November 3, 2014

Hey! I am so sorry that I didnt have any time today. I tried three times, but all three times somebody walked in and needed to borrow the computer. I am so sorry! I will give you a quick rundown of this week. We made Zone Goals, and a Zone Vision, then drove to every apartment in the Zone to personally tell them the plan and get their goals. It was really cool to meet with everyone personally. It was a busy weekend, and we literally drove all day Friday, then again on Saturday after Elder Moomey and I gave the District Leader Council. It is really fun, and I love it, but it is completely different work. The Lord is providing for our missionary work too. As ZL, it is hard to find time to do our own missionary work, but we still see miracles. On Sunday night, we got a call from a random number and it was actually a less active member who we have never met. She asked if we could swing by and bless her house, and we did. We ended up getting two new investigators our of it. We gave our other investigators to the Sisters, and decided to start from scratch this transfer. I really look forward to it! Driving is fun, but crazy here in Den Haag, as you probably remember. I enjoy it though!

I love you all. I hope that you have a great week. I am doing great, and loving life here in Nederland. I am happy, and I feel the Holy Ghost very strong in my life. You are all the best, and I appreciate all that you do for me. Love you!

Elder Elkins

October 27, 2014

Well, the story of the Genksters is officially over, as I will be leaving and headed off to another city. What an incredible experience that I have had being and serving in Genk, Belgium. I learned and grew so much, and I see it as a major blessing that the Lord has given me. It is amazing what he does to His disciples when they just trust in Him. How great is this work!

Like I said, I love Genk. Genk has been my most success in my mission, and I grew here so much as well, as I was able to serve as District Leader and help the District in this part of Belgium. My testimony has grown immensely, and my knowledge of the gospel with it. I honestly feel like I gave it my all here, and I feel at peace with leaving. I hope I can have that same feeling in my next cities.
I will be transfered to Den Haag, going to be with Elder Moomey. He is one of my best friends out here as well. It will be incredible to work with a missionary my missionary age again, and be able to help many missionaries be able to see a lot of success. Personally, and Missionary Work wise. I knew that there was a big chance I would be leaving, so last week, I put it all on the table and just gave myself to the Lord. We saw many miracles, and it was just a great week.

Den Haag is soo pretty! It is where the temple is located, and it is such a great ward. The Lord is just blessing me, and I feel it! I love it. How grateful I am!
I dont have a lot of time today, but I just wanted to share that with you all. I love you and I hope that you all have a great week. Do something this week to strengthen your own testimony. Pray, once again, about the Book of Mormon. Receive another confirmation of its divinity. You are all the best. So is TYSONS TEAM! CONGRATS GUYS! I AM SO PUMPED. I can honestly say, out of everything that I have missed while being out here, that is the number one thing that I truly missed. I love you buddy! Way to be classy.

Have a great week! Love you all!

Met Liefde,
Elder Elkins

October 20, 2014

Last week was possibly the fastest week that I have had while being here on a mission. We had so many random things to do, and so many places to travel to. It flew by! To be honesty, I only had probably 1 day of normal missionary work, and that wasn't even in my own city! I was on exchanges that day. I will give you a little run-down of how it went:

Monday - P-day. Went to Brussels, Belgium. Super awesome, but traveled 4 hours.

Tuesday- Worked until 3, then had to catch a train to go to Den Haag. 5 hours on train. Slept over inda Den Haag

Wednesday - Temple Conference! This was amazing. I will talk more about it in a sec. Traveled back to Genk in the Afternoon. Another 5 hours, got home at 10.

Thursday - Went on splits with the two sisters in the District in Turnhout. Traveled 2 hours via train there, and 3 hours via bus back. Unreal.

Friday - Traveled 2 hours to Geel and then had exchanges in Geel. It was nice to be able to work hard for the first time this week though!

Saturday - Re-exchanged in Diest. 2 hours home. Then got directly on a 2 hour train to Antwerpen, where I had District Leader Council, and then we had Stake Conference at night. Traveled home at night another 2 hours, and got home at 11:30. Holy cow!

Sunday - Traveled 2 hours to Brussels for Stake Conference, then two hours home. Got home at about 7:30.

But, do you know what is really cool? We found many potential investigators and had many opportunities to teach while on the public transportation. This mission is incredible, and throws so many things at you. It was a great week, and I particularly enjoyed the temple. It was such a gorgeous morning and a beautiful sunrise. Our session began at 9. The spirit was so strong, and it hit me during the session that I only have one more temple trip until I return home. Insane! I learned a lot, and recommitted myself to the why of missionary work.

I love exchanges because they give me the opportunity to learn from those that I teach. They teach me more than I am able to give to them, and I think that is why leaders are the leaders. We usually get a lot more out of the experience than the others.

Genk has done a lot better numbers wise in times past, but we are getting it back up there. We have just been so busy with so many other things, that it is hard to balance it all right now. This is possibly my last week in Genk, as transfers are on the 29th, so I am going to go so hard this week, and trust in the Lord. I want to leave this place better than it was when I got here. That is the hard part... lol.
I love you all so much! Thank you for your supports, love, and prayers throughout all of this. I really feel them, and I try to return the favor by bringing others unto Christ! Have a super good week, win the miny bowl, and take care of Zoey. Love you!

Veel Liefde,

Elder Elkins

October 13, 2014

Goede middag allemaal! It has already been another week, and I am back in this library writing you all. I just got done watching Tysons football highlights, and that always sparks my day, and gets me going on a high note. That kid is incredible! Holy cow.

The mission life is a blast. I am enjoying my time and learning so much. I was worried that I would be one of those missionaries who doesn't recognize a change in himself, but wow. I look back and I cannot even remember who or what I used to be. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has changed who I am and has given me a very strong testimony of the gospel. Think about it. We can't gain testimonies by ourselves. That's why prayer plays such a vital role in gaining a testimony. A testimony is a gift, and I have one. What a blessing that is.

My testimony does get a little tried when I hear about the plague that BYU is going through. So many good, amazing young athletes who are just going down with injuries and losing. ;) It is pretty typical though. Glad I am here! Go Cowboys! :)

Genk Belgium is still on fire. We received 8 referrals from the facebook project this last week, and that has been really nice. The referrals are our number one priority right now, so we are doing our best to look them up. I feel like a lot of time is wasted sitting 2 hours on a bus, driving through gorgeous Belgian fields, castles, and villages, to go look up a referral who isn't home, but then I remember that this is the Lords work, and I rely on Him. For example. On Saturday, I was on exchanges with an Elder who is on his second transfer. I wanted to be a good example, get to know him better, and teach him a little bit as well. Our day was planned out to go look up 3 referrals, one after another. We made a daily goal for the work and that was "open our mouths". When we travel to go look up all of these people, we need to stay diligent and "preach by the way". Heavenly Father WILL bless us, and I have seen that all throughout my mission. This is completely necessary, especially in the Belgium/Netherlands mission. We went out and knocked doors while waiting to catch the bus. We had about 20 minutes, so we parked our bikes and locked them. I come back after 20 minutes, and my tire is popped. That was a big bummer! Now I have to replace my tube. We had to catch our bus in 10 minutes, and had to run a mile to the station. In the rain, with big bags on our shoulder. It was game. We ran and ran, looking like big fools, but it was worth it. We barely made it on time, got on a bus, and relied on the public transportation schedule the whole rest of the day. Throughout the day, we taught a lesson on the door, looked up our referral, made two appointments for next week, and found 5 new potentials. This was Saturday. Thursday, and Friday also turned out similar to this. We plan for certain things, accidentally take a wrong bus, or miss a bus, but there is always a reason. Everyweek, the Lord shows me His power. This week, he wanted to show me to trust in him and that everything happens for a reason. We had a great week. This next week will be crazy. Lots of exchanges, temple conference on Wednesday, and we have to go to Nederland on Tuesday to sleep over. I am really excited, but sometimes I do think it would be nice to just chilll in good ol Genk Belgie. I love you guys, and I hope that you have a great week. I will continueu to pray for you! Fall is in the air, and it is really hard for me to believe that it is already here. Unreal.

I love you all! Tot volgende keer!

Veel liefde,

Elder van Elkins

October 6, 2014

How blessed we are to be able to listen to a prophets voice. Even if we are almost on the other side of the world. I hope that you all took advantage, wrote down notes, and received personal revelation to help you, and others around you. I love conference.

We had a super good week. Things are really busy, and we are finding ourselves on busses and trains a lot to look up our referrals we receive from the Facebook project. I can't even recollect what exactly happened last week, but I know it was busy.

On Tuesday, we had District Meeting. I love preparing and giving District Meeting, especially knowing that after, I would be on exchanges with one of my best friends, Elder Bosco. We had soo much fun, and got a lot of work done. We just talked a lot of BYU, and planned for after our missions. It sucks that BYU lost though. Pretty typical eh? On Wednesday, I was able to get back with Elder Clement and we did a look up that is really far away. They were home, but didn't answer the door which gets frustrating, but we did look ups in the area and it was fun. It is pretty warm outside still too! Especially on Wednesday. The first day of October was 75 degrees or so. Cow and corn fields, old belgian homes, F-16s flying over preparing to fight IS, nothing can get any better than that ;)

I had a total of three exchanges last week. I really enjoy them, but it gets hard when you really want to just get to know your companion better. Elder Clement has been patient with me, and it has been nice. It is really fun to work with other missionaries in their cities though, so it has a good balance.

I went to Leuven on one exchange, and brought an Elder to my city on another. We saw a lot of success both times, and I learn alot by going on exchanges with other missionaries. I am grateful that I am able to work with them, teach them, but also learn from them. On Friday, I was in Genk on exchanges with an Elder from Geel. Our whole schedule fell through, and I felt inspired to change some things, so we decided that we would look up one of our referrals, and teach two lessons. We made a goal to do so. I promised him I would buy him the best ice cream of his life when we taught two lessons. We traveled out to the city, then realized no busses took us directly to the house, so we walked 4 miles through fields and farms to get the house. We finally got there, made an appointment with the lady, and knew that God wouldn't have us walk 2 hours just to go make an appointment with her. We knocked in the area and made another appointment with her neighbor. Then had an awesome conversation with a farmer in his field. It is amazing what can happen when we rely on the Lord in all that we do. It will be accomplished in HIS way. I love that, and I have a strong testimony of it.

I really enjoy Belgium. Everything I learn is gold, but sometimes it gets thrown on you all at once, and you have to learn how to just deal with it. Conference really helped me, and opened my eyes to some things that I have been struggling with. It made me better. That is it's purpose, right? I especially enjoyed Uchtdorfs talk in priesthood session. Monsons talk in Sunday Morning really spoke to me as well. If I recall correctly, he talked a lot about Christs example, and how we do everything in Christs way. What a great lesson we can apply to all of our lives, whether we are on missions or not. Christ should be our example.

I love you all. I am so grateful for your support, for your love, and for your prayers. I pray for you all everday, and I know that Heavenly Father is hearing them. Have a great week, and make good choices. Ask yourself "Lord, is it I?" ;) I love you! Tot volgende week!

Love,

Elder van Elkins

 

September 29, 2014

Belgium. I love it! This place is so different than the Netherlands, that it really makes you wonder if you are in the same mission. The people look drastically different, the food is not the same, the language is noticeably changed, and it just gives you a different "feel". I am grateful that I have the opportunity to be here for another transfer. Especially in Genk, where the Lord is pouring out blessings.

Let me start out by sharing my testimony of working with the Spirit. I was on exchanges on Saturday with and Elder, and I went into that exchange with one goal in mind; to use the spirit to gain his trust, and be his friend. I have learned that the best way to go throughout life, is by listening to the promptings of the spirit. I mean, who wouldn't want to have heavenly help in all that they do? We get to enjoy that as members of the church. Let me go further. It was a great day. We helped a family move, but it was a little strange. The people here are unorganized when it comes to these types of things. We pulled up, and everyone just ran into the house and stumbled upon their own feet. I felt like I was in an episode of Walking Dead where everyone is running away from zombies. I didn't even know where to begin, but it all worked out in the end, and we had a good day, after spending 6 hours with lovely people ;) We finally went home, and changed into missionary attire. Rushed to our appointment where we taught three recently baptized members how we receive Revelation, and how we should listen to the Spirit. It went really well, and we even showed a few mormon messages. After the lesson, we had to walk back to the bus stop. Took about 15 minutes. Me and this Elder just had a great chat, and I felt really, really inspired to just bear testimony, and answer some of this Elders questions that he had. After 10 minutes when our conversation ended, he told me that he received Revelation, and that some of his month old questions were answere, through my words. All because I was worthy of the spirit. This is what I am going to focus District Meeting on tomorrow as well. We are focussing this transfer on PmG chapter 2, how we can more effectively study. The most important thing for our studies, and to be successful missionaries, is learning, teaching, and serving with the spirit. I think this goes the same in normal life too. I would encourage you all to read in Preach my Gospel about the Holy Ghost. That was just a big experience for me, and I am grateful that the Lord used me to help someone, without me really even knowing it.

Another cool experience that we had this week, was when we taught our new investigators Ingrid, and her daughter Romy! Ingrid is 48, and Romy is 20. We met her a long time ago at a retail store. She approached us and told us and asked who we were. She told us that she never sees two young boys with smiles like that on their faces, especially in Belgium. She was curious. We told her we were from the church, and she went on to say that the only other person she knows who gives her the same feeling as us, is this man at the head of a foundation she sponsors. It is called Forever, our of Arizona. She said he is a mormon, then asked if we have heard of the mormons. Of course we have! We then offered to swing by and teach her a thing or two about the mormons. We finally had the chance to do that this week! How amazing was this. In planning, I thought back to some of my most powerful first lessons of my mission. I remembered a time when we taught the lesson, and when we got to Joseph Smith, we threw in the Restoration film. It was very powerful, and gave us both an opportunity to pray for the investigators. We decided to do the same. We got to her house, and it is beautiful! Holy cow. We got in, sat down, and she wanted her daughter to listen. She said, so tell me, who are you? She is the nicest lady in the world btw. We started our lesson, then we both felt really impressed to focus the lesson on families. I showed her a picture of my family that I carry everywhere with me, and she started crying. She said we all had the light, and that she wants the same for her family. Long story short, she now has a baptismal date, along with her daughter. The film we watched during the lesson was perfect. How amazing was that. I know that the Spirit testified to her, because I felt it the whole lesson. It was great. She has another son who is 23, and he is soo cool! He was there after, and we will teach him next time.

Those were just a couple of experiences of our week. I am grateful for what I learn everyday. I have a companion who helps me be my best, and teaches me daily as well. I have been very humbled since I have been called as District Leader, and I am grateful for that. I want you to all strive this week to feel the spirit DAILY. If you don't feel the spirit everyday, then you are not allowing Heavenly Father to communicate with you. Let Him be in your life. It is a lot easier. I love you all, and I thank you for everything. Have a super great week, and I am excited to hopefully see pictures of two beautiful new twins next week! Good luck Anissa!

Love,
Elder van Elkins

September 22, 2014

Goede Maandag allemaal! Met Elder Elkins en de Genkster jongens. Another week in the books, sadly, but it was a good one. It went really fast, and everything is super mixed up in my head, but I will do my best to fill you all in. It was transfer week, so we have a new Elder in our fourman. Elder Andrew is on his second transfer now, and he got a new companion named Elder Nye who is going onto his 6th, just like Elder Clement. Clement and Nye were in the same group in the MTC, and are really good buddies, so that is good for them. Elder Andrew and I have fun as well! Because Elder Clement and I are staying, it just felt like a normal week. It feels nice to have a normal two transfers for the first time in a while, and not have to switch companions. Our mission just recently launched another Facebook project, where members can share the link to ordering free dvds, pamphlets, or whatever, but this time it is focused on the My Family pamphlets that the church uses for genealogy. Last time we had a project, the Genk area had the most referrals in the whole mission. People click the link, then order a free item, then the mission sends it to their home, and we follow up with them, and teach them. It works out, and that is now underway. It was so impressive last time, that the Quorum of the Twelve are going to implement it in every European mission. All because the Ward Mission Leader in Gent developed the idea. I am excited to see what results it brings, and it will keep us busy.

We decided that with the new transfer, we are going to take a new approach at everything. We are going to do a lot of finding, and looking up new people, because we want new people to work with. Bert and Marcello just aren't ready to commit to anything yet, but hopefully eventually. Forsi is our best investigator right now, with a Baptismal Date for Okt. 25. He is from Cameroon, and is a stud. I am excited for him! We have taught him the first three lessons, and getting on with commandments, but church is a hard thing for him because he works Sundays. We will continue to work with that.

Freddy is a stud! He invited us over for dinner to thank us, and cooked an incredible meal. He had chef education, so this guy can cook. You honestly should've seen the meal he prepared for us. I felt like I was eating at a millionaires restaurant. Candle light, nice silverware and plates/glasses. It was great. He is such a cool guy, and wants to just do everything right.

I am doing really well. I have loved my time in Genk, and look forward to another transfer here. I learn new things everyday, and I just love helping other people. This transfer, the mission is focusing on chapter 2 in PmG, and we are all going to become better teachers through improving our studies and preparation. This is something that I will benefit from, as well as the rest of the mission. Our District Meetings will be focused on this topic as well.

I love you all, and I am so grateful for your wonderful examples. I will write more next week, and hopefully I can include some funny stories/miracles. I will do my best.

I am so glad that Emily is having a little girl. I cannot wait! Gosh. How fun is that going to be! I love you Emily and Shawn! Gefeliciteerd!

Have a great week! Go Cougs, Go Ty, and Go Baby.

Love,

Elder Elkins

September 15, 2014

This was a week that I hope to never forget. It was another really good one. I know I say that every week, but that is just because it gets better and better. Of course there are hard times, and struggles, but just the overall experience is something that outweighs the rest. I love it, and I love everything that I get to see and be a part of every week. A new transfer is beginning this week, and I will be staying in Genk with Elder Clement. I am grateful that I will be able to work with him again, because he teaches me a lot. We are becoming better friends and figuring each other out as well, so I feel like I would've been cheated if we got split up. Of course, every companion can't be perfect, but as long as we try to connect with them on any level, help them with anything, and be open to anything that they have to say, everything works out. I think that the most important thing about a companionship is to realize one thing. No matter how long you have been out, or what situation you are in, you ALWAYS need to look at your companion an learn from him. Go to him for advice, follow his counsel, and be his friend. That is something I have learned on my mission. It is sometimes still a struggle, but what a blessing it is to be able to get to know so many different people at once.

Elder Clement and I had a great week, especially on Tuesday I was on exchanges in Leuven with Elder Steenblik. I love him! He is so fun to be around, and is such a great missionary. A member asked us to come on a bike ride with her, and her ex-husband who is an inactive member and has depression. She paid for our bikes, and begged us to just go enjoy some of the day with them. I was not going to say no to that. We took a long bike ride through the Belgian fields, passing castles and old churches, all while having such a great time. I remember thinking to myself at that moment how blessed I am to be serving here. It was a great day, perfect weather, and we had  the opportunity to help an inactive member and befriend him. She even bought us great ice-cream ;) Elder Steenblik and I taught a lesson at night to their 12 year old investigator, whose mom is a less active. It was a fun appointment, but just a fun, memory building exchange.

On Wednesday, we taught Freddy, and got his baptismal form in order, and comforted him with some struggles. We then headed off to Nederland! We were spending the night in Goude for the Mission Conference that we had on Thursday with Elder Ballard. We stopped in Rotterdam, in my old city, and ate dinner with Oma Croese! How fun was that!? My Grandma from Rotterdam. I love her haha. It was fun to sleep over in Goude as well. Thursday came around, and we made our way to the big Zoetermeer chapel. Of course, Elder Yocom had a seat reserved for me, and we enjoyed the whole day together. What a fun day it was, and I can tell you how spiritual it was. As soon as Elder Ballard entered the room, I knew that he was an Apostle. He is such a small, but powerful man. I felt his love and encouragement beaming from his body as he spoke to us, and also two members of the 70 who were there. Elder Halstrom from the 70 also gave a great little speech. This was the first time that the whole mission has been together on one day since I have been here. It was so fun seeing all of my friends, and old friends from high school all in one place. I will try to get my hands on the Davis picture that we took, as well as my MTC group picture. It will be fun this week as well, as two more Davis students come into the mission. Shoutout to Elder Morrell! ;)

We traveled home with the Zone Leaders in their car, which still took 4.5 hours. It took us 7 hours by train the day before haha. Crazy! The Zone Leaders came to give Freddy his baptismal interview, so they also spent the night with us. Elder Muse and Elder Bosco. Muse is a good buddy, and he goes home this week, and Bosco is one of my best friends from the MTC, so it was amazing to spend time with them! It was just a fun week. On Friday, we taught a lesson to Freddy again, and taught other lessons to other investigators we have. Freddy has been quitting smoking, and we just went in there to tell him how serious his baptismal covenant is. The Spirit was guiding us, so we got down to business. We asked him to give up his cigarettes to us, and because he keeps them in his pocket just for the safety that he knows he has them if he needs to smoke. He hasn't smoked in a week prior to this. Just as we asked him, a newspaper came through the door hole, and it was titled "An article to a healthier life". He gave up his cigarettes.

To top this week off, Freddy was baptized on Saturday! How special was this. He is such an amazing man, and is literally changing his life. Such a special experience for me to be a part of. I will share more about it next week, when I have more time, but just know that he was prepared by Heavenly Father, and that he is a kingdom builder. I love him!

I had a good, happy week. The Lord is blessing me, but trying me at the same time. I learn everyday, and I am grateful for that. I love you all, and I hope that you all have a great week.

Go Cougs and Go Ty...

Alma 26:12

Elder van Elkins

 

September 8, 2014

Well, that was the fastest week in a long time. What happened? haha. I can't believe it. We had a super good week here in Genk. Miracles are still flowing in, but that is just because Europe is opening up. The work in Europe in general is soaring, and it is soo cool to be a part of and witness. I love it! This transfer has been weird, because I have been on exchanges a lot. I hardly have time to get to know my actual companion it feels like! Super funny haha, but I love it! On Wednesday, I was with Elder Claflin. He lives in our four man, and is one of my best friends out here on the mission. We had such a fun day, and taught a new investigator who is 16 years old. He is such a stud, and took us out to get sandwiches, drinks, then we went and bought the best ice cream in the world. He lives in Sint Truiden, the fruit capital of Belgium, and his parents are fruit farmers. They make a ton of money farming peers, apples, and corn, and his Dad is also a cook, so we will go back next week to eat with them. He is a really cool kid, loves soccer, and is so nice. Claflin and I had the funnest day of my mission. We did a lot of work, and just had fun with it. I haven't laughed so hard, ,or long in a long time. Felt good, and it was nice to just enjoy everything. Kids were chasing us in batman, and superman suits, and Claflin and I went along with it, and pretended that we were the "spiritual police". They loved it. What a fun day! Thursday, I was on Exchanges with Elder Losee in Genk. He is also in my group, and we had a super good day. Last week, we agreed with Freddy that we would teach him everyday last week in order to support him, and prepare him to be baptized this week. Losee and I went over there to teach him Tithing and Fasting, when in reality he already knows them, because he knows everything from our church from the internet. He has such a conviction of this gospel that nothing will stop him from getting baptized. He is an answer to prayers of the members here in Genk. Totally normal, classy, 49 year old Belgian. So amazing! It was a really good lesson, and he loves that he can contribute to Gods kingdom. What a good example to me. Freddy is a huge miracle, and I wish you guys could all experience what I do with him. Let me tell you, Heavenly Father is preparing him for big things. I am excited! I challenged him to completely quit smoking by Sunday, and to fast about it on Sunday. He had a really good experience with that, but quitting smoking is tough for him. He wants to and desires to, but he has been since he was 14, so it is so hard, but he is going to be baptized on Saturday! I am so excited! What a good guy, with a sincere heart, and an honest desire.

Friday, I was in Geel with another Elder, and we had a very special day where we taught three lessons, and they were all very spiritual. Two of them were with investigators who were just stuck at certain corners, but we had great appointments with them and were able to get them progressing more. Answered questions, and provided the spirit in the lesson. That is all we need to do! It is fun to be able to go on exchanges, see cities of other Elders, and be able to help them with their investigators. I love it so much!

Saturday, I finally came back with Elder Clement. It is crazy how much time we spend apart, but it is ok. I don't mind it! We had District Leader Council, then came back and weekly planned, and taught a lesson at night to a new investigator from Congo, named Forsi. He is such a stud. 30 years old, student, and has been here for 1.5 years. He only speaks English, so I was excited to teach an English lesson, but little did I know, it was the hardest thing I have done in a while haha. I was struggling so bad, but it is good that Elder Clement spoke better gospel English than me, so he could help. It was embarrasing how bad my lesson English was and how many words I forgot. Clement even caught me speaking English with Dutch grammer. No wonder Forsi couldn't understand me sometimes. What was cool, is that the Spirit was present, and we invited him to be baptized on October 25. He accepted, and so now we are work with him for that. The Lord is blessing us, and it is so fun! I love it.

I have to go, because of lack of time, but I love you all. I miss you too, but I love it here and I will miss this all when it ends! Also, BYU wrecked. Go Cougs ;)
Have a great week.

Elder van Elkins

September 1, 2014

Hey Family and Friends! It has officially been one year since I have stepped on American soil. I'm not complainin'. I cannot believe how fast time flies. Unreal.

Well, I had a really good, busy week. It consisted of a lot of random things, like Zone Conference in Antwerpen, Brussels Trip to pick up my Drivers License, Exchanges, the Stake Barbecue that we had on Saturday, along with a lot of missionary work! What an exciting week it was!

First off, let me just tell you how funny President Robinson is. Honestly, I cannot really explain it in email, but he has the funniest humor. He is such a farmer, and just so chill. Zone Conference was the funnest Zone Conference I have had out here, and we learned a lot about Presentation Skills. If anyone knows a thing or two about this, it is President Robinson. He is good at what he does, and has always been. Very successful guy. It was a blast to see all of my buddies there, and be able to learn from President and Sister Robinson. I love them to death! This mission is seeing a lot of success because of what they do. President literally just says the funniest things. So blunt, and so straight to the point. I love it! That was a good day.

The Stake Barbecue was a blast on Saturday. It rained a ton last week, but we got lucky with the barbecue. What is awesome about the stake, is the Heerlen ward is in our stake, and were at the bbq. This is an American Military Base, so I was able to see a lot of Americans. The best part was when I saw like 6 men wearing BYU shirts, and their kids as well. Elder Bosco and I chatted with them all about the BYU game that happened hours earlier, and they gave us all the updates. Super awesome haha. The BBQ was fun! We had a couple of investigators there, and played sports.

Brussels was cool as well. I had to go switch my American License to a Belgian License, and it turned out that Elder Yocom was going too. All of the other District Leaders went so we could all do it on the same day. It was super fun to spend a little bit of time with Yocom and it brought back a lot of memories. What is funny, is I got to the legalization counter to do the process, and the Office Elder gave her my passport photo that I took over a year ago for my mission. She only spoke French, and she said something to the Elder, and looked really confused. She then looked at me and asked her colleague to come over and analyze. It turns out that I have changed too much in the past year, that I had to take new pictures. She said my face looks too much skinnier, that it isn't recognizable, and it was hilarious! I have officially changed too much to be even recognized by authority ;) We were all laughing for a good 20 minutes.

Freddy is going to be baptized next week on the 13th. He had a rough week with random events that happened. He has soo much potential, and the adversary knows this. He is trying to stop Freddy really hard. Freddy had two friends pass away this week, he was called into work on both nights we had appointments, and some other things happened. It is crazy to see how strong his testimony is though. We had a really good lesson with him last night, and he is working really hard to be prepared for next week. I am so blessed to be around him for his investigation.

My testimony has been strengthened soooo much this transfer. I want you all to know that. My knowledge and love for the Book of Mormon has grown so much, and I love it. I share it everyday, and I feel the Holy Ghost testifying. Amazing things are happening in Europe, and I am so grateful to serve here. I love you all so much, and I thank you for your support! I pray for Friends and Family every morning, and night. Know that ;) Next week, Elder Ballard is giving us a Mission Conference, and I look forward to having the opportunity to meet a General Authority and be able to listen to his council. I hope you all have a great week, and I look forward to hearing from you next week! Go Cougs!

Prediction: BYU - 27     Texas - 21

Elder van Elkins