First Transfer

HEY :D

hehehehehehe i have joyous lekker news!

We heard about transfers. And I get to stay!!! Better yet, my companion stays too!!! haha!! i'm eternally happy about that. I was doodbang that my companion would leave and I’d have to remember everything...maar, gelukkig :) he stays. (elder muse's comp is getting moved though. but he's getting someone who's from his home town, so he's not too bad off :)

That made me happy :) we get 6 more weeks together, and things will be legit. we have a dinner appt for the next two weeks. Every night lol. Ivan is getting baptized on the 25th. and we found a few new investigators. :) speaking more Dutch now. More Dutch investigators. Magnolia, the lady who was baptized, lost her oldest son :(. she's going to the funeral now, and we're praying for her. It really is a test of faith. The ward has really been reaching out to help her. It’s really neat....

Another Week in Almere

Hello :)

This last week has been full of goodness :). The fireworks they have are incredible! The whole city lights em off at 12am and it's impossible to sleep. And there's still firework remains all over the streets and hidden away everywhere. It was super cool to watch :).

This Sunday I got the privilege of going on splits with a member of the ward (19 yr old guy named Kevin). We were together about 5 hours and i was like in charge of getting to apptmnts and finding people’s houses and contacted people op straat. (on the street) and knocking doors. Boy, did I feel utterly small. lol funny thing was though, after we got started, things got way easier. I wasn't that scared to talk to people randomly (prbly cause I didn't understand em if they were cussing me out) and we taught an awesome lesson on the Book of Mormon to two new investigators who want us to come back and teach em more :D.....

              It was hard. Specially cause Kevin really only wanted to speak Dutch so that's all I spoke the whole day. I was tired lol. and in church I had to translate for the English speakers (like Don did for us that week) but I did terrible lol. There were many periods of silence and then I would start talking again but it would have nothing to do with what they were saying before lol. Many times i was pretty sure that they weren't saying what I was saying but I had to say something heheheh.................but really :) it was a good experience. and I bet with a few more months I’ll be able to double my measly skills heheh.......

             Ivan, an investigator, is really close to baptism. His family in Uganda should be started with the lessons from the elders down there :)......The work is going great........that's all I have time for now. But I wish you all the best.

Tot snel!

Elder Chantry

Week 3 -- Christmas 2012

Christmas is tomorrow and I’m exceptionally excited. I have this awesome little pile of my gifts and stocking and lekker food I’m planning on eating and opening right underneath our Christmas tree (made from yarn and other assorted randoms lol). We have appointments for dinner for like, almost all week heh. The members are super nice to us. They gave us each a Big box of food and treats at a Christmas concert at the church the other night. :)

   

Here they have two Christmas days, the 25th and the 26th :) the first is like time for families and stuff, and the second is when you go out and visit

friends and all that. I like it :) apparently they do it with other holidays too. Easter, etc. I'm all for it. Heck, if one is good, two is better :D

I got to go on exchanges the other day. I went to Den Haag, with one of the zone leaders. It was a great experience. I definitely learned alot.

We Get to do a service project tomorrow were we work at a retirement home :) gonna sing and stuff. Super cool.

Boy, i wish i could explain all the things that go on here. It's definitely something you have to do to under stand. But the best thing is, i know the Lord is in it.

The other night, my comp. was making a call, and we were standing on a bridge over a canal, with our bikes next to us, and i looked across the canal,

with the lights reflected off the water, (cause its dark here from like, 6pm-9am) and it really just hit me, wow. I'm on a mission. I"m in the Netherlands.

I'm speaking to people in another language and bluffing through my lack of comprehension pretty dang good lol. It's a great thing :) it's not easy, but it's

so worth it. Seeing the people's lives that we're working with, change and improve. Man. it makes it all worth it. That relationship with Christ is worth

more then anything.

There's a quote in our apartment that i like. it says: ''A missionary is someone who gives up his family for two years so others can be with theirs for eternity."

 that's the main goal of all we do :) when you think about it that way, it can put things in perspective dang fast

Sincerely,

Elder Chantry

Week 2

'Wow.

I really have this very strong desire to be able to understand what people are saying. lol like even more then I want to speak. If everyone would speak slow, and clearly, I'd prbly be able to manage lol. But sadly they don't and there are far too many times were i know that they\re saying something important, but no clue what it is :) hehe

        But! I’m making progress. I've been able to take part in quite a few Dutch lessons now, and I’ve been able to set up appointments on the phone :) which is tricky when you have next to know clue what they're saying. However, I manage to work out what they mean (or at least, what I want them to mean lol)

Christmas is coming, here they have two days of it 25 and 6th. And there's been some really great christmas dinners and programs at the church i saw the president and his wife and a branch dinner in Hilversum. And sang in a big concert in Rotterdam with many other elders and sisters.

Things are moving along here. I'm considerabley more aware of where we're going on our bikes now. And i can even lead us to some places :) good thing...

I gotta run, geen meer tijd. but I wish you all a merry Christmas and remember to find something beautiful each day :) something that brings you joy (is belongrijk)

Success jullie!

Elder Chantry