I think this is one of my favorite emails from Karoline. The first line says it wasn't eventful but as I read it, my heart was full of joy for the experiences she is having and the way the Spirit speaks to her and her companion as they do the work. I am so happy she was able to watch conference! My dad would definitely say something to me because she didn't know the full extent of Elder Gifford Nielson's history with BYU :) And, I'm so happy to know that Karoline was asked to sing. Her voice is beautiful and pure and that talent/gift can definitely be used in missionary work.
So, Sister Rosenlof and I have had a not so eventful week.
Bleh. But that's okay. Tracting all day is just a little boring, but something
interesting about this city is that most people, when you talk to them on their
door, they are not happy with just one of the pass along cards. Most people ask
us if we have pamphlets, so now we get to carry around all the lesson pamphlets
in Dutch and English. I think it's interesting, because no one ever wanted them
in Lelystad. Also, Friesland, to a lot of people, I think gets a stigma kind of
like the south in the US. Their like oh, Friesland, you poor thing. And I don't
know, I think it's pretty here.
I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but we are the
only young people who live in our building. As in the only people under 70. The
other day we were coming in from our p-day stuff, and this lady was holding the
door open so we just walked in. Then she asked us where we were from and what
we were doing here, so we explained it all to her. Right as we are in our
conversation with her, this old guy comes down one of the stairs, yelling at us
is Dutch about how we are not welcome to come into the building without belling
someone, and that we should leave and all these things. Then this old lady was
like they're American, and hes like oh, you're not understanding me? Then he
went on and on in English. And the whole time we have our own keys in our
hands, and sister Rosenlof is at the mailbox trying to check the mail. So
finally, I just reply to him in Dutch, I'm just like hey, I understand you, but
we live here, and have been living here for almost five months. I wish I had a
picture of his face, because he was just so shocked that there could be young
people living there. It was funny. Then he told us that we were welcome anytime
then, and we're like uh yeah thanks. Anyway, we are the total gossip of the
building.
Oh yes, by the way, I was in a bike accident this week. No
big deal, but I'm bruised and cut up, so that sucks, but I'm alive. Also, I
will have to buy a new bag, because mine got ruined in the accident. Luckily,
sister Rosenlof and I were on rented OV bikes because we were in one of the
areas far away from Leeuwarden that we bus to, so my bike wasn't the one that
was ruined. The accident wasn't with a car or anything either, just with sister
rosenlof, because we were running late for our bus to go home and it was the
last one that would get us home before 1030 at night, and anyway, people are
crazy here, and bike like insane people, so I had the choice to either hit
sister rosenlof, or hit a bus, so I chose her. :) Good times. Oh, we made the
bus too. And I went into return the bike, and I'm like bleeding and such, and
I'm trying to talk to the guy and ask him for some bandaids and he's just
staring and me, and I'm like pointing to my hand that is all scraped up, and
finally he understands. And puts a giant bandage all over my hand. Then sister
Rosenlof and I went home and cleaned me up, and she insisted on using straight
up alcohol wipes on my scrapes and cuts. I screamed like a baby. That hurt way
worse than anything else. Then she asked me why I was laughing, and I had to
explain that I laugh when I'm in pain. Anyway, all is good now. (This is true....she laughs, a true laugh, when she is in pain. She tore ligaments/bad sprain in her ankle one year at track practice and the doctors at the ER would not believe she was hurt because of the laughter. I can't wait until she's having labor pains some day. anyway....back to her.)
The other day, we were in Drochten, for a dinner
appointment, but we ended up getting there early so we decided to go tracting
while we waited for dinner. Of course, while we are out doing our thing, the
members that we were supposed to be eating with see us, and they tell us to go
look up these people. So we're like okay. The problem is, they gave us the
wrong house number, and described them as "darker people". so we're
like well, if a white person answers we've got the wrong house. So we go to the
house they told us, but it's a white person. They specifically told us 166 so
that's where we went. then we decided to just knock every 66 in the neighborhood.
So we did 66, 166, 266, 366. As we walk up to 266, sister Rosenlof goes
to read the name plate things that everyone has by their doors. The problem was
this was not a name plate. It was merely saying mi casa es su casa.
Sister Rosenlof reads it, looks to me, and says well, Micasa sounds like a
black persons name, so this is probably it. I'm like uh no, that's not their
name, it's saying my house is your house. And shes like oh.... Anyway, those
are the right people but they weren't home. So we went back to the house for
dinner, and the mom is talking to someone in the driveway as we walk up, and
this is most natural way I have ever seen someone do missionary work. She turns
to her friend and says hey, these are some sisters from my church and they have
a beautiful message to share with people. would it be okay if they shared it
with you? Shes like of course I would want to hear it. Boom, golden referral.
So we are teaching her next week. See, missionary work doesn't have to be
awkward unless you make it that way.
The other day we were at a less active appointment that we
meet with every other week or so, and she insists that we always meet with the
elders. I'm pretty positive that she has a crush on one of the elders. She sits
as closely to him as possible and stares at him the whole time, and like pats
his leg. It's hilarious. This is also the elder's first transfer, so he has no
idea what shes saying. It's probably one of the regular appointments we have
that I look forward to the most. It's always a good time. Although she is
really hard to understand because she is Friesian so her Dutch is weird. But
shes a sweet lady who is trying to go back to church.
We also had a really interesting meeting with one of the
investigators that we have been thinking about dropping. Basically, I told
sister Rosenlof that we really needed to go see this guy, but it's a pain
because the bus hardly ever comes, and it's too far to bike. But we catch the
bus right away and as we get off and are walking to his house, we run into the
investigator walking around. And he felt like he was going to run into us that
night. Interesting. And then we go back to talk to him, and hes like hey I'm
sorry but I have no food, can we run to the store really quick? So we walk to
the store with him, but it's closed. And we both turn to him, and we're like uh
this is really weird, but we both felt like we needed to put food in our bags
before we came to see you. So we gave him the food that we had brought because
he had seriously nothing. Anyway we were talking to him, and he begged us to
give him another chance, because he wants to do the right things in his life.
While we were coming back, sister rosenlof and I were discussing it, and both
feel like he is going to be baptized. I don't know if it will be us, but I know
one day he will be totally ready for it, and I think that's really special.
We do not get $400 a month. We get 150 euros a month, and
It's fine if you budget nicely. The $400 that we pay is used for everything
like bills and insurance and such and such. Our mission is one of the most
expensive that the church has and costs well over the $400 that we pay. In the
MTC they told us to thank the people who get sent to the poor south American
countries because theirs is so cheap, and it makes missions like ours
possible. So yeah.
By the way, I was asked to sing in church this Sunday with
sister Rosenlof. I'm pretty sure they didn't know I could sing, so that was
quite a gamble on their part. Luckily for them, I'm not tone deaf. Oh
yeah, and when we eat with that one family I was talking about earlier, they
have us sing for their grandma. She is confined to a sick bed and has got
to be over 90. Shes like just bone and is blind and a little uh, not their. But
shes sweet.
We did watch conference, 3 of the 4 sessions, we will watch
the Sunday afternoon session this coming Sunday in church I think. I really
liked elder Hollands talk, and that one guy who was a quarter back
once upon a time and he had a really animated voice. The one
who the kid thought was president Hinckley on the phone. We have not
gone to the temple yet, that is this month because we are having temple
conference at the end of October, and then again in april. We usually have zone
conference or training the second week of transfers, so it is either at the
beginning of the month or at the middle. I don't know. there's no set date.
Anyway I think that's all for now.
Love you! Have a good week.
Karoline
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