June 18-24, 2023
SUNDAY
Sacrament meeting is almost always in Dutch with translation provided for those of us with little to no Dutch language skills. But today, Jackson Murdock, a new member of the ward was the speaker and since he and his wife Hannah have just moved here from the US, he speaks English (or Spanish) but no Dutch. Typically in this scenario, a member of the ward will stand beside the speaker and translate sentence by sentence. But today it was a little different. The translation was from English to Dutch and those who don't speak English were able to listen through the headsets.
He spoke on Faith. Elder Jeffrey R Holland said faith is "whole-soul trust in God's promises"
To build our faith we need
2. daily scripture study 2 Tim 3:16 [JST "And all scripture given by inspiration of God, is profitable] for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
3. courageous actions
4. to seek the companionship and guidance of the Holy Ghost
Once again through technology, we were able to listen and watch as Camila spoke in church in the Chapman Heights Ward.
And a few minutes later we tuned in to sacrament meeting in Katy,TX and listened to Ethan and Garrett report on their missions
We took a walk around Gouda this evening. Nice close to a lovely day!
MONDAY
Regular busy Monday at the office but we had the pleasure of Tess Flake visiting with her family! She was just released two weeks ago and is already back with her parents and siblings.
We love being able to talk with Adam occasionally as he serves his mission in Buenos Aires Argentina. It is interesting to hear how the logistics of Transfers is so different from what happens here. They use Uber to facilitate transfers there since the missionaries don't have cars. And we love how the missionaries are working so closely with the members to help teach their family members.
TUESDAY
We have noticed more boats on the canals around Gouda for the past couple months. They seem to come for a few days and then are gone again. So maybe people come in boats to spend time in the city and then move on...like a road trip on water.
WEDNESDAY
This afternoon we visited Nettie Stoppelenburg, a member of our ward. She teaches the Gospel Doctrine class and is a fascinating woman. She works in the Archives in Utrecht and is an expert of the local history. She has written histories of different aspects of her hometown, Oudewater. She makes and collects dolls and her house is filled with books, mostly for research. She has researched her family and has stories of her ancestors as if she knew them well. It's impressive!
THURSDAY
Almost every Thursday, we are blessed to have the missionaries come for dinner. Tonight Doug asked the question: "While on your mission, who has impacted your life and why?" "Who would you like to continue to connect with after your mission?" Interestingly, they all mentioned companions. Sisters Anderson and Bair mentioned each other. They have been together for 7 months now and will finish their missions as companions. They are the Content missionaries and have been trained to film and take photographs for all sorts of things but especially the Social Media content. They plan to be roommates at BYU and Maids of Honor at each others weddings.
Elder Snow named Elder Blodgett (his cousin that he didn't really know before the mission). They were companions for Elder Blodgett's last transfer and they were able to share and grow together. He also mentioned Elder Grey. They were only together one transfer but had some difficult experiences and had to rely on each other and learn to trust one another.
Elder Wood mentioned Elder Adams for similar reasons...difficult experiences that make you either put up walls or become vulnerable and learn to trust. He definitely learned to trust him.
Elder De Jong said he has become close with any of the missionaries who serve in Spijkinesse, his home ward. They do scripture study together over Zoom and he really appreciates it.
FRIDAY
I took a new route for my morning walk today. Even though I think I know this city, nothing is square so I can not assume that a series of left turns will get me back where I started 😂 Thankfully, I can get reoriented by looking at Maps on my phone!
We listen to a General Conference each morning while getting ready for the day. I was so impressed with Elder Alan D Haynie's message. I know we have God's living prophet giving guidance to all of us. Following is a few excerpts from his address, but the entire talk is inspiring and timely! The link to the talk is included.
"Knowing by revelation that there is a living prophet on the earth changes everything....Current conditions in the world have caused some to panic. As God’s covenant children, we do not need to chase after this or that to know how to navigate through these troubled times. We do not need to fear. The doctrine and principles that we must follow to survive spiritually and endure physically are found in the words of a living prophet. That is why President M. Russell Ballard declared that “it is no small thing … to have a prophet of God in our midst.”
"The rising generation is growing up in a time when ....reality imposes a weightier responsibility on the already risen generation, particularly when it comes to following prophetic counsel. When parents ignore the counsel of the living prophet, they not only lose the promised blessings for themselves but even more tragically teach their children that what a prophet says is insignificant or that prophetic counsel can be picked through in a smorgasbord fashion without concern for the resulting spiritual malnutrition.
"Elder Richard L. Evans once observed: “Some parents mistakenly feel that they can relax a little as to conduct and conformity … that they can ease up a little on the fundamentals without affecting their family or their family’s future. But if a parent goes a little off course, the children are likely to exceed the parent’s example.”
"...we cannot be a source of confusion about the importance of following prophetic counsel. It is that very counsel that will allow the rising generation to see “the enemy while he [is] yet afar off; and then [they can make] ready” to withstand the enemy’s attack. (see Doctrine and Covenants 101:54) Elder Alan D Haynie Apr 2023 'A Living Prophet for the Latter Days'
https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/16haynie?lang=eng
We drove to Hengelo to deliver a shoe rack and fix a fridge for Sisters Wadsworth and Walker....
on our way to Amalo to visit Sister Henricke De Wilde. Doug baptized her and her husband in 1973. It was another wonderful visit with her and her daughter, Judith. Doug and the two of them spent the hour speaking in Dutch and I was again able to understand most of the conversation. The gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues was manifested. At the conclusion of our visit, Doug asked Sister De Wilde if we could offer a prayer. She asked him to pray. The Spirit was so strong. We are so grateful for these dear friends who have not forgotten the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SATURDAY
The charming architecture and beautiful canals are something I see everyday. But just like when we first arrived, I am noticing it again. These are some of the things I will miss when we go home.The Senior Couples spent the day in Haarlem. We first visited the Corrie Ten Boom House. Our tour guide was incredible! She has been giving tours since 1998 and is passionate about the story. The Ten Boom family risked everything to hide Jews during the occupation of Holland during WWII. Eventually, they were betrayed and Jasper, the father, along with his two daughters, Corrie and Betsy, were taken to concentration camps. Corrie was the only survivor of the camps and spent the rest of her life telling the story. It is a story of conviction to Jesus Christ, unwavering faith, forgiveness, bravery and innovation. The Hiding Place is a great book, aptly named for the actually hiding place built to hide the Jews and people helping the Resistance.
We had deep fried Cod 'nuggets', freshly made juice, mixed nuts and a brownie.
Sint Bavo's Kerk is also in the Centrum here, so we spent a couple hours there. We had visited the church last year with Mike and Meli, but it is a beautiful place and we were happy to return.
After returning to Gouda, we were walking home from the office through the Centrum. It was so interesting to see beach volleyball happening! There were 4 courts already set up and in use,
another space where the sand had been dumped and was now being spread out
and still another space where the sand was being dumped from a huge truck. Apparently, if it does not exist in nature, Gouda just creates it!
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