Beste Familie Riley,
First of all, wow, this week I hit the jackpot
at zone training with so many awesome and uplifting and supportive and
inspirational letters/ cards/ photos/ dearElders/ giant birthday package from
Torri and Isabella/ "hump day" package from home.. and then I got a
Valentine's Day package in the mail today from (my really attractive guy back
home) I mean home! and hahaha i laughed SO hard
at the Valentine's Day collage of men... Wow, thank you so so so much I am so
incredibly blessed (en dus grateful!) ah so good. <3
So, on Tuesday, we had a lesson with Abdul - a
22-yr old Ghanaian student I'd met on the bus a few days prior- we taught a
"RaD" and he was very open and cool. I'm always amazed at how the
Restoration answers so many questions before they can even be asked, Preach my
Gospel is inspired. Ha Abdul and I bonded on the bus because my Vera Bradley
bag looked like African fabric, and I have a wooden elephant keychain (that
Greet, a Belgian woman who had a Ghanain bf) on my bag that matched his
keychain on his lanyard.
On Tuesday, I went to Antwerpen and had the
privilege of meeting Lynn, an incredible young Belgian girl who is so open and
sincere and it was a very spiritual lesson. Heavenly Father really does have a
plan for each one of His children.
Ermon is doing so well and really gaining a
personal testimony of the Book of Mormon.. he'd read up to 2 Nephi 9 and
written down questions he had, and we had a neat lesson about the law of
chastity focusing on the divine family unit. He told us that a few days ago he
was sitting in his house, reading the Book of Mormon, and even though according
to the thermostat his house was cold, he felt so warm on the inside. Moseis,
his 12-yr old son, loves the seminary activities as well, and enthusiastically
went last week. Also, Ermon is an identical twin as well, so of course we
bonded over that.
We met Augusta Nederland
We also met with Kathleen and talked about the
gospel and Zuster VG came to that as well and I was inspired by Kathleen's
studying the additional questions in the pamphlets/ gospel principles lesson
book so I went home and did that (and it is so helpful and informative) and
it's so cool to see someone take advantage of these resources and take this
seriously. Also, her 5-yr old daughter is so cute and knows us as the American
girls who want to be her big sister (I told her she's my Belgian zusje!) and
talks to her Mom about Jesus, aw.
Isaac made delicious sweet and spicy veggie
soup for the branch potluck after church, and we're getting to practice
patience with him.. he is such a good guy, but progresses slowly and talks a
lot, but his prayer after our lesson was so sincere, thanking God for sending
these patient and persistent "angels" to teach him, aw. Speaking of
good cooks, Br. Klas sure knows how to put those Surinaams seasonings to good
use, and they're a fun family I've been blessed to get to know (we went to
their house last night).
I've contacted a few people around town,
including a grocery store cashier, who have recognized me from my 3 minutes on
TV! Ha pretty funny. I've gotten asked to lead the music during sac. mtg. the
past few weeks which usually is no biggie, but yesterday we sang some hymn
about geneology that I guarantee no one in the congregation knew haha it was
pretty funny.. the stake president used that as an opportunity to make this
hymn mean something personal to each of us ie sing it during FHE. (: Speaking
of our stake president (Pres. Boom, really cool guy), his wife is from England
I love you all! Crazy that it's already
February, eh?
Met liefde,
Zuster Riley (:
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M with her hand-knitted stuffed animals that she donates to charity- We met her on the street a few weeks back and she met with Elders YEARS ago.. she is very friendly and is a single retired HS math and religion teacher who does not agree that there is only one prophet on the earth but is a very good Christian woman!
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