April 17-23, 2022

SUNDAY

It is good to have Natalie, Jeremy and their kids here in The Netherlands! Even though they are a little jet-lagged they came to church at the Utrecht Ward and got a little taste of what it is like here. Not surprisingly, the Church is the same everywhere! The hymns sound familiar, the covenants we make are the same, the people are devoted and kind.

After dinner, we bundled up and walked around Gouda. The Stadhuis, Sint JansKerk, a windmill and (the kids' favorite) a playground. 

We love living in this charming little city!

MONDAY

We were able to get all the essential things done at the office this morning and then join the family at Kinderdijk. We rented bikes and rode along the canals, stopping to explore the windmills.

TUESDAY

This afternoon we were able to finish up at the office, pick up a broken bike in Rotterdam and  and meet the family in Delft. 

The little boys didn't really care for the Royal Delft museum so we took them to the car where they could play a bit (and watch a movie😉)

 I had forgotten about the monthly Health Council meeting with President and Sister Watson and the Area Medical Advisor and Mental Health Advisor until president texted to wonder if I was going to join the Zoom call. So Doug stayed in the car and entertained the boys while I stepped outside and joined the call.

From the museum, we drove to the Delft Centrum (Siri seemed to take us down roads that were not meant for us, so we may have a ticket to deal with 😏).

Delft is such a charming city!

And we all agree the gelato is yummy!

Our missionary responsibilities didn't stop as we were wandering the city. Elder Peterson called to say he had fallen on his elbow and wrist during a P-day activity. But he was able to get it checked and found nothing broken.

Just as we were going to dinner, Sister Hanny called to say that Sister Kalynn Allen had cut her thumb while making dinner and had fainted. They tried to wake her up for several minutes, probably about 40, to no avail. So I had them call an ambulance, just to err on the side of caution. Turns out she hit her head on the floor hard enough to give her a concussion. And to make matters worse, when they all got home from the hospital, they realized they had locked the house keys inside. Normally, the Zone Leaders have an extra key to all the apartments in their Zone, but for some reason, the box of keys was at the Sister's apartment. That required a drive to Breda to meet the VandeWal's who brought an extra key for them. (You just can not make this stuff up!)😲

WEDNESDAY

Some thoughts from District Council:

• Elise Conlee shared a little about her brother who had fallen into drugs and alcohol as a teenager and young adult (has now been sober for 7 years). She invited us to 1) pray to find someone who needs the love of God the most, 2) see others the way God sees them and 3) remember they are choice/chosen
• Jonas Hilton and Sam Evans lead a training on How do you feel the Spirit? Elder Hilton said "Sometimes I feel uncomfortable...I don't really want to do what the Spirit is leading me to do." Elder Evans talked about how to make his prayers more meaningful. If he finds himself distracted while praying, he goes to another room and starts again, refocused. They counseled us "don't let revelation be too hard'
• Doug added that we don't need to worry if the thoughts that come to us are revelation or just a good thought. If it is good, it comes from God and we should act on it. As Camilla Kimball said "Never suppress a generous thought"
• We were given an invitation to write down spiritual impressions we receive. Look back after a week and see the pattern
• Izaak Bevell (our DL) recounted President Nelson's experience during surgery where the unknown procedure was diagrammed in his mind and the surgery was successful. Elder Bevell told the story of when he was a river guide. An inexperienced woman wanted to kayak the river, but drifted into a dangerous place with thick reeds and was sucked under the water. When he went to rescue her, she was no where to be found. The Spirit whispered to him to get out of the reeds and he found her tangled with a rope around her neck, with the currant pulling her down. I was reminded of the time about a year ago when I had a similar experience of the solution to a problem being diagrammed in my mind. I was able to go back to the office, complete the project and send it on to Frankfurt. It was one of the many miracles I have personally seen while serving a mission.
• Elder David A Bednar's MTC Provo talk "Quit worrying about it. Is it the Holy Ghost or me?"(YouTube)

This afternoon we drove to Arnhem to deliver a bike to replace the one that was stolen a few days ago. It is a beautiful drive and it was nice to see Elders Kujanpaa and Yuyes.

Marcia, Adam Kujanpaa, Jared Yuyes, Doug

Jared Yuyes, Doug

THURSDAY

Justin and Daphne Bijkerk invited all of us to dinner at their home. What a delight to be in their home again! They are hospitable and kind. Their kids have been looking forward to having their new friends over. Sirah had made name plates for each one of us. She had the kids at one end of the long table and the adults at the other. We made homemade pizzas. So fun to bake your dinner at the table!

Will, Millie, Kate, Natalie, Jeremy, Doug, Daphne, Justin, Maira, Aram (Sirah is next to Aram but  was cut out of the picture. Owen and Gavin are playing in the background)

FRIDAY

We have been able to get the most important things done at the office and still had time to spend with the family.

In spite of the rain, Keukenhof is a beautiful place! And this weekend there were stands where we could learn something of the old Dutch lifestyle. Kate, Millie and Will were each able to make a top and a rope with the help of the volunteers. Owen and Gavin took long naps in their covered strollers. Stoopwafels and Hot Chocolate were also part of our day!

We finished off the day at Pannenkoekkenborderij, our favorite Dutch Pancake place 😋

SATURDAY

We ate our way through Gouda visiting Bakker Barts, the Market for stoopwafels, The Frites shop, the Gelato shop but avoiding the herring stand. The little boys got an extra cookie from the bakery and caught a little nap while the others went to the Cheese Museum.

General Conference weekend! We were able to watch the Saturday morning session at 6pm. Since we are a few time zones ahead of Salt Lake, we will watch the others tomorrow. We are so grateful to know that we are lead by living prophets, seers and revelators who are diligent in teaching the will of the Lord. We just need to Follow the Prophet and seek our own confirmation from God that the things we are taught are true. Simple and beautiful!