December 16, 2014

Goedemiddag allemaal!

I am emailing you all from an internet shop right in the middle of Bahgdad... Not really, but that's what it feels like. It is great! ;)

What a busy week we had last week. I cannot believe that it is Monday, the 15th of December! Unreal., but I guess I need to just somehow accept the fact that it goes fast. We had a great week. It was definitly probably the new "busiest' week of my mission. Last week was transfers, so Elder Moomey, my former companion, wanted to make sure he got his goodbyes in, and we were able to teach a couple of lessons. On Wednesday, I was at the train station in Leiden all day, helping missionaries get to and from their cities! What is great about being the Zone Leader here, is we get to go to Leiden for transfers. That is where all the new greenies go, as well as everyone who is going home, so I was able to say goodbye to everyone, and welcome all the new missionaries! It is so great. This last group that went home was actually pretty sad. In my MTC group, we had 29 Elders, and no Sisters. The group that just went home was all of the last Sisters that have been here longer than me. It was like seeing some of my group finishing their missions, and it really put everything into perspective for me. It was great to see Sister Brophy as she was passing through to get to the misson office. She was a great Sister! It was just a very busy day, but a great one because I was able to be with my new companion! Elder Torniainen from Finland. How cool is that! He has been here 3 months less than I have, but was also trained by Elder Alston, so technically he is my mission brother. It is a lot of fun. He is learning quickly, and is going to be a great help to the Zone. This is his first transfer as a Zone Leader, and was never a District Leader, so it has been fun teaching him and helping him take on the new role. He is a great leader, and missionaries love him!

Our first weekend together was crazy! We had to prepare our Zone Vision, and had meetings all weekend, and also prepared a little bit for Zone Training this week. We are still very busy doing that, but it is all coming together. We will be having our Zone Training on Thursday.

Being a leader is always a great blessing, and it gives us the opportunity to do missionary work in a different way. A day doesn't go by that I don't learn something, and it is amazing to be able to serve others. I will give a quick example.

Thursday was Elder T's and my first day together. We had lessons planned, dinner appointment, all after we planned with Zuster Training Leider for the Zone Vision. While we were planning, I got a call from the Senior Couple asking if we had a busy day... Elder R, the senior couple elder, explained that his blood sugar is over 400 and doesn't feel good at all! He told me he has a Dr. Appt, but needs a ride cause his wife doesn't have her european license. Of course we canceled all that we had, and served them. They asked if we would take Zr. R to institute to be with the Young Single Adults and help cook for them. We sent the Sisters to our appointment, and helped. This was a great start to the transfer to be honest. I think it was a good opportunity for Elder T and I do just have a great learning experience. That is what is great. We do things like that, but are still blessed immensely.

As of late, our investigator pool is suffering, but we are very motivated this transfer to work hard, be obedient, and see blessing. We know that the Lord has many prepared people this transfer for us to teach, and we are going to find them. I know it.

Christmas is next week! Can you believe that? So fast. It doesn't feel like Christmas yet, but I am sure that it will next week. Skyping will be great, and I look forward to it! We have a big stake party on Sunday that will be fun! We had Stake Conference this weekend, and all of Amsterdam was there, so it was great to see a bunch of my friends in that ward! Danny didn't come, but hopefully to the party on Sunday. Yocom and I chilled the whole time, and man, is it fun to see him. He is great! Best bank elder ever... :) He loves when I call him that.

I love you all. I hope that you have a great week, and look forward to hearing from you next week!

Love,

Elder Elkins

December 8, 2014

Goedemorgen from a beautiful December day here in Den Haag Nederland. Today is great weather, and is much needed after the cold weather that we had last week! It got so cold one day, that it snowed a little bit! First snow I have seen in almost two years. It happened while we were helping a member move into her new house, so right at the perfect time... haha. It actually got colder last week than I remember it getting last year. It was great! Especially, since I was on exchanges on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Man, we were busy.

It was a really good week. Every week here is a really good week, no matter what they bring. I will give you a quick run-down of the events that we had this week.

Tuesday - I was on exchanges with my companion from the MTC! It was so fun, and had a good day of just serving others. A lot of unexpected things came into our paths, but that is how it works. You just need to learn how to cope with it, and say "Ok, lets re-adjust our plans and do it". That is a big lesson that I have learned being a leader. There is always time for others.

Wednesday - Finally back with Elder Moomey. We had service in the morning to help the member move, and it took a lot longer than he expected, but once again, re-adjust and do it... haha. We were late to our appointment with our 96 yr old investigator, and it was her birthday. We brought her a cake and had her blow out the candles. It was a great time. Very special. We then went to our dinner appointment, then went to familie scherf, an incredible, incridible family in the ward, to say bye to their daughter who was leaving on her mission the next day. You have no idea how great this family is. Br. Scherf is our ward mission leader, and he is one of the most christlike, selfless people I have ever met.

Thursday - I went to Hilversum to spend the day on a bike with an Elder from my MTC group. He is a great friend of mine, and we had a good time. We saw a bunch of little miracles, and it was so fun to be able to bike around in the freezing weather', and get back to normal missionary work.

Friday - We drove 120 km's up to Lelystad to work with the Elders in Almere. There are four Elders in Almere, and one Elder from each companionship is sick, so we went up there to go on splits so that both companionships could continue their work. It was a lot of fun, and it was a great experience. We spent the night up there so we could go on Joint Teach with the Sisters in Lelystad the next day.

Saturday - Worked with the Sisters, taught their investigator and set a baptismal date! That was soo cool, and it was a huge blessing for them. We had a great time, ate harring and kibbeling (Super Lekker), then headed back to Den Haag where we were able to teach our investigator, Grace. She is progressing, but just needs to get married to her boyfriend before she can be baptized, because they live together. She has two cute little african toddlers, but they sometimes are a big destraction in our lessons. They are too cute to worry about though honestly... haha. We then headed off to the church for a baptism! The Delft Elders had a baptism, and it was very spiritual. Their investigator, Josh, asked me to give a talk, and it was in English because he is from Ghana, and it was the most difficult talk I have given haha. I hate speaking about the gospel in English. It has literally gotten hard! Josh is incredible, and strengthens my testimony.

Sunday was a beautiful Sabbath Day. I love Fast Sunday, because I have gained a strong testimony of the Fast. It went really well, but then after church we finally got the chance to work in our own city for a few ours, for the first time this week, and nobody was home! It was a patience test, but we will begin to see blessings. I know it. We had a great dinner appointment with Familie Jansen. They are an older couple that invites all 8 missionaries and the senior couple for dinner. Such a warm, nice, welcoming home, all christmasy and gorgeous. Such good food too! We were all expecting transfer calls at dinner as well. Transfers came in, and here they are.

Elder Moomey is getting transfered to Deventer, and training. His Mom's family lives in Deventer/Apeldoorn and that is where his Mom grew up. What a blessing it is that he will finally be there to spend time with his cousins, aunts, and uncles for Christmas, but they also aren't members. This is a giant blessing for Elder Moomey. He is very excited.

I will be receiving Elder Tornianen. He is Elder Alstons other trainee that he trained right after me, and it will be his first transfer as Zone Leader. Sister Frederickson, a friend of mine from back at Davis, is the new Sister Training Leader, and is only on her 4th transfer. She is also going to train. There is a lot of young leadership this transfer. President is preparing the mission for when he goes home in July. It is a huge change!

This is going to be soo fun! I love Elder Tornianen. He is from Finland, and is such a good kid. I look forward to working with him to help the zone see success this transfer, as well as helping him learn the Zone Leader. It is going to also be a big challenge for me. It is only my second as Zone Leader, with a bunch of new missionaries in the zone, a new District Leader, and brand new Sister Training Leader. We have a very busy week, but I am looking at it as a big growing experience, and something that will continue to shape me. Next week, we have Zone Training, and this weekend, we have more things that we need to plan for and prepare.

I look forward to it.

I love you all. This Christmas season is going to be special, and I am so glad to see that you guys are all having a good time. I am soo happy that I get to spend another Christmas out here, and feel of the true meaning of Christmas as I was able to last year. I miss you all, but next year will be a fun Christmas too! ;) Have a great week, and serve someone!

November 25, 2014

Hey everybody! Another week in Den Haag. Man it is cold.

We had a very busy week last week. Very busy. Lots of cool things have been happening though! The Lord continues to bless this Zone. On Sunday, we had two baptisms in the Zone. I was able to interview one of them. During interviews, the Spirit is very strong. The man that I interviewed is incredible and such a kingdom builder. He has so much talent and ability to offer the church, and will be incredible to see what his future holds. I remember sitting in the interview, asking the questions and just seeing him with a wife and kids, going to church every week. When that happens during an interview, you know that he is ready. Such a testimony of the church as well. This man is 25 years old, has money, a future, and a girlfriend. He has everything that the world things you need, but he realized there is more than that when he read the Book of Mormon. He is in medical school and is very busy with life and study, but he found time to read and pray, meet with the missionaries, and come to church, and now he is baptized. Such a good example to me, and he should be to all of us.

Zone Den Haag is doing well. We are all seeing personal successes and staying happy. This is a tough time of year out here with it beginning to get cold, Christmas right around the corner, and familys celbrating Sinterklaas, but we are all keeping our heads up and hitting the Streets. They are all great examples to me and my companion.

We have a very busy week this week, again. Today, exchanges, tomorrow: splits in almere, Thursday: Zone Conference with Elder Moreira of the 70, Friday: Mission Leader Council, Saturday: District Leader Council that we will be teaching. Mission life is at high tide, and I am enjoying the ride.

Yesterday for Pday, we played Turky Bowl with the Zone, and then the Romigs had the missionaries from Den Haag over to have thanksgiving. It really felt like a piece of home, and it was so nice to be able to feel the spirit of gratitude with my mission family. Gratitude has been on my mind a lot the past few weeks, and I want to just close this email by sharing what I am grateful for.

First off, I am grateful for the gospel. For the knowledge that I have of the Plan of Salvation, The Atonement, the Nature of Heavenly Father, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  

I am grateful to have been born in this church. That I have parents who taught me in the ways of the Lord, and helped me stay on the right path. I don't know how they did it, but making a good choice, serving someone, or putting others before me is second nature, and I credit that to my parents. Thank you. I am very grateful for my siblings too. Love you guys!

I am grateful for my mission. Everything that I have learned. The changes that I have seen in myself, and in others. I am grateful for my testimony, because testimonies are gifts of heaven. It is a blessing.

I just feel grateful right now.

I love you all so much. I am so grateful that you all support me, and love me. It really does help me and encourage me to continue everday, to be a little better, and to work a little harder. I hope and pray that you all have a great week. I challenge you all to be grateful little this week. Count your blessings at night, and be open the next day to receive more. You will see a big blessing in your life.

"19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." - D&C 78:19

I love you! Have a great week!

Elder Elkins

November 17, 2014

Hey Family and Friends! This week flew by. I cannot believe it. Only 5 weeks until Christmas... again? I never thought that I would get to this stage of my mission, and now that I am here, I don't want to be this long out. It goes tooooo fast, but I will do what I can with the time given. I love it, and I have learned so much!

We had a splendid week. Things are going really well in Den Haag. We were really busy this week doing a lot of random things, but also on exchanges for two days, and it is just a good time. Miracles are happening in this mission. I am so grateful to be here, at this time. How amazing is it to take part in all of this. The gathering of isreal is taking place.

I want to share one miracle that we are experiencing right now. This young womans name is Valencia. She is form St. Martins, but has been here for 8 years. We got her phone number via referral a couple weeks ago. We called her, and made an appointment, not really knowing what to expect. We went by, and went into her house. She is 26 years old, and is just a really nice person. We sat down, and asked how she knows about the church. She told us that she knows it better than we think, and we were flabbergasted. She knows a lot haha. She is the only member of her family that isnt baptized. She told us that she has never doubted she would be baptized, and that it will happen in the right time. She reads daily in the Book of Mormon on her own, and went to young womens all growing up. How amazing is this story? She is so ready, and I cannot wait. She called her sister in St. Martins while we were there, and she was sooo happy! How amazing is this gospel. She has been in the preperation process her whole life. These experiences are why I am becoming converted on my mission. I cannot deny the works of our Heavenly Father. One of his greatest works, is what he is doing with me, and I am eternally grateful for that.

I don't have much time today, but I just wanted to share that with you all. I love you, and I am grateful for you. I hope that everything is going well. Den Haag is a blessed city, and it is every missionaries favorite, so I am so happy and lucky to be here. This ward is incredible. Amsterdam and Den Haag are the two best cities for Christmas, and I will have them both. So cool! Love you all, have a great week!

Love,
Elder Elkins

November 10, 2014

Well, this week I have a bit more time than last week... :) Last week was super funny. Member came in all three times that I tried to email, and they asked if they could borrow the computer. No problem, I am just glad that I was able to write something last week to you all! 
I am doing really well. I love Den Haag. I am a city missionary, and I have missed it. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and now Den Haag. The three biggest in the mission. It has been a lot of fun! This is just like any big city where you meet tons of different people, from all around the world. The Netherlands is the melting pot of the world, so you can only imagine who I meet daily. I learn of new countries every day. I love it!

It is getting cold. Colder than I remember a year ago. Especially going on exchanges and biking hills through fog, with only a rain jacket on, and a scarf to keep me warm. We biked 60 km as well. Unreal. My legs killed and my face almost froze haha. I love my mission! Fall is in the air! I am thinking it will be a very, very cold winter, but we deserve it because last winter was easy.

Elder Moomey is my new companion! I love him. We are great buddies and have been our whole missions. He is one transfer before me, and I worked with him when we were both in Rotterdam. He is from Star, Idaho. It has been a blast to work with him the past couple of weeks. He is a great missionary, and a good leader. We are going to have a lot of fun serving together here in Den Haag. Den Haag is a really cool area. We have about 20 Elders, 6 Sisters, and 1 Senior Couple in this Zone. It has been a blast to work with them all and get to know them on a more personal level. The ward here is the biggest in the mission. With about 150 active members, it is great. I absolutely love it. Such a strong ward, and is a great example to the other wards and branches in the mission. They take care of the missionares (10 of us in this ward, including the senior couple), by feeding us and catering to our needs. I appreciate it! It is nice to be back in a normal apartment with just two of us. We are always busy throughout the week with random things to do, so it is nice to come into a warm apartment at night, sit down, drink warme chocolade, and listen to Motab, while writing in my journal. I love it. Nice and quiet haha.

The work is going well. We decided to start off fresh as I came in, and we gave a couple of our investigators to the Sisters, and we just decided to hit the ground fresh. It was inspired, and gave us both a feeling of "lets do this"... It worked out. Heavenly Father blessed us a ton last week, as we taught 5 new investigators, and found a bunch of people. We prayed for referrals and had many of two very positive ones, both coming from members. Every member referral is baptized too. It is incredible to see. I cannot wait!

Exchanges last week were a blast too! I love being with missionaries, getting to know them, learning from and training them. It is such a privalage that we have as leaders to be able to do that, and it really give me a perspective one everything that I havent yet had. Being District Leader really prepared me for this. Especially with where I was, the amount of traveling, and the missionaries I worked with. I really feel comfortable doing this, and I am grateful for the change that I have seen in myself as I have been out here for the past 16 months. It truly is a miracle.

I have such a strong testimony of prayer. I know that I bring that up quite a bit, but I honestly do. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed us with a way to be able to communicate with him, and literally strenghthen our relationship with Him. I feel so close to Him being out here, and He has been quick to answer my prayers. I hope that you all use this blessing to its potential and that you are all witnessing what I do. It is reality, and it works for everyone. It is necessary for us to use as we lead out our lives in the best way possible.

I am so excited to see what this next week brings. I am sure that it will fly right by, just like this past week. I love you all, and I hope that you all have a great week as well!

Veel Liefde,

Elder Elkins