of stuff from the day before and for that day...my back was almost out the next day. hahah usually you try to go with as little as possible when knocking doors or contacting..you carry a Book of Mormon, pamplets, cards, and that's about it...well I had all I needed for the past 24 hours on my back hah I was living the life of a gypsy. super leuk...

well the next day I was able to work in gouda for about 12 hours with zr. fred but then the next day she had a meeting for all the leaders in leiden so....I went to apeldoorn to actually work with her last greenie...well if you look at a map of the netherlands I pretty much covered the whole west side of it hahah good thing it's not a big country...ANYWAYS this friday I am actually going go belgium...I thought it was last friday but I went to apeldoorn instead :)

Ok I'm kinda sad because general conference came and left so quickly......IT WAS SO GOOD hahha but really funny that a lot of the talks were on marriage...what was up with that? I thought it was cool though. But let's just say that a lot of the missionaries who are goin home in the next few transfers were pretty marriage trunky...hahaha. well I really loved a lot of the talks. Wilford W. Anderson's was probably the most beautiful talk I've ever heard....he related the spirit to hearing the music and it was just really super cool...if you haven't already heard it, go listen to it online or read it :) also I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk as well, all about grace. after all we can do, no matter how hard we try, we are saved by God's grace and it's beautiful. I love also how a lot of the talks were about the Atonement. as a missionary, we are constantly teaching about the atonement. we talk about it in basically every lesson. and every time i gain a stronger testimony of it. I know Heavenly Father's plan for us is the plan of Happiness and the Atonement is the center of that plan. I love being a missionary. Also, we got new cards to handout that have the hashtag "#omdathijleeft"on them which is "Because He Lives" in english...well it's a new video the church produced for easter and it's really so beautiful...it's a lot like "because of him" but almost better?? look it up. share it on facebook. tell your friends. tell your family. tell the world......He is Risen! and because He is risen, we will all be risen after death. The Death hath no sting....and the grave no victory; Because He Lives. I know He lives and we can all live again after this life and this life is to prepare us meet God. 

Well, our investigators are doing great. One of our investigators, Xander, who is kind of an "eternal investigator" came to watch a session with us (we watched conference in the Rotterdam church) so that was sweet. we have been having lessons with him and he is still wanting a testimony of the Book of Mormon. but he will get there. He's gonna be dooped (baptized...) but our investigator, Aurora, is doing great. she is reading in the book of mormon and last week she said she would definitely be baptized when she came to know the gospel was true. so we're super stoked about her. but the bummer is that transfer calls are next week...and either me or sister fred. will be leaving Gouda (they don't like to leave the trainers with the greenies for too long...) so that's sad. transfers are bittersweet...change is good, but also hard. but you learn to love it!!!  I am excited for what will happen. well today we are just chillin in gouda....gonna watch some of the sessions we missed because of the time difference, go grocery shopping, sleep...., so yeah. Oh! tomorrow we get to go to the temple in Zoetermeer!!!! I am so excited...I really miss going to the temple whenever I want...hahah I was spoiled and took it for granted! But super stoked about that...then not this wednesday but the next will be transfer day..so I may or may not be staying. but yeah we find out next sunday...so I will let y'all know next monday if I am staying or not :) 

OK love you all and here are some pics

tot volgende week!

liefs, 

Zuster Harris :)