Some recent photos

Nice Bike!

Allison with her new companion, Sister Morris

All you need is love

July 28, 2014

This week went by so fast! There is only one more week until Transfer Calls!! I can't believe how fast the time has come and gone!! Everyone warned me that each transfer goes faster...I didn't realize it would go this fast. :)

I am realizing that my mission is flying by. These incredible moments will not be here forever and I need to enjoy them. I have been struggling a little with my focus and motivation. When I hit the button to submit my papers it was so I could bring others unto Christ. But since I have been out those motives are sometimes overshadowed by other less pure motives. We had a zone training this week on our motivations and I decided from here on out I want tmy only motive to be my love for my Heavenly Father. I am here to love and serve him and thereby serving the people here. It was incredible the change it has already made in my work. I began to bear stronger testimony, be more open to the spirit, and much happier. When we do things for the right reasons our joy is filled and our capacity to love grows. My ability to love these people grew because I asked Heavenly Father to give me his love for the people here. I couldn't come up with this love on my own. I needed the atonement. I was filled with love!

Miracles happened after I desired to change my motive. We had a lesson with our Peruvian investigator and she had expressed to us that she wasn't sure if she needed to change her religion. She loves the Book of Mormon but wasn't sure if she really needed to get baptized again(baptized Catholic). We challenged her to pray about it. Our next lesson she said she had received an answer that she needs to change her religion and that joining the church is the path God wants for her! I almost began to cry. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. I have known this woman since she started taking the lessons so it was incredible to see all the progression that she has made! She is amazing and in that moment I felt God's love and joy for his daughter. This is investigator still can't get baptized because of her husband but we are praying a miracle happens.

Then we had a 1st lesson with a blind man named Peter that we found the other day. It was an amazing lesson. We read for him a few verses from the Book of Mormon and he loved them. He said the prayer before we left and it was one of the most honest prayers I have ever heard. He said that he was intrigued to see where things went and that he was excited to learn. In that moment I wouldn't have been more happy to see someone trying to follow God.

I am learning so many things every day. I can see the Lord shaping me into who he needs me to be. It is truly amazing work. Being a missionary is hard at times, but when you have moments like we had this week thenevery hard moment was worth it. I love the Lord, I love the people, and I love Nederland!

Fun things from the week, I went to Maastricht and had Limburg's Vlaai...it is the Dutch version of pice. Oh my goodness!! it was so good! It was a fresh raspberry Vlaai. It was delicious! Oh and Elder Ballard of the quorum of the 12 apostles is coming on September 11th to do a Mission Conference! I am so excited!!

Well have a great week and remember to everything with love!

Liefde is de Sleutel!

Zuster Adams

When you learn to be Humble....

July 21, 2014

Well this week has been quite a week! I am not even sure where to begin.

It was insanely hot this week. It got into the 90's with a lot of humidity. Everything felt sticky and oh it was awful!! Also, there is no air conditioning in this country so we were sweating like pigs...not my favorite thing. Thankfully, it has cooled down again!

Not a ton of things happened this week, it was just in general a good week! Although, I did learn a lot about humility and submitting your will to the Lord. At the beginning of this week, I didn't have a very good attitude about things that were happening and I was not really enjoying the work. I was getting easily irritated and it wasn't good. I decided to begin to pray to be humble. I knew that I needed to put aside what I wanted and focus on the work.

For the past little while I have been wanting to find someone and see them baptized. Almost to be able to say that I was good enough to find someone that was baptized. That is never the reason why you should want to find someone. Also, most of the people that end up getting baptized are people that we never find ourselves but people the Lord gives us. So I was thinking about all of this and it was frustrating me. I wasn't desiring what was good for the people here. I was thinking about how it would bless me. Last night, we found out that our most solid investigator that came to church every week...had dropped us. He said he didn't want to become a Mormon anymore. I was devastated. I have been working with him since I got here and he was so solid. He knew the church was true and wanted to be baptized. I was excited for him and loved him. I became very upset and somewhat angry. Why did this happen? How could this be a part of the plan? I know the Lord has a plan but why would this be? I realized though that I needed this to be humbled. I needed to realize that this investigator wasn't mine but the Lord's. He is a Son of God and the Lord has a plan. I need to trust in his plan and trust that he knows what is best. I don't know what is going to happen with this investigator. We are going to try and go by and find out what happened. But I know now, that it doesn't matter what I want. It doesn't matter if I want to find someone. What matters is if the Lord has that in mind. I am realizing more and more that I am not in charge of this work and I need to turn my work over to the Lord. Too much of the time, I want to do it all by myself. I need to be humble and allow the Lord to work through me. I need to give my will to him!

I love this work. It is hard, discouraging, humbling, exciting, invigorating, and fulfilling. I am learning and growing with every day!!

Zuster Adams

Bruises, Coughs, and Miracles

Well this past week has been quite an adventure. My district leader Elder Bosco was seriously concerned Sister Morris and I wouldn't make it out of last week alive...I'll explain...

1. Sister Morris had and still has a horrible cough..turns out whopping cough is going around. We are 90% sure she has it. Not sure how I didn't get it but I'm grateful. 

2. I went to Maastricht on exchanges and fell down some hard & cold stone stairs. I went from upright to lying on my back... I hit my elbow really, really hard. It hurt badly. I almost passed out from the shock or pain...not really sure but I got super dizzy afterwards. My elbow swelled up and bruised almost instantly. We think I popped an air bubble in my elbow. It wasn't fun. 

3. Sister Morris' tendonitis flared up while biking and she jokingly said "Just keep em rollin..." yesterday, we were leaving the apartment and she slammed her pointer finger in the front door. It burst all the blood vessels in the top of her finger... not sure if her nail will fall off... hopefully not. 

The work must go on...even if you happen to be dying..:) And it did, we saw some amazing miracles this past week!

I think I have mentioned this before but about a month ago, we started having the families in the ward make their own mission plans. People are getting so excited about them. One member asked if this idea of a family mission plan was worldwide because it is so amazing. The members are starting to put aside their fears and open their mouths! It is so exciting!!

We met with another member this week and helped her realize some of the problems she is dealing with. It was an incredible lesson. Sister Morris said, "We come to earth to fall of the bike, but we come to learn to jump back on the bike." She meant that we all will fall but when we fall we need to learn to get back up and keep going. We have to continually trust in the Lord even when we continually fall down. It was incredible to feel the spirit guiding the lesson. 

While I was in Maastricht, I found out that I have a reputation for being bold...Sis. Nelson told the Elders in Heerlen that she was super excited for me to come help her teach the Law of Chastity because I am really bold. Funny. It did end up being a really awesome lesson. By the end, the investigator was seriously considering following it. I really felt the spirit in that lesson. It is so awesome that when I teach by the spirit, I learn along with the investigator. I find myself saying things that are new to me and answers to my questions.

Two other amazing miracles we saw this week were, one of our investigators realized that she has a testimony of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon!! And another investigator's husband that has been pretty negative, sat in on the lesson and said he'd sit in on more! Oh we also got a really cool new investigator from Iraq.

Well things are great here in Breda. President Robinson in an interview this week basically told me I am going to be leaving Breda after this transfer so I am going to finish hard and leave this place bursting with work and success!! I love Breda and I have loved seeing all this progress in the last 3 months! This next week is going to be great! 

Ik hou van Breda echt veel!

Zuster Adams 

P.S. We got permission to watch the Nederland vs. Argentina game. It was so sad but awesome to watch! Latest I have stayed up in a long time!! 

Allison with a fellow Sister Missionary

Zuster Adams and Zuster Helmer

All You Need is Love

This week has been amazing as always! It has been really cool, in the last couple of days I have really felt myself losing myself in the work here. I am more and more centered here and not focused on home or how much longer I have or anything like that. It is neat to see myself truly focusing on what is important. Missionary life is truly becoming second nature. 

Funny thing that happened this week: We went to an inactive member's home and talked to him about how he needs to come back to church and all this other stuff. Anyways, at the end of our discussion he decides to start talking politics. We quickly started trying to get the topic back on the right track but it wasn't really working. He asked why the church didn't stop the U.S. from going to Iraq the first time. I tried to explain that the church doesn't get involved and other things but that didn't seem to please him so I finally just told him that it is the last days and there are going to be wars. He needs to prepare but the way is through the church and not in the government. I don't know if he really liked my answer but at least we got him off politics. 

I have realized this week that I really love Breda! It is a beautiful city! I love the people and the ward here. Our investigators are amazing and making progress. It is hard but so fulfilling. Sister Morris and I have decided to name this transfer 

Operation: Love the Lord, Love the People, Love the Land

We have decided to write down all the things we love about every day. Love is the center of everything in the gospel, life, and basically everything. Think about it, almost if not all the songs on the radio are about some type of love. But that kind of love isn't the type we are trying to focus on. We are trying to have the love of Christ for those we come in contact with and also truly love what we are doing every day. I have begun to try and be super enthusiastic when we knock on people's doors. If you come to the door unenthusiastic, then no one is going to want to listen anyways. So I have decided to be truly happy every time I talk to someone. I love the people of the Netherlands and if I can show them that love, miracles will happen. The ward is doing amazing and we are working with them to build their own family mission plan. It is really cool and I am excited for them to see miracles.

We got to watch the Belgium vs. Argentina game this week!!! We were so excited to finally get to watch one of the games!! I was sad that Belgium lost but it was fun to see them play anyways!! Nederland won and that was most important!! The ward was pretty excited on Sunday!! Our investigator promised to not fast that Nederland would win. He is getting the purpose of fasting!! :) 

This work is incredible and it is truly hastening!! I love being a part of this work and seeing the signs of the times. We are truly in the last days and the Lord is hastening is work! 

I can't wait to see what this week will bring!! 

Zuster Adams

Time flies when you are having fun!!

Well this past week went by in a whirlwind!! Sister Spencer and I tried to enjoy our last week together but it went by so fast that we hardly had time to enjoy it!! Nothing to crazy happened this week. Nederland did win 3-2 against Australia!! That was pretty exciting! I love how enthusiastic the Dutch get. We have been told by our mission president that we aren't allowed outside the apartment during the games. It is kind of a bummer but probably good. We don't want to be knocking doors...people might get a little annoyed.

We had an incredible miracle this week! There is the awesome family from Burundi that we had taught one lesson too that called and asked for our help with english this week. We went over and found out that they needed help registering their daughter for english classes in the U.S. when she is there for 6 weeks this summer. We called the place and turns out you can only register in person. We tried some other schools and nothing worked. I got the idea to set their daughter up with some missionaries in the States and they could teach her english. We found the nearest ward building to where they would be staying and called the Bishop. He was a little surprised to be talking to missionaries in the Netherlands but he gave us the number of the sister missionaries in his ward and also let us know that there is a dutch sister serving in the Temple nearby. We got very excited. We connected the daughter with the Dutch sister over facebook and they are going to help her learn english and also hopefully, teach her the lessons!! It was truly a miracle that we were able to get a hold of those people! The family also came to church on Sunday and loved it!! I love them so much and can't wait to see the miracles that happen with them!

Transfers are this week....and drum roll....I am staying in Breda!! I am getting a new companion though. She is coming from Amsterdam and her name is Sister Morris. I am excited and really sad. I love Sister Spencer a lot! We have grown really close. It will be good though. I am nervous to be taking over the city but I can do it!! The Lord will help me along the way.

Things are going amazing here in Nederland! I honestly, can't remember a ton that happened this week. It was amazing though. We did get 4 new investigators. Our last baptismal date did get postponed. So no baptisms but it will all happen in the Lord's time. I am loving it here and the work is going forth stronger than ever!! Remember to be strong and help missionaries as much as you can...we need your help!!

Leven is Geweldig,

Zuster Adams