IT IS COLD!!!!

BURRRRRR!!!!!

Whoever said we are melting from 'Global Warming' has NOT lived in the Netherlands! Twice this week dad has scraped ice from the windows, and today, Saturday, it is only 3 degree's C., which is 37 degrees F....the wind is blowing, and it is COLD! As we travel to the Mission Office past the Tulip fields,we see that the farmers have the tulips covered with plastic. Keukenhof Gardens open Monday. We hope all the beautiful flowers have had heat lamps on them, or they will still be in hibernation. As dad and I have been planning on what to do when with you girls, I keep saying, "depending on the weather'. You know what? We do what we do no matter the weather. Just come with your winter coats and clothes!

We have GREAT news!!! A new Senior couple will be arriving May 4th to work in the office. Just pray that everything does not fall apart until they come. You will laugh at their names. Elder and Sister Winmill........coming to the Netherlands. We have spoken to them on the phone. No Dutch Ancestry, just a fun name. Elder Winmill retired the 8th of March. They received their Mission call on the 14th, and they will be here the 4th of May. When President Robinson put in a plea, the Missionary Department listened. YEA!!!!!!!!!! 

News of the YSA's: Last week at FHE for the birthday party, there were 17 in attendance, 3 being nonmembers. This is why the Centers are here.....to invite these nonmembers. Hans, a young man of about 24-25, has attended now for 3 weeks. His mother was recently baptized, speaks only Spanish and Dutch, so it is hard to communicate with her, but she has asked several times about what we do at FHE and Institute. Hans has a smoking/drug problem, like SO many of the young people here have. His mother, Marta, has told us through translation, that "Hans has no good friends'. The YSA's have welcomed him, he has really participated with the group, and Wednesday as he was leaving he asked the Elders to come and visit him .Hans came to Institute clean shaven, the first time we have seen him without his scruffy beard. Volker, the young man that was Baptized and we went to Gouda for his confirmation......he was also at the birthday party. As we were talking to him he said: "When I got Baptized I never wanted to serve a Mission, but in the past week, something keeps telling me I should, and now I think I REALLY want to serve a Mission". We told him he would be fabulous, as he could share HIS conversion story from Atheist to having the strong Testimony that he now shares. Wednesday at Institute, Sister Westra from Alkmaar, was in attendance. She and her husband have been called as Branch representatives to help with the JoVo's there. Her son is Jurjen, the young man that was inactive when we arrived, and she had asked us to find him. He is now in the process of filling out his Mission  papers. As Sister Westra was leaving Institute Wednesday, she threw her arms around me, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Thank you for saving my son". Then our tears came. That is why we are here.....hopefully doing some good in bringing souls back into the church, or inviting them to join. Kevin, from Almere, is an Irish dancer. We have not seen him dance, but know he is good, because he won the 'WORLD dance trophy' last year in Ireland. He left today, Saturday, to fly to Ireland to try and defend the trophy. Dancers come from all over to participate in this event, and OUR Kevin is the winner!!!! He told us he would dance for us before we leave to come home. This is why saying goodbye is going to be so difficult!

Just a note about the Netherlands daylight saving. We go to that NEXT weekend, the 31st. So, this week we are 7 hours difference, next week we go back to 8. Already we have gained about 3 hours of daylight, and next week we will stay light long into the night. Remember last summer when we told you it was still light at 11:00 pm. Well, here we start again:) Now if the daylight hours were just warm. AND, we received the bill for the Drivers License citation......337 euro, or about $475.00 American Dollars. Dad spoke with a man who used to be a police officer here, and he could not believe the police did not give dad just a warning. The Dutch Government once again makes money.

This week two new Elders arrived. One Elder is from England, the only member of his family that is a member of the church. The new Missionaries fill out a questionnaire about themselves, and as I was typing them for Sister Robinson, It was interesting to read about his conversion. He said he joined the church because of the example of a Sister Missionary serving in his Ward in England. The question of how is your Mission being payed for.....the answer was, self pay and help from the church. Wow.....He was so excited to be here, and said he was ready to 'Teach and Preach". April 30th there will be 9 Sisters and 4 Elders arriving. We were told we need to have 6 apartments ready to go by this date. We spent all of Saturday shopping at stores where we can purchase large items in bulk: Washing machines, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, wardrobes, refrigerators. We have a list 2 1/2 pages long, of all the items needed to furnish these apartments. Friday we went into Belgium to take some items to the Elders.....and on April 11th we will go to Genk and get that apartment ready to occupy. That is the only apartment in Belgium we need to get ready, as of now, so we can get the other Senior couples involved in helping with the apartments closer by. Yes, you girls will have the opportunity of helping. This way you can experience what  needs to be done as the influx of Missionaries arrive. Before all is settled, there will probably be 30 plus new apartments. We have two appointments this Tuesday, one in Utrecht and one in Zaandam, to hopefully sign contracts. Elder and Sister Pankratz leave next Thursday, the 28th. Dad gets all the keys, credit cards, pin numbers, problems, that Elder Pankratz has dealt with. Can you see why we are not sleeping very well. Elder and Sister Winmill cannot arrive soon enough! There is a 'local' couple working in the office a few hours a week to help where needed. Brother and Sister Muurling. Sister Muurling is the Stake RS President, and they both are Temple workers. The other day they told us of their conversion......long story, but Sister Muurlings family all but disowned her when she was baptized. Her sister has not spoken to her in 30 years. We are so blessed!!!!

Sunday

We have heard that Utah had a good snow storm this past week. 70's one day, snow the next. We are not complaining, but it is still COLD, wind blowing, -3 degrees C this morning. The Elders needed transportation for a family of 6 that are investigating the church, so since our car is the biggest, and can transport 3 in the back seat.....they had to make 2 trips to Zaandam, which is about a 15 minute drive from the Amsterdam Chapel. Dad went the first trip to get them to church, but after Sacrament meeting we had a meeting with a member of the Stake Presidency, so the Elders just took our car for 'the run'. We were ready to come home before they arrived back at the church, so thought we would just walk home. We turned the corner on the Mediweg, and the wind hit us so hard we could hardly walk. Dad only had his suit coat on, and by the time we got home he said he had never been so cold in his life. We live a 20 minute walk from the church. We commented several times that we were glad we were not having to ride bikes going into the wind....as several riders rode past us. Yes, we felt like REAL Dutch people......being outside. Hope we don't have to do that again:) We are NOT Dutch!!! Only in name.

Today was Ward Conference, with the Theme being 'reaching out for the one." Several investigators in attendance, so the message was so appropriate. We all can be Missionaries......sharing the good news of the Gospel. D&C:31,3...'.Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation." One of the men that was baptized several months ago, Desmond from Ghana, came to church today wearing a suit, white shirt and tie. He was smiling from ear to ear as we made a fuss over him looking like a Missionary. It is so great to see these new converts progress....even in the way they dress.

We love you. We lover serving the Lord....we are feeling a bit overwhelmed, but we can do what is needed. We ask today if we could get some help with the YSA's Center, on the chance that we might not be available some FHE or Institute night. Setting up apartments is an all day job, and if they are not close by, we want to make sure the Center is covered. Our Stake Presidency is amazing, and are so eager to help us. They know of the extra responsibility that we have been given. We just pray we stay healthy.

Love, Vader and Moeder

           Opa and Oma

           Elder and Zuster deLeeuw