The DC4-Reaper Has Landed!

Well,
The training went well. I enjoyed it. I think they got the message too. Elder T. and I made space helmets. Out of tinfoil and coat hangers. I was pleased :)..... as far as decorations that was all, but we did make videos that were played throughout the training. The idea with that was to keep it interesting. The main part was the workshops. My companion our sister training leader and I each did a section. We split the zone into 3 groups and had them move every thirty minutes. It was cool cause we based it off of one of president’s trainings from a while back that we felt they needed. There were six points to it so we each did 2. I talked about setting spiritual goals and staying on purpose to find teach and baptize. . Cool thing was we never told them that's what we were doing. We just taught the points and at the end we gave them time to write down their ideas and plans at the end....
Anyways, it went well. The zone really liked it, and from what I’ve heard I think it taught the desired message.....

As zone leaders we for sure still have time to teach people and go finding and everything. There's just more time than usual spent on random stuff. For example, after the training on Wednesday, we cleaned up, and then we had to drive to the mission office in Leiden to get a key for some elders who had locked themselves out of their place. Then we came back and taught a lesson to a less active mom who wants to start coming back. Then we drove to the elder’s city and gave them the key.. . just random......

For example, we went on two exchanges this week, and while I was gone Elder T. got let in to a potential investigator’s house. They taught her the first lesson and set a baptism date with her for March and set weekly appointments. Really cool! We’ve been really trying to pick the work up in this area. And it's coming around. Another mother and her two daughters we're teaching are also reading in the Book of Mormon, and are making progress again. :) So it's working.

Love you guys!
ELder Chantry

Zone Space Training

Dinges...and Zone Training

This Wednesday is our training for the zone. President will be there with his wife to watch. A little pressure. But not much.
I hope it goes well. Were' trying to combine a well tailored training for what they need, with fun and exciting. Hence our theme is space travel. And we're going to go on a space odyssey in the middle of our training. Complete with homemade videos, the meeting should be wonderful :)....

Here's something we've been doing this week. I wrote this to president, but I thought I’d include it here....

 We've been applying the idea of Elder P. and I. to set spiritual goals for the day's work. We've been doing it our selves, and having our district leaders assign different goal ideas for companionships and then following up at the end of the day to see if they were successful. We've seen miracles from it all ready. More than that though, I've seen that it helps give a solid focus through out the day and gives finding and other activities more of a purpose. Time goes quick as opposed to trying to kill time.
  
Rotterdam is a big city. There’s two wards in it. One for north, and ours in south. The church came originally in 1800's but many people moved to Utah. It built back up through the 1900's, but it kinda shrunk again in the 80's 90's etc. We’re building it again. :)

It's fairly different then België. Although not too much so. Hard to explain. (btw, the tunnel type building from the picture, I think that will just be appartment complex. they go all out sometimes)
  
I think I go now. Tot volgende week. Trouwens, ik bid voor jullie. I love you all

Elder Chantry

A Photographic Post

All the information included as captions come from Elder Chantry's email. Enjoy!

Same view as below but on New Year's Eve with the fireworks.

View of the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam North. 

Feeding the birds. If no other animal they have birds in the Netherlands!

Give it up for another Elder Chantry pose in North Rotterdam.

Example of some great graffiti they have like art there.
 

Panorama photo of a church in Dordrecht.

These figures represent people walking at sea level as opposed to the level of Rotterdam. 

Elder Chantry on a bridge.

North Rotterdam. People live in the buildings on the right.

Typical "Dutch" or Rotterdam picture with boats, bikes and canal.

Replica of Noah's Ark.
Do you see the giraffes?

Short and Sweet

Anyways....
New years was crazy again. SOO many fire works. And when 12am oclock strikes it just explodes. I'm so proud of everyone here. They welcome the new year with style and pride :)

What else?
Transfer news. I’m staying, and with Elder T. So he shall finish with me, poor man.
But it’ll be great. We have a zone training this month, where we give the teaching. So I’m looking forward to that.. In the Rotterdam district every single companionship is staying the same. Weird huh? And the other district in our zone is getting a few transfers. On Wednesday we have to go to the train station and help all the different missionaries getting transferred get on the right trains with temporary companions etc ... just organizing stuff...

Went on two exchanges this week. Really cool. Got to teach a lesson on a big cargo boat. Proud of that. (I use teach liberally. it was in Spanish. I was with an elder who speaks Spanish, I said like 5 things. but it helped a little I think :)
  
Elder Chantry

Happy new year!!!!