April 16-22, 2023

 SUNDAY

Today in church one of the speakers was Ilona Kleijweg. She spoke about times in her life when she has felt gratitude and invited us to do the same. She paused for about one minute to give us time to think. There are many others but four things immediately came to mind:

    1. The birth of each of my children

    2. 14 Jan 2023 all my kids were in the temple together with me

    3. 31 Oct 2019 lunch at Olive Garden with my friend Doug Glauser that began this beautiful chapter of my life

    4. When I was sick as a child, my dad gave me a blessing. I immediately felt better. It is the only time I can remember receiving a blessing from my dad.

Four of our missionaries are going home early for various health reasons.  It has been  a testimony to me that the most important thing to President Watson and the other Church leaders is that the individual missionary is cared for in the best possible way. If that means going home to get things sorted, then it is the best. I hope I remember to never judge someone because I don't know the circumstances. It is very easy to jump to conclusions about someone in situations we simply don't understand.

MONDAY

After the office staff meeting, we drove to Den Haag to drop off Keukenhof booklets to Judi Nielson. She is the Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the Europe Area Presidency. The Presidency and all the Mission Leaders in Europe will be here this week for training and a wee bit of site seeing. We had offered to bring the booklets and since we were in Den Haag at dinnertime, we took advantage and went to Simonis for Fish and Chips.😋

   

TUESDAY

We had the opportunity to be Ordinance Workers at the temple today. The Area Presidency and Mission Leaders from the Europe Area are all here this week for training. They met together for an endowment session to begin the week. It is always a blessing to be in the temple.  

WEDNESDAY

Even when there is not much scheduled for the day, we stay busy with the unexpected.  Appliance repairs, rearranging transportation needs and car maintenance, along with the usual duties of paying the invoices, picking up bikes from the shop and dealing with medical issues filled the day. 

We had made ourselves available for the Rotterdam Stake Warmkamers evening, but the Office Sisters had a need for the van to start moving things to their new apartment. Currently they are living in Gouda, but that apartment will be needed by the new Office Couple coming next week, so Sisters Flake and Conlee are moving to Leiden. The Stake had filled the assignment, but we still needed to deliver some items and pick up money from the ZLs, so when the Sisters returned we headed to Rotterdam. It was so good to see Sisters Boyer and Wilcox as they facilitate the Dutch class. There are several Dutch or English classes throughout the Mission lead by the missionaries and held in the church buildings. They are all very successful with 20-30 people attending in each one. It is a community service. The participants are not required to investigate the Church.  But it is letting the people be in the building and be around the missionaries, which invites the Spirit.

THURSDAY

We spent the day 'on the road'. We delivered two bikes to Nijmegen to Elders Boyer and Mildenstein. They have been renting bikes at the train station because they don't have a place to store Mission bikes, but the nicer weather means more people are visiting The Netherlands and the rental bikes are often gone before they get there. So Doug bought some bike covers so they can lock their bikes outside and cover and protect them from the weather. Hopefully this will solve the problem. 

There is a delicious bakery on the corner near their apartment so of course we needed treats!

Doug and Landon Boyer

From there we drove to Rotterdam to pick up the insurance card for the new car we just received. We need it before tomorrow when we take the car to Leeuwarden.

Next stop was the car dealership in Leidendorp to drop off equipment that has been at the office.

Finally, we stopped at the Leiden 12 apartment to deliver another bike as there will be four sisters living there now. 

We returned to the office and met Norma's sister and brother in law, Jackie and Preston Ruegher, who are visiting for a week. Their daughter married Erik Krisle who grew up with my kids in San Bernardino. Another 'small world' moment. 

Just before we left the office, Doug got a call from Sisters Boyer and Wilcox in Rotterdam. They had locked and even chained their bikes to a pole, but when they returned the bikes were gone. So he made arrangements with the ZLs to take two bikes to them. These are not fancy bikes, not even hand brakes, so it amazes me that people want to steal them! They do say Zendenlingen Fiets (missionaries bikes) on them. Maybe that is the appeal?!?

FRIDAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DOUG!!!

The office missionaries decorated the office last night so it would look festive when we arrived this morning. After the routine things of the day, we had a birthday lunch with the Office Sisters and the Content Team.

Emma Bair, Janessa Anderson, Elise Conlee, Tess Flake, Doug, Atticus Snow, Izaak Bevell

Doug had previously arranged to drive the new car to Leeuwarden to deliver it to the Ehlert's. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Gouda to Leeuwarden through the area where the tulips are grown.

We met the Ehlert's, saw their apartment, walked through the Centrum and stopped for dinner at a little cafe.

Doug, Marcia, Cathy Ehlert, Paul Ehlert

As we came home on the train, we read all the letters and cards given to Doug for his birthday. It was so fun to hear from so many family and friends of their memories and thoughts about Doug as he turns 70! Here's to another decade!!

SATURDAY

It's hard to see in the photo, but the lily pads are another sign of Spring! They are beginning to come to the top of the water and look so cool!

We attended the temple again today. It is always a blessing to be in the House of the Lord. When we came out it was raining so no picture today. But just imagine the burst of color from the tulips all over the temple grounds. 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷