More Pictures

JoVo Choir at Benjamin's Missionary Farewell
President Hoole's little girls. The blond is the one that brought me the book to read.
We SO remember the 'Hoppity Horse' you girls used to bounce around on......look familiar?
Glenn, the young man from Venezuela, we are reactivating, helping me make cupcakes.
Some of our JoVo's playing Phase 10 at FHE
President and Sister Robinson, Sister Van Geenen, Sister Palenikova. The morning we sent Sister Van Geenen to the MTC.
Arif......our JoVo from Turkey. He left last Monday to return home.

Hope you enjoy the pictures =)
Love you

Pictures

The sign reads...."do not park bicycles here." We laughed.
Shopping carts are locked together.....you need a special coin or 50 cents to unlock the cart...then you get the coin back when you return the cart. Wish this would be done in the USA!
The street the Dentist office is located where we had to take Sister Davies
The car parked RIGHT next to the canal......NO rail!
Frozen canal in front of the Dentist office
Zoom in on this......the sign posted in the Emergency Room. How bad is the 'pijn' Pain
Elder Schulte...in the chair.....Elder Van Rij......the start of a VERY long Emergency Room visit

Ice Skating

Dear Familie and friends,

Yea, finally we again see the Dutch people ice skating. There is a pond not far from us that is frozen, and a small canal as well that has ice thick enough to ice skate. It is so fun to see families holding hands skating...even little ones. When you see pictures of Holland in the winter, this is the picture you frequently see. Dad loves to see parents pulling their kinderen on the sleighs along the walking paths. Holland IS a beautiful place in every season. Last Wednesday night at Institute, Brother Kat told us that last Monday, the 21st, was 'black Monday'........this is the day that has the least daylight hours....like the 21st of December in the US. Brother Kat said now we start getting more daylight each day.....one minute at a time. We WILL take all the daylight we can get....one minute at a time =)

Last Sunday we attended the Missionary Farewell for one of our JoVo's, Benjamin Westra. The farewell was held in the Alkmaar Branch. The church building is very small with it being just a Branch Building. The place was packed! Benjamin is very well known, so there were JoVo's from all over the Nation. Benjamin's mother had asked that the JoVo's sing a song, Benjamin not knowing about this. Well, here in the Netherlands with so few Missionaries leaving to serve, the Stake President sets the Missionaries apart for their missions right after Sacrament meeting while everyone is still there. After Sacrament meeting there was about a 10 minute break, then the Stake President stood up and asked that all the JoVo's in attendance come to the front. You should have seen Benjamin's face......they had asked if I would play the piano as they sang, an honor for me.....they sang 'I'll Go Where You Want me to Go.' Dad counted, and he thinks there were between 35 to 40 singing......wow, talk about a choir. After the song, President Oddens set him apart as a Missionary. Tears all around. After the setting apart, Benjamin stood at the front of the chapel and everyone stood in line to shake his hand....many giving him small gifts. What an experience for everyone to see 'one of their own' leaving to serve the Lord. It was so cute, as I shook his hand, Benjamin told me that I could not give him a hug because he was now a Missionary. Another 'take it for granted' with ALL the Missionaries leaving  from the Utah Wards. We had Arif, the recent convert from Turkey, and Glenn, the Young man we are helping to reactivate, with us, and this meeting really made an impression.

As we left Alkmaar heading to Gouda, it started to snow. We were kind of wishing we could just drive home rather than being on the Freeway heading another direction. The closer we got to Gouda the worse the weather got....oh my. Dutch drivers are aggressive drivers, almost as bad as Utah drivers, but everyone was driving in their own lanes, being very cautious. Dad mentioned several times that he wished he had his truck or the Pilot to drive in this snowy weather. The Gouda meeting attendance was small because so many of the JoVo's were at Alkmaar. The Den Haag Stake was in charge of the meal, that means us, so we had only planned on serving about 40 to 45. Chili, rolls, vegetables and home made cookies. There is a Fireside first, then the meal, ending with Sacrament meeting. Usually they have a speaker, but this meeting they used as a Testimony Meeting. Almost all the JoVo's that bore Testimony are converts to the church. They told how joining the church had changed their lives, and how grateful they were to have been Baptized. Another GREAT meeting for Arif and Glenn. One the way home Arif told dad and I that we were 'Good Shepherds, taking care of our sheep.' We so enjoyed having these two young men with us...this is why we are here......being 'Shepherds' to our JoVo's. Arif leaves Monday to return to Turkey....we sure hate to see him go. He will leave with good memories, friends from the Amsterdam Center, and a stronger Testimony.

OK......cooking for Gouda Sunday. FHE Monday. Lunch for Zone Training Wednesday, and dinner for Institute Wednesday night. My arm was really aching the other night, and we decided it was from all the repetitive motion of making so many cookies, and stirring. CES does mean 'cooking every second'!

At Zone training we were all enjoying the instruction being given by our Zone Leaders....one of the Sisters, Sister Nogueira suddenly got up and left the room. Her companion, Sister Omozokpia, love the names, got up and followed her out. All of a sudden we heard a thud, and saw Sister Nogueira lying on the floor. We went running. Sister Nogueira suffers from a 'low blood pressure' condition, and spent most of her time at the MTC in the Hospital. She was still sent on her Mission. She has been on some medication that is not available here in the Netherlands, so the condition worsens.....President Robinson is trying to get her into a specialist to get some help...but in the meantime she faints. She had fainted on Sunday at church. We got her into a room, settled down on some coats to keep her warm...her sweet companion Sister Omozokpia came up to me, put her head in my shoulder and just sobbed. She said she was so scared that something would happen and she would not know what to do. Both Sisters were given a Priesthood Blessing, and we just pray that Medical care will come soon, so that Sister Nogueira will not have to leave the Mission and go home. Keep praying for the Missionaries! Speaking of Missionaries......our new District Leader is Elder Mower. We told him that one of our Favorite Bishops was Bishop Mower, so we know we are in good hands.

We were planning on attending the temple Friday night with the Amsterdam Ward. A couple of newly Baptized Members were going to the temple for the first time to do Baptism's, so we were eager to go be with them. Both the AP's and Elders had asked us to go joint teaching with them, which we turned down because of us going to the temple.....another phone call =) It was Elder Shulte, one of the AP's.'Sister deLeeuw, I have a pain on my right lower side, I've had the pain for over a week, but it is getting worse. What should I do?" Blessings all around, as we were able to get him into a Huisart, (Dr.) right here in our neighborhood. No appointment, but the Dr. did see him. A call was made to the AMC hospital, where we have taken a couple of other Elders before, so we knew right where to go. It is almost impossible to be seen in an emergency room here without a referral from a Huisart. Elder Shulte was evaluated by 3 different Dr.s, each saying they needed someone else to evaluate. Blood work and UA done......4 hours later, oh, they did give him something for the pain, which is very unusual, because the Dr's here don't give pain pills or antibotics.....Elder Shulte was told he has a virus that would go away in a week. This Elder is very strong, and can endure pain, so when he will admit he IS in pain, we know he is hurting. The Mission Dr. that is over all the European Missions is a Surgeon, and when we spoke with him Friday night, he was very concerned. Saturday morning Elder Shulte went back to the hospital for more blood work, was told no infection, virus...we will keep you posted. While we were waiting in the waiting room, there was a darling little girl running around. I had a little pocket mirror in my purse that I took out and gave her. She had dad look in the mirror, he would pull a face, and the little girl would just giggle. Well.....we had a 'pass a long' card with a picture of a family on it. I had also shown her the picture of our family that I carry all the time. SO, doing Missionary work, we gave her the card, which she gave to her moeder. There are ALWAYS opportunities to do Missionary work....even sitting in a hospital waiting room. Sister Davies has had a bad tooth ache for a week, so Saturday we had to take her to a Dentist .Another phone call and dreaded drive into the heart of Amsterdam. The Dentist office was located on a narrow, one way street, right next to one of the Canals. When we drove up to the address I thought the GPS had made a Hugh mistake .Graffiti on all the doors, bars, oh my. When we walked into the office I was pleasantly surprised  to what we saw. A very professional office, with very professional help. The girl at the front desk said that the first time her mother took her to work, she was surprised at the office location. Sister Davies was SUPPOSE to have an appointment at 1:45.....she had called THAT morning to make the appointment. Her name was NOT on the Schedule. Give the receptionist brownie points, she could see Sister Davis was in pain, so she asked the Dentist if SHE could take a quick look at the tooth. A root canal was needed, so we were asked if we could wait for an hour, and they would work her in. 4 hours later we were on our way home. Another blessing......dad was able to park right outside the office, which was a miracle, because of the street we were on, and being in Amsterdam. He sat in the car all that time and just enjoyed watching all the people walk and ride by. This week we are the Senior Couple Ambulance, Emergency, Service. We are so glad we are here to help these Elders and Sisters, and they are glad to have us here. They may be Missionaries, but they still like a Vader and Moeder (Opa and Oma) to comfort them.

Saturday, more snow, wind, and cold temperatures......no freezing rain and inversion, so we know we get no Sympathy from home =) Just makes the ice thicker for more ice skating. The Sisters had an appointment Saturday afternoon, while we were at the Dentist....there are 3 in Amsterdam now....they rode their bikes to Noord Amsterdam, which is a good hours ride from where we live. They had called the man they were to meet with just before they left, had another young woman from the Ward ride her bike to meet them for the visit. IT IS COLD!! He said he was waiting for them. Frozen, but doing Missionary work they show up for the 4:00 appointment.....and you can guess what happened. No answer at the door or phone pickup. The poor Sisters had to ride ALL the way back to Diemen. When they came in our apartment to get Sister Davies they were about in tears from being so cold. I was about in tears seeing them. Their attitude: "it's just Missionary work, we get this all the time." Wow, now that is obedience. We fixed them some WARM soup, fresh baked cookies, of course, let them thaw out, and they were out the door, with smiles on their faces to go to their 7:00 pm appointment. Gotta love these Elders and Sisters. They are all counting the days until warmer temperatures come to the Netherlands. It is fun to watch them peel off all the layers of clothes they wear.

This morning we attended the Lelystad Branch. The Branch President is 29 years old, with a family of 3 children.....very unusual for a 'Dutch man.' He served his Mission in the Provo South Mission, so we guess some of the 'Utah marriage ways' rubber off on him. He was thrilled because there were 77 in attendance at Sacrament meeting this morning. That is more than double the attendance since he was sustained as the Branch President. This Branch has really had some problems with hurt feelings, so it has taken President Hoole some time to get the members back. We were asked by the Elders to attend the investigators class. A young 15 year old girl, a member, had invited her friend, not a member, to be taught by the Elders. The Elders gave her a Book of Mormon and the girl seemed so pleased. See, you are NEVER to young to be a Missionary!!! We were able to bear our Testimonies about Jesus Christ, a living Prophet on the earth today, and the Book of Mormon. President Hoole is really excited, because he can see the time that the small Branch building will need to have an expansion as the numbers grow. With more Missionaries coming, this WILL BE a reality! After the meetings, we were invited to President Hoole's home for lunch. I told dad that I thought we would have ham and cheese sandwiches. Sure enough. The people here just set everything on the table and you make your own.....taking everything out of the packages. We had fun playing with the children, and the one little girl brought me a story book for me to read to her......a Dutch story book. Hey, I read the words as I thought they should sound, she kept turning the pages, so I guess I did alright. We talked about the JoVo's in that Branch and how we can get them coming to FHE. There are 7 YSA's, all inactive.....we hope to find a way to get them coming out again. The one young man who was coming when we were going to Lelystad twice a month, is having some emotional problems, so he is not attending now. We have not been to Lelystad for a month because of no attendance. We think we have a plan, so with prayer and Faith, we can get these YSA's coming.

Well, that is our week in review......we are ready for the week ahead and what it may bring. Each morning we ask ourselves what adventure will we have before going to bed that night. French toast and fruit for FHE, Enchilada's, salad and carrot cake for Institute. We look forward to Thursdays when we know we don't have to shop for a couple of days.

As dad and I were reading out of the Book of Moroni the other day, we were reading Chapter 8...Mormon writing to his son Moroni. I said this sounds like us writing to our family. Verse 2: My (our) beloved son...(.daughters.)..verse 3: I (we are) am  mindful of you always in my (our) prayers, continually praying unto  God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.

We love you.....have a good week.

Vader and Moeder

Opa and Oma

Elder and Zuster deLeeuw

Phone calls

Dear Family and Friends,

Ok, when we said it HAD been a mild winter so far, we think Mother Nature heard us and decided to show who is boss. It snowed for two days, only have about 3 inches on the ground, but it is COLD. Each day the layer of ice on the canal gets a little thicker, so we hope to see some ice skating before long. Poor ducks. They just sit on the ice looking so miserable and cold. Monday night after FHE it was snowing, slick roads, cold, and several of our Young adults had to ride their bikes home. One girl had a 40 minute bike ride. We find it interesting that the bike paths are cleared of snow, but NOT the walking paths. Dad and I decided to be brave   and walk to the 'winkle centrum' the day it was snowing. We first stopped and fed the ducks. So far so good...then we turned the corner, a gust of North wind hit us and we turned around and headed for the car. We laugh as we call ourselves 'spoiled Americans' who DO have a car, and are glad we DO NOT have to walk or ride bikes. We see mothers, and fathers, riding their bikes with little children in front, all bundled up, like this is all they know. We complain if it is too hot, and complain if it is too cold. Holland IS beautiful in the winter, we do hope to see some ice skaters, and we DO NOT have inversion.....so we know you don't feel sorry for us =)

The subject of this email you noticed is: Phone calls. When Dayna Lee was here she asked what we did each day. We laughed at that, and told her that when we get up in the morning we never know how our day will go. Whenever our phone rings, we wait for the surprise. Monday we were getting ready to shop for FHE when the phone rang. It was Zuster Townsend one of the Amsterdam Zusters. "Sister deLeeuw, Zuster Palenikova just walked in the door and Zuster Van Geenen is lost." Another lost Sister in Amsterdam! Long story short.....Sister Van Geenen is the Sister from the Netherlands who has been called to serve in Palmyra, and has been waiting for her Visa. She finally got word that the Visa had been approved, and she needed to go to the American Consulate. When she and Sister Palenikova arrived at the Consulate, they would only let Sister Van Geenen in. It is cold, and after 2 hours of no Sister Van Geenen appearing, walking outside, feet numb, hands freezing, Sister Palenikova got on the tram and came home. The American Consulate building is clear downtown Amsterdam.....where we do not like to drive. We called the Mission Office and spoke with the AP's as to what to do. We were afraid if we headed down in the car, Sister Van Geenen could be on the Tram coming back to Diemen. She had no phone, so we could not leave any sort of a message. OK.....smart Sister Van Geenen.....it had taken 21/2 hours for her to answer all the questions, finger printed...etc....when she left the building, no companion. She walked up to a nice, safe looking older man, and asked if she could use his cell phone. She called her dad, who in turn called the Mission office, who in turn called us, to let us know where she was. Yes, we did had to take the dreaded drive into Amsterdam, but we got Sister Van Geenen home safe and sound. She leaves Monday for Provo to enter the MTC to start her REAL mission. It has been a pleasure having her here and we hate to see her go. She has been riding her beautiful Dutch bike while serving here, and last night she told us she was giving the bike to me....wow, a treasure. We are going to try and figure someway to ship the bike home so you can all have a bike ride the 'true Dutch' way.=)We will have Sister Van Geenen at the airport 6:00 am Monday. Good thing we only live 15 minutes drive away.

Phone call #2.....the Amsterdam Ward tries to have a Ward dinner twice a month. Different people sign up to prepare the meal. The meals are on Wednesdays...Tuesday night 10:30 the phone rings, and the lady who was suppose to prepare the meal for the next day, explains to me that it is cold, she might have to work late,etc. so would I prepare the meal. Bring it on!!!!!!!!! Dad and I had discussed just that evening, the idea of having a Potato Bar for the YSA's. So, Wednesday morning we get up and get to the store....almost a daily adventure,to get all the makings for the Potato Bar for the Ward dinner. Potatoes, chili, cheese, broccoli, sour cream, Ranch Dressing that the Evertons had left when they went home, and green onions. I had also fixed a jello salad and a Texas Sheet cake for dessert. We were a hit. Because the Dutch people eat so many potatoes we were surprised they enjoyed this so much. It was all the 'toppings' and how it was put together we guess. Several people ate two helpings...and we were asked to make the jello again. We fed 35. Got to love the phone calls. We just take them one at a time, and hope we can do what the call might ask.

Transfers were this week, and we had no one from the Amsterdam group leave. Next transfer will being lots of changes, as we lose yet another large group going home. One of the AP's came over Thursday evening to visit, of course with his Companion, and was in tears, because he leaves in 8 weeks. When these Missionaries serve with 'all their Might, mind and Strength.' they hate to leave  where they have loved the Country and people they have been serving. The AP's came to share their 'Miracle' with us. They have so much responsibility being Assistants to the President, and Transfer week is HUGH! They come back to Amsterdam so tired. The family we visited with them last week, the ones with the 3 children that were going to be Baptized....well, the mother called and said not now. So, what a heartbreak for them. Tired AND heartbroken. Elder Schulte, who will be going home in 8 weeks, was really down at that news. He said he went to his room, and said a very sincere prayer asking the Lord what more he could do, as he wanted to end this Mission knowing he had done his best. He and Elder Van Rij decided that they needed to do some 'door knocking' in this area. Elder Van Rij decided on a name of a street they should go to. 8:30 at night, cold, dark, and these two Elders are knocking doors. They knocked on a door and a lady answered, they introduced themselves,and they were invited in. The lady is from Poland and said she left because of religious domination.....Catholic Church. The Elders said she about gave the lesson of the Apostasy. They offered her a Book of Mormon, and she was very interested in that. She then asked if she could make them a cup of tea.....ok, what kind of tea. To the delight of the Elders, the tea that was offered was non caffeine and they COULD accept. When they left, the lady told them to take the mugs with the warm tea, to keep them warm as they traveled home. They have a return visit with her Sunday night. When they came to the door, they were still sipping on the tea.....very Dutch.....and we took pictures of the 'Miracle Mugs.' Elders that were discouraged, tired, and an instant answer to a prayer. We were all in tears. LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!!

Have We mentioned how cold it is!!!!!!!!! Today the wind is blowing and it literally takes your breath away. 

You are getting this email on Saturday because tomorrow we will have our running shoes on from the minute we step out of bed. One of our JoVo's is leaving for the MTC Monday to begin his Mission in the west Indies....so tomorrow is his Farewell in Alkmaar. That is about a 45 minute drive North of where we live.

That meeting will end about 1:00, then we have to be in Gouda for that meeting, which is an hour and a half drive the other direction. Dad will have to put the 'metal to the petal' for sure. We are taking Arif, the young man from Turkey that we told you about. We think he will enjoy being at a Missionary farewell, then being with all the JoVo's at Gouda. We also hope that Glenn will join us. He is the young man from Venezuela we are 'loving' back into activity. It will be a busy, but happy day.

Tonight we were able to go with the AP's to visit Margaret. She is the lady from Columbia whose father owns a coffee plantation.....who is having the problem of NOT drinking coffee, so she can be Baptized. She IS doing well though. Tonight the Elders were teaching her the Principle of Tithing. They were really worried because Margaret has seen how other Churches pay their Ministers and Priests, and she has been very vocal about her dislike of that. Dad offered a beautiful prayer, asking that the Spirit would attend with the discussion, and that the Elders would be able to say what was in their hearts. What a Spirit! Elder Van Rij told about how he was saving for his  Mission Fund. The last paycheck he was to receive would cover the cost IF he did NOT pay his Tithing.....well, he decided he would pay his Tithing when he got the check.....the paycheck he received was double the amount he thought he would get, and his Mission fund was complete. Faith.....I told her about the time dad was out of work and how hard it was for us to pay our bills, or we thought it was hard...we DID pay our tithing and we were blessed. Margaret thought the concept was wonderful. The Elders explained how our Tithing goes to build churches, Temples, and to help those in need. They explained how none of the church leaders are paid, and that we come on Missions, paying our own way, because we WANT to be serving the Lord. She just nodded and smiled. Her Baptism date is set for February 10th, and we think all will be so she can be Baptized that day=) It is wonderful to bear Testimony of the things we know are true. We are all so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives. "Let your light shine, so others can see YOUR good works."

We love you.....and did we tell you how cold it is =)

Vader and Moeder

Opa and Oma

Elder and Zuster deLeeuw

Pictures

Look at the name on the truck.......
The bike Sister Van Geenen is giving me....isn't Sister Van Geenen beautiful!
Our snow storm
Elder Shulte and Van Rij with their 'Miracle Mugs"
A group of kids riding home after school
Barges going along the Canal
 These sleighs are darling...they collapse so as to be taken on a bike
Sister Van Geenen, Sister deLeeuw, Sister Palenikova

Amsterdam

Thought you would like this picture. See the IAMSTERDAM sign behind us......that travel all over Amsterdam, and people each day the sign is moved, go all over to find it. It is like 'Where's Waldo" Love you

It's cold

Dear Family and Friends,

No, we don't have 2 feet of snow on the ground, and smog, but today we had to scrape ice off the car windows before going to church. The cold here is different because it is a damp cold. Last Friday we were on our way home from Ijburg, and we were actually in a snow storm..only lasted for a few minutes, so we were a bit disappointed. There is a fragile layer of ice on the canals, but you would NOT want to ice skate. February still has to come, so we still may get snow and frozen canals. The good news is, that we have gained about an hours worth of daylight. It still stays dark in the morning until after 8:00 am, but it is not dark in the evenings now until 5:30....yea! We need all the light we can get.

It brings us joy to hear that the family is getting together often, and doing sweet things for each other. Dank U Wel.

We have told you how Amsterdam truly is a 'melting pot' of Nationalities. Remember when we told you we have 16 different Nationalities attending the Amsterdam Ward. Last Monday at FHE we had YSA's from Turkey, Ukraine, Portugal, Venezuela and Iran. The young man from Turkey is the first to be Baptize in his Country. He was Baptized last May, and can hardly wait to receive his Endowments. Friday he went to the Hague Temple and did Baptisms for the dead....today he was just glowing because he finally was able to enter the Temple. he would like to serve a Mission, but he is 28 years old, so he said he will just have to 'serve a Mission' by being a good example. Incredible young man. His name is Arif Taskiran. Last week at Sacrament meeting, I think I forgot to mention, we had a couple visiting Amsterdam from Australia. This week we had a man visiting from Alabama and one from Idaho. They always seek out the Missionaries, cause they know we speak English =)

This week we got a new washing machine. The old one just quit spinning, and one day I had to wring all the clothes out by hand. They were so wet, and living where it is so damp, it took two days for the clothes to dry. They were too wet to put in the dryer, cause the dryers here basically steam the clothes dry. With 2 flights of stairs for the old machine to be carried down, and 2 flights for the new machine to be carried up, of course we called the Elders. Elder Shulte is a football player, and is built like an iron man. Elder Van Rij not......and we had Glenn, the young man we are reactivating, here as well......strong, but had never moved a washing machine up  narrow winding stairs. It was hilarious to watch the 3 of them first decide how they would tackle the job, then actually make it work. After MUCH grunting, groaning, smashed fingers, and a bit of sweat.....out with the old, in with the new. Glenn said that was the first time he had sweat in Holland. I was so excited to have the new machine, went upstairs to read the instructions.....all instructions were in French and Dutch. So, it took me another couple of hours to 'Google Translate' all the instructions. Finally, kind of knew where the soap and bleach were to go, and what buttons to push to make it work....this was an ALL day project. Of course there were fresh cookies for the Elders and they offered to do 'service' for the deLeeuw's anytime.

This week is Transfer week......man, these 6 weeks seem to fly by! Because we got all new Missionaries last transfer, we probably will not have any changes this transfer of the Amsterdam Elders and Sisters. President Robinson made a change that we are so happy about. The week of Transfers there will no longer be District Meeting. The Elders and Sisters the week of transfers, are not into PMG or role playing. They take pictures, say their goodbyes, and are eager to get home and pack their suitcases. I have been furnishing the lunch Transfer week, so one more meal we no longer have to prepare. I will just take a nice dessert a couple times a month....We are trying to encourage the Missionaries to prepare their OWN meals at these meetings. We as Senior Couples are NOT here to be their moms and dads. President and Sister Robinson are really pushing to have the Missionaries grow up and take care of themselves. GO PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!! Speaking of Missionaries. Elder and Zuster Lyons, that were serving with us here in Amsterdam, have been assigned to serve with the JoVo's in Utrecht, which is in the Rotterdam Stake. We so enjoyed having them here with us, but they are needed there, so goodbyes were said last Wednesday at Institute. They were going to lelystad every other Thursday for FHE, so now we will have to resume going there. They live close, so we can still see them once in awhile.

Friday night we were able to go joint teaching with the Elders, to a darling family with three children. The mother was Baptized about 5 years ago, but the children, ages 8, 11 and 13 have not. The two youngest are boys. The 8 year old asked Elder Van Rij 'when you go into the water can you hold you nose? and how long do you stay in the water?' Elder Van Rij is like a kid himself, and said "Oh, you are under the water about 10 minutes." You should have seen the look on the boys face. We all laughed, and he was very relieved when he heard what really happens. The children were so happy, and they really have listened when being taught by the Elders. This lesson was a review, and they knew all the answers. I had taken some cookies with M&M's, and they were eaten in the first 10 minutes. The 11 year old.......they speak no English....looked at us and told us 'Lekker'. We had a delightful evening. A Baptism date has been set, but they still need to attend Church twice. They were not there today, so hopefully all is well. It is so hard for these people to get to the Chapel. They have to change buses, trains, trams, multiple times. Cost and distance keeps many from attending.......another, 'We take having our church buildings so close,' for granted.

Because we have been asked to keep the mileage down on our cars, we as Senior Couples are all a bit nervous to go anywhere. Elder and Sister Woodhouse, serving in Rotterdam, were in Utrecht, which is about a 20 minute drive from us....so since they were so close we asked them to come for a visit. We need other 'Seniors' once in awhile to visit with. They came yesterday morning about 10:30, we visited for awhile, then we got them on Tram # 9 and headed in to Amsterdam. Wow, as much as (I) don't like that city, Dad and I were impressed how well we got around. We got off the Tram at the Dam Square, walked around there and saw all the weird people...and Dayna lee, we found a MEGA Shopping center right off Dam square.......3 stories tall. Don't know how we missed that when you were here.....something to look forward to next visit =) After the Square, we got back on the tram, went two stops, got off and walked around the Bloom Mart.....when it was time to come home we walked to the Tram stop, got back on tram # 9 and headed home. I guess it shows how long we have really been here, when Sister Woodhouse told us we should be Tour Guides. Guess we know just enough information about the City to make people 'think' we know something. We had fun being with them and hated to see the day end. We have been put in charge of the next Senior Outing....we are the ones that have been here the longest now. Oh the pressure =)

We love the Study Course in Sunday School this year. The Doctrine and Covenants is all about Missionary work. Section 4 is one that the Missionaries recite by heart. Verse 3: Therefore, O ye that embark in the Service of God, see that ye serve him with all you heart, might, mind and strength." That is what we hope we are doing. Section 76 Verse 22: " And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is 'OUR' testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives." We are SO thankful to be in 'HIS' service. Although we still have 6 months to serve, the JoVo's know we are on the downhill slide of that hill. Last week we were asked if we could extend our Mission until all of 'them' got married. That would mean we would have to take up residency here, as the young people here don't marry until late 20's and early 30's. We all got a laugh. Makes us feel good  that we are liked.....maybe for more than the cookies =) It will be hard to say goodbye =(

We love you. We miss you. We count our Blessings each day for ALL we have, Especially for the knowledge of the Gospel that we have had ALL our lives. We are thankful for your love and support. We wish you all a very happy week. Love a quote we read the other day....."60 seconds of being angry, is one less minute of being happy."

Love, Vader and Moder

Opa and Oma

Elder and Sister deleeuw

More Pictures

Dad, Mom, Tessa, Elder and Zuster Lyons at the Christmas Concert
We watched these ducks all waddle in a row. They walked for some distance, then all jumped in the canal one by one still in a row.
A Crane sitting on a log on the canal by our apartment. They will stand on one leg for it seems hours at a time.
We had to get a new washing machine today....these are the pictures of the Elders and Glenn getting it up our three flights of stairs.
The Elders and Sisters singing at the 'Care Center' for Christmas
Oma and Elder Maughn...he served here in Amsterdam, is now one of our Zone Leaders.

Pictures

This is Glenn, the young man we are reactivating.
Fireworks New Years Eve
Cleaning out apartments to the bare walls!
The 'Cowboy man' dad met at the Christmas Concert
Tessa, our JoVo, we went to support at the Christmas Concert

Yeah!

6 months from today we will be on a plane coming home......Bitter sweet for sure. The JoVo's know our time is counting down too. I put a B-day card in the mail for Emily yesterday. We want the kids to have something Dutch this year.  Hope you are breathing better and your blood pressure has come back to normal =) Love you.......Moeder

Spring weather

Dear Familie and Friends,

Well, we will start this email with some 'warm' thoughts. Today the temperature was 12 degrees Celsius, which is 53 degrees Fahrenheit. There are some trees that are in blossom and several of our plants are starting to bud. Last year when we came it was one of the coldest winters Holland had experienced in several years, but so far this winter....but we still February....things have been rather mild. Yes, we do have lots of rainy days, and the cold is a damp cold......and when the wind blows it goes to the bone.....but, we have NO inversion and below 0 temps. Don't feel sorry for us do you. We are glad you finally received some much needed snow, but are glad we are not having to deal with the inversion. Dad made the comment the other day that if we were home, we would be heading to Lyman for sure.

Last week started off with us going to Utrecht to help finish closing that apartment. Everything was taken out as we have mentioned before. I had the opportunity of taking up the vinyl off the kitchen floor and disposing of that. No lights, shower rods, window coverings, flooring left.....all walls painted white. All that is left are the windows, doors, toilet and kitchen sink and cupboards. Amazing. We were told that a family with not much money would be moving in this apartment.....so no money, and they have to purchase new lights, flooring, etc.etc. Makes no sense to us. Oh well. To get to this apartment we had to climb 8 flights of stairs!!!!!!!!! I made 7 trips up and down those stairs......stopped on the way home and had a burger and fries, and felt NO guilt=) This week we will close the apartment in Dordrecht. We think there is a 'lift' in that building. The apartment is on the 7th floor so we hope so.

OK....when we returned home from Utrecht, we had to be in our apartment by 4:00 pm because of New Years Eve......things were starting to get loud. Just a lot of noise from firecrackers being lit. We saw kids on the playground close to us, with Hugh bags full of firecrackers. As the evening progressed the noise level got louder. We finally went to bed about 11:00 knowing we would not sleep, but we were tired. WOW, at the stroke of midnight all 'you know what' broke lose. We have never seen or experienced anything like what went on that night. There were Ariel fireworks that would put "Stadium of Fire" to shame, and we felt like we were in the middle of the Stadium. We were running from one side of our apartment to the other trying to take everything in. The neighbors across the street were lighting off bombs of their own, some right in back of our car. Talk about 'bombs bursting in air'.....the noise was unbelievable. This kept going until after 5:00 am......needless to say we did not sleep. The next day at District meeting all the Elders and Sisters had a story of their own to tell about the evening. It was something we will never experience again unless we are in the Netherlands for New Years Eve. We heard that in some of the big cities Christmas trees are burned as well as the fireworks. You should have seen ALL the garbage left on the streets after the festivities. The 'legal' fireworks here make the 'illegal' fireworks from Wyoming look pathetic. An evening we will remember for sure. 

Dad has been reactivating a young man from Venezuela. He is 24 years old, was baptized about a year and a half ago, has been inactive, having some word of wisdom problems, but is really trying to come back to activity. He knew he needed to return to church, so looked on the Internet to find the address of the 'Mormon Church' in Amsterdam. Our chapel is not on a main street, and if you don't know where it is, it is hard to locate. Glenn walked past the church several times before realizing he WAS in the right spot. He walked into church and dad was one of the first to greet him. From that moment on it has been a sweet friendship. A few weeks ago Glenn called dad and told him he was having 'some not good thoughts.' Dad talked to him and told Glenn to call him everyday. Last week Glenn came to Institute and dad told him he wanted to see him in church today. Glenn has no money, but does not live far from us, so dad told him if he had a white shirt and tie to put that on, and we would come and get him. Missionaries are not suppose to transport members because they get used to it and then won't find their own way. But, in this case, we want Glenn to start the habit of attending church again. When we picked him up this morning he looked like a Missionary......only needed to shave. He so enjoyed being among the Dutch Saints, and he was so happy to be in church again. We will help him this week get to FHE and Institute, but have asked the Elders to help him find his way on a bike......when in Holland, do as the Dutch do. Ride bikes. It is so rewarding to see these young people WANT to live the life they know they should. When we were leaving church, Glenn was talking to another young lady that was Baptized a couple of years ago, who also has had some Word of Wisdom problems.  They were talking about how hard life is sometimes. Dad heard that conversation, and reminded them that 'Life is hard, BUT, in the end all the trials are worth IT." On the way home, Opa let me off at the apartment so I could start lunch. Glenn got in the front seat of the car with Opa.......he , Opa, reached over and popped Glenn on the leg like he does the grandsons......Opa told Glenn that is what he does, and Glenn said 'it was an honor to be treated like one of Opa's grandsons." he is another one that would love to come to Utah and be part of our family.=)

We started this email off with the words 'Warm thoughts". Today at church we experienced the most "Warm" Testimony meeting we have experienced while here in the Netherlands. The first lady to bear her Testimony said it was 50 years ago today that her father had been Baptized.  He was only 14 years of age. She told how the Missionaries had 'found' him, and what blessings had come to their family because of his Baptism. The next Testimony was given by a woman who spoke Spanish.....again translated into Dutch, then into English. She again expressed thanks to Missionaries who had taught her, and how her life had changed since joining the church. Remember the lady we told you about several weeks ago, who wanted to be baptized  but could not give up her coffee drinking.....her dad owns a large coffee plantation in Colombia. Well, the Elders had almost given up on her because she said she COULD NOT give up her coffee. Margaret was in church today and was sitting right in front of us. Not being Baptized, she did not partake of the Sacrament. During Testimony meeting she jumped up and went up to the podium. The Elders who have been teaching her looked really worried, because Margaret is rather outspoken. What she said just brought tears.....she said that during the Sacrament, she had a 'burning feeling' for about a minute, that she KNEW she needed to be Baptized and change her 'ways'. She literally set her own Baptism date while bearing her Testimony. Again thanking the Missionaries. WOW!!!!!!!!!! The Elders could not believe what they were hearing. The next Sister is from Suriname, and told how she had been 'Church shopping'.12 Churches. When she met the Elders she knew she had found the RIGHT church. She held up the calendar that the Missionaries use to check off the lessons that have been given, and the date that is set for the persons Baptism. Astrid help up this paper and said it is one of the most treasured items in her house. She told how joining the church had united her family......3 of her children were Baptized shortly after her. Then, the sweet family from Ecuador bore Testimony, the father, mother, and daughter. They have nothing, cannot speak the Dutch language, but gave thanks for the Saints here, and offered to do anything for anyone. Roos, who was Baptized about a year ago stood to bear Testimony holding a small package. She told how her roommate had offered to fix breakfast for her. Roos told her she was fasting and when asked why, Roos explained that the money that would have been used to prepare a meal, is given to the Bishop so he can give it to those in need. The roommate left the room then returned with this small package. She told Roos she received this package for Christmas, did not need it, and would Roos please take it and give it to the Bishop so he could give it to someone in need. Roos handed the package to the Bishop.....The last young man to bear Testimony is here in Amsterdam  from Turkey, doing an internship. He ended the meeting telling about the Missionaries meeting his family......We are SO THANKFUL to be serving the Lord, finding the one, bringing them back into the fold. As we hear Testimonies as were born today, we feel so blessed to be in the Lords Service, hopefully making a change in someone's life. I cried during the whole meeting.......Post Script: After Testimony Meeting I went up to Margaret and gave her a big love. I told her it was the 'Holy Ghost' that gave her that 'burning feeling'.......I then ask her if this meant she was going to stop drinking her coffee. She said this was probably her answer........

Then we get home........fixing lunch, when the doorbell rings. There stands the four Elders that live near us. It is the AP's that are teaching Margaret. When I told them what I had said about her coffee habit they looked at me and said; "You are an angel, we did not know how we were going to approach the subject again with her." Hey, tell it like it is!!!! We will go this Friday to 'joint teach' Margaret. I also told her I would bake cookies for her Baptism. LOVE BEING MISSIONARIES!!!!!!!!!!!! We received a call from President Robinson. He asked if he and Sister Robinson could swing by for a visit........What a day. We had a delightful visit. They both being from Southern Utah really hit it off with dad. We were told that Elder and Sister Lyons, who have been working with us in the Amsterdam Centrum, have been reassigned to another Centrum. I was also asked to now take the Medical calls, and fill out the forms that need to be sent to Germany each month. We want to be busy, and that we are. We will start going back to Lelystad twice a month as well. Did we mention how quickly time is going. We hit our one year mark on the 9th.

We love you all........We love the Saints here.......how will we ever say goodbye. Thank you for your prayers for us and all the Missionaries. They are felt. PS: Our computer is up and running and the Magic Jack works once again =) More blessings.

Liefde,

Opa and Oma

Vader and Moeder

Elder and Zuster deLeeuw