Aug 14-20, 2022



SUNDAY

Today was Elder Maxfield's last Sunday in the BNZ. He will return home on Thursday. We have certainly come to love him and will miss him. He spoke in church today and bore a sweet testimony of the Savior and the gathering of Israel. 

Our Ukrainian friend, Mariya, will also leave this next week. She and her two daughters are relocating to Vancouver, BC. Hopefully, this will be a good and safe place for them until they can return to their home in Ukraine. It has been very humbling to get to know personally these good people who have become refugees.

Mariya (center) Anastacia (left) Kate (right)

MONDAY

We were delighted to have not only Elder Grey and Elder Andersen come for dinner, but to add Elders Henrie, Boyer, Bevell and Kempenaers. We love so much having the missionaries in our home. They bring an added measure of the Spirit and great insights as we discuss the gospel and their experiences.

Elders Landon Boyer, Leif Andersen, Aiden Henrie, Jarrich Grey, Doug, Marcia, Elders Izaak Bevell, Jorne Kempenaers

TUESDAY

We are so excited for Matt and Taylor's upcoming wedding! Since it will be out of the Mission boundaries, we have received permission from the Area President, Elder De Feo, to attend. Today I booked our flights and bought a dress for the reception. We will be gone from the mission for a week and will make a one-day stop in Utah before traveling on to Portland for the wedding in the Portland Temple and the reception.

WEDNESDAY

Departure interviews today. This is a bittersweet day as we say goodbye to seven missionaries. They are excited, nervous, joyous, sad and anxious to move forward. Doug and I love spending 30 minutes with each one individually. Since our part of the interview process takes about 1 minute, we have the rest of the time to talk about their families and their future plans. 

In the afternoon we have the Departure meeting where each one has a chance to talk about the changes they have seen or insights they have received while serving as missionaries. President and Sister Watson also take a few minutes. It was a spirit-filled meeting!


 Elder Shadrach Christiansen. A talented musician and a delight to listen to as he plays the piano








Jackson Weber, Marcia, Doug, Matt Maxfield, Carson DeMoux, Lucas Montoya, Gage Norton, 
Shadrach Christiansen, Sophia Reynolds, Norma and Gerrit VandeWal


THURSDAY

Arrival and Transfer Day. The office was full of life as the Arriving missionaries came from the airport and those who would soon be their new companions (and others for various reasons) met up at the office. All of the new missionaries are Sisters! We are excited to get to know them as time goes by. They seem capable, willing and ready to jump right in to missionary work. One came directly from the MTC and seven have just been reassigned for one transfer so they are all quite new. One thing we heard over and over was how welcomed they felt here. And that is how it should be!

In the evening we visited with a couple in the Utrecht Ward who have recently returned to activity. The Wolthers, Kitty and _______, are a lovely couple and are working toward being sealed in the Temple on their 45th wedding anniversary, 16 June 2023. She speaks excellent English but they both are more comfortable with Dutch, so most of the conversation was in Dutch. Doug is doing so well with the language! And even though I don't speak Dutch, I can understand most of what is said during these visits. to me that is a tender mercy of the Lord. Because in other places, even at church, I don't understand as much as when we are visiting in the homes. 

FRIDAY

This morning our friend, Annelies De Haas, and her son Jasper came to the office to play a game of ping pong and have an ice cream bar. A few weeks ago we spent the day with them along with her husband Mathieu biking around Veluwe. Jasper seemed to have a good time with us old folks, the Office Elders and the Social Media District. It was a nice hour with him today. 

We drove to Nieuwegein to see an art display by another member of our ward, Franca Oostveen. After driving to a charming, nearby village by mistake, we made it in time to see her while she was at the show. It was fun to see her art work, but more importantly, we were happy to support her. She has actually had some of her work shown in South Korea and New York.

SATURDAY

We met Norma and Gerrit at the Gouda Cheese Museum and took the tour. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. 





Then we walked to Sint Jan's Kerk to take the tour there. Our Museum cards are accepted there. It is especially nice to not have to pay. This is the first time we have used our Museum cards and they are good for one year.








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