No Evil Shall Escape my Sight

Late last Saturday, the new mission president for the Belgium/Netherlands Mission was announced on the church websites as being Robert L. Bunnell, from Utah. As to who this is and what kind of a president he will be, I suppose I will just have to wait about 6 months, haha. Either way, the transition will be exciting and a memorable experience, especially as I will be the most experienced person in the office by that point... But, once I finish my manual/handbook, it will be a lot easier with all that.

Due to extenuating circumstances and being very busy with office stuff, we were not able to get out as much as we had planned to this week, but we still were able to teach our South Korean investigator and our two recent converts. The South Korean now has a baptismal date! She will be baptised on the 7th of February, if all goes according to plan. She is definitely ready for it, but she still has some doubts about whether she can be baptised so quickly. But it will work out :)

Today, we had planned on going to a museum with the Assistants, but from the looks of it, we will probably just stay in the office and play Munchkin again, haha. But that's okay, Munchkin is fun too. The Louwman museum in Den Haag is now accessible with the museum card (well, since last July, but I only noticed last week), so hopefully we can go there sometime.

"I didn't say it was your fault; I said I was blaming you."

In Blackest Night

This week, 5 missionaries returned home, including one of my two first companions, elder Cockbain. He flew home to South Africa on Thursday. Due to scheduling conflicts, he had to stay over at our house on Tuesday evening, which was much fun, especially since he arranged a dinner appointment for that evening with a member he knew too. We had a good time together in the office, and he was a great missionary. But he will come back to visit in August, on his way to the World Cup in England. 

During the week, I also started making hotel and conference room reservations for the May and July transfers, when we expect that there will be a replacement of about 50 missionaries in the space of two months. This will be a busy time, not made any easier by the replacement of the mission president a week before the second of the two big transfers. Fortunately, the office has me, haha.

On Tuesday, during district meeting, we were interviewed by President and Sister Robinson. It is a good thing that I am able to talk with them, one-on-one every so often, and have a chance to ask questions or bring up concerns when needed.

"Where there’s a will, I want to be in it."

In Brightest Day

New Year's Eve, as it ever is in the Netherlands, was crazy. As missionaries, we were asked to be indoors (and to stay indoors) as of 4 in the afternoon. So, we worked a shorter day in the office before returning home and having fun there. We played Munchkin, of course, just the three of us and did other fun stuff.

Another year is over, and next year, I will see my family and friends (well, those that I don't see this year if I happen to come across them, hahaha) and get back to normal life. But I still have the whole year ahead of me, and what a year it will be: just a few of the things that will happen include getting a new mission president in the middle of the year, sending home two groups of 20 or so missionaries around the same time and release of Star Wars 7... not that I will watch that until next year, but all the same, haha.

The new year is often a time to look forward to what we want to accomplish during the year and make goals/resolutions. It is also a time to (cautiously) reflect on the past year, though one must be careful of not becoming wrapped up in the good and the bad times that might prevent us from looking forward to the good that is yet to come. We can, and should, learn from our experiences during the year, to help us make this year even better. I hope that we can all learn from 2014 and move forward into 2015 without looking back to what was and what could have been.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-channel-daily/385?v=910930409001

Do you want to build a snowman?

Christmas! 

Christmas was great this week. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, we had really fun dinner appointments at members' houses and on Christmas Day, I skyped with my family (my parents and little brother were in England at my sisters' place, so almost everyone was there when I skyped). It was good to do, but I did not really find it that necessary. Like Sister Robinson says: it's mainly for the mothers that missionaries skype. After skyping, we watched "Frozen" with the members. It was better than I expected, to be honest, but it was not a great movie.

Today, we are going to go to Amsterdam to do some shopping (well, at least, my companions will shop, it remains to be seen whether I actually will buy anything). But it will probably be fun, and I hope to go to Marks and Spencers, and Waterstones. I am somewhat sad that we will not get to play Munchkin today, but I suppose on New Year's Eve, we will be stuck in the apartment as of 4, so we will have plenty of time to play it then, haha.

"Some people are worth melting for."

Mission tour... sort of.

This week, we drove all over the mission, for various errands, mainly bring orders and packages to zone trainings, for a total of 1088 km in 5 days. Needless to say, I have no desire to go anywhere in the van for a long time. At least it was fun to see most of the missionaries in the mission as we visited the different zones and when we went to Brussels with several missionaries for legality stuff.

As we were in the office only as of about 3 or 4 each day, we had little time to get much work done, so we were very busy the rest of the time we were not driving, too. But we got everything done that needed to finish, so it worked out in the end.

We had two great lessons with two recent converts early in the week. It is good to see that they are still willing to learn and make progress. The Burundian member is so funny, and we have a fun time with him each lesson (though he is serious when we are teaching him, which is good).

An Example of the Believers

Transfer week! Again. We were again in the hotel across the street from the office for the new and departing missionaries. This was the biggest transfer yet: 20 new missionaries and 17 going home. This meant that on Wednesday at lunchtime, 57 missionaries were eating lunch in the hotel's restaurant (besides the office staff): 20 new missionaries, 20 trainers and 17 departing missionaries. Needless to say, it was very busy. It was fun to talk to everyone as we got them started on the legal processes. 

It is always sad to see the old missionaries go. Especially when some of them were some of the best missionaries in the mission. Same for the sisters that left: almost all the experienced sister missionaries are gone. But I am sure that their replacements are up to snuff. It does change the equilibrium and the shape of the mission somewhat, with so many young sister missionaries. Much like it will change again in May and July, when about 60 elders go home and (hopefully) get replaced.

There were not so many changes in my district (the Amsterdam district), but we do now have two new missionaries that are being trained, an elder and a sister. And next week is zone training. 

Today, we will play munchkin again with the assistants and go to Stake Conference in Haarlem this evening. Apparently a new stake president for the Den Haag will be called tomorrow! So that is rather exciting.

"He does not believe that does not live according to his belief" - Thomas Fuller

Around the World in 80 Days

It is so odd to me that it is almost time for another group of missionaries to arrive (and for another to go home). But next Tuesday, 20 missionaries will fly in from the MTC. The biggest group to arrive so far this year (and since I got here). Fortunately (for my sanity), the next few groups will be much smaller in comparison. But it is always fun to be at the hotel for the orientation and trainings and such.

We had a great appointment with an investigator from South Korea (the potential that we looked up a few weeks ago and came looking for us after). She fed us and asked a lot of questions. She has decided that she needs to make up her mind and join a church. (I just hope she chooses the best church for her). And this evening, our fantastic Burundian investigator will be baptised!!

The Belgium trip this week was cancelled, and the next one will be in two weeks. But it was not such a bad thing, since 30 packages, at least, came in this week (mainly Christmas packages for missionaries). And in 10 days, we get to go deliver all those packages to the missionaries during zone trainings all over the mission. Hehe. We will be sure to wear Christmas hats when we do that.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine