I love teaching the restoration lesson, because every time I do, my own personal testimony is strengthened

Prepping for the World Cup

Hey everybody!!! It was nice to hear that you all had a great week with lots of sun.  The pictures of the yard look incredible!!  I forgot how big an American yard is haha here in Holland you are lucky if you have a yard and your yard is considered big if it has grass! It looks great.  The weather here has also picked up this week.  It has still been pretty rainy but the last few days have been really warm and sunny.  I've busted out the short sleeves this week haha.  This week was full of miracles in Apeldoorn, starting literally five minutes after sending my email last week.  We were walking back to the car when a man stopped us on the side of the road saying, "elders!  I've been looking for you for so long!"  He went on to explain that he is a member of the church and has lived in the Netherlands for a year and a half not knowing where the church is!  He was sooo happy to see us and told us it was a miracle he finally found us.  We got his number and address and set up an appointment for later that week.  We were stoked!  And it got us really excited to see what was in store for the rest of the week.

Tuesday I was on exchanges with Elder Davis.  We worked in Apeldoorn and had some good appointments.  We taught our investigator and one of his friends was there.  We ended up teaching both of them and giving his friend a Book of Mormon.  We set up another appointment with both of them.  Afterwards we gave a card to a member in the ward who has been fighting cancer for the past year.  She has been very sick and won't be here much longer.  We shared a nice scripture with her and I think she really enjoyed it.  It is sad to see people in that condition, but it would be so much worse if we didn't have the knowledge of God's  plan for us.  After visiting her, we had a dinner appointment with one of my favorite families, the V's  They are an older couple and soooo nice.  They are people who are "filled with charity" and you can see it and feel it when you are around them.  They are great examples to me and I hope I can be filled with that much love one day.  It was a good exchange with elder Davis and it was cool to teach F and his new friend.

Wednesday I was with elder carter in Enschede.  Elder carter is so funny! We laughed a lot.  He is a hard worker as well and we talked to a lot of people that day and got a cool new potential.  While talking to people I finally contacted a kiwi from New Zealand!  I have contacted people from all over the world but that was the first time I contacted somebody from New Zealand.  It made me think of dad on his mission.  We also had an appointment with J and D!  It was fun seeing them again.  They are so nice and great members.  They are probably the biggest miracle of my mission and it was a miracle that I was able to see them again.  Later that night we had a dinner appointment and found out that one of the Hengelo elders was sick so we bought him some cold medicine and dropped by and visited for a little.  There are really good missionaries in Hengelo and Enschede where I started my mission and one of them is one of my greenies elder Goates.  I am proud of him.  

Thursday we were on exchanges with the assistants.  I was with elder Sumter in Apeldoorn.  He is dutch and is actually from Hengelo.  I know his family really well and it was weird to think that he was working in Apeldoorn which is only an hour drive from where he lives.  We had a great day though.  We visited the K's for a little bit.  They are one of the best families I have seen on my mission.  They are so nice and strong in the gospel.  They are also missionary minded which makes us like them even more.  We found a new investigator, he is from Mozambique Africa and really nice.  He is a student in Apeldoorn and let us in.  We introduced the Book of Mormon and talked to him about religion.  He is a strong catholic, but really nice and open to learn more.  We scheduled another appointment with him later that week.  That evening we had a dinner appointment with the M's.  They are an awesome family and the dad reminded me of my dad so much!  He showed me a picture on his phone of him skinning a rabbit haha.  He also showed me his bow.  He loves the outdoors and is also the young men's president.  He reminded me of dad so much it scared me a little bit! Haha it was cool though.

Friday Elder Bourne and I were finally working together again.  We had an appointment with J (the guy who had been looking for the elders) that day and had an awesome talk with him.  He was baptized in 1994 in Sierra Leon Africa.  He wanted to serve a mission in 1999 but couldn't because the war was too bad in his country.  He has a nephew on a mission right now in Ghana! I don't know which mission exactly, but layne should keep an eye out for elder Williams from Sierra Leon.  He is awesome and wants to start going to church again.  We are going to meet him again and help him so he can start going regularly.  He kept saying how big of a miracle it was that we found him.  He was so grateful and so nice.  It was a big miracle to run into a member who was looking for us for two years!  That doesn't happen much here in holland haha

Saturday was a busy day planning, but we found time that afternoon to get outside and do some more work.  We stopped by our ward mission leaders house to give him a card.  He has been struggling finding a job and his wedding is coming up and he is kind of in a fight with the other young adults in Apeldoorn (high school drama haha too long to explain), but basically he is struggling right now.  He really really appreciated the card.  He said he needed that big time.  It was perfect timing, and another miracle.  That evening was stake conference.  They introduced the digital mission plan here in Apeldoorn and explained all the success we have seen.  It will be nice to start working with the members on Mormon.org and Facebook.  After conference we stopped by McDonald's and got the new World Cup burger.  The bun was even snapped like a soccer ball.  Haha they don't mess around here in Europe.  I will send some pictures to prove my point.  

Sunday was stake conference again and it was a big broadcast from Switzerland.  President Uchtdorf was there with elder Anderson.  It was a nice broadcast, but to be honest, I fell asleep hahaha.  I was soooo tired by the end if the week!  It was nice though ;) we also taught F again and had a really spiritual lesson with him.  He recognized it and loved it.  He said he felt so good and he couldn't even explain why.  We told him it was the spirit working with him and he could feel that again even stronger at church.  He wants to come, so hopefully he does!!!  We also taught S again and his mom was there.  We taught the restoration and the spirit was also strong.  I love teaching that lesson, because every time I do, my own personal testimony is strengthened.  We have another appointment next week.  Another miracle.

The work is moving so fast here in Apeldoorn.  Elder Bourne and I got 4 new investigators!  I believe that it is coming because we are focusing so much on consecrating our works.  We are working more diligently and obediently with more faith, expecting success and we are being so blessed because of it!  The zone is kinda in a slump right now though, so we are going to really focus on helping them while on exchanges.  But I am running out of time and I gotta get going.  I love you so much though and I know that giving of your time, talents, and efforts, you WILL be blessed!!!  Have a great week!!!

World Cup is Coming 

Love, 

Elder bishop