Ecce homo

This week was awesome. We started off by discussing and finishing up plans for transfers on Monday. Then on Tuesday we left very early to take the train to Schiphol and get everything set up at the Sheraton in advance of the new missionaries. We then went to meet them and the APs and President and Sister Robinson in the airport and helped with luggage out of the main hall into the overpass and into the hotel. There were 11 new missionaries, and they are a great group. Elders Lyman and Robbins led the legal and financial orientations and gave them everything they needed to get started. Then we ate a buffet lunch, before heading off to Rijswijk to take the missionaries to the IND for legality. 

On the way back, there was a short delay, due to several trains being cancelled, but we got back to the hotel fine. Elder Lyman and I dropped by the office to make the first city letters and returned to the hotel. My companions departed for a teaching appointment while I stayed with the APs as the greenies napped. After dinner, President Robinson led a fireside/testimony meeting, and that was fun. That night I stayed in the hotel (and that was cool).

The next day, after breakfast, the assistants and president trained the new missionaries and then their trainers. After signing out of the hotel, we took the missionaries and their luggage back to Leiden for the final legal step: the city hall. Upon completion of which, they left by companionships for their cities. Next, we had to deal with the departing missionaries, of which there were only six, and they were better behaved (or just less excited).

The rest of the week was hardly busy at all. We did teach our two baptismal dates and a number of other appointments, but we managed to get our work mostly done. 

"The Larch. The Larch. The Larch."

The silver bullet

This has been an interesting week. Or rather, the last two days have been interesting: on thursday, elder Ballard spoke to the mission in the chapel in Zoetermeer, along with elder Dyches of the area presidency and elder Hallstrom of the presidency of the seventy. It was such a privilege to hear from there and to listen to an apostle of the Lord. It was really a great conference and I learnt a lot from it. Something that was said, was that meetings needed to be instructive as well as edifying. And that was definitely the case on Thursday. The speakers covered a variety of topics, but one thing that I really noticed, was that a lot of what they said confirmed the instruction that president Robinson had given during last zone conference, as well as adding to those subjects. Elder Ballard underlined the importance of doctrine in conversion and how we must focus on that and focus on knowing the lessons from Preach my Gospel. That evening, there was an equally uplifting stake conference for the Den Haag stake in the same location, which we were also able to attend. This time, the speakers focused more on temple work and general life problems, but also on sharing the gospel and using technology.

Yesterday, we went on an exchange with our district leader, elder Besendorfer and went to teach both the people who want to get baptised in October. As well as an investigator we hadn't taught in a month or more, only this time, her parents listened to us too. We also had correlation for the first time in a while (the ward mission leader just had a child, three weeks ago).

Next week is transfers and the mission is welcoming 12 new missionaries and saying farewell to 10 (6 next week and 4 midway through the transfer). Because of the large number, we will be doing all the stuff in the Sheraton at Schiphol. That will really be fun. It will be the first of three transfers for which we will be using a hotel, and the incoming and departing groups will only get bigger until December.

Working in the office is really fun, even when it's busy or when it isn't.

Manhattan Schist

I went on my first exchange this week, on Thursday evening/Friday morning, when I went to Alkmaar with elder Chantry and elder Corsini stayed in Leiden with my companions. We left late in the afternoon and took the train to Castricum, where a member picked us up and drove us to their house, for dinner (pizza). That was a lot of fun and elder Chantry shared a message about opposition. The member then drove us to an older investigator, who was hilarious and really interested (well, she has been going to church for two years, so...) and committed. The lesson was about the plan of salvation and it went smoothly. I had a great time with elder Chantry then and once we got back to the apartment.

On Tuesday, we visited the Sheraton after a good district meeting, to scout out the location and get an idea of what we needed to expect on transfers. It is such a luxurious place. I wouldn't mind sleeping there for a few nights, hahaha (I might, for one, since there's an extra spot).

And yesterday, we had a great dinner appointment with the temple president and our Surinamese investigator: she now has a baptismal date and that's great, because she is really ready for that and has been for a while. We also set a baptismal date with a new investigator who is from Burundi.

Next week, there will be a mission conference and special stake meeting given by Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. So that's exciting, to say the least. And the night before, the Zwolle elders and elder Loorbach will be sleeping over (otherwise they would have to travel across the whole country that morning. 

The stake president is coming to church in Leiden tomorrow, so that should be fun.

fiat iustitia et pereat mundus

3.14159265359

We had zone conference this week again in Apeldoorn, on Tuesday, and we were early this time, instead of half an hour late. It was fun seeing and speaking with elder Cockbain again. He is now zone leader in Apeldoorn, together with elder Bourne (whom I know from when he lived in Antwerpen). I spoke to him about the changes that had happened in the office since he had left and followed-up on various stuff. It was really an instructive and uplifting conference, with training on the new facebook campaign (with the "My Family" book as material) that will start on Monday. President Scheltinga (counsellor to the mission president) trained on using the Book of Mormon in teaching. Sister Robinson also gave a training on our uniqueness and how we can use that in finding people.

Yesterday, we went to Brussels with a few district leaders to exchange their driver's licenses for Belgian licenses. It went mostly well and we ate some food we bought from the Carrefour, before heading back to Leiden. And just as we got back, I got to speak French again to some lady that called as a self-referral in Rotterdam.

This week was rather peculiar, in that we had a dinner appointment on every weekday and also got fed by the girlfriend of an inactive member when we randomly dropped by, hahaha.

There were a lot of people at football this morning, including three new faces (One was invited by a member, and I think the other two go to the Wassenaar branch). I had some good plays, but it was definitely not my best game. Hopefully, we will go paint at some investigator's place today. 

Still nothing definite on replacements for my companions, even though they have been here a while.

"Something's going on. It has to do with that number. There's an answer in that number."

The Rock of our Redeemer

The week has been great, so far. Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to the temple with an investigator, to sit in the waiting room and watch a video that the temple president showed. He also gave an explanation. The investigator, an older lady from Suriname, loved the experience (as did I). She is so enthusiastic about the church and really wants to get baptised. But does not really see the point of getting baptised before she (and her aunt) get back from vacation (which will not be until early next year), because she wants her aunt to be there when she gets baptised.

We had a few lessons the rest of the week, but not a whole lot. And next week will be about the same, since we have a dinner appointment every day except Sunday, hahahaha. The members here really do love us it seems. They have also been giving us a lot of referrals and that's really great.

This morning we arrived at the field to play football and set everything up. A few minutes into the game, we realised that the very dark clouds to the west were moving our way. We heard thunder pretty soon and within half an hour, it started raining. A few people got freaked out by the lightning and rain and left, but six of us stayed to play on. Fortunately, none of us got hit by lightning, so that was good, I guess, hahaha. It was a fun game though.

Helaman 5:12

Scholar's Mate

Now on my fourth district leader on my mission. Though he is obviously a younger one than the second, he is still a good district leader and we had a good lesson on the Book of Mormon. But no time for roleplays, which is ok. The lunch was a bit weird: I think the sisters had not calculated properly the number of people there would be, for some reason.

Last Saturday, I bought myself a box of chess pieces and made a board from cardboard that evening. I played Lyman and Robbins through the week and won 4 games. Lyman beat Robbins once, too.

We taught some good lessons this week. And sister Robinson came with us to teach three of them on Wednesday. That was really fun. First we taught the Dutch-Honduran couple, followed by a drive to Wassenaar to teach the Zambian and then a correlation with President Lister of the Wassenaar branch, who just got back from vacation, and finally, we met up with President and taught a Brazilian mother and son. That was a really intense appointment: they are re-doing their apartment and the mother is really in a tough situation and got rather emotional (and kissed elder Lyman on the cheek, hahaha) and cried at the end of the appointment, but fortunately, sister Robinson was there.

On Friday, we welcomed a new senior couple, our second elder and sister Romig. When we got back from looking someone up in the morning, I found the package from Deseret book on my desk (containing a book of facsimiles of manuscripts dictated by Joseph Smith, a really cool journal, some notebooks and a tiebar). It was really nice.

This morning, we played football again, and I finally scored, against a defending goalie (instead of a goalie that is just standing there, which I also did twice today). I also passed the ball well a few times, but Robbins mostly failed to get the ball in from my passes.

1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6? 4. Qxf7#

Ars longa, vita brevis

We're approaching transfers again! This transfer has gone by so fast. It's surprising. But also good. I am past my 6 month mark now and it still surprises me how fast that time went by. Before I know it, I will be home again. Yeah, I know, it's cliche, but it really has gone by quickly.

In another few weeks we will be having a visit from Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve and he will give a mission conference. Which means that the entire mission will be gathering to hear from an apostle. In just over a month. And some time after that, the first of three large transfer groups will arrive, all three necessitating hotel bookings. Those will definitely be some busy and exciting weeks, to say the least. 

We taught a really positive (as some might say, golden) couple from Colombia this week. Even though they were said they were Catholic, we had no problem teaching them about the great apostasy and restoration. They really were prepared to hear what we had to share.

There was also a dropped investigator that we picked up again this week, and showed a Mormon Message to. Both her and her son are really positive and will be in church on Sunday. Now we just need to get Jill to church and teach her again (since she was on vacation), and our progressing investigators will be back to normal.

"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."