June 9, 2014

Well hey there my dear family and friends.  So if you hadn't noticed it's Wednesday.  Monday this last week is what Europeans like to call Second Pentecostal day and nothing is open those days.  Also we had a huge ward activity so my lovely companion and I decided to change our P-day so we could email and also go grocery shopping and have time to go do something that is normally closed on a monday.  Today we are going to the openlucht museum openair museum that's the link if you want to learn more about it.  Anyway it looks awesome and I hope to come back with a pair of klompen and some good pictures.  Well I guess I should go into the last week and a half but I think I'm just going to do it all in one run.  Ok so thinking about the last 10 days or so nothing too extremely exciting has happened.  A couple weeks ago my poor Zuster Taylor totally biffed it on her bike and took a good chunk of skin out of her chin.  OUCH!  We had to go to the hospital but they just put a bandage on it that she had to wear for a week and she looked kind of like Santa haha.  Other than that we had a really good zone conference a couple weeks ago.  I had to give a presentation on mini lessons and I was super nervous but it ended up going pretty well I suppose.  I also got to see my lovely Zuster Woodbury whom I adore =)  Also afterwards I had a really good talk with Zuster Robinson and we just talked about where I was and how far I had come.  She started crying and saying no one knew what I had been through and if anyone deserved to be here it was me.  She told me how proud she was of me and it felt so good.  As far as missionary work it's going pretty well.  We are still finding and teaching quite a bit of people.  We are still trying to really find those people that are ready to progress though.  It's so hard when you find someone and teach them the first lesson and they are so positive and then the next day they literally fall off the face of the earth.  With that being said though we really are finding those that are sincere.  It's just hard to meet with them this time of year because everyone is leaving on vacation and busy but I guess people are always busy.  If it's important enough to them they will make time.  We were dropped by a couple of our positive investigators like Ahmed but yesterday we set a baptismal date with Brigitta so that's good =)  Also Adrienne is doing pretty well.  She came to church again this last week.  Also we got several referrals last week which look to be promising.  On monday we did the first ever Lehi Familie Cup.  It was just like a field day for families and it was a lot of fun.  We had like relay races, stroop waffel eating contests, basketball, waterballoon volleyball, treasure hunts etc.  Then we had a super lekker BBQ at the end.  Also yesterday I wasn't feeling very good so that was kind of a bummer.  We went outside in the morning and had a great lesson with Adriana and then with Brigitta then I stayed inside and slept a lot.  I got a Priesthood blessing and I am feeling MUCH better!  I am so grateful for the power of the Priesthood.  Mom I wish you good luck with the carnvial today.  I will be thinking about you.  Also exactly what day is recital?  I sent you a really late Mother's day card so you should get it sometime.  Brenton I wrote and am sending you a letter today!  I am sending it to your mission home address though.  Man am I proud of you!  It's awesome to hear that you like the MTC so much.  I loved the MTC.  It's too bad that you are there for so short a time though.  Enjoy the Spirit that is there, it's incredible.  Daddy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY last sunday.  I LOVE YOU!  I thought about you and started writing you a letter.  I'll finish it today and hopefully send it off by tomorrow.  Brevin I'm glad to hear that things are going well with you.  I'm sorry you broke your toe though that's stinky =(  But I'm glad to hear about the other news ;)  Just remember no kissing until you're 61!  haha jk but seriously.....  Oh also we had stake conference this last Saturday and Sunday.  It was awesome because on Saturday I got to see a lot of the people from Zoetermeer including my convert Rens.  He is doing really good and preparing to go to the temple soon =)  Man life as a missionary is amazing!  I love every second of it and I hate that it's coming so soon to an end.  I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Veel liefs,

Zuster Mizell

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May 26, 2014

Well hey there everyone!  I didn't really get a lot of emails this week so I have more time to write a good long email =)  I hope that I have enough interesting things to write haha.  Well to start off there hasn't really been anything of huge significance this week that I feel I should tell you all about.  It's just been a good regular week of missionary work which I love =)  Things are going well here in Almere.  The work is progressing and we are finding new people everyday.  The weather is beautiful!  Sunny and warm.  My companion is great and I am still missing Turnhout but I am learning to love Almere more and more each day.  Well with that I guess I'll just go into the  week.

 

Maandag-After emailing we went to dinner with Familie August and they are super sweet.  They told me that I don't have an American accent but that I have an easter European sounding accent.  haha I also heard that yesterday so apperently I'm no longer American.  Then we went to FHE at the Fam. H Jr.  That was fun and then we just went home because it was the end of the day.

 

Dinsdag- We had district meeting in Almere and honestly it wasn't good at all.  Our district leader basically told us not to set high goals and that we couldn't teach 20 lessons a week.  The Spirit wasn't there at all and it kind of effected the rest of our day.  After that though we went and taught Ahmed from Iran with Heidi.  It was kind of a freaky lesson but good.  He wants to learn more and he's a really sincere sweet guy.  Then we talked to Heidi for a little bit.  She is a recent convert and she is such a sweet heart!  I'm so impressed by these YSA that can go against what their family thinks to do what they know is right.  Then we went and did service at Fam. H Sr.  We worked in their garden and it was pretty fun.  Then we ran to Aji and Henry's house for a lesson with Madelon who is another YSA recent convert.  The lesson didn't go very well though.  They like having us over but they aren't willing to change.  I think that's one of the hardest things about being a missionary is letting go of the people you love when you know there is nothing else you can do to help them.

 

Woensdag- We had a lesson with a muslim man from Sudan who is currently living in a refuge camp.  His name is Abdalla and he is actually really cool.  He accepted the first lesson really well and made another appt.  Then we went contacting and we met this cute Phillipino woman who is Catholic and gave her a BvM and set up a return appt. with her.  Then we went and had a lesson with an inactive Johanna and it went ok.  We tried talking about the importance of the Sacrament but I don't think she really got it.  Then we went to go to an apt. with a member but then we couldn't find his house which was a bummer so then we just contacted someone on the street and had a lesson with them there =)  Then we went to another lesson with Brigitta but she wasn't there so we ended up contacting and found some new people then when we went back to Brigitta's house we met her aunt Laveia who said she was interested to!  So we taught her a quick lesson and then set up an apt. to come back.  We had dinner with Zuster Wolff but it was kind of weird.  She basically dissed like all of the missionaries haha.  I think she was still a little under the effects of her surgery.  We had a lesson with Adriënne after that and it went well.  We tried to set a baptismal date with her but she didn't want to.  She believes it's all true but she doesn't like coming to church and she doesn't have that conviction yet.  But there is still hope for her =)

 

Donderdag- We went to an apt in the morning we had set up with a potential but she didn't end up being there so we went contacting and found a few people to talk to.  After that we had a lesson with Laveia and Brigitta.  We taught the restoration again and it went really well =).  They had lots of questions but they accepted the baptismal invitiation and agreed to read the BvM.  Then we had lunch and then went and visited an inactive Magnolia.  She is really sweet but she is having a hard time because her Aunt just passed away.  We went to dinner at Zuster Lauren's house after that.  She basically sews all of her own clothes and she made some good food but she didn't like my spiritual message.  Then we went to Ahmed again with Zuster Rutten and it went REALLY well!  He loved it and said he wanted to come to church.  He's read like 1/3 of the BvM in Arabic and he said he feels peace when he reads and when we come over =)  After that we went contacting and found these two really sweet YSA girls Kim and Sharifa and had quick lessons with them on the street =)  It was a great day.

 

Vrijdag- Did scripture study with Adiranna then went home and did weekly planning.  Went to Zuster Deels for dinner and helped her make a Mormon.org profile.  Then we had a lesson with Adriënne and it went really well =)  Then a lesson with Cornelie an inactive and it didn't go well.  =(  It makes me so sad to see these people lose their testimonies of the Restored Gospel.  I don't ever want that to happen to me. 

 

Zaterdag- Had a lesson with Mohammed another muslim from Sudan who was pretty open.  Then contacted most of the day with a little success.  Then we had dinner with Zuster Wallé and she is super cool.  Love that woman.  She's such a sweetie.  Then we had a lesson with Nanci another inactive. 

 

Zondag- Had correlation and we are planning this huge activity for the ward on the 9th of June with family games and then a BBQ so that should be fun.  Church was good.  Ahmed came!  And I think he liked it.  Then Ivan this inactive member came and brought two friends with him and one of them was named Joan.  She's super cute and we talked to her and set up an apt. with her =)  Also I had to translate to English for her and that was HARD!  Props to all those people that can translate!  Then we went to this cool singing thing for Madelon and that was fun and then we contacted but didn't really see any success.  We did find this other inactive woman though who has no interest in coming back.  Then we went to Familie Koens's house for dinner.  She's from America and we had BBQ and it was lekker!  It was really fun to talk to her =)  She kind of reminds me of Sister Marble.  Then on the way home we contacted this guy and he was super open and said that he felt like God had sent us to talk to him.  It was sweet!

 

Wonder of the week: Definitely mini-lessons.  We just contact people on the street and then read a scripture and talk to them about a gospel principle usually the Restoration and then say a prayer with them.  It's amazing when you read the scripture and then say the prayer with them you see them feel the Spirit and it's amazing.  I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!!

 

Grapje of the week: Was probably our dinner appt. with Zuster Wolff.  It was pretty crazy and she said some funny stuff like how whenever she's in the temple she always gets so hot and she thinks it's because she's the only black woman in the room so the Spirit comes especially to her haha.  She was totally out of it.

 

Ok well we are about to go chill out at the beach for the rest of P-Day so I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!!  =)

 

Veel liefs,

Zuster Mizell