Well Hello Again

This week are transfers and I am staying in Zwolle! My new companion will be Elder Kuttler but here in the mission his nametag says Elder Kettler because there is a funny story behind that. It has been really good serving with Elder Wells and I will miss him and I have learned a lot from him. Earlier this week I got sick so I've been working all week to recover and am still working on it. We had a sweet lesson with a guy from Togo and he really seems interested. Missionary work is defianatly super hard and when people say its the hardest thing in the world but the best thing they wer not lying. It can be really hard to have to go out when its cold and when no one wants to listen but once you find some one who is ready to receive the gospel its the best thing in the world and you just feel the love of God. Well for some reason there is so much happening but yet I can't think of to much to say. I am still waiting for those Mission Miracles. They will come because now that Elder Wells has trained me, Elder Kettler and I are gonna tear up Zwolle. Zwolle will explode with the gospel that we'll have to get an even bigger church building. Yep thats about it. We are biking hardcore all the time. There is sooo much work to be done here and all over the world, we need so many more missionaries because just in Zwolle are like 150 thousand people or so and two missionaries, on average we talk to 150 people per week and its super hard to talk to everybody cause we are so busy. I love you all.\

 

Elder Ellis

Hello

Well I totally ran out of time today because pdays are too short. So I can only say a few things. Its always good to write home and to here from family. In Zwolle I am doing pretty good. I went on exchanges on friday and had two eating appointments in a row both really good. I started getting a little sick on saturday and really sick over night so we had to stay home from church. Today I am feeling better but still pretty sick. We looked at some windmills and climbed an old church tower with 236 steps. well this is all the time I have because I have a dinner appointment that I have to go to so I miss you all BYE

 

Elder Ellis

Hey

Well Hello

I am sorry that I won't be able to write to much today. I kinda ran out of time. Well everything is going great over here and I am meeting all kinds of people. Like a week ago I contacted a guy and asked him what he thinks the purpose of life is and he just walked away a little frustrated. A few days later we passed him and he turned around and walked right up to me a foot away from my face with alcohol breath right in my face and said that he has been thinking about what I asked him and he went on for like 3 minutes non stop telling me that I won't find that answer and that I should stop looking for an answer because he has been looking but realized that if you can't find an answer that you should get rid of the question. And he than just walked away. So there are some strange people. We are teaching a guy from Curacao who was found when Elder Demoss a long time ago played his bagpipe. The man wanted to give the Elders money but they gave him a Book of Mormon instead. They lost contact after a few lessons and we found him again. Super cool guy. The members here in Zwolle are so cool and nice they really take care of us. We also had zone conference this week and it was really cool to see all the other missionaries and Elder Andrews, Elder Jones and Sister Rich who were in my MTC group. The food is always amazing. The day after zone conference Elder Wells and I went to the stake yearly planning session where all the leaders from the whole stake were. We had to represent our mission. No worries though we did not have to say anything we just had to know what was going on to be able to report to the President. It was so cool and it felt like another zone conference because they really want to focus on missionary work. Our new church building here in Zwolle was packed. Well on a mission there is not enough time at all. This week I have to go to Brussels and I get to see my MTC group cause we have to take care of some legality stuff. I love it here. Yesterday we contacted someone at his door and he is not religeous but just the night before he wonderd if there was a god and than we show up so he felt the spirit super strong now we just have to see what happens. I don't have more time sorry. I love you all and i am sorry if I cannot write any individual E-mails. I read everyones e-mails but I don't have time to write back.

My addresse right now is

Rommestraat 79

8015 AS Zwolle

Nederland

I will most likely be in Zwolle for a couple more transfers and if not I get mail that was sent to the wrong apartment at district, zone or any other meeting.

Thank you!

Elder Ellis

Groningen District

Elder Ellis' first district - Groningen District

We hardly recognized him at first... he looks like a red head in this photo :)  But that's definitely his smile and big personality!  

Well Hello

Its that time of the week again and it feels like yesterday that I sat here writting my e-mail. I am very glad that my truck was able to be sold and that was around what I expected to get rid of it for. Make sure Devon gets what he needs to make up for what he did for me. I have no time. Like I thought a day had 24 hour but I must have been wrong cause time just is the worst enemy for missionaries. I also think its funny that what you guys know about last week changes so fast. like I'll have an investigator and the next day he gets dropped and than its like what? what ever. So all my clothes are fitting good and I feel bad for complaining at first but its all good now. Oh before I forget can you write Dylan Lawter to send him Lauren Burgess' address or did I already ask you this? Hmm. Well School is back in over here so Zwolle is something completely different now ( where were all the people over the holidays?) Trains are packed and so are buses. Mostly girls cause there are more girls studying than guys it seems. Or guys just drive cars IDk. I went to a Sinter Klas museum which must have been the smallest museum in the wrold it was under someones store in a like ww2 type of jew hiding place. It was tiny but there was a large collection of items that have anything to do with Sinter Klas which is the Dutch Santa Clauss you could say except he comes on Dec 6 with zwarte pete. A little different over here. We talk to some interesting people and most have no time or don't believe in God. On Friday we had our interviews with the President it felt so good to see him and his wife. I learned a lot from that district meeting. We had a lovely lunch and than took a two hour train back to Zwolle from Groningen which is really up north. On Saturday we talked to a guy for who is a born again christian for like over 3 hours which totally did not go anywhere. He is convinced that the bible is all he needs. Next time something like that happens we will just cut it short. We had a lot of dinner appointments with members this week and man it is so good and its a total dutch thing to always eat a tutje (dessert). Well... oh the other day when we were on our way home from Branch council meeting I saw a lady get hit by a car but she was fine and did not want any help. It tuns out she hit the car. The Members are so awesome and I told them that but that we all need to work harder as missionaries since as full time missionaries it is our duty to help the members do missionary work. Man time goes by so fast and I am once again at an end. I do love it here and I am working hard.

Bye Elder Ellis

Happy New Year!

The mission is great here in Zwolle and I am learning a lot! The other week or this week I can't even remember when I was like two feet away from a taxi that sped through a red light going way over the speed limit. I was on my bike and my light was red so when it turned green I decided to pass my companion who was on my right side so I sped up to pass him but someting told me (THE SPIRIT) to slow down. So I did and a taxi from my right side sped through the intersection and just about hit me. My companion was a few feet behind me, I shook and was in shock ( not literal shock) But I was like, had I not listened to the spirit the speed that that car had, I would have been killed. Crazy. Well besides almost dieing I had a good week and got some new investigators. For one guy who was a HQ referral we took a bus out into nowhere for like 30 minutes and than walked down a lonley road in the dark next to the ocean but a dyke sepperated us from it for a whole hour. It was a long walk and we did not even know if he was home since the referral came from Finnland. His mom opened the door and they let us in. Wow. We gave him a book of mormon and explained it and taught the first lesson in dutch. Even I taught in Dutch. His dad decided to join in the lesson. He is in his mid 20 and I know that they felt the spirit so we'll see what happens from here. And a few other people also decided to listen to us. We even taught a Muslim Lady which is usually not allowed but she claims to also be christian? The Members here in Zwolle are so awesome and we are booked for dinner appointments this week. Yeah. Our finding is ok but a lot of people don't believe in god and some say they are religious but not believers? So I got to get going cause my time is up and I was reading some e-mails. I miss everybody in all the continents that I know somebody in. Bye

 

Elder Ellis