First Week In Breda

Church was grewat. Bishop let my comp borrow one of his bikes and he let me also borrow none too while he fixes mine up

My creativity is out this week. So much go go go, not enough time to muster energy. So since these computers are way slow, and we have so little time, I will just go through this last week. It was actually a really great week, I have gotten to be a lot more comfortable with the Nederlanders and although I feel my language isn´t getting better, my fluent companion (Her name is Zuster Nielson, by the way) says I am, but I dont feel it. Hopefully she´s right. Did I tell you guys she goes home after this transfer? Yeah. I am so young in the mission compared to her.

Well this week was great. Last monday we had a dinner appointment with one of our progressing investigators. She is just the absolute most sweetest woman. She wants to get baptized but she is having a difficult time quitting smoking and there are problems surrounding her living situation with her boyfriend and not being able to get married right now because of issues. There were so many things that I wanted to say but I didn´t know how, so I just cried while she talked about her feelings and struggles. Then Ether 12:27 came to mind and I pulled out my scriptures and flipped there and had her read it and she started crying and then in very broken dutch I told her that through the enabling power of the atonement, we can recieve strength beyond our own and that ¨nobody´s weaknesses are greater than the strengths within him/her, because each of us are children of God with his divinity and diving potential woven into the very fabric of our souls.¨ It was so great. Love her.

Then on tuesday we saw so many miracles. First off, we went to visit one of the older ladies in our ward who wants the lessons again (the one who called me a princess) and she lives in an old folks home and we went into her room with her and what is coming from her stereo? MC Hammer, ¨Cant Touch This.¨That´s what´s up. So we start giving the lesson (it´s my turn to start so I do) and she interrupts me midsentence to tell me that I don´t speak good dutch. Thank you...I know. After that we were walking..somewhere...and my companion goes up to a lady who´s obviously Hindu who is taking her two boys to school and tells her that we have a message about eternal families (a lot more eloquently than I just typed it) and she told us to come with her to get her boys to school (the school was right there) and then she took us back to her apartment, her husband was there, and they sat and talked to us and we gave them a book of mormon, and their mother language is Tamil (which we conviently have a copy in that language in our apartment) and we made an appointment with them for this wednesday and we´re bringing the Tamil copy. Sweetness. Then we dropped by an old investigator who went back to Africa a while ago to sort out legal stuff (I think?) and he wasn´t back yet, but his 5 kids and wife were there. We talked to them and asked if they´d be interested. She said she´s just so busy with the family. Well, good thing the chuch does this thing called FAMILY HOME EVENING. Yep, we made an appointment to come do one with them on July 4. Rock on. Tuesday was just rockin.
Wednesday we did exchanges with the sisters serving down in Genk, Belgium. That was a lot of fun. I couldn´t rely on my companion to know my city, though, so I had to step up to the plate and lead the way. Did we get lost a lot? You bet. It was awesome. then we had shoarma for dinner. there are shoarma places errwhere here. 
Thursday was good. We went up to the mission home (all the sisters in Antwerpen zone) to spend the night so we could go to zone conference in Leiden the next day. That was so much fun. Then Zone conference was uh-mazing. Loved it. And Genk couldn´t get back to Genk in time to catch a bus home, so they stayed in Breda with us that night...party. I love the missionaries in this mission.

I was talking to this sweetheart of a sister, Zr. Brown, who is serving in Genk, and she was telling me about how the first around 9 months of the mission is like going through the refiner´s fire. She told me a story about how there were these women who wanted to know how silver was made, so they went down to the balcksmith or whoever makes silver place and had the man show them. He said ¨when I put it through the hottest part, that´s when I watch it the closest, and I only  take it out when I can see my reflection in it.¨Ugh how perfect. Love her. Love stories like that.

Church was great yesterday, frst time meeting with the Tillburg Branch and they have about 20 members. It´s so great. So much work to do in that area. So exciting. Bishop gave my comp a bike to borrow and mine ended up having a hole in the tire so he gave me one too to borrow while he fixed mine. I love ward members, they are just so helpful. Yesterday was actually my first day riding my bike...ina skirt...AND it was raining. I was unnaturally happy. It was awesome. And I´m almost positive if I wasnt on a mission I would not think that is cool. BUT IT WAS.
My companion is great. She made me breakfast this morning. Those pannenkoken things or whatever they´re called...the dutch pancakes? yeah. she also introduced me to belgian chocolate this past week. Yeah I like her a lot. :)
Well there´s the scoop for this past week. Life is great, beer is against the word of wisdom, and people ARE crazy. The Lord has plans for The Netherlands:) Im thankful I get to be a part of them :)

xoxo

Zuster Hoff