Nov 20-26, 2022

 SUNDAY

I think Winter is here! The temperature is just a little below freezing, but the humidity is 98% so it feels really cold. But that doesn't stop the people from biking everywhere. We drive the 40 minute to church in a warm van, but several members of the Ward ride their bikes no matter the weather. It is so good to gather each week with the members of the Utrecht Ward. We have made many friends this past 10 months and look forward to deepening our friendships with each of them. 

MONDAY

Elder Stoner's came to The Netherlands to pick him up from his mission here. They stopped by the office today. It was delightful to meet each of them! And what a fun family adventure to meet your son and visit some of the people and places he has learned to love.

Elder Zachary Stoner with President and Sister Watson in the middle surrounded by his family.

The Utrecht Ward will be having a Christmas Activity on Dec 10. Doug has been asked to be Santa Claus. Sint Niklaas will have come and gone by then, so Santa will visit the party. The suit we ordered came today (hair and beard yet to be delivered😂)

TUESDAY

The Sisters in Spijkenisse have been having bike problems. They have been trying to fix it themselves, tried a video call with Doug to solve the problem and called a bike repair shop only to find it would be a couple weeks before it could be fixed. So this morning we loaded a bike and drove to make the exchange with them. We love all their effort in trying to fix the problem themselves but are so grateful we are able to help them get 'back on the road'.

Doug, Marcia, Sisters Amylia Wyss and Hadley Good

WEDNESDAY

Sisters Halladay and Perry have been trying to get a bike fixed for a while now. The pedal came off...so it's hard to ride! They do have a couple extra bikes but those are used on exchanges or when someone is visiting. So today we drove to Leiden with a bike to exchange for the one with the broken pedal.

Doug, Sisters Ryann Halladay and Megan Perry

Elders Harrison Wright and Richard Vellinga were at the office this afternoon and need to use the car tonight and tomorrow. We had some groceries in the car and were hoping to drive home to avoid carrying everything. So we asked them to walk to our house when they were finished, have dessert with us and take the car from there. In life, we make compromises all the time. It doesn't take much to figure out how to help everyone do what they need to do in the most convenient way. Sometimes we can not all get what we want or need, but usually with some give and take, we can make things work. We appreciate so much the willingness of these young missionaries to help each other be the best they can be and to be efficient in their work.

THURSDAY

All the apartments have been approved to get Air Fryers so the Office Elders have been shopping for the best value. They were only able to order three online, so today they drove to the store and picked up 11 more. The VandeWal's will stop for the others in their travels to Gronigen and get the remaining ones. These Elders are EXCITED for the new kitchen appliance that will make their food prep a little easier.

(front) Harrison Wright

(middle) Richard Vellinga, Landon Thomas, Nathan De Jong

(back) Dallin Doxford

Thanksgiving Day!

Our oven is not big enough to roast a turkey, so we had chicken instead 😁.  Some other thanksgiving favorites were on the table...mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, creamed corn, green bean casserole, broccoli and rolls. Cheesecake for dessert. 

Marcia, Elders Landon Thomas, Dallin Doxford and Nathan De Jong

FRIDAY

Late this afternoon the Elders from the Utrecht Ward came to the office for a lesson with Monet. She is a member of the Church and has been meeting with the missionaries quite regularly to get her questions answered. We have been trying to find a time they could come to dinner so because it was a last-minute thing, we went out to dinner in Gouda. It is magical to sit at an outdoor restaurant with the Stadhuis in the background (and seated right next to the heater!). These are another pair of good young men who are working hard to help the members as well as teach new people. We love their example!

Elders Forrest Maxwell and Eldon McClure

SATURDAY

My personal study today included the talk for Relief Society lesson tomorrow, Valiant Discipleship in the Latter Days, Elder Jörg Klebingat, April 2022 GC. Just as I was getting started, I reached for my phone and started to open FaceBook. I hesitated, told myself to get back on track and put down the phone. But instead I opened up FB. At the top of the newsfeed was the following post:

Ann Stewart Michaelson

16h  · 

Who gets teary while raking leaves?? this gal!

Whenever I rake leaves in the fall I remember that day 16 years ago when I was super pregnant with Evan. We had that giant tree in the backyard that dropped a bazillion leaves every year. Well, that year I just hadn’t gotten around to that daunting chore by the time my grandma and grandpa Nielson visited for a couple days. Grandma took the three big kids to the backyard to play and next thing I know, she’s raking up the leaves and making a game out of it. She mapped out a little house in lines of leaves on the grass and the kids got a kick out of it. I was so grateful. She entertained my babies and did a chore I just couldn’t do all at once. She acted like it was no big deal. But it was huge to me.

So when my neighbor from across the street yells, “hey do you want to borrow my leaf blower?” I just have to say “no thanks!” Because I can’t explain why I want this chore to last a little longer today while yelling back across the street. I want to spend time thinking about my sweet grandma and how the littlest of good deeds really have the biggest impact.

As I read this sweet memory of my daughter about my mom, the tears started to flow. I remembered how good my mom was at serving others with no thought except to help where she could. I was overcome with a feeling of love and gratitude for my mom and all she has taught me. Her example has influenced my life in countless ways. I am so thankful for a kind, generous, thoughtful and selfless mother who taught me by her example how to serve and care for others.

Eventually, I got back to my study but am so grateful for the prompting to divert for just a few minutes.