Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,
It has been a crazy, wonderful week! And like any self-respecting week in Nederland, it started very wet. Last p-day we hung out at the church and then on our way home in the evening it was pouring, and at one point we were biking and a car drove through a giant puddle next to us and... let's just say it was a good thing we were going home for dinner so we could change. :)
On Tuesday we had a fun little miracle! We were looking people up that lived close by each other in a neighborhood, but none of them were home or had time to meet with us. However, we'd passed by this house a couple times were this lady was hanging up Christmas decorations inside her front window, and it was beautiful! So, since we had an extra few minutes we just walked up to the house, rang the bell, and when she answered we told her we thought her house was beautiful. She laughed and then invited us in to see the whole rest of the house! Haha it was a bit unexpected but it was so fun to get to know her bit and also share about what we do as missionaries. She wasn't really interested in knowing more about our church, but she was super friendly and invited us to stop by again when we're in the neighborhood. A simple, sincere compliment can go a long way if you just open your mouth and share it! :)
On Wednesday I was on exchanges with Zuster Jaramillo, who is from Aruba and is going home in 1 1/2 weeks. Apeldoorn was her first area, so we spent the day visiting members and investigators that she wanted to say an official goodbye to. She was so awesome about boldly sharing her testimony and inviting these people to come to Christ in whatever way they could, it was awesome!
On Thursday Zr Bush's bike had a little freakout and the chain kept falling off. We had to stop and put it back on like every 5 minutes. However, the members here are awesome and someone fixed her bike for free, as well as tightening our brakes, pumping up our tires, and fixing other problems I didn't even know our bikes had! Blessings. :)
The next day I worked with Zr Harris on exchanges, which was fun. And then, Saturday! It was Sinterklaas (a Dutch holiday sort of comparable to Christmas), and I got a most wonderful gift - my investigator from Haarlem, Cynthia, was baptized along with her son Jadon! I got permission from president to go back for it. It was crazy because one of Zr Bush's investigators from Breda was also getting baptized at exactly the same time, but luckily Zr Jaramillo was also going to that one (she taught that investigator as well) so we did splits for the day and they headed off to Breda while Zr Voss (Zr Jaramillo's companion) accompanied me to Haarlem. It was a little weird to be back, but definitely a good weird and I was able to reconnect with wonderful people there. The baptismal service was wonderful too, and I was just so happy for them! Cynthia had probably 20 friends and family members there - she's already an amazing missionary - and her son Jadon is the most polite 10 year old I've ever met. They are awesome! :)
And then that evening we celebrated Sinterklaas with some members that have two very cute, very excited kids. There's lots of traditions with Sinterklaas, but the 5th of December is "Pakjes Avond"(Packages Evening), when they actually get presents which are delivered by the helpers of Sinterklaas, Zwarte Pieten. It was so fun to see the parents arranging the surprises for the kids and the kid's excitement, just like with Santa Clause, but a completely different holiday. So much fun!
Wow, this letter got long. Well, it was a great week that I just had to tell you all about. And you know, much of the magic of the week came from selfless giving. It doesn't have to be huge - a small gift, a smile, a testimony shared, a laugh, help with a project, a kind word, time given for another are all little things that go a long way, and they make everyone happy, including the giver! Do something this week to lift another's spirits, and you'll find your own life is a little brighter as well. Who says Christmas lights are limited to rooftops and trees? A smile on your face brings a light to your eyes, and we've all got the light of Christ inside of us - which is of course the original Christmas light! Let it shine! :)
-Zuster Jensen
It has been a crazy, wonderful week! And like any self-respecting week in Nederland, it started very wet. Last p-day we hung out at the church and then on our way home in the evening it was pouring, and at one point we were biking and a car drove through a giant puddle next to us and... let's just say it was a good thing we were going home for dinner so we could change. :)
On Tuesday we had a fun little miracle! We were looking people up that lived close by each other in a neighborhood, but none of them were home or had time to meet with us. However, we'd passed by this house a couple times were this lady was hanging up Christmas decorations inside her front window, and it was beautiful! So, since we had an extra few minutes we just walked up to the house, rang the bell, and when she answered we told her we thought her house was beautiful. She laughed and then invited us in to see the whole rest of the house! Haha it was a bit unexpected but it was so fun to get to know her bit and also share about what we do as missionaries. She wasn't really interested in knowing more about our church, but she was super friendly and invited us to stop by again when we're in the neighborhood. A simple, sincere compliment can go a long way if you just open your mouth and share it! :)
On Wednesday I was on exchanges with Zuster Jaramillo, who is from Aruba and is going home in 1 1/2 weeks. Apeldoorn was her first area, so we spent the day visiting members and investigators that she wanted to say an official goodbye to. She was so awesome about boldly sharing her testimony and inviting these people to come to Christ in whatever way they could, it was awesome!
On Thursday Zr Bush's bike had a little freakout and the chain kept falling off. We had to stop and put it back on like every 5 minutes. However, the members here are awesome and someone fixed her bike for free, as well as tightening our brakes, pumping up our tires, and fixing other problems I didn't even know our bikes had! Blessings. :)
The next day I worked with Zr Harris on exchanges, which was fun. And then, Saturday! It was Sinterklaas (a Dutch holiday sort of comparable to Christmas), and I got a most wonderful gift - my investigator from Haarlem, Cynthia, was baptized along with her son Jadon! I got permission from president to go back for it. It was crazy because one of Zr Bush's investigators from Breda was also getting baptized at exactly the same time, but luckily Zr Jaramillo was also going to that one (she taught that investigator as well) so we did splits for the day and they headed off to Breda while Zr Voss (Zr Jaramillo's companion) accompanied me to Haarlem. It was a little weird to be back, but definitely a good weird and I was able to reconnect with wonderful people there. The baptismal service was wonderful too, and I was just so happy for them! Cynthia had probably 20 friends and family members there - she's already an amazing missionary - and her son Jadon is the most polite 10 year old I've ever met. They are awesome! :)
And then that evening we celebrated Sinterklaas with some members that have two very cute, very excited kids. There's lots of traditions with Sinterklaas, but the 5th of December is "Pakjes Avond"(Packages Evening), when they actually get presents which are delivered by the helpers of Sinterklaas, Zwarte Pieten. It was so fun to see the parents arranging the surprises for the kids and the kid's excitement, just like with Santa Clause, but a completely different holiday. So much fun!
Wow, this letter got long. Well, it was a great week that I just had to tell you all about. And you know, much of the magic of the week came from selfless giving. It doesn't have to be huge - a small gift, a smile, a testimony shared, a laugh, help with a project, a kind word, time given for another are all little things that go a long way, and they make everyone happy, including the giver! Do something this week to lift another's spirits, and you'll find your own life is a little brighter as well. Who says Christmas lights are limited to rooftops and trees? A smile on your face brings a light to your eyes, and we've all got the light of Christ inside of us - which is of course the original Christmas light! Let it shine! :)
-Zuster Jensen
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