So this really was a pretty spectacular week, I must say. First of all we
finally got Zr Fowler a proper bike, so that's made everything loads easier
(and more comfortable for her! I don't think she was anticipating sitting on
the back of her trainer's bike as part of her greenie experience... =) ). Zr
Fowler herself is doing fabulous - I absolutely love being a trainer. Her
Dutch is so good that I've warned her not to get prideful over how surprised
all the members are at how much she can say and understand. ;) Not that she
ever would be.
As far as people we're teaching goes, Marc is on vacation this week
but his girlfriend Esther agreed to meet with us even tho he's gone, and
that is such an awesome miracle! At first she was totally not even
interested, so it's so great. Zr Scholten came on JT this week, and really
helped them both to understand what the Atonement is all about. We realized
they really don't have a testimony of Christ, so of course the Restoration
is a moot point. Afterwards I profusely thanked Zr Scholten for her help and
ability to understand them (not just their Dutch ;) but what their concerns
are) and she was so pleased she hugged both of us and told Zr Fowler that
she'll be such a "liefe moeder"someday - or a really sweet, loving mom. And
then she told me I was more of the business woman type. IT was pretty
stinking hilarious - especially because a huge miracle of my mission is that
now I actually want to have a family - and don't just assume it'll happen
someday. =) Zr Scholten is pretty fabulous - she served a mission in Chile,
her parents got baptised in Israel through a BYU group while she was op
zending, and she's just... great!
Tuesday we ate dinner with Stella, a fabulous convert from Nigeria. She
made us grease meal, which is a little like foo foo (which is like mash
potatoes but MUCH fluffier and more rubbery in texture - you eat it with
your fingers and dip it in sauce). Watching two American missionaries raised
on cooking from their Utah Mormon mothers attempt to eat super spicy spinash
foo foo sauce was pretty hilarious. Zr. Fowler almost choked a couple of
times. It was soooo good but so hot. Stella herself is pretty amazing, and
it was way good to get to know her better, especially since her English is
better than Dutch and she enjoyed the fellowship.
Friday was such a day of tender mercies. The Zone Leaders felt like they
should hold District Leader Council here in Haarlem, so that meant we had 12
missionaries out finding in our city that afternoon. We got some phone
numbers of interested people, and E. DeMass (of my MTC experience teaching
companion fame) found an old investigator I'd never met who we thought was
in China till May! She was totally enthusiastic and remembered the sisters,
so we visited her Sunday, taught her a first, and will visit her again
Sunday. What a great miracle.
Part of the council was also getting trainer / trainee training (say
that three times fast) for me and Zr Fowler and the other greenie in our
zone. It was a great experience, and I'm pretty sure I have the most
dedicated, prepared, awesome new missionary ever. It was also super great
seeing my old district leader from R'Dam who's know in Den Haag and E.
DeMass and a few others. I never imagined the brotherhood / sisterhood I'd
feel with my fellow missionaries. There's really nothing like it. After
finding that afternoon, we met up with everybody else in Haarlem station to
exchange information. As we approached the group, they were chatting up some
tourist looking people who just happened to be... the parents of Zr Kriser,
my old comp in Gouda who just finished her mission. Her brother was serving
in Ukraine and finished the same time, so her parents came to pick both of
them up and they just happened to be in Haarlem station on their way to
Keukenhof when all these missionaries showed up. I really cannot express my
joy at seeing Zr. Kriser again, especially since we were at different zone
conferences this transfer so I'd had no proper goodbye. It was one of the
most beautiful tender mercies of my mission to see her in Holland again
before she flies home. I only cried a little. =) Missionary companions are
such a blessing. What a wonderful person.
That night we had dinner with the former temple president and his
family and his wife had a short Seder Dinner (pass over dinner? I can't
spell in English anymore much less Hebrew) for us and it was pretty amazing.
Yay for matzah and bitter herbs. It really was a lovely experience.
Saturday we helped the Scholten's in their garden and it was good to
get out and do service. The rest of the day was kinda rough finding wise,
and one of our appointments consisted of an old lady very enthousiastically
telling us that Joseph Smith just can't be true because it's not in the
Bible! That shouldn't be that discouraging as a missionary, but, well, it
kind of was. That night one of the Assistants called (my old zone leader,
actually) and asked us how our day way, because he'd had the feeling he
should. As we recounted the miracles we'd seen that week, it was such a
reminder to me 1) of the awesome things happening in Haarlem and 2) that the
Lord really is ridiculously mindful of us. Even when we've justhad one bad
day.
And Azelea now feels like the Book of Mormon is true... such a miracle.
Milene is doing fabulously and watching her understanding being enlightened
as we taughther the Plan of Salvation this week was just incredible. I love
her so much. Okay. I think that's everything important from this week. =)
Our miracle from last week, Margreet (who felt like she'd receive a message
and cried as we told her about eternal families) texted us to cancel our
appointment and say she wasn't interested anymore. That was pretty lame,
especially because she'd had such a spiritual experience when we met her.
Please keep her in your prayers.
I love you all, and I love this work. Spring has sprung in Haarlem,
and it's a beautiful time to be here. Heavenly Father truly is mindful of us
- that I know. So go and do something to make someone else happy, because
serving His children is the best thank you we can give back.

Veel liefs,

Zr. Christa Baxter !