To be honest, I don't
know how to put this week into an email. SO much happened and most of it as
miracles from on high. But I'll start off with the transfer calls. Got
them Saturday night, we are both staying in Den Helder. Ok check, now
to the real work.
I am convinced that
Den Helder is the smallest city in the mission. Delft was pretty small and
quaint, but Den Helder is tiny. YET, I am sitting in the middle of the largest
teaching pool I've had in Holland. You better believe it. Each week we've been
able to tally a few new investigators that are promising. Members are coming
out to help us teach and even do service for them. In turn, the investigators
feel more of a desire to come to church and be a part of the branch community.
Just yesterday we had members setting themselves up as joint teaches for
lessons with them behind our backs haha the Lord is blessing this area with
prepared people for us to find.
Many great things
happened, such as a foothill bike ride lesson with an excommunicated member and
recent convert at the same time, learning Farsi with Hossein and Roja while
eating Iranian food, painting Tsigereda's house with Elder Jansen and 2 crazy
kiddos who don't understand the concept of wet paint, and doorstep teaching in
what is known as the ghettos of Den Helder. *side note, ghettos here are
legitimately ghetto. The normal lower to middle class neighborhoods here would
be considered ghettos and unsafe areas in America. It's THAT ghetto.
But I won't go into
much details with those stories here because we had one amazing miracle that
trumps them all. Early on in the week we had tried calling an investigator that
referred herself through Facebook and lives about an hour away by bus. She had
been so positive after our first lesson a month ago, but got sick and had
cancelled our 2 follow up appointments. We couldn't get a hold of her through
text or calling, so we set aside special time Friday morning to trek
on out there, eat lunch on the bus, and work in that small village. We showed
up around 11 and she opened the door with a huge smile and commanded that we go
inside. Her neighbor was there and was also very happy to see us (rarity that
that happened) since she had known the elders in Arnhem years back. Sonja, our
investigator, told us about what happened in the last week with her sickness,
and that the ambulance came and picked her up on Monday night and shipped her
off to Alkmaar for MRI scans on her head from her headaches. She didn't have
much time, so she didn't even take her phone or purse with her, but only her
Book of Mormon. In the hospital she read on the bed while in a room with 3
other patients. A pastor came and saw what she was reading and instead of
bashing or condemning the book like normal, Sonja told him it was a beautiful
book, and he agreed saying it was. She told people in the hospital that she is
Mormon and that the Book she had was true. That's why she brought it with her
over her wallet or phone. And THAT's why we couldn't get a hold of her early on
in the week. She was released from the hospital and had no way of getting home
without a wallet. She walked into the bus and told the driver she had something
to say (she is one of the sassiest 71 year olds you'll meet. honestly like a
Dutch Betty White hahaha) She told him she had no money or phone but needed to
get home and the bus driver told her to get on in and he would be happy to take
such a young girl home hahhaa he seriously said that. Thursday night
she had prayed and felt the need to pray for us that we would be successful in
our work. Then Friday morning we showed up on her door and she was
ecstatic. She was still having headaches and we proceeded to explain the
Priesthood further and were able to give her a Priesthood blessing. Her
testimony on the Priesthood and the church was already so strong (in fact,
Jehovah's Witnesses came to the door a few days prior and gave her a magazine
that she threw away in front of them and said to them 'don't come back, I'm
getting a ''I'm a Mormon'' sticker for my front door' and sent them along) so
when we proceeded to bless her with strength and courage she couldn't help but
cry and describe the entire story as Bijzonder Wonderlijk. She told us she
wants to follow the church course (aka missionary lessons) and be baptized
before she is 72. I told her we would help her with that no doubt and she has a
baptismal date set for the 9th of July. She told us in the middle of the
lesson that she had just stopped drinking and is down to 1 cigarette a day now
too. You can't even imagine our faces as this all went down. Haha the Lord is
so merciful with His children. One of my new best friends is a 71 year old
Dutch woman. That was the highlight of the week. So funny, so spiritual, so
only made real through God.
Keep her and Tsigereda
in your prayers please. They are making great progress toward baptism.
Investigators are surrounded by so much evil here yet they stick it through.
One even un-antied her next door neighbor after our first lesson haha #miracles
Wish Jennifer Reese a
happy birthday this week. 48 and still going strong ;)
Love
Elder Trevan Scott
Reese
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