Best Week EVER!

Maandag, 22 december 2014

Weest Gegroet!!!

Man, where to start....

This week has been like the greatest week ever!
On Wednesday we went to the Salt Lake temple and it was superamazing! Just to feel the Spirit and be at so much peace... :) In the Celestial Room I was able to talk to some of the sisters in my zone and it was so great to share that spiritual moment together :) With one sister we shared our favorite scriptures and things that we'd learned on our missions :) Then I also saw some people from Canyon Rim in the temple! :D Then we went to Cafe Rio with our zone and since it is located in Canyon Rim I saw some people from Canyon Rim again! :D Pretty great! Then we practiced our musical number for zone conference and we sang 'Away in a manger'.

 

Thursday we had zone conference! Oh my! That was sooo great! They talked a lot about being the fourth missionary, being completely devoted and dedicated to this work and surrendering yourselves to the Lord. I also had to present a training with Sister Orellana on conducting companionship inventory, that went pretty well :) It was super scary though! A story that the assistants shared was 'The Three Trees'. I invite all of you to look it up and read it. It is such a beautiful story! Another story that is worth reading is called 'The Other Wise Man'. It made me cry. It reminds us of the true meaning of christmas :)

Ok, I promise you that you will fall of your chair when I share the next thing with you.

Friday we had our Mission Christmas Devotional. Guess who came to speak to us...? ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND!!!!! :D :D :D Gosh, words can't describe the Spirit we felt! He told us that as he shook our hands he interviewed us as he was looking into our eyes. He told us that he could tell that we were great missionaries! :D

As he was speaking he allowed us to ask him questions and most questions he got were questions about what we could do better. How we could teach certain principles better, etc. You know what he told us? The only thing we could do was to let people feel the Spirit, help them have a spiritual experience when we teach them and that people have their agency! But he said that he was impressed by our desire to constantly improve and that that said something about the quality of our mission. He also pretty much told us that we needed to stop being so hard on ourselves. I'm not telling you all of this to boast in this mission or in the missionaries, but it was so amazing to hear from an Apostle of the Lord that we were doing a great job! :) He also talked about how we were angels and how angels administer to us,  that all we need to do is believe. 'Believe in all that can be' as the Barbie song says :)

In the evening we had our Christmas dinner and it was sooooooo much fun! It was so great to see all my missionary friends and enjoy our Christmas together! I just looooove this mission and the missionaries here!!! :D In the bags we got some...stuff...personal grooming items and stuff :) Gosh, it was so great! Then after the Christmas party we talked and talked. Elder Scherf and I  (he is from the Hague ward in the Netherland red.) were able to talk! That was kind of fun! :) Some 'Nederlandsheid' is pretty nice sometimes ^ ^ That same night I went on my first exchange! I went with Sister Brown and she is from Virginia! Guess what?! She knows Elder Kemp, hahaha! They're from the same stake :)

Saturday we had a mission service project in the Avenues!:D Yeey! So I got to go back for a couple of hours! :D What we did is we helped people get a bag full of clothes, food and toys :) While we were going around we had to find out if they would be interested in learning more about the Gospel :) So we got tons of referrals that day! :D It was sooooo great!!!! :D :D :D



Ok ok, and then something else this weekend! Last night we had a stake fireside and it was on the Dutch Potatoes Project. It would take too long to explain it, but pleeeease look it up at  https://history.lds.org/article/dutch-potatoes-video?lang=eng . It is such a touching and amazing story about World War Two and the Dutch and German Saints! Anyways, the people who were involved in that project live in our stake. They migrated from Germany in the 50's and their last name is Schmidt. Hmmm...who knows a famous piano player with the last name Schmidt?.... muahahha, that's right! John Schmidt! He came to perform that night! He grew up in this stake and those people are his parents! :D He was soooo amazing!!! The Spirit was sooo strong that night! I got to shake his hand afterward too! :D I'm never going to wash that hand again, hahaha! Oh wait, too late...I already did...But anyways...that was pretty awesome!!! And guess who showed up at the fireside?! It was Jeanet Zwiers (I always forget her married name) and Marijke Shuttle and a couple of other Dutch people! :D I have a picture, so you might recognize some people :)

 

Wow, quite a week huh?! :D It was soooo great! The Spirit was so strong!

 

I have loved every minute of it! I love being a missionary right now! I know that my Redeemer lives! I know that He loves us! I know with all my heart that He knows us, understands us and cares about us. I know I have shared this scripture with you a billion times already, but Alma 7:11-12 has become my favorite scripture on my mission :)

The Atonement is real! We can all make it back! We can all change and start over again. I testify to you that it is NEVER too late! There is ALWAYS a way back. All He asks of us is a willing heart and mind! Surrender yourself! In the arms of His love there is safety and healing. In the arms of His love there is hope and peace.

 

Please center your Christmas in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I can promise you that that is where great peace and happiness lies :)

 

I love my Savior and I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to represent Him, serve Him with all my heart, might, mind and strength :)

God be with you till we meet again (on Thursday! :D)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! And the Dutch people yesterday reminded me of the way to say it in Dutch: Prettige Kerstdagen!!!

Lots and Lots of Love 

Sister Spijkerman <3

 

Hillside Stake!

Maandag 15 december 2014

Buenos Dias my beloved family!!!

Well, the news you've been waiting for all week! :D I am still in Salt Lake :) I'm serving in the Hillside Stake, which is like two stakes over from Canyon Rim! Yup, I'm back in the Olympus Zone! At transfers I found out that the Olympus zone has the most sisters, so I'm responsible for 5 companionships O.O It's great though! :D They are all great sisters and supersweet, so I'm looking forward to learning from them :) This week I'm going on my first exchange, so I'm excited :) 

The Hillside Stake is in the Sugarhouse area in Salt Lake and there are a lot more kids and young married couples here than in the avenues :) So that is a lot of fun! :)

 

There are a lot of people here who served their mission in the netherlands :D (one of our bishops served in Holland. Super awesome! :D They asked me if I knew about some people, but I didn't know a lot of them. One sister asked me to check up on a sister. She lives in our stake and is part of the wijk Apeldoorn. She doesn't go to church anymore. SO yeah, please reach out to the inactive people in our Stake! And in the Netherlands! Some of them are waiting to be found! :D 

Oh, I totally forgot to update you in my new companion, ghehehe ^ ^ Now it looks like I don't like or love her, but that's absolutely not true!

I loooove her to pieces! Her name is sister Quiles and she is from New Jersey. Her mom is from Ecuador and her dad's family is from Spain :) So she speaks Spanish! So cool! Now I can finally learn some Spanish! :D muahahaha! We live in a duplex with another set of sisters, which is totally crazy with the use of the bathroom and fridge, but a lot of fun as well :) Anyways...sister Quiles is soooo adorable!!! She is such a bubbly happy person and she is sooo funny! She is so excited to be my companion, because I have European chocolate, hahaha (and for some other reasons as well of course...hopefully...) OOOOOOH!!!

 

By the way!!! We have to share our car with the other sisters, so we're on bikes every other day now!!!!!!!! :D YEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!! I missed it soooo much!!!! So I'm SUPER happy!!! :D It's a little bit harder here though, because everything is uphill, but going downhill is kinda fun ^ ^ So...yeah, I'm having a lot of fun!

 

I'm starting to know my way around here, and getting to know the people :) We will have a transfer of hard work and diligence and obedience, so that we can find people to teach and baptize! :)

I will send more pictures this week of last week! :D 

I love you all sooo much! Sister Quiles told me to wish you Feliz Navidad! :D I'm excited to talk to y'all next week! :D

Lots and Lots of Love

Sister Spijkerman <3

Thanks for the extra pictures made by sister C. Call

TRANSFERSSSSS!!!!!

Maandag, 8 december 2014

Heeeeey allemaal!!!

WELL... TRANSFERS!!!! You'll never believe what's going to happen to me!!!! :O Last night I got a phone call from President Eberhardt and I have been called to serve as a Sister Training Leader in the mission!!! :O A sister training leader is kind of like a zone leader for sister. You go on exchanges, teach the sisters what they can improve on, help them with personal problems and things like that :) HOLY COW!!!! :O :O :O Can you imagine!!! Me, Sister Spijkerman, serving as a Sister Training Leader?!!! O.O I feel so overwhelmed and inadequate! I bet most of the sisters don't even know who I am!!! So I've got an adventure waiting for me right there... o.o

Then this morning we got the phone call that I'm leaving the Avenues :( Weeeeh!!!! :'( I am soo sad!!! I love it so much over here! But I've learned that Heavenly Father definitely knows what is best for me :) He will prepare a way and everything will be alright :) I will miss all the wonderful and beautiful people here though! The last couple of days it has been raining gifts and presents for us. People have taken care of me so well and they have been so kind and loving towards me :) I will never forget all the wonderful people that I met and taught here :) 

Anyways, besides transfers we went to Temple Square last week to see the Christmas lights!!! It is the PRETTIEST sight EVER!!! Oh my!!! It's like there are trees of life everywhere! :D It's sooo pretty!!! I loved walking around and watch all the people :) They were all so happy :) Everybody was singing and laughing and talking :) The Spirit of Christmas was there :) I just love being a missionary during this time of year! It's so amazing to be a representative of Jesus Christ during the time that we celebrate His birth and ministry :) I can't thank Him enough for the gift of hope, light and eternal life that He has given me and all those around me. I love Him so much and I am so deeply grateful that I can serve Him every day :) 

I hope you will all enjoy this Christmas season and feel the Spirit that Christ brings :) Center your lives and Christmas in Him, you will feel the peace and joy that He brings :) I love you all very very much!!! I'll find out tomorrow where I will be serving next and who my companion is going to be :) 

 Lots and Lots of Love

Your Loving Sister Missionary

 Sister Spijkerman <3 

Thanksgiving!!!!

Maandag 1 december 2014

Heeey lieve allemaal!!!

Afgelopen week was een geweldige week.We hadden EINDELIJK een les met onze onderzoeker! :D We taught him the Restoration and it was really amazing to hear his testimony of Jesus Christ and the power of prayer! So we hope we will be able to continue teaching him, because he's amazing. :)

The highlight of the week was obviously my first Thanksgiving ever! It was sooo much fun! In the morning we had a Thanksgiving Devotional of one of our wards. Well, it was actually an interdenominational devotional. There were different people of different faiths all together in our ward building! And trust me, that is very unusual in Utah, since a lot of non-members don't want to put one foot in our church buildings.  During the devotional the international children's choir sang, which was really awesome! They sang different songs from different countries! :)

Then the governor of Utah spoke, which was quite an experience as well :) He's a member of the Church, so he quoted a lot of scriptures :) After the devotional we went to a member's home and helped them peel potatoes and apples :) We went to our beloved mission mom (well, actually, one of our many mission moms... :D). Then we went to our own house and played games with the people we live with. We played Mormon bridge. We had no idea how to play it! They tried to explain it to me, but they used all these American words that I'd never heard before. For the first time on my mission I just really didn't know what people were talking about! :O It was so embarrassing! :O They told me to put my hand out (meaning, to put my cards on the table so they could see them). Guess what I did? I put my physical hand out on the table.... -_- oh my... Everybody was laughing of course.. I think that day I gained a lot more empathy for those poor missionaries back home :) Anyways, I was finally able to understand it! Hurrah!!! :D

Then we went to our senior couple, the Bryner's. We helped them make pies and prepare our Thanksgiving dinner :) While waiting for things to cook we played games with the Elders and just had a lot of fun! :) For Thanksgiving sister Guy and I also made jars with quotes in them to hand out to those we're teaching and of course also for some members :) We quickly ate our dinner, delivered the jars and went back to the Bryner's to play games with the Elders, a member, that was a lot fun :)

Then we went to see some other members. They spoke in sacrament meeting and they told the congregation that they have 4 daughters :) now! (they have 2 of there own, 1 daughter is serving in Russia right now!) so yeah, that's how much we all love each other :) They had his mom and his sister over as well. Believe it or not, his sister is in the same home ward as President and sister Robinson!!!! :O :D Sooooo coooool!!!! So that was my first thanksgiving and it was absolutely fabulous!

I'm so grateful to have my own family here as well :) People here have embraced me, loved me and I'm so grateful for all of them :) Yesterday we visisted older couple in one of our wards. They told me that I needed to tell you, mom and dad, that they are trying to take good care of us :) They too have adopted us as their daughters :) When this sweet Brother said the closing prayer he referred to us as his daughters :) He is soooo sweet!!!! :3 

Last week they turned on the Christmas lights on Temple Square and I haven't seen them yet. But since I'm afraid I'll get transferred next week. We have set up a lot of appointments this week so we can go to Temple Square to see the lights!!! Next week you will receive lots and lots of pictures!!!! :D

 

I hope you will all remember the reason for the season, that you will look to share Christ's love with those around you! :) 

I love you all and may God's love always be with you!

Lots and Lots of Love

Sister Spijkerman <3