Jan 23-29, 2022

SUNDAY

Zoom church once again for us. President Watson is giving some thought and prayer to decide where to have us actually attend church. The ward we have been attending over Zoom the past three weeks has the other Senior couple, the VandeWal's assigned to that ward. So we may be going somewhere else. Wherever it is, we will be excited to become a part of the ward and get to know the members.

We went for a walk around our neighborhood and discovered another windmill! I shouldn't be surprised, after all we are in Holland! The narrow, cobblestone and brick streets are quaint but you have to be aware--the cars, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians all share the same small space. The 'sidewalk' is about 12-36" wide but you can park your bike here while doing your shopping. so quite often we walk in the street always watching for traffic in both directions 😀🚗🚚🚴🚶

President and Sister Nelson and Elder and Sister Bednar spoke at a devotional tonight for everyone in the Europe Area. The messages were timely. Covenants and ordinances point us to Jesus Christ and offer direction, strength and instruction much like the Liahona pointed the way for Lehi. The covenants and ordinances are the authorized channels to receive God's power.

Sister Nelson counseled us for the next 30 days to put an exclamation point ❗after everything the prophets say and a question mark ❓after all other information. We need to follow the prophets with exactness. She gave us some glimpses into President Nelson.

1. He is attentive and alert. He wants to see and feel 'more'

2. He is 'in awe' of the laws of God. He honors God's law by being obedient with exactness.

3.Se serves others. He offers simple and consistent service to the neighbors such as shoveling the sidewalks of snow and bringing in the trash cans for them.

4. He requires effort of himself. Celebrates skills and effort of everyone.

5. He never delays. He likes to ask "What's wrong with now?" He is quick to respond to the Lord's instructions.

6. He finds joy in avoiding contention.

President Nelson talked about Temples and the Restoration.

The gathering of Israel is happening right now in all areas of the world, including Europe.

The power of Jesus Christ will comfort and renew us.

The power of God comes through the ordinances.

You are here now because you are needed here now! You have the answers to your friends' questions.

Ask and seek to know the truth.

Stay focused on what you do know.

Pray for opportunities to gather Israel. Many are living in or coming to Europe.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

We have enjoyed talking with many of our kids the past few days. We love being able to stay connected even though we are far away.💕

We continue to learn more about our assignments and responsibilities in the office. We are still there mostly ourselves, although Tuesday the VandeWal's were able to get out of isolation and President and Sister Watson come in on Tuesday afternoons for meetings. President Kleijweg, counselor in the mission presidency comes in on Tuesday as well. It has been good for us to have to figure out things. But the most thrilling thing is that we have had a witness over and over that the Lord really is in the details of our lives and this work. Two very obvious experiences happened Wednesday.

1. "AdBlue" As we arrived in the office a phone call was received from the Van der Wals, the mission housing coordinators. They were on their way to Leeuwarden to take care of some housing issues when they had an issue with the diesel van they were using. They asked what a warning light that said AdBlue meant. I (Doug) had no idea and we both thought it might be low window washer fluid. He said he would keep a watch for any issues. I had no idea what to do. After hanging up the phone, I wondered what AdBlue meant and had the impression to google it. I learned that it is a low emission additive for diesel engines. If it gets too low the engine will not start. So I called them and explained such. They didn’t know where to stop but I had the impression to look at my Toyota dealership list. I just discovered the list a few days before. I found a dealership in the city they were just passing and it was just off the freeway. They were able to confirm what I had found out and get the problem resolved quickly and inexpensively. I don’t know if anything would have happened but I had the overwhelming impression that I had just experienced some spiritual promptings. To us it was a small miracle. The Lord is definitely involved in the details of our lives.

2. After searching the computer for an hour, I (Marcia) finally decided to call Elder Jensen (again!) for advice on where to find the list for reimbursements for the missionaries when they have spent money on extra or urgent needs. AS WE WERE TALKING, the Elders from Gent called to ask if and how they could be reimbursed for some unexpected expenses. I couldn't answer the phone because I was still talking about the system with Elder Jensen, so they called Elder Glauser's phone. When I hang up with E. Jensen, I could immediately answer their question. This may seem small, but it is the small and simple ways the Lord works in our lives that testifies of His involvement. We are grateful to be able to recognize divine help.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY

We are feeling more comfortable in our assignments, but still have many, many questions. E. Glauser is ready for vehicle inspections next week at the Mission Conference. He inspected the car that is often at the office as a trial run and is now ready to do the others.

I had not been receiving emails in the Finance box but the others were working just fine. I thought it was strange that nothing was coming in, but because of my inexperience, I didn't question beyond that. But on Friday, when I sent a receipt to the Finance email and it didn't come through and another sister sent some things which I also did not receive, I became more concerned. E. Jensen tried to help remotely, but to no avail. He gave me a phone number to call for Church Technical Global Support. I was on the phone for about 45 minutes with the tech trying many of the things E Jensen had tried and a few other things. Finally he said he would send it on to the next level. About an hour later I got a call and within 15 minutes everything was back to normal and I had 61 emails waiting to be read! Thankfully, everything is back on track and I can make payments for those invoices next week.

There is a piano at the office, actually there is also an organ and an electric piano as well. The building was formerly used for church services. I took advantage of the piano (and no other people at the office this week) to practice a little. I really want to improve my piano skills and recognize I need to practice if that is to happen.

SATURDAY

On the way home last night, we walked past a hair salon so we stopped in and made an appointment for today. Doug was speaking in Dutch with the owner to set up the appointment. He turned and said something to me in English and the others in the room all turned to look. He was speaking such good Dutch they were all surprised when he started speaking English. (NOTE: That's what I, Doug would like to believe!!!!) He went for the haircut and had conversations in Dutch with the hair stylist, the clerk at the store, and the flower vendor at the market. I'm so proud of the way he talks to the people and continues to improve 😀.

Farmer's Market. We went back to the Friets shop (another conversation in Dutch!) and then bought a freshly made Stroopwafel. There are produce, cheese and fish vendors along with many others. The Market is set up around the Town Hall, rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1438. The architecture and cobblestone/brick streets are charming.