Random, Funny, Interesting Things

Well,

My sister ended her mission. I love you, you know?

It's kind of like a countdown, the three of us coming home. It makes me kind of sick in the stomach...

Regardless, the week was well. We get to start teaching a few new people. We get to have lots of windy rainy weather that can never make up it's mind. Rain really hard, break up, sun. Wind comes in, rain, thunder, lightning, calm again. Rain, etc.
It makes life interesting though

We also got to go to the beach this pday. We went with some of the others from our district. Was quite fun. We found a jelly fish, and crabs and stuff....Not sure why I'm saying all this. Maybe babbling?

We also got to have a Mission leader council. Really good. There's a lot of new Sister Training Leaders and Zone leaders now. Old group is getting flushed out.

We also get a zone conference tomorrow. That should be great. 

We got to help out at a wedding reception this week at our church. Elder C. and I served some food, put stuff up and down, etc. It was nice.

You know what I was thinking about? How many random funny interesting thing happen to you on a mission. Like, knocking doors you get so many different responses everyday. You get a lot of the same, but you also get random. You get people who tell you what you believe, they're so certain that even when you try to convince them that you actually know what it is You believe, they won't hear it.
One of my favorite things is when you knock on the door and then they come out of a side door, or peak out an upstairs window. It's like a guessing game.

I also like when you’re talking to people on the street, and someone passes, and your just convinced you have to talk to them, so you turn around to talk to them, and you have to like follow them yelling: Pardon! Sorry! Can I ask you something?
And then they don't hear so you awkwardly follow with your arm out in front of you, trying not to look creepy. Normally your companion tries to look at the ground and follow a few paces behind because he's utterly embarrassed.   

I've definitely done both those things before. Once I followed a lady across a plein, or empty square, like this whole thing, calling out to her. There were all these people eating on outdoor tables on the side, that just stared at me the whole way across. Elder P. laughed so hard afterward.
 I never did get her attention. She went and caught a bus...

ya, 
the things you do in these two years are priceless. You can't miss it. Never really know what it's like till you try it :)

Tot volgende week!
EC

Castricum Skyline

I love it!

I'm late with this and it's gonna be ridiculous short. We went to the Anne Frank house yesterday. That was really neat. And we went to the Rijks musuem. Saw lots of cool stuff again. People can paint...

This week has been great. We are going to Den Helder today to work at a booth in the centrum. the whole district should be there. 

I'm on my 4th transfer here in Alkmaar. I could stay clear to the end if im needed here. I love it. It's beautiful. And the people are fantastic.

I love you all and will talk again next week!

Elder Chantry

Rolling Waters

Well.
This is the first week with Elder C. He's great. He's from Provo Utah. But he's traveled around in his life. He speaks almost every language there is. English, Dutch, Spanish, French, Italian (that's where his opa is from), Some Portuguese and some Duits.
I was impressed.

We started off the transfer with a good meeting with the STL and the District leaders, and are focusing on chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel.

I was studying this week in Doctrine and Covenants. I came across a verse that has meant a lot to me. 121:33. Mostly the first line actually:
 ''How long can rolling waters remain impure?''

Reason. It has been a witness to me of the importance of staying strong, and not giving up. No matter how dirty our waters may be, if they continue to flow, and roll, then they will become clean. I know this topic may be straightforward. But you know how it is; certain things really strike you at times when you need them.

I want to share a couple things to you all that reinforced this. Pres. Robinson, in his letter to us (he sends weekly) Included a poem. Called the Invictus. This poem emphasizes that need for determination for me. Second, is a Mormon message that is new. You may have seen it already. It's called: The Hope of God's Light. That video is amazing. Watching it was a witness to me that God really does know our needs. And if we continue, as "flowing waters" then we will feel of His light, and come off conqueror. 

As Henley puts it: Captain of our soul

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 

--William Ernest Henley  

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E. Chantry

Here is the link to the video that Carsten mentioned:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2014?lang=eng

Bridges and Mirrors

I've had a great week this week. We had several more exchanges and then ended it with a great and awesome b-day/farewell celebration with the familie De B. 

I stay here, and I get Elder C. His parents are from Mexico I believe (?) And he's super nice from what I know. And of course he's one of the other couple billion people who speak Spanish just to remind me that I don't. .. hehheh. It's cool though

Elder I. has been a great companion. I’ll miss him. He has really finished his mission strong. He's done a lot here in this area. He should be proud, along with his family.

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I said I would talk about my zone training. I want to talk about it cause it follows up on the monologue I’ve had lately ...

The training was really the best one I’ve taught yet. We began with workshops, role-plays etc, and that went well. I had a language section, where we had to teach 'members' a gospel topic by using a random analogy (like snowboarding and faith)

That wasn't bad. Elder I. and Sis. E. had their own station. After that, and after lunch, we had training. Where each of us taught a segment, and we had musical numbers in between. (if you haven't seen the music video 'Because of Him' on the church website you got to watch it. Amazing. That's one we used)

The segment I taught was about conversion. All three segments worked together, but specifically on mine I talked about the why behind conversion. I tried to share with them as much as I could, and I hope the Spirit made the difference.
---What I taught and what I learned I want to share with you all a little:

(Along with a lot of things, I used two talks especially to help me: "Challenge to become" Elder Dallin H. Oaks. And Elder David A. Bednar's talk on conversion in the Oct. 2012 ensign. Just fyi)

Last time on conversion, I talked about living what you believe to be true. It is the essence of conversion.
                        It is. It is creating good habits, setting proper priorities, organizing ourselves to be more like Christ. Seeking and acting on opportunities to place others before yourself.
I say all this to give you examples of what I mean. These are all things you all know. Sis. E. said it best when she explained conversion is manifest by our consecration. Consecration being our willingness to give up Whatever the Lord may require from us. And also giving up things even when it's not asked of us, doing it because we see that it is necessary.
                     
But I realized something very important. Doing the things the gospel preaches does not necessarily bring conversion. It puts us in a position to become converted, but does not bring the change itself. That is done by you. Example: You must build a bridge. This bridge represents your conversion. It can carry the loads in life and support you and bring you where you need to be. Each piece of the bridge, concrete, cables, beams, etc represent testimonies or compliance to, different gospel principles and doctrines. You can collect an impressive pile of these pieces, but that doesn't build your bridge. All you have is pieces. You become converted as you understand how those pieces fit together. If you have a vision of what they can become, and know what their purpose is.

I want to end this, with an image. Something that I thought of awhile back, and has stuck with me. I don't know what the final judgment will be, but this image has made me think a lot:  Imagine you have died, and you are in a long hall way. You walk to a door at the end, and as you do your past life flashes around in your mind. You open the door and see you’re standing in a huge court room. But, it's completely empty. You expected a huge crowd for your judgment.  You wonder where everyone is, but then you see a door off to the side, a small one, and so you go through. On the other side is a room that’s small, and has only a skylight up above. The dim light lights up an object on the other side of the room. You walk up to it and see that it is an old, full-length mirror. You look in and see yourself, and for the first time, you really see yourself for who you Really are. No more deception, bias or ignorance. You know you. Your character, who you have become, is right there.
It becomes Obvious at that point that there really is no need for a judgment, because you already know what the judgment is. It's not a waiting for the final test score to come in. It's a realization of who you have become, while taking the test.

I have to go now. I love the truth the gospel brings. And the clarity that it can give when we really seek it.

Met liefde,
Elder Chantry
van Alkmaar