Getting to Zaandam Part 2

Hello everyone,

Let me finish my story real quick,
We realized we had to cross over the station AGAIN. We kind of just laughed the whole time. Not cause it was funny but because it was ridiculously unreally unfair. The paper said it was a 4 minute walk from the station. Ha.
We laughed again when we crossed the road and MY little suitcase fell off. I had to rush everything to the middle of the road on a tiny island thing while I waited for the cars to finish almost killing me. .

Finally getting across the station we started on the other side. SUPER cool  centrum shopping area. Although we didn't fully appreciate it at the time. Due to the super awkward way I had to carry my luggage. Bending over to hold the handle, cause the extending one was broken. SO tiring! My arms were sore for days afterwards. Reason why? We asked a lady if she knew our street. She didn't. Looked it up on the phone. But somehow her map didn't make sense. She asked another guy, who said he was sure it was down the way yonder a little bit. Halfway to yonder spot we ran into another lady who was aunt of the lady with the phone (who was super nice and was walking with us to find it. And carrying my little suitcase that wouldn’t stay on my bag). Talked to the aunt. Just so happened that she worked for the housing department where we were gonna live. She remembered a church renting out our appartment. But she said that was indeed NOT down yonder, but actually about 30 steps from where we first saw the lady who helped us.
Again we laughed. (And you know why)
Walked back. Got through the doors, thanked the lady 50 times (elder King gave her a card), went up the elevators. Our door was the first one, went inside, were amazed by how new and netjes everything was. Shouted and cheered. Hugged each other (in a manly way) and then I collapsed on the floor....

All I could think was, that that was the longest 4 minute walk in my Life.

And about 5 minutes later I realized: my bike is still back at the last station. Already late in the evening. SIGGGHHH
Back out we went. Luckily, we made it back without breaking my bike as well.........


Now really, this area is great heheh.
It might seem otherwise, but it really couldn't get worse than the first day. Things got better since.
Zaandam is a city, but our area includes lots of dorpjes (villages) and also Amsterdam North. Which is kinda like the suburbs (kinda sorta).
We've worked a lot with the Amsterdam elder and sisters already. All members in our area go to the Amsterdam ward. So our mission leader and everything is in Amsterdam.

This area is super cool. Lots of water and canals. And cool areas with old windmills and stuff. We plan on going to some museums in Amsterdam this pday, and all sorts of cool stuff.....

We've had some really cool experiences already. What I’ve noticed most, is all our open time we have. (Because we had no one to teach) we spent tracting, and the Lord put us in the right place in the right time.
Here's a few quick stories:

We were running across the street for a bus that pulls in. A guy gets off the bus (black guy from Ghana). He points at us and stops us. He tells us that he know us. Wé're like,,,uuuhh... and then he said that he went to our church back in Africa but then he moved here and didn't know where to find the church. He later told us he had been praying that God would show him where the church was here in the Netherlands, (he even had a dream about it) and a few days later, he saw us at the bus stop. We almost took a different bus, and wouldn't have seen him. But we were like, eh, lets take a different route. Glad we did. Cause He gave us his info, and he came to church that Sunday. He was super happy and said he would come every week. We missed both busses we could’ve taken, but that's ok. The wait was for sure worth it.  (btw, he lived in Amsterdam so the other elders are teaching him now. Name is David)

More cool stuff:

We were tracting one day. Then knocked the door and a less active member opened it. We had no clue she lived there (awkward moment for a bit) But she let us in. ... we chatted for a bit, and then she said that she had actually just been thinking about how she could strengthen her relationship with God. But then she started watching tv. Then we knocked. hmmm :)
We shared 2nephi 32, 3. And invited her to consistently study the scriptures (and more). Super cool.

We also were walking down the street one day when elder King stopped a lady and started the shpeel. She put her hands up and said: are you gonna talk about Jesus Christ? (In english) so I said back: "well, that was the idea" with a laugh. She laughed too, and we started talking. She said she wasn't religious, but it was funny cause quote "I was just thinking about my family and boyfriend and people I know, how they all believe in something. And I was just thinking how nice it would be to believe in something. Then you guys stopped me" 

Ha. coincidence? Like the biggest heck no ever.
We gave her info and talked awhile about the church (she was from Spain actually)

Amazing week. There's even more. We have new investigators. Just no time now. Next week. 
love you all!!
ELder CHantry 

The MAN in Zaandam (although often a lost man)

AND most often humiliated.

I swear I’ve been more embarrassed in one day than like my whole life combined (or,,,,almost)

Let me explain,

We arrived in Zaandam with our luggage. I already had to leave my bike chained up at the last stop cause it we couldn't move all the stuff (lucky e. king didn't have a bike)
We knew the appartment was close but no clue where. We both have two giant sucker suitcases and a smaller one. Six bad boys in all....
E. King has his small one on top of his big one and it falls off every 30 steps or so. I have my small one strapped to my big one and it comes unclipped every big bump or so.
It’s disastrous. AND, we're in white shirts slacks and ties (whose dumb idea is that anyways??)

We finally get our junk in the elevator to get off the station (cause it's built up above the tracks. the only way to cross the tracks is to go up the elevator, through, and back down an elevator)

BUT, we get to the other side. We think maybe our appartment is one of the buildings across the street. So we cross the street, halfway through (a very BUSY) street, e. kings bag falls off. DANG IT! I think. So I run to the other side, but there's a curb, I think I’m macho and can jump the curb with the bags. Well maybe I could, but the suitcase not. As I hit it I Shatter the handle, cut my hand, and now they're half on the side walk and half off. Lucky Elder King got off the street (he was at the part where the sidewalk was lower), so he ran back got his suitcase and we were back to the relative safety of the sidewalk.

As my hand bled just to add insult to injury.

As I bandage up a little we are looking at the map and street signs, and after asking a few people, we discover that Elder Kings guess as to the side of the station was wrong. WE actually need to be on the OTHER side of the station. So that means back up the elevators, through, back down and then to the appt.
And so we stood there, all the while my hand bleeding.

lol, I have to go cause I’m about to be logged out. But I’ll finish next week and add some cool stories with it.

The work is great. We’re contacting like fiends and I love it
Elder Chantry

Changes

So the weather finally got warm. And it took about one day for it to get too warm. There was like 4 days this week where I was sweating pretty straight proper (ya I just made that saying up).. I realized my supply of short sleeve shirts is woefully inadequate. No thank you old outdated letter they sent about the mission. We for sure DO need short sleeve (although ill admit its not for a large part of the year)
But it´s been nice actually. So long as it stays like 20. Higher then that and you sweat in missionary getup...

But that´s all fine and good. (It won´t stay like that anyways)
I hear you guys have a bike trip too. If I was there I could destroy you all (unless there was too many hills. not much practice for those here)

But I’m gonna get on to what is mostly on my mind right now.
We got transfer calls last night.
Guess what?
Elder Sosa is going to Den Haag to be a district leader there. And Elder Wayman is leaving too, going to Emmen, to finish training a greenie there.

But the most crazy thing, is I’m leaving too!
I got called to open up an area that´s never had missionaries before. Zaandam. near Amsterdam.
But it gets better. Guess who´s doing it with me?
Elder King. My MTC companion. I utterly and officially didn´t expect any of it.
They´re gonna put sisters in Breda, and kicking us all out. Crazy.
We´re gonna be saying by to some people and packing and all that stuff.
It´s gonna be a big change to what I’ve done so far. That´s for sure. I´m excited though :).. We´re gonna be going to church in Amsterdam I believe. Sharing the ward with the missionaries there. Quite different.

Anyway. I gotta be going. I´ve had a great week. Elder Wayman got another flat tire. And we really have enjoyed the change of weather. We had a wonderful meeting with Judith. And she came to church. We also got to go with the familie DeLeeuw and eat at McDonalds (the biggest one I’ve ever been at)

And, Yifu (the guy from China) we met with him one last time. And guess what? We looked up online with him and saw that the church building is like 3 minute walk from his house. on the same street :)... so cool.. He said he was gonna go for sure. And read the book of Mormon. And when he comes back he´s gonna look the missionaries up again. ...
ok. gonna go. I love you guys :)
ELDer Chantry
(show time)

Photos to go with the Post

Epic For No Reason

A Factory in Breda

Eating Marshmallow Hearts

Pre-Transfer Week

Ooooh boy.

We had the great privilege of being accompanied by Akash this week. Who was a mini missionary from a near by ward. 

He was excited to work, and was willing to do almost everything. I worked with him quite a bit; we got the chance to be lost together :) which I was proud of. Cause we biked on this super long country road right outside of the city and we were like "dang, we took a wrong turn" But then there was a lady outside of her farm house so we contacted her, and she was nice but was like "no, go away" So we did, and kept biking, then the road turned to a sand road and it made biking fun (especially for him cause he didn't have a mountain bike like me. 

But eventually it lead back to the city, and after a 30min detour, and 10 or so extra kilometers we got back home in time to meet up with the others to go back for a dinner appointment. Hehheh joy...

They taught the familie De Leeuw and Deborah Postuma, but I was with Akash. So I wasn’t there but they said it went good. Judith is on vacation this week.

 I must say I’m nervous. Mostly cause this Sunday night, or Monday morning we hear about transfers. There's no saying what will happen. Needless to say, and appropriately so, I’m nervous. But we never know. We’ll see next week. Meanwhile, I’m planning on making this week one to remember.