Well familie!  This is the end of another transfer!  I can't believe it!  This transfer seemed to just fly by!  So I will be staying in Zoetermeer in the same address but my "mother" Zuster Rigdon will be leaving me and going to Antwerpen.  I will be getting two new companions Zuster Meier who was in the same group as me coming from the MTC but not the same districe and Zuster Schwab who is in the group right after me.  I am REALLY excited!  I have actually had the opportunity to serve with both of them on exchanges and they are AMAZING missionaries!  It's going to be a really great transfer.  I am really sad about Zuster Rigdon leaving though.  I love her a whole lot and she has done so much for me.  She has become one of my best friends and it's really hard to know that we won't ever get to serve together again, but I am REALLY greatful for the time I did get to serve with her.  Ok so I will TRY to remember this week, but I forgot my planner soooo.....we'll see what I can remember haha.

 

Mandag-Ok well what I remember is that I cleaned ALL day and then we had a dinner appointment with familie Vis a great family.

 

Dinsdag- District meeting which was good and then we had our weekly Tuesday lesson with Broeder Rahman van Eden.  We had him teach us this time which was a really good idea, it went great!  We had dinner that night with familie Nijenhuis and they are sooooo great!  Their little boy is soo adorable haha.  He LOVES the song by One Direction "you don't know your beautiful" and he just kept singing it haha.  He would sing it (in a two year-old way) then stop, look at us, and then start clapping and expect us to clap haha.  It was great!

 

Woensdag- I was on exhanges with Zuster Larson.  We met this really amazing potential on the street.  Her name is Ineka and we talked a lot about families and how the gospel can help.  We gave her a Book of Mormon, and said we would bring by a Family Proclomation on Wednesday.  She said she was really intrested to learn more so I'm really excited.  We also had ice cream from Zinn which is the BEST ice cream place EVER!  That's about all that I can remember from that day but it was good =).

 

Donderdag- This was a really good day.  Back with Zuster Riggy riggy don don, which always makes the day better.  Then we met up with one of her old companions Zuster Cova who still lives in the Netherlands and went out to eat.  We went to La Place and I had the BEST burger I have ever had in the country!  It was almost American!  Then we achter rooped all the way to Broder Rahman van Eden's which was great.  I did fall off once though flat on my face in the middle of the bike path haha.  It was SUPER funny and I didn't get hurt so that was good.  Oh so achter rooping is when you ride on the back of the bike.  Here they have quite a bit os space on the back of the bike so you can sit on it.  Our lesson with Broeder Rahman van Eden was super good.  Then we had slushies after Zuster Rigdon talked to the Zone Leaders.  Then that night we had dinner with familie Panhuyzen, Pim and Bishop's familie.  Then we saw an ice cream truck so we decided to get ice cream!  It was super great.  Then we tried to sneakily put some letters in members brievenbus and without fail each one didn't work out haha.  We aren't very sneaky.  Then we met this really cool guy who took a BoM and wanted to make an appt. to learn more but then his wife started yelling at him so we had to leave.  It was a jummer.  Also this day Zuster Rigdon and I played this super funny game.  It was a really great day.

 

Vrijdag- Another AMAZING day.  Zuster Rigdon had a meeting with all the leaders so I got to work with Zuster Schwab who just turns out to be my new companion!  AHH!!  She actually is from Kennewick and knows Carson.  Isn't that funny!  Haha.  We had ice cream, slushies, contacted, and had a great time!  Oh one amazing thing is we went to visit Lila our kind of investigator and she has been SUPER sick.  So we called Broeder Nijenhuis and he gave her a blessing it was amazing.

 

Zaterdag-We went to Pijnacker and cleaned a memebers house.  Her husband just left her, she has five kids and she is not a good house keeper.

 

Well I am really out of time.  I'm sorry but until next week I love you all!  I really am going to try and send that package this week.  LOVE YOU!

 

Zuster Mizell

HALLO FAMILIE!!!  Hoe is het?  Hello my dear family.  Thank you for your emails Mom and Dad.  This week was good so I guess I'll just get right into it.

Mandag- After emailing we did a bit of shopping and then had dinner at familie Tettero.  They are one of the coolest families EVER!  They are the family that Rosanna belongs to, the one Savannah is writing.  By the way, she hasn't gotten a letter from Savannah, but Dad you said that she had written one a couple weeks ago.....Anyway if Savannah hasn't sent it you should remind her because Rosanna is dying to get it haha.  Then after our dinner with the Tetteros we went and had a lesson with Wanda one of our investigators.  We gave a basic and very simple lesson about the plan of Salvation and then invited her to pray because she has never prayed before.  She wouldn't say it when we were there, but we called her Saturday to check up on her and she had said one, so that's a huge step!  Also this day we were sitting outside preparing for our lesson and this really cute guy with this REALLY adorable puppy came by us.  Zuster Rigdon and I just about died haha.

Dinsdag- We had a really good district meeting.  We did like a companionship inventory with all of the district and it was really amazing.  Then we had a lesson with the member that we have been working with Broeder Rahman and He is just AMAZING!  He's the best "investigator" ever.  We stopped by and saw Lila one of our other investigators this day.  We haven't been able to meet with her which is really dissapointing because she so sweet and open to the Spirit.  Maybe she just isn't as ready as we thought.  Then we had hamburgers at Burger King for dinner.  They just don't have good hamburgers here in the Netherlands like they do in America and we were craving them soooo bad so we just did the best that we could. haha.  One of the first things I eat when I get back home will be a really good cheeseburger.  Then we took a rootbeer to our Rens our investigator that decided to get baptized because he has never tried it before and we also took flowers to his wife.  We talked a little bit with Rens and it's AMAZING how different he is.  He just sounds and looks different and he isn't even baptized yet!  It's crazy.  Then we took two little girls from a less active member Elvrida CTR rings and candy for their birthdays which are really close.  It was a good day =)

 Woensdag- We had exchanges so I was with Zuster Aston in Zoetermeer.  Not too much happened this day except we contacted 30 people with one good potential.  We made crepes for lunch which was delicious!  I had my first real Nederlands dinner at Familie Gfellers house and it was zoooo lekkar!!!  It was worst, with potatoes and a delicious gravy type thingy and then cauliflower and corn.  YUMMM!!!  They have two little girls and a really little boy so we did a cool lesson about being a princess with tiaras and jewels.  One guess who came up with that idea haha.  Oh also this day we taught a girl enlgish, Suzan and she is so funny haha.  She's definitely a 17 year old.  She really wants to go to America.  Also she set something on fire by leaving it in the overn too long and the whole house was filled with smoke haha.  Also this day I saw our less active member Zuster Uljee for the last time =(  We watched the Restoration dvd and bore our testimonies.  It was really wonderful.  I just love her sooo much and I'm going to miss her!!!

Donderdag- We had Broder Rahman again and we did a lot of look ups.  It honestly was a really really hard day for me.  Also we were supposed to have dinner with familie Pannhuyzen which I love, but their apartement got broken into so we couldn't eat with them.  I feel soo bad for them because they just got broken into like a year ago!

Vrijdag- We had exchanges again and I was with Zuster Western in Zoetermeer.  We did a lot of look ups with not much luck, but we did stop familie Overdiek and talked to them for a little bit.  They are such a cut old couple.  Then we had dinner with Zuster Van der Scheer like we do every friday which is always a delight!

Zaterdag- We exchanged back, went to the mission home for a little while and then came back and did weekly planning.  Then we had dinner with Elvrida our less active member and she had a non member friend there which was really good.  Then we went to Rens's thinking we were having a lesson but it turns out they had invited us to their daughters birthday party.  We got to interact with some non-members there as well which was really great!

Zondag- We had a great kerk dienst!  And I actually understood most of the talks!  YAY!!  FINALLY!!!  It is really hard sitting in church for 3 hours listening to things that mean nothing to you.  We had lunch with familie Engelbrecht which was wonderful as always and it's nice to speak english for a change haha.  They are from South Africa and England.  Then we went to Pijnacker a different city in our area and we stopped by familie Hoofstee for a few minutes then we went to a less active member familie Snackers for dinner.  They have 6 cats!  It was a REALLY fun dinner and I love them already!

Well that's about it for this week and I'm running out of time.  I will be sending a package home with a b-day present for Savannah.  Also I will try super hard to write everyone letters and include it in the package but we had to deep clean our apartment today which took 6 hours so I just don't have much time!  But I will try!  Also Mom and Dad thank you for your emails.  I will print them out and try to respond to them in the letters I write to you today.  I am for sure not staying in Zoetermeer so by next Monday I will know where I am going and who my companion will be but I won't know my new address until the next week.  Well that's all folks!  Until next week!

Liefde,

Zuster Mizell

Hallo Familie! 

 

Well as you probably got from the title of this email I am officially half way through another transfer!  AHH!  I can't believe it, it just goes by WAY too fast.  So I defenitely feel like I won't be staying in Zoetermeer but we will see.  It's hard when you know transfers are coming up so soon because it's hard to know that you might leave a place.  You come to love the people, investigators, ward, and city so much you just don't want to leave.  That's how I feel about Zoetermeer.  Of course I don't know for sure if I will be leaving but I get the feeling I will be.  I know for sure I won't be going to far away, but I also know for sure that Zuster Rigdon and I 'won't be companions anymore. =(  I love her so much so that will be hard.  BUT I talked to Zuster Robinson and she promised me that whatever happens with transfers that I will be happy, so I know wherever I go and whomever I am with is what the Lord wants and I will be happy.  Anyway I am going to move on to what happened during the week now.

 

Mandag- Well honestly I don't remember too much about this day.  From what I remember (because I don't have anything written down in my planner) it was an ok but not too productive day.  Sorry that's all I've got.  Oh I do remember that our miracle girl Alexandra texted us this day to tell us she had chosen the Catholic church so that was a bummer.

 

Dinsdag- We had a lesson with one of our investigators Luisa at the kerk.  She is really sweet but has a lot of problems at home.  She basically told us she's more interested to meet with us because it's someone to talk to rather than learning about the gospel.  That was pretty sad, but she still reads in the BvM and prays so as long as we can help her get a relationship with God first then when the time is right she will have the strong desire to learn more about the gospel.  Also we met with a member this day.  He is the most amazing member I know, but he is having a really rough time right now and is struggling with his testimony.  So he asked us to come over and reteach him the lessons and work with him.  He is so humble and amazing.  It's wonderful to watch him work and regain his testimony.  I love working with him =).  We talked to 24 people this day but I don't think we really found anyone so tha't's about it for Tuesday.

 

Woensdag- Honestly this day started off REALLY rough, but I was able to get a Priesthood blessing and that was amazing.  It changed my whole day around.  We had exchanges this day so I got to work with Zuster Wood in Zoetermeer.  We made cards for members of the ward and less active members and just delivered them and ten contacted along the way.  We didn't really find any good potentials but it was ok because we did meet some cool people.  Also we had dinner with Familie Gfeller (one of them anyway haha there are like 5 familie Gfellers in our ward) and that was great.  Then we had my first ward counsel meeting which went really well.  We talked a lot about how things in the ward need to change and everyone was on board for it.  Also I suggested the 40 day fast thing and I think they might do it =).  Oh also this day I started getting sick =( Jummer!!!

 

Donderdag- AHHH!!  The beautiful anniversary of our beloved country!  Oh how I missed America this day.  I woke up quite very sick jummer but we went to familie Rahman van Eden for a lesson and we made them funnel cakes (our second attempt and they didn't look too great) and they played us some MoTab American hymns which made me about cry haha.  Zuster Rigdon and I both wore red white and blue outfits so we got funny looks all day but it was still really great!  We got red and blue slushies to help my throat which were delicious!!!  MMMM!!  And we TRIED to have an American dinner.  We had funny hotdogs that did NOT taste American we tried to get buns but they had gross meat already in them, we had chips, and a can of rootbeer.  It was still fun haha.  We were supposed to have a lesson with Michaela this day she's the 17 year-old but she cancelled on us and hasn't contacted us since.  =(  Also we had a lesson with our eternal investigator Rens and his family and just had a FHE with a lesson and then we made them funnel cakes which were REALLY GOOD!  Oh also I tried to make my cake this day but I made it wrong and had to throw it out.  Bummer =(  I'll probably try again this week. 

 

Vrijdag-  Still super sick but we went to interviews and district meeting in Den Haag.  I had a really great interview with Zuster Robinson and an ok one with President haha.  Then I went to Amsterdam for the rest of the day.  We did service for a while in an old lady's garden and then we went to the church because they were having a BBQ.  I took like an hour nap because I was feeling soo cruddy and then we had the BBQ.  It was the strangest BBQ I've ever been too haha.  They had such .....different food lol.  Anyway it was still good.  I got a blessing from a member in Amsterdam which was really amazing.  He said to be happy and that I need to listen to the Holy Ghost even more than I do now.  He also said that I had a lot of people prepared for me in Amsterdam and in other places, so apparently I will serve in Amsterdam at some time! 

 

Zaterdag- I was still in Amsterdam most of the day.  We had a lesson with a minister and his wife and we taught about the family procolomation and the temple it was a really amazing lesson!  Then we stopped by another one of their investigators Vera and had a short lesson with her.  Then Zuster Rigdon and Larson met up with us in Amsterdam and we had Doners for lunch and ice cream yumm!!  It was pretty late by the time we started to head back to Zoetermeer.  Then I took a nap because I was so tired and I just slept right through the night.

 

Zondag- This was fast sunday but I didn't fast because I was sick.  We had fast and testimony meeting and our eternal investigator, Rens got up and bore his testimony and then said we wants to be baptized!!!  WOW!  We were totally surprised!  After 3 years of investigating he finally has a testimony and wants to be baptized.  It's a miracle.  I probably won't get to see it though since it will be after transfers.  Anyway the rest of the day was kind of hard.  We did some weekly planning and visited a less active member who is losing her testimony.  It's really hard to watch so many people loose their testimonies.  I wish there was more that I could do to help, but they have to be open and willing. 

 

Today I got your package and letters!  AHHH I LOVED IT!  I feel so loved from everyone and I will try to write all of you back within the next week or so.  Well I'm about out of time for today, so I love you all and have a wonderful week!

 

Liefde,

Zuster Cassie Mizell

 

July 1

Hallo familie,

 

Well another week down.  I'll just get into it since I never seem to have enough time.

 

Mandag- Well I don't remember what I said about Monday last week but it was a disaster of a P-day haha.  District P-days just never quite turn out the way we wish.  We did have one of our investigators Lila come to a young adult activiy though.  That was really great.  She seemed to have a wonderful time.  We also went and had a lesson with Wanda and John.  They came to church on Sunday last week but she said she just didn't really feel the connection.  She wants to look into other churches as well.  We told her that that was fine, but to remember that that connection you feel usually comes through time.  She still has agreed to read the BvM so that's really good.

 

Dinsdag- District meeting was great and then later that day we had a lesson with a new investigator Michaela.  We taught her the whole restoration lesson and then watched the restoration video.  After it was over, the Spirit in the room was soo strong and she said she felt something.  Then she said she thinks that it is true.  We also asked her if she really came to know that it was true if she would become a member.  At first she said no, but then after she thought about it a moment she changed her mind and decided that if she really did know it was true why not become a member.  She is moving to Canada at the end of July though so we'll probably have to give her to the missionaries there.  Also we had a good dinner that night with Zuster Dezaire.  She was actually a woman that President Robinson found, taught, and baptized on his mission a long time ago.  She's great. 

 

Woensdag- We went on exchanges this day and I was with Zuster Aston.  We talked to 55 people which was wonderful but didn't really find any potentials.  We had a great dinner with familie Pannhuyzen.  I love the members here I really do.  Then we watched the movie "The Testaments" with our eternal investigator Rens.  That was fun.  We had popcorn and soda, it was a real movie night.

 

Donderdag- I went to Belgium.  It was a pretty good day.  I ate a really delicious pizza for dinner and I got to hear French.

 

Vrijdag- Exchanges again.  This time I was in Zoetermeer with Zuster Raun.  We talked to 35 people including one possibly good potential named Sisco.  We had dinner like we always do on Friday with Zuster Van der Scheer.  She is an amazing lady.

 

Zaterdag- We exchanged back, did weekly planning, had dinner with Elvrida a less active member and then went to the mission home.  We didn't do a whole lot of missionary work, but it was still a productive day.

 

Zondag- We had kerk, and then we finished weekly planning.  Then we went and had dinner at family Tettero which I LOVE.  It was a pretty good day but still kind of a hard one.  We had no one at church which was a bummer after having 4 there last week. 

 

Well that's about my week.  We are having a hard time getting our investigators to progress but I feel like a lot of the members here need us now.  Also we watched the amazing leadership training broadcast it's amazing and I invite you all to watch it.  https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast  It's amazing.  Well until next week.

 

Leifde,

Zuster Cassie Mizell