I Screamed Loud...

Well well well.

We had a good week. More exchanges. I got to go to Zaandam again. That was great. I enjoyed. Made an appt with a former investigator lady that me and Elder K. found last year at almost the exact day.
Weird.

What else...
We had a great p-day today. We went to those bunkers again be cause it was really fun.
HEH, it rained though. Typical. Saturday was 35 degrees, and SOOO humid. And we got cloud cover and rain today. lovely :)

It was still great though. We had a blast. We played capture the flag at one point. And we won the first one :)

The second one I had the flag, and I jumped into the bushes to get away. Sad thing was they were covered in thorns. So I screamed loud and kept running. Other sad thing was there was stinging nettle all over, so as I type my legs burn and prickle. It's nice ;0

It would've worked but my team abandoned me and then I got sabotaged by a drop hidden by bushes, then as I turned around I got tagged in the back, and the momentum carried me into another drop hidden by bushes and so I fell into more thorn bushes. So I screamed loud again.

Worth it :)
I make it dramatic sounding but it really was fun.

Pics!
I included a typical street that was decked out for the WK. (World Cup) it was like that in many places. Many even more intense. It was awesome.

Also me last p-day when we took pics by windmills. Fun fact: the drive between Alkmaar and Hoorn (to the west of it) is actually pictured in the Best Two Years movie (I was told. I can't remember when) But it's gorgeous. 

ik hou van jullie!!

Elder C>

Street during World Cup.

Straf Schoten zijn de slechtste manier om een wedstrijd te beslissen

Wednesday night,
I lay on the ground.
With my heart broken.
(in pieces)

I would go on and rant about it, but I discovered sadly enough that it doesn't help.

I'm proud they got 3rd. That's cool.
Maar niet de beker.

Anyways, they played well. I enjoyed watching.
And other things happened this week as well. We started teaching several new people in our area. Things keep picking up.

The zone is still doing well. We worked on exchanges a lot this week. And we had stupidly humid weather. It could be a decent 23 degrees, but because it's so humid, it's terrible. I just sweat. wah wah. It's nice and green here. We were at a member’s house and they were showing us their garden, and it made me want to plant things. We bought a basilicum plant, and that's sitting in the appartment. Otherwise, we have a tree growing out the side of the building between cracks in the brick. That’s about it though.

I'm rambling now. 

I let you go now. I'll send pics volgende week.
hey, fijne week!!

Elder CHANTRY!

4-3 met straf schoten

Well Proud I am, of Nederland. And winning again.

And very proud, of the Amsterdam zone. The missionaries here are busier than ever. They have so many people they are teaching. We ourselves are seeing an increase. We found a few more people to teach, and we have a busy plan this coming week.

Right now all the dike alarms our going off. You can hear it all throughout the city. They are designed to go off when the dijks break and water is flooding Nederland.

..........

BUT don't worry. Cause they test them on every first Monday of the month. :)


So Mom reminded me of an experience with Elder C. On Konings Dag. We had spent the day in Amsterdam. And we were going back home. I had left a bag in the Elders appartment, but I didn't need it. We could just get it next time we saw them. We were heading back on the train, to get to a dinner appointment on time. So we're all in a hurry (hence not going back to get the bag)..
                     
Well, we ride the train, and arrive in Heiloo. We get out, and go to check out. See, the transportation here works with little cards. That have an electric chip in them. And a little machine scans them and checks you ''in'' to the train. And ''out''. Well, turns out that little card is slippery. And when one puts it in his pant pocket it falls out. I went up to the machine, and I couldn't find my card. I search bag, pants, alles, nothing. I tell my comp "man, I left it on the train.” I then hear the whistle, and the train rides away....If you could've seen the look on my face.....

Well, that's bad. But we have to go. We parked our car at the station, so that we could drive quick to the dinner appointment.  We were real clever. Turns out clever isn't enough to counter-act idiocy. As we got to the car, my I realized I didn't have the car keys. I madly search my bag (for the 4th time in so many minutes) and my worthless gap-openness pockets.. And then I ask Elder C. My conversation went like this:

‘‘Elder, do you have the keys?''

‘‘No. I thought you put them in your bag''

'''WAIT. I did........oh......"'

''What?"

''I put them in my other bag''

''And that bag is....''
                                                                                                                                                    (In Amsterdam)
''........AAARGH!!"

So, we were forced, to walk home. Now, it wouldn’t be so a big deal, if we weren't now gonna be late to a dinner appointment. My comp had the idea, to take the bikes from the appartment to dinner. So we rush walk home. Finally get there, and grab the bikes.

Fun fact about the bikes, one of them is what's called a 'fouw fiets'. A foldable trasportable bike. So it's tiny and doesn't make you look dignified. The other one was a normal one. Down side was, it has no brakes.
The good part was, we got there. No one got hurt, and we weren't even too late in the end.

The moral of the story, is don't trust me with anything.

 Love you all! Glad the 4th was fun. And Joseph Happy BDAY!!! Have the greatest time 14 jarige jongen :)

Elder Chantry!

After the Rain

Well I would like to give a couple shout outs.

First off,
You know Genk? The area in Belgie where I served two areas (and 5 transfers ago?) Well the work there has been going so well, they made it into a 4 man area. So they got 4 elders there now. I'm so happy for them. There gonna see some growth, I know it :)

Second,
Nederland heeft weer gewonnen! Nederland won again, against Mexico. 2-1. That's 4 games out of 4 that they've won. They have a good chance :) I'm very happy for them. It's a big deal here.

Third,
I don't have a third. But this week has been great. We met with our District leaders and the sister training leader to get things started for the transfer. We have training this transfer, and Elder I. and I have some great plans and a good outline for it. We're looking forward to it :)

This transfer one of the main themes is once again conversion. But this time, we're talking about the actual process of Conversion. How it actually comes about. Last transfer as a zone we wrote a 'letter to ourselves' that included a vision of who we wanted to become. This transfer we really want to focus on how we go about doing that.

I'm really learning a lot about it. And I'll be including what I learned probably in my next email. Once I have all my thoughts straight.

You guys have a great 4th of July :) enjoy the time together and Let freedom ring.

Ik hou van jullie!
Elder Chantry

Some pics from the car. There was a rain storm that just was leaving, and the sun was breaking through. Was really beautiful.

No News IS Good News

I heard the news. In that there was none. Elder I. and I get to stay. And I. will end his mission here with me.
I'm so happy about it :D

The work here is going faster. The zone is on fire and we've been finding new people to teach the last couple weeks. Still got a ways to go but it's picking up.

Nederland won against Australia and they play against Portugal tonight. Just saying. I REALLY hope they win :)

I'm gonna send some pics. So talk to you all soon. Ik HOU van jullie!!

E. Chantry

View Over Alkmaar

Me Being Happy

At the Beach in Ijmuiden

World War II Bunker

By the Beach at Ijmuiden

Sunset at Haarlm

Stained Glass in Church in Hoorn

Rembrandt Plein in A'dam...

Statue Version of Painting Nightwatch

Sub in Den Helder

Framework

This week. What did we do? Well. We had a mission leader council, and we also had a zone conference. Elder Boom came. He's from the area seventy, (he's also a Nederlander). It was so great. I learned a lot from him. He shared the story of his mission (along with other things) and taught by the example he showed in those stories...really enjoyed it

Still very warm weather here. In the 20's meestal

GUESS what??? The soccer world cup is going on right now. And Nederland played their first game this last Friday. Against Spain. 4 years ago they lost the final match to Spain (in overtime, it was really close). This year Nederland played with a vengeance and beat them 5-1. I was ecstatic. Everyone here is sooo happy. You ought to watch the game. I hear it was great. :D

Anyways,
I have been thinking for a while now about conversion. As I have, I've also thought about how hard it is for people to become converted. I have also wondered what it is that causes people to doubt, and not believe...

Now that all my wonderings are out on the table:

I talked before about that trust you must have, on the witness that you receive from the Spirit. That trust governs the way you act. 

Once you have received that witness you have one of three options. 1. You continue to trust it and live by it. 2 you still trust it, but you don't live accordingly. 3 you choose to no longer believe it so therefore you no longer follow it.
Dad told me once about (and I forget exactly what it's called) that people need to have a peace of mind. If you believe something to be true then you have to live accordingly. If you don't, then you will feel uncomfortable, guilty, depressed, and unsure. 
When that happens people reach a fork in the road. They can choose to change the way they Act, or they change the way they Believe.

The easier way is to change beliefs. Because then we can still do what we want to. It takes more effort and discipline to change one’s actions. And if you don't have a good reason of why you need to change your actions, then you probably won't.

I know I myself have been caught in that paradox. I have found myself doing things/acting in a way that I wanted to, but when I really thought about it, wasn't in line with what I believed. 
I would get frustrated. I tried to change my belief without really changing them. Just like twisting them. But then they weren't logical anymore. 
I tried to ignore what I believed, shove it away. But always was that thought in the back of my mind. I never really felt comfortable or at peace.

That's when I would come to the point, where I'm sick of the cycle. I had to decide, what I actually SHOULD do. What was best for me? Even though, what I wanted to do was enjoyable, or it was what everyone else did, or even what I thought I deserved to do.
Did that make it right?

If we believe that this life is not all there is, that our choices and actions here have a lasting impact on our well being, then we can not afford to just do things just cause we want to. We should do things because we know it is right.

That doesn't mean that we can't make any decision without having an internal crisis each time. But to me, it means that we should take the time to think about the things we are doing currently and consider how they align with what we believe to be right.

Elder Bednar says that conversion is consistently living what we know to be true. This process is to me, the beginnings of one's personal conversion.

I love you all. Have a great week!
Elder Chantry

It's Been a Really, Really Messed Up Week

Not that bad. Just had to say it :)

This week we've been driving around a lot. Helping another companionship cause one had some medical delays... So we've been traveling a lot to the North..

The weather here has gotten warm and muggy. Like 25 plus degrees. And sooo humid. Today is the worst..

P-day we went to the lake. That was so cool. We played around on the sand dunes and I ran hard like a fool in capture the flag, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball (more running than you would think), and other random games.. Also panted and sweated as if I was an out of shape mortal. It was nice :D

I think I’ll stop talking. Oh, we had a stake conference this weekend. And this week we have a zone dinges and Mission Leader Conference dinges. You know, my trainer Elder P. goes home this transfer. :( time flies

Ik hou van jullie!
Elder Chantry