February 16, 2015

Hey guys, I am back! Another Monday. Time flies!

We had a really good week here in Den Haag. I sit here and think about how fast it really is going, and it is scary! I feel like I was just doing this.

Another really busy week. This was our first 'real week' of the transfer, without meetings and other random things we need to do here and there, so it was nice to get down and grind in the work. We worked hard, experienced the good and the bad of missionary work, and enjoyed it all. The other week, we had 8 new investigators, so we had a bunch of return appointments planned for last week, but a lot of them fell through right at the last minute, which gets frustrating, but it is all for a reason! We, as a Zone, prayed to baptize last week. We want to increase our expectations and expect to baptize more often then we do in this mission, so we really did that last week. What do you know, we had an appointment on Saturday with Perez, and set a baptismal date for March 28th! My bday too ;) Perez is awesome. She is from the Dominican Republic and is searching for the truth. We watched the Restoration with her, and the spirit was very strong. She is cooking for us this week, and letting us teach her friend too! It will be great.

The weirdest thing about last week, happened on exchanges. We were street contacting, and a lady asked us what we did in America. We told her, and she told us that we need to stop doing what we are doing, and go back to America. She was convinced that we were possessed, and that we are brainwashed.... She then proceeded to tell me that I have a ''shine in my eyes'', and that it is young men like me that fall in love with her.... She is at least 70 yrs old. Wow... haha.

Saturday night, we had an iron chef dinner at the Romigs apartment with the whole district, and a member cooked for us. We are all very close to each other, and have a lot of fun. The Spiritual Message was done by Elder Abankie. He is one of the most incredible people out on this mission. He is from Surinam, and reflects the countenance of Christ. He is special, and is a great example to me! He said something that is really inspiring. He told us that two of his favorite words are ''are'' and ''become''. Why? Think about the Atonement, and how it helps us be better than we currently ''are'', and ''become'' better. Who we ''are'', isn't who we used to be, but who we can ''become'', isn't who we ''are''. I think that is something that we can all apply throughout our lives. Don't be idle, and unify yourself with God. Avoid comparison, and ask God to reveal to you what YOU need to do, to ''become'' who you need to.

We have a busy week planned. I look forward to it! MLC is on Friday, and it is always special to spend time in the mission home, learning together with the other leaders. I hope that you all have a great week! I love you all!

Elder Elkins