HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2014! Wow, I didn't think
that I would ever say that... haha. Time is going unreal fast. I cannot
believe that it is 2014! So crazy. This past week has been another full
of Holidays and craziness. Life here in Holland has been insane! It
doesn't help that half of the people that liver here are of the Middle
Eastern ethnicity ;) grapje. Well, here is my week!
Monday,
we helped ward members pack up their truck to move to Germany, then we
shopped and emailed the rest of the day. Tuesday, we had a fun district
meeting. We had to be in by 4 oclock on Tuesday afternoon because it is
too dangerous to proselyte after 4 on New Years Eve here. Everyone
travels to Amsterdam from around the world to celebrate New Years
because supposedly it is the craziest in the world with fireworks and
everything. This country spend over 75 Million Euros on FireWorks this
year. How crazy is that! Let me tell you, IT WAS INSANE! Everyone said
that it would be crazy, but it exceeded my expectations. After district
meeting, we went and as two combined districts and blitzed Amsterdam...
aka we all just paired off and contacted people for two hours. I went
with Elder Bishop. He is one of my favorite people on this mission and
he is the Zone Leader. Such a great guy! Then we had to be in our
apartment by 4 oclock. I have been slacking a bit on my Journal so I got
caught up in there, and wrote a few letters during this time. We also
ordered a single large pizza for 15 euros. Good thing it was good. We
went to bed at 10:30, but I set the alarm for 11:55 so I wouldnt miss
the fireworks. Fireworks were going crazy all day and we were lucky we
were able to fall asleep. At 12;00, I'm pretty sure Amsterdam blew up.
It was honestly one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen. We
watched fireworks from all over and heard huge explosions, then went to
bed. On Wednesday, I went on exchanges with Elder Kemp. We had a great
day and taught a couple lessons. We taught Marcel, the crazy guy, and
that went well. Then we went to Familie Paraguas house. They live in
Amsterdam area and they are from the Phillipines. So cool. We did a huge
gourmet and it was delicious! Such a fun day. We also were able to get
contact with Ibrahim. He is the investigator who moved to france for the
Holidays but I felt like we should knock on his door to see if he was
home. He was home and he let us come in! He said that he got home a few
hours earlier. This was a miracle because we didnt know when he would
come home or anything! He committed to coming to church and bringing his
11 year old son. He told us that this church is something he really
wants to consider because it is a great environment to raise his son!
Very cool. On Thursday, I was finally back with Elder Yocom ;)
Seperation Anxiety. We cannot be seperated haha. Today, we went an did
some finding, look ups, then we went to Annikas and Gerphals. They are
members and are a very fun couple. We ate lekker food, then they made us
stay and play a card game with them. I was curious if we were allowed,
but the District Leader and Zone Leader were there and they wanted to
stay, so whatever.. haha. It is called Munchkins and Monsters or
something haha. I felt like the biggest noob because Gerphal is the
video game nerd and he is a chubby guy too and he said I would love it
so that stung.... Lol :) Fun night, but our appointment with Eric fell
through. That was a bummer! I wanted to teach him! On Friday, I went to
Brussels, Belgium for my second time to pick up my ID! This was great! I
went down in the van with other missionaries and just had a great time.
Brussels is a beautiful city. I came back around 5 oclock just in time
for the ward new years party. It is a 3 hour drive to Brussels and then 3
hours back so we had a lot of time in the car. It started raining and
hailing so hard on the way back! Everyone was pulling over, but alles
goed! Very fun :) The ward activity was great. I met two chinese
students and talked to them about the church. They are great and love
the NBA. I asked both of them who their favorite team was and they said
"The Houston Rockets"... You all know why they love them haha. Jeremy
Lin. This was a dance party and the ward members were having a lot of
fun. Mostly the weird ward members danced, but it really entertained us
missionaries! On Saturday, We went to Family Becks house at 10:00 with
the other missionaries and the ward mission leader. Family Beck is from
Provo and they moved here for at least a year for his work. Gosh they
are so sick. He dresses like a straight european and looks a lot like
Brooks from the batchelor. They live in an incredible house in downtown
Amsterdam. His work paid for it. So sick. They are great people! We just
talked about the ward mission plan because Brother Beck wants to help
out with it! So great of him. After, Elder Yocom and I still had to do
weekly planning because we couldn't on Friday. This was a great session
and we made some great goals. This next week will be a successful one!
On Sunday, Elder Yocom and I had to teach the Young Mens class. Wow! So
fun! We were asked to teach "De taken aan de Heilige Geest"aka the tasks
of the holy ghost. We did a little activity with a blindfold first,
then we taught straight from scripture then had them all write down
experiences with the Holy Ghost on their own papers. This was honestly
great. I love teaching it! Hopefully we get to another time! Church was
great and there were some powerful testimonies given. None of our
investigators showed up which was lame, but we were able to try to meet
with them after church. Nobody was home, and same with our look ups!
Lame day, but still a missionary day! It was also very, very cold. Which
is always good. We had a dinner appointment with Lucky and that was
fun. It always is. She really likes me and Elder Yocom. We had a great,
busy, weird, but fun week. Elder Yocom is a pleasure to work with. Last
night was transfer calls, and we are staying together here in Zaandam
for another 6 weeks. So cool. It will be so fun to continue to work with
one of my best friends! We have a lot of great plans for this upcoming
transfer, and we will baptize a few people! I have had a lot of huge
mind switch moments this week which will make me better. A lot of things
in my mind really clicked and I'm really figuring everything out. I'm
very grateful for the Savior and all the strength that he gives each one
of us to do the things that we desire. Without Him, I am absolutely
nothing. For P-Day today, we went to the Ajax Amsterdam Stadium, which
is where the world famous Ajax team plays, and also the Dutch
International Team. This is one of the most popular stadiums in the
world! We toured it and were able to see the locker rooms, go on the
field, and explore. We got some great photos! We have had a great day.
It was also 55 degrees. Holy cow it was unreal. I just rocked a sweater
all day and honestly it was beautiful and warm. It is about to get real
cold though!
I really hope that
you all had a great week also. Thank you all so much for the emails and
letters that you have sent. It is so great to hear from you all and I
hope to continue to hear from you all! I want to share with you guys
this scripture with you guys, that I am dedicating to this next
transfer. 1 Peter 5:1-4.... "The elders which are among you I exhort,
who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and
also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2. Feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3.
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the
flock. 4. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away."I Love this scripture. I hope you
guys can also use it to your advantage and help others around you who
you love also come to the restored truths of this wonderful gospel. The
gospel is who I am, and it is who we all are. We need to remember our
stature with God because he put us in these situations to help other
people and build His kingdom. I love you all very much and I hope you
all have a great week!
Elder Elkins
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