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Showing posts from August, 2023

Aug 20-26, 2023

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  SUNDAY Today Doug spoke in church and did a wonderful job. Following is his talk (English), but he actually gave it in Dutch.  CHARITY (Naastenliefde) Some years ago a priests quorum decided to gather food for the needy as a service project. Pieter, one of the priests, was excited to participate and was determined to collect more food than anyone else. The time arrived when the priests met at the chapel. They all went out at the same time and returned at a specified time later in the evening. To everyone’s surprise, Pieter’s cart was empty. He seemed rather sober, and some of the boys made fun of him. Seeing this the adviser said, “Come outside, Pieter. ” When they got outside, the adviser asked Pieter if he was upset. Pieter said, “No, not really. But when I went out to collect the food, I really got a lot. My cart was full. As I was returning to the chapel, I stopped at the home of a nonmember woman who is divorced and lives within our ward boundaries. I knocked on the do...

Aug 13-19, 2023

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 SUNDAY Leona Moortjes has been investigating the Church and has been taught by Elders Jones and Leman for the past several weeks. She saw an ad on FaceBook and contacted the missionaries. She plans to be baptized on 2 September. Today she needed a ride to church since the two families that she normally comes with are either attending another ward today or are on holiday. She is a lovely woman and seems solid in her growing testimony.  She came up with an analogy comparing solving a Rubik's cube to finding the true church. She has searched for a long time and when something about a religion is true, but the other points of doctrine don't make sense, it is like when one side of a Rubik's cube is solved but the other sides are still mixed up. She compared the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to a completed Rubik's cube...all sides are complete. Joachim Muurling spoke in church today and gave a great talk on love and hope. He said, "H...

Aug 6 - 12, 2023

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  SUNDAY I don't know everyone's history in the Utrecht Ward, but at least six of the nine people who bore their testimony today are first-generation members of the Church. Some are still the only members in their family. But they all have strong testimonies of the Savior and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.          "Even with our questions, trials and struggles, the gospel is true and shows us the way."          "I hope my testimony helps all of you."          "Commandments are not a struggle, they will lead us to God."          "I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. The words of the prophet gives me peace." I am so grateful to have associated with these and others in the ward. They have taught me to be more grateful by the way they live.  MONDAY A few days ago we realized that we would soon be moving out of our apartment so th...