Hi from Holland!

Dear Family,

We are on Daylight Savings now so we are light forever in the evening.  The days have been so beautiful and warm that we know Spring is here for sure.  Today we went to Alkmaar to attend the YSA Sunday School class, and the fields are a bright yellow with all the daffodils in bloom.  In just a couple of weeks the fields will be a rainbow of color with all the Tulips in full bloom as well.  I will take lots of pictures.

Yesterday we traveled to Emmen, a town just 10 miles from the German Border, to help with yet another apartment for the Elders.  This town has 'been closed' for 2 years because of lack of 'Missionaries"...this week we are getting another 10, so have enough to open up another area.  The town is so quaint and beautiful I would love to serve there.  It is a 2 hour drive from where we live so it was a long day driving up, working and driving back.  The community reminded us of a 'retirement community' because there were so many motorized wheelchairs on the paths.  Here in the Netherlands the Government gives people everything, so, if you are disabled in ANY way, you get a motorized wheelchair.  Cheaper than a car and free..  On the way to Emmen we were in really different turain.....we were driving through Ponderosa Pines; It reminded us of Washington.  We will go back on Tuesday and finish the job since the Elders will be moving in on Wednesday.  Thursday we go to Den Haag and get the apartment ready for the new Senior Couple that will arrive on Saturday.  Always something to do....but we keep out of trouble:)

We received a phone call from our Stake President last night as we were driving home, that the BYU Wind Sympathy will be providing a fireside for the Den Haag Stake May 7th. The Harpers will be here that night so we hope they will be able to attend with us and meet the Stake JoVo's.  It should be fun.

We learned today what the schedule is for next week General Conference.  On Saturday at 6:00 pm we watch the Saturday Morning session.  Sunday at 11:00 am is the General Priesthood Meeting, 2:00 Saturday afternoon session, 5:30 Music and the Spoken Word (live) and 6:00 pm the Sunday Morning Session (live).  I hope they have a translater at the church.  If not I will watch it on the computer.  I LOVE Conference and want to understand what is being said.   Let me write all of that in Dutch:  Zaterdagmorgen uitzending  18:00.

Algemene Priesterschapsvergadering 11:00 uur. Zaterdagmiddag uitzanding 14:00 uur.  Muziek en gesproken woord 17:30 uur. Zondagmorgen uitzending 18:00 uur.  Wow.

We are all excited about Levi.  She was at church today all smiles.  Keep praying for her that she will not have the desire to smoke again so she can be baptized.  While we were visiting with her the other evening, she expressed that she is saving her money to come to America.  She loves the Prophet and wants to be in a place where she can see him personally.  We told her she could come and stay with us, and to come in April or October and we would take her to General Conference.  You would all love her.  We went again with the Elders on Friday evening to visit with a family? I have a question mark because it is a man and lady living together with a 6 year old  child.  It was strange as we were watching the DVD on the Restoration, to have the man drinking beer, another man in the room playing a game on the computer and the little boy playing with a computer toy. After the DVD was over they had the TV on so loud that Opa about said something....but the lady turned it down.  So much for the Elders to do before these people could be converted.  Get married, live the Word of Wisdom, Pay tithing.......another 'we take so much for granted'.  We have so much to be thankful for, just having the Gospel in our lives and having the knowledge of the Scriptures, and a living Prophet to lead and direct us.  Pray for the Missionaries!  This week is transfers again and we are almost sure we will lose one Elder and one Sister.  Both of them are going home in June, so we think they will serve in one more area before they leave.  The Sister has been here since August. We hate to see "our Missionaries" go as we really get close to them.

If you need us in an emergency, we always have our cell phone with us: 0031 65 233 8944.  The Dutch never do anything simple....like a 13 digit phone number:)

I sent pictures the middle of the week and have not taken any since...so the next ones to come will probably be of the Tulip fields. This will be an 'Apartment" week, and we hope a couple of joint teaching with the Elders...that's what we really enjoy. 

Thank you for taking care of Kristine.  We called and talked to Shelby just as they were leaving for the Hospital.  It is hard to be so far away, but Kristine expressed her love for her sisters as they are taking care of her during this time. Shelby is being blessed by having the care that she has and is receiving.

We love you all....thank you for your emails. We look forward to them.  We LOVE being Missionaries and serving the Lord.

Opa and Oma

Elder and Sister deLeeuw

Baptism

Dear Family,

We just returned from joint teaching with the Elders....and Levi, the lady from Surinam, has chosen a Baptism date.  She is going to be Baptized on Easter Sunday, April 8th.  She is SO ready and we were in tears as she said the prayer thanking God for answering HER prayer in sending the Missionaries to her.  This IS what serving a Mission is all about.  She is a "Hair and Skin" Dr....using herbal remedies.  I told her I had worked for a skin Dr. for 25 years and I wanted her to come and visit so I could take her to meet Dr. Parkinson.  She was telling me all sorts of things she uses for different skin conditions.  Here at one of the Hospitals the Dr's recommend her to their patients. She is saving her money to come to Utah, as she loves hearing about the Prophet and she wants to come to General Conference so she can be in the 'room' and feel of the Prophets love.  WOW.....we are on a high.  I told her our family had been praying for her and she said she had felt your prayers.  You are doing Missionary work as well......thank you!

We love you and I just wanted to share this with you before turning out the lights:) We will have happy dreams for sure.

Love, Opa and Oma

More Pictures

Elders who had birthday in the months of Feb and March....dad was the star because it WAS his birthday

                                     Feeding the Elders and Sisters at District meeting

                                JoVo FHE...we had a birthday party.  15 in attendance:)

 Sister deLeeuw with Gina,,,a YSA who we hope to baptize soon.  On the train going to Gouda

                                                        Flowers growing in the lawn

More flowers.  Wouldn't you love to live in one of these apartments.....they are just across the canal from us

                 Elders Larson and Cundick helping make cupcakes for the JoVo FHE.

                         A window in the front door of a house in Leiden....beautiful huh

                                    Oma finally found a cat to pet...that did not run away

More Pictures!

Elder and Zuster deLeeuw
Holland clothes dryer
Garbage bins for those who do not have garbage 'pickup' each week.  One for garbage, one for glass, one for paper and plastic.
Swans are everywhere...they pair for life so you always see two
Our name in bold letters...right at the side of the freeway:)
Again, our name in "Dam square"
The ditches are the fences
What we are driving in the Netherlands
This is the "Dam square"

Another Missionary Week

Dear Friends and Family,

I SOOO hope that I will NOT lose this email.  I will send pictures in a couple of days...as this week has been a very busy one for Elder and Zuster deLeeuw, so I have not had the time to download the new ones we have taken.

A few new fun facts of the Netherlands:  There are no school buses here,  The schools are in the neighborhoods and you would never know they existed because they look just like the apartments buildings.  The kids, grade school to high school, ride their bikes.  It is so fun to see a bunch of high school kids all riding along the bike path just like American kids would be walking home from school.  I have a picture of the garbage disposal here.  There are bin like containers all over among the apartments.  One is for garbage, one glass and one for  paper and plastic.  We are fortunate to have a garbage pickup in our complex, but most people have to dispose of theirs in these containers found at the side of the roads.  You always have to have money with you....because if you need to use the bathroom you have to pay.  Most of the WC (water closets) you pay .50 euros.  There is a lady outside of the bathrooms collecting the money before you can go in.....but there IS toilet paper:)  When you eat at a Restaurant you pay for a TINY bottle of water...and no refills. The cost is 1 euro and if you are still thirsty you pay another euro....but, you do not have to tip the waiters so it comes out even.  On Saturday you better have your shopping done by 5:00. At the stroke of 5 all the stores close and lights are out! The grocery stores stay open just until 8:00....no 7 eleven's here.  We don't know what happens on Sunday for shopping but on Monday the stores do NOT reopen again until 1:00 in the afternoon...then close at 6:00. Only the grocery stores are open at 8:00 am.  You have to plan your shopping carefully.  We have noticed that the eggs are not refrigerated in the stores.  I have mentioned that the eggs just don't seem fresh when we use them.  Well, we heard that they radiate the eggs so they DON'T need to be refrigerated.  If we glow when we come home you will know why:) Fun Huh! And the eggs are all brown.

Last Monday we had some time before FHE so went into Amsterdam on the Tram.  We got off at the Dam Square, that is really what it is called.  Wow, what a place.  In America people that need money stand on a corner with a "will work for food" sign.  In the Dam square there are people that dress in very weird outfits, then try and get you to have your picture taken with them for 2 euros.  I tried to take a picture of one REALLY weird guy, but the Elders told me that if you take their picture, and if they see you they will come after you for the money. This is something you really need to see for yourself.  We DO NOT like downtown Amsterdam!  On the way home our tram just stopped and let everyone off.  Right in the middle of the day the city workers decided to change the Tram line so everyone off and find another way home.  We were so thankful we had the Elders because they knew which bus to get us back home.  While we were waiting for the bus we heard a crash and some screams.  An older man was riding his bike when 2 young men on a motor scooter hit him.  The man went flying, the two on the motor scooter stopped for a minute then took off not even waiting to see how the man was.  People were running to help the older man and you should have heard them yell at the two that took off.  We were glad we did not understand what they were saying.  Big city life is not for us. We made it home just in time to grab our bags of food and head for the church.  We had 12 at FHE and had a great time.

Tuesday we went to Almere to help with the Elders apartment. What a mess.  These apartments are so old and nothing is ever done for improvement unless the church rents them. We are surprised the Elders were not sick from all the dirt that we found when we took up the carpet.  President Brubaker wants all the apartments nice for when the new Mission President comes in July...so that is keeping the Senior Couples busy.

We have been going joint teaching with the Elders, something we love doing.  There is one lady from Surinam, Vivian who has been an interesting visit.  The first time we went with the Elders we got right to her door, takes about 20 minutes by car, an hour on public transportation, and Elder Cundick called to say we were there.  She said she was busy so could not see us. I about cried, but the Elders took it in stride.  The next time we went she saw that dad and I were there, she did not know we were there the first time, and told the Elders she did not want US in her apartment.  The Elders explained that we had to be there because they could not teach her with just the two of them.  After much convincing she let us in.  We left with hugs and an invite back.  Okey....two days later I had purchased some flowers, we were on her door step again ready to teach and show our love for the Gospel....a called was made saying we were there and guess what.  She was busy again.  The Elders were ready to 'cut the string' but on Saturday wanted to give her one last chance.  I was busy cooking so dad went.  When they got to the door and called she invited them in.....and said she would be at church today.  Pray for these young Missionaries as they strive to teach.  Vivian was not at church because she could not find a ride....but she is a sweetheart and the Elders are hopeful.  Levi, the other lady from Surinam who we are praying that she will quit smoking....well, she was at church today, has quit smoking and is talking to her family about being baptized.  There ARE good things happening.  I love to see these ladies at church that we visit during the week.....they are welcomed by the sisters of the ward and seem to enjoy the love of the Gospel.

Thursday was dad's birthday, and one he won't soon forget.  We had Zone Training in Den Haag, and since we feed the Elders I had made cupcakes and had purchased ice cream cups.  After lunch, Sister Brubaker had the Missionaries with birthdays in the months of Feb. and March to come up front so we could sing to them.  The Dutch have  a real 'funky' b-day song they sing, and I hope to learn it before coming home.  Because it was dad's actual b-day he really got the special treatment. 35 Missionaries singing to him....it was great.

Saturday Morning we went to Haarlem for a relief Society Celebration. Sisters had driven for two hours to attend the STAKE celebration.  They had a 'mix and mingle' first, then the Stake RS President spoke.  Such a sweet sister that gave such a sweet Testimony.  She gave a quote from George Q Cannon that I  loved.  She said :"We are so interested in taking our own temperatures that we do not take time to feel the fevers of others around us." We need to forget ourselves and take time to see the need for others." There were many workshops for the Sisters that looked very fun.  We didn't stay long because we wanted to attend the temple.  On Saturday there are only 3 sessions...9:30, noon and 2:30. We wanted to make the noon session and had to drive an hour to get to the Hauge....another 'we take things for granted'.

Saturday we were again invited to joint teach to a young man who is JoVo age, so we were especially excited to visit with him.....but once again, we were ready to go and the "I'm busy" was said again. Today at church the Elders told us that he does not want to see the Elders again.  At the Zone Training meeting, or Mission President told us not to get discouraged when appointments fall through.  He said "don't feel sorry for you, feel sorry for them...they are the ones that are losing out." 

Today we left the apartment at 9:30 and returned tonight at 8:30.  Today was the JoVo deist in Gouda.  Because there were 6 JoVo's going, and we can only take 3 in our car we took the train.  When in the Netherlands, do as the Dutch do....go by train.  What a fun experience.  We took a young girl who is investigating the church who is JoVo age. She especially likes dad.  At the diest they have a fireside first, then dinner and end with Sacrament Meeting.  Tonight they had planned food for 60 and there were 88 in attendance.  But like feeding the 5,000 there was enough and even some for seconds.  The Amsterdam Stake is in charge in May of the Diest so guess who feeds the 5,000 then:)  I think I will have sloppy joes.....the food has to be transported from Amsterdam to Gouda which is about an hour by car......40 minutes by train.  Aren't we having fun. Gina, the young investigator seemed to enjoy herself and gave dad a big kiss when we took her home.  We hope to see her at FHE and Institute this week.

The week has had two beautiful sunny days, then fog and rain.  We go to Daylight Savings this next weekend.  The JoVo's told us that because we are so far North that it gets light about 4;30 in the morning and gets dark at 11:00 at night.....but in the winter it gets light at 8:30 and dark at 4:30.  We will enjoy the summer light.  One of the pictures I will send are the flowers that grow in the lawns here.  There are rows of daffodils that are blooming now and it is beautiful  We can see the tulips growing and in another month this place with all the trees in bloom and the tulips fields in color, we will think we are in Heaven.

We are tired and you are probably too from reading all of this.  We love what we are doing.  Yes we have ups and downs, but that is just life.  We so appreciate all the Birthday wishes, dad had a great day.  We feel of your prayers and thank you for your support as we serve the Lord.  The Dutch people are amazing!  

One more thing.  When dad was here on his Mission in 1963, he baptized a family on Christmas Day.  He has always wondered what happened to that family and if they stayed active in the church.  Tonight while at the Diest, dad was talking to a man that was there, who lives in the city that dad had taught and baptized this family, Brussels, and mentioned this families name.  The man got a smile and said that the Brother that dad baptized was a Branch President and the family had stayed very active in the church. They have since passed away, but had been stalwart members of the church. Learning just that fact makes dad feel blessed to return to 'his' mission field and learn that information.

Love, Opa and Oma

Elder and Zuster deLeeuw

Thank you family

Dear Family,

Thank you for all your cards and phone calls for dads birthday.  We were off early to Zone Training in Den Haag, which takes about 2 hours to get there, depending on the traffic.  I gave Opa a new blue tie with red tulips...it will look nice with his grey suit.  The Senior Sisters fix lunch for Zone Training.  This time I only had to do dessert:) So, being dad's B-day I made chocolate cupcakes and took ice cream cups.  I had little candy bars for decoration on the cupcakes...the Elders and Sisters LOVED them.  Here in the Netherlands they sing a real 'funky' b-day song that I hope to learn before coming home.  Sister Brubaker had the Elders that had B-day's in February and March stand in front of the cultural hall and everyone sang this b-day song to them.....then, since TODAY was Elder deLeeuw's day, 34 Missionaries sang the traditional American B-day song to him.  In a few days look on the MISSION Blog and there will be a picture of dad with the other Elders.  It is a day he won't forget.  SO FUN:) We miss being with OUR family on special days, but love being where we are doing what we are doing....serving the Lord as Missionaries.  There will be LOTS of birthdays we will celebrate as a family. The Zone leader ask me to lead the singing today.....I just smiled and lead the songs not knowing how to pronounce the words.....the Missionaries all laughed at me when I did try......the Dutch language is NOT friendly!

This has been a busy week and I will write an email Sunday.  We go to Gouda again this Sunday for the JoVo deist....and this time we are going on the train and be real Dutch Missionaries. It will be an experience to write about for sure. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!":) The weather this week has been so warm and nice...but I am sure it will rain again as it always does in a day or two.

We love you more than you'll ever know...and once again express our appreciation for your sacrifice in helping us serve this Mission. Thank's again for all the greetings.

Love, Opa and Oma

Thank you

Dear Family,

Just wanted to send OUR family a short note....Dad and I were visiting this morning and mentioned that this is where we need to be at this time.  Thank you so much for your sacrifice and help so that we can serve the Lord on this Mission.  We pray for you each day and give thanks for the WONDERFUL family we have.  We could not do this without your help.  We SOOOOOO love and appreciate you! We LOVE being Missionaries.

Love Opa and Oma

And more pictures

Locks in Edam

                                                  Wooden shoes   deLeeuw   The Lion

   Hotel and restaurant in Edam

                                                      Cats in many windows

                                            Look at the window covering tulips

                                Love this picture.  Old Dutch man waking to the market.

                                                Look how crooked this house is:)

                                                     Narrow street in Edam

More pictures

                                             Eating too much cheese and bread:)

                                                           Dad eating raw herring?

                                                       Mom eating raw herring:)

                                                  Fence decorations in Edam

                                                                   House in Edam

                                                                            Canal

                                                 Doesn't dad look like a Dutchman:)

                                                                    Love windmills

                                              Easter candy....See's eat your heart out

Pictures

There is a cat at the Diemen shopping center that is always just hanging around.  This day the cat was lying right in the middle of the walkway just looking at everyone...and everyone walked around the cat.....GO CAT!

The garbage can where the Book of Mormon was thrown in the 'Best two years' movie
The train stations where the film was filmed

Bikes, and more bikes, and more bikes

Kim our FHE coordinator

And you thought our stairs were steep.  Kim has to walk up 32 of these to get to her apartment

How Oma will decorate her bike when she gets home:)

Another Week

Dear Familie and Friends,

Can you believe how quickly the weeks are flying by! Seems just like yesterday I was sitting here sending you all an email and here we are again. This had been such an interesting week and we are excited to share some experiences with you

Today we put 195 kilometers on the car doing Missionary work.  This morning we drove about 1/2 hour East (who knows what direction we were going...it is East to me;) with 3 of our JoVo's to visit the Almere Ward.  We have 5 wards that belong to the Amsterdam Centrum and we are going to visit them all in the next month and personally invite the YSA's to attend FHE and Institute.  There were 7 YSA in the class today and 2 YSA we have not seen at the Centrum said they would come this week. The Bishop is so supportive of the JoVo Centrum but knows how hard it is for these kids to get to Amsterdam.  He told us today he was going to call a couple to be in charge of the Almere YSA to help transport them to our Centrum.  All of the cars here in Holland are very small and can only hold 2 or 3 at the most in the back seat, so transportation is a big problem.  3 of the JoVo's from our council that were with us today had to take a train to Almere.  Kim, our FHE coordinator took a Bus from Haarlem to the Central Station in Amsterdam, then a tram to the church to meet us.  My "we take so much for granted" statement for the week. We will visit Harrlem next week then Alkmarr the next.  Den Helder is SO far away we would not expect any of those kids to come. We are just expressing our love and telling them what we do and want them to come and feel the spirit.  I, Zuster deLeeuw come up with a really neat thing.  Drum roll. "When you see the word CENTRM....what is missing?  "U".  Cute huh! Anyway, after we spent 3 hours at Almere we hurried home, picked up the Zusters and a darling young lady who is investigating the church and headed West???? to Den Haag, which is about an hour away for a baptism.  The young lady who is the investigator has never seen a baptism...so at 4:00 there was a baptism in Den Haag the Zusters wanted her to see.  We walked in at 3:50 and found out the Bishop had changed the time to 3:00 so we missed the baptism. The Zuster Missionaries were about in tears. We were able to visit with Ward Members, the Elders serving in Den Haag, the Ward Mission Leader, the Bishop.....and they were all so sweet and apologized about the lack of communication.  We hope for a Baptism the 18th of March in the Amsterdam Ward....5 minutes away and Jeana can hopefully witness a Baptism and set her own date to enter the waters.  She is 23 years old and just radiates with sweetness.  She is so shy and Elder deLeeuw is always teasing her about her cold hands but warm heart. She loves that!  We will keep you posted. This is what Missionary work is all about.  Not the number of miles on the car, but the joy of being with the JoVo's and those who are seeking for Eternal Happiness.

Last week I told you in about meeting with the Ward Council and how we marvel at how they keep track of all the members of the ward.  The Bishop told Elder deLeeuw that there are 156,000 people living in the Amsterdam Ward boundaries.  And we complain about doing our RS and Home Teaching in walking distance. There is a change here in the Netherlands for young men going on Missions.  The Government pays for schooling for 4 years...but IF you drop out for any reason during those 4 years you are on your own...so, young men, at the age of 18 are going on Missions so when they come back they can go to school and have their schooling paid for, no interruptions. It will be interesting to see what happens...18 seems very young.

Kim, our FHE coordinator lives in Haarlem which is about 1/2 hour from here.  Haarlem is where the "Best Two Years" was filmed.  We have heard that many of the LDS people are in the film, including several of our YSA's.  We are eager to see the movie again as we will recognize the Train Station and some of the actors. I took a picture of the garbage can where the Book Of Mormon had been thrown. Cool Huh.  Kim invited Elder deLeeuw and I to spend a few hours with her in Haarlem, and we love to spend time with 'our' YSA's, especially when they make an invite.  Haarlem is where the Correy Ten Boom Huis is.....have you read 'The Hiding Place'? Talk about a tour.  Very few, if anything has been changed and the actual 'hiding place' as amazing.  6 people would hide in this tiny space, 3 sitting down, 2 standing up.  One day some of Hitlers men got 'wind' that the Ten Booms were hiding these German people and stayed in the house for 3 days....all while these people were hiding in this tiny space. No food or water and just a small can for a toilet.  Hard to imagine.  Read the book if you have not....Correy was taken to a concentration camp where she taught many from the Bible.  She was released from the camp, on accident, one week before the whole camp was put in the gas chamber. She knew God had preserved her for some reason and spent the rest of her life going around the world preaching about  Gods Love. The tour was in English, of course for us, but we found it very interesting, Kim told us, that the tour guide asked several times about our badges and what church we were from.  If we tour again we will take a Book of Mormon and leave it on the table:)

My new word for the week is Korting....means discount!!! Dayna Lee asked if dad was helping me cook.  Dad can peel and cut a cucumber like a pro.....dice onions, wash dishes and he carries more pans in and out of the house than you ever will. We wonder what the neighbors think as we carry all the pans of food out 3 times a week.  He also is the 'handy man' for the Elders and Zusters.  He is fixing bicycles, gates, lights, trimming vines from their back yards.  He is one 'handy man' to have around. He is complaining about his 'white hands'.

Yesterday, Saturday, one of the Senior Couples called and wanted to know if we could 'do something' with them.  Their daughter was getting Married in the Provo Temple and Sister Anderson was just in tears.  Their daughter is 43, never been married, and wanted to wait until the Anderson's returned home in August.  As good parents they told her NOT to wait for them but to get on with her life as a wife with her Eternal Companion. It just broke our hearts as they were watching their watches and counting down as to when the marriage would take place. There were just 3 of the Senior Couples that could travel that day, so we were off to have a day to make the Anderson's try and forget home.  We went to Volendam which is a tourist Dutch town right on the sea side.  Very quaint and cute.  While we were there Elder Anderson and Van Komen found raw Herring......I took a picture of dad and you decide for yourself if he ate the Herring or not.  No Cameron, Oma will NOT be eating raw Herring.  I was gagging just watching them...it was worse than chocolate. We got a laugh. We then went to my favorite little town yet....Edam. The E is pronounced as A....talk about quaint.  I took pictures of that as well and you will see why it is as favorite.  SO much beauty in this part of the world it is hard to describe.  The fields keep getting greener and there are little lambs running all around.  We found one field that had 8 windmills. Can't get enough windmills.  This week has been VERY dark and dreary.....lots of low clouds and rain.  Everyone is looking forward to warm, long daylight hours.  With daylight savings it is light at 11;00 pm we are told.  YEA! (Notice dad's new hat.  He looks like a Dutchman for sure:)

Well, we start another week tomorrow. Last week we cooked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then went to Amersfoort Thursday and Friday to help put the finishing touches on the apartment for the Elders.  The funny story of the week.  Two times a month the Amsterdam ward cooks a meal for anyone who wants to attend...these people love to get together but live so far away from the church only see each other on Sunday...so they have a meal prepared by one of the ward members who signs up to do so.....guess what meal they want.  American, and who is from America!!!!!!! And the beat goes on.  NO, I will not cook for the Cascade 6th Ward when we return:) We love whatever we are doing knowing that things need to be done and we are here to do them. Another funny....I baked a white cake...no cake mixes.  The flour here has very little gluten so bake goods do not rise well. I was making a jello poke cake, so after the cake had baked 40 minutes I poked a hole in it to pour the jello in and the cake was just runny in the middle.  So back in the oven....after about an hour the cake was finally done.  Oh my, talk about heavy.  I poured 2 packages of jello on it so it looked pretty.  As one of the Elders was carrying the cake into the church, noticing how heavy it was, made the comment: "Zuster deLeeuw, are we going to get lead poisoning"? The cake was consumed and no one died.

We express our love once again to all of you. We LOVE being Missionaries in the service of our Savior. We are so enjoying reading the Book of Mormon again, with a different purpose as directed by our Mission President. We are thankful for a living Prophet and are eager to hear him speak to us in the next few weeks at Conference.

Love, Opa and Oma aka: Elder and Zuster deLeeuw