Monday, February 2, 2015

JA Maaaaaaannnn! WEEK 86!


Lieve Familie,

             Thank you all so much for the love, support, encouragement, motivation, friendship, continuous care, and the prayers. Really it humbles me every week to open up my email and see/feel the love from you. I feel so blessed to have such great people around me. The Lord is so mindful of each and every one of us. I appreciate you all and am extremely grateful. You guys rock! 

        This last week was great. Seriously can’t say one bad thing about it. Being back in Rotterdam Zuid has just been eye opening and I really am loving the atmosphere here. It’s just my type of rough and tough work. The people here don’t like to waste there time and are very straight forward so it gives us the opportunity to just talk to people straight up; or in other words- to just be bold. I love it! Since we have no car and we don’t have to travel nearly as much as I had to in Eindhoven, we get more time on the street just walking around and walking some more and then just walking a little more (we walk a lot) and talking to people. It’s been back to the basic missionary work that I have truly so dearly missed (knocking doors, talking to peeps on the street, in the trains, in the trams, teaching lessons, etc). It’s great!  I believe mastering the basics is what it’s all about- in life and also in the Gospel.  Elder Holt is a homie! He is a great example of sincerity and Christ-like love. I have a lot to learn from him and I am very grateful to be serving with him.

        Last Wednesday we gave our 4-hour training that I thought went pretty well. It’s always a long week of planning and figuring things out the week before so I am glad that it is all behind us now and that I can just put all my focus back on doing missionary work.
        
Cool story...
     Last Saturday we challenged some kids to a soccer match out on the streets. (Elder Holt is also a great soccer player) We ended up playing in this huge cage right outside of the big shopping mall here. We made a wager with the homies, that if we won.. They would come to church the next day. Well Elder Holt and I played in our white shirts, the other two elders in our area showed up also (however they were in their sports clothes) and we played some 4 on 4 voetball against these kids. Yea we dominated. Won the whole tournament and next thing you know we had quite the audience watching us -no one expected a bunch of white dudes, 2 in white button up shirts and slacks, to put up a fight. Great proselyting activity;) Anyways after the hour and a half of playing all these kids in voetball we called it a night. Sunday happened and your never going to guess this... we walked into sacrament and BOOM! There they were.. The four kids sitting there waiting for us. They were all between the ages of 13-17 and they joined us for church. They took the bus and everything and got to church completely by themselves. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?! hahaha it was so great and so awesome. We now have it set up that everyday Saturday evening we will be playing these guys and there friends. Who knows maybe we'll just get the whole gangsta neighborhood in the church:) 

     Familie and friends if there is any type of spiritual message I could give to all today, it would just have to be the basic fact that life should be fun. We are here to Enjoy and not endure. Of course there are many things in life that come our way that force us to endure, but there are so many opportunities, especially during those enduring moments, to dig deep and find joy in life. Attitude and perspective are everything. We stay positive and have an eternal perspective, we find joy. 

    “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”  It’s our choice to be happy and have joy. Soooo make the right choice and follow Him. 

Life good. God is great. I have a testimony of the Restored Gospel that continues to grow everyday. Christ is my Savior. I am enriched daily by his endless love, mercy, and patience. 
 I miss you all so so SO so so much and love you even more!  Enjoy to the End!

Love,
  Big Dude





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