The Capital City

Amsterdam. One of the most famous cities in the world and understandably so. Crazy, to say the least, but for the good as well as the bad.

Transfers were this last week so everyone was jumbled around (except us again) but we ended up in Leiden Wednesday anyway for me to finish my driving papers and print off my driving record. So it was real fun to see everyone including the one and only Elder Morrell again. Tuesday and Wednesday were a little rough around the edges for our only days in Delft. Our progressors and less actives could not meet on those days very easily so we visited some new people and spent time finding others.

We visited a member named Bro Rombley this last week for the first time and had an incredibly spiritual lesson with him about the Atonement of Christ and Elder Renlund's talk about saints as sinners who keep on trying. He really took it to heart and he committed to come to church. We believe he was there yesterday but we don’t know 100% because we were in Haarlem for the project.... argh. But when we asked what else we could do for him he simply asked for us to keep coming back. I think this could be big for him.

Exciting fact. We had a dinner apt. with a rambunctious lady in our ward of the age 80 hahaha but as the hours drew nearer, we received a call from her saying she had been in a bike accident and was now in the hospital. Reassuring us that no bones were broken and only a few wounds must be bandaged and that she would be late to the appt. We told her not to worry about it and to rest that night after calling us on the hospital bed hahaha. it sounds like she is doing ok but it is something only Zr. Van der Put would do.

District in Den Haag

Like I mentioned earlier, this week we worked in Amsterdam for the project. We have refined our time management to emphasize more on missionaries and investigators than before. And let me tell you it has brought unbelievable miracles. We slept over in Amsterdam with the Elders and APs for 2 nights and ended up working with the Zusters for a full day. We taught a first lesson with them to a man from Congo who committed to be baptized in May and promised to read the Book of Mormon and pray for 2 hours every day for 7 days to know if it was true haha crazy man. We told him that he was free to do so but that the most important was to pray in faith after reading and we encouraged him to do so after the lesson. I don't know how many of you have heard a Pentecostal prayer before but in short it is an African rain dance condensed into a prayer hahahaha it was neat to see his faith and how serious he took it but it was hard to keep it in let alone on topic. Really cool guy though with tons of potential and love for the LDS church.

Yesterday we taught a lady with the APs as well who is about to undergo a surgery for her liver and she broke down as we taught about Christ's love and sung Where Can I Turn for Peace for her. She is terrified for the surgery and plans to be baptized right before it. I believe she has cancer actually but she can’t remember the word that her doctor told her in Dutch (she is from Hungary). It was incredibly spiritual though and one of my favorite experiences of bearing down in simple and powerful testimony that God loves us and that we have trials to make us stronger.

Driving around Amsterdam this last week was real fun and as we drive through Holland we see tulip fields on the daily. Next time I’m not driving I will take a video because it is unreal. Just like the best 2 years.

My focus this next week is going to be regarded to finding efforts and using the Spirit in every aspect of the work. We have been able to work with investigators here for a while but they have been progressing slowly and it is time to get a good number of new ones. That will be my prayer for this week and I know that miracles can come of it.

I want to thank you all for all your support since I've been out here. There have been many dismal points but countless indescribable heights in the service of the Lord. I testify that He lives and because He lives so will you and I forever.

We live in a day of wickedness that has never before been seen on the Earth. But remember that the Church has never been stronger than it is today. And it will only continue. Take your side.

Elder Trevan Scott Reese