My Week

Well Hello Again,

This last week was really awesome. I think the most effective day I've had so far was my P-day on monday. We just had a really good, nice chillaxing P-day till after dinner. We had an appointment with a member for just like 15 minutes, than we had 2 appointments at the same time so we went on splits with some members. Both lessons went really well and the spirit was strong. We than had another member lesson. 4 lessons in one evening. On wednesday we had a really cool church tour with an investigator and she wants to get baptized but not sure yet when cause she does not want to rush into anything. We talked to some interresting people this week. There is a member who is over 80 and we visit him a couple times a week and sing hymns with him either in dutch or spanish usually in spanish cause thats the only book he usually has. I went on an exchange with my district leader and so we went al the way to groningen to exchange and there we ate luch together which was way fun. We went to the centrum in Zwolle to do some contacting and ran into a large group of about 60 people from another church. They started throwing trash at us and spit on us and yelled at us.... no I'm just kidding, but a couple of young girls came up to us and asked us why our nametags are black with white letters and not white with black letters. That than turned into a asking us a ton of questions about our believs conversation. Some of the other people noticed and joined so we were circled by about 10 people, all asking us questions and trying to proof us wrong. There was a guy from lithuania who is american, he talked to me trying so hard to break my testimony and threw out all these random things about our church and I answered the questions but I mostly testified of what I know is true. Not once did they testify or say that they know something to be true. I had the spirit with me. Oh and in the background the rest of the people were all gathered together while a couple of them were yelling stuff like "Repent, Repent, have faith in Jesus Christ and you will be saved". We just really had a good week. Oh we had stake conference which was really cool cause we got so see other Elders from our Zone and a ton of members and there were quite a few cute girls but that does not matter right now. Oh and one girl that looks exactly like icarly. We knocked on one door on sunday and it was an old man who let us in and he believs the restoration to be true and that the things we told him are true but he also feels like he has lived his way since he was 7 and does not want to change religion. But he is now an investigator. Well I am doing great and I am really relying on the lord. I love this work and the people. I love my mission and am learning a ton about everything. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth and that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the true church of God. Man my testimony is growing so much and it all makes so much sense when you listen to the spirit and ponder about it. I miss you all.

Love,

Elder Ellis

Hello

I am doing great and awesome. We had an awesome lesson last monday and the spirit was strong. The week was not as succesful in numbers but it was great in learning. I was on exchange and that was great with Elder Wilcken and he is a good missionary. And also tall. After working with him that day my neck hurt from looking up all day. jk. We found a new investigator who was a former and he is studying theology and is Curacoan. that went well. Oh we also had Zone training and it was really cool. We learned a new technique called QGCs but it is very secret. I am just kidding I just don't have enough time to explain. We helped an Afgani Family move into a house but more like hanging up curtains. They are now investigators. sweet. One day we spent traveling all day. We went all the way out to Emmen and looked up referrals and only contacted 1 out of 5 it was a wasted day, but it had to be done. Sunday was awesome cause my companion and I taught pristhood in dutch and it went so good. Sue Heina a girl in our branch gave her farewell talk and we had so many visiters which missionaries love. We talked for almost an hour after church to both members and non members. It was crazy. Well and now I am writing my e-mail. Thats all for the week.

Love you all

Elder Ellis

Well hello again

This week has been great. Our numbers have been going up and we talked to a lot more people and have had more success. I unfortunataly don't have as much time  to write today. But it was funny this week there was a guy who we contacted and he started getting mad and yelling at us saying that if we believe in Jesus Christ we should go help the dying kids in like Africa instead of telling people about Jesus. He laughed at us and I wish I could have pushed him and just rebuked him but I smiled and just went to the next door. The next day we get another guy like the first but he told us that if we gave him the Book of Mormon that he would burn it and that we need to stop reading it. He had very weird and funny facial expressions and it was just hilarious cause he did not let us say a word and finally I said well sir that is your opinion but he just got more intense right in my face and I tried not to laugh. He said if you believe in Jesus to stop reading the Book of Mormon. He does not get it. As we walked away he stood by his door watching us and quietly saying stop reading. So we had to leave that neighborhood and we just burst out into laughter. We also had some good lessons with the spirit. Made some good appointments. The members are still so awesome and they support us and feed us and make us fat. haha I love it. Elder Kuttler and I get along pretty well and are having a lot of fun especially in our apartment. It was a good week and this one will be even better. I am so excited. Oh Happy Valentines to everybody.

Love

Elder Ellis

Alrighty then...

Here we go. So the beginning of the week was really cool getting to spend a few more days with Elder Wells as a missionary. It was fun, he is a, well was a very good Missionary. I did not realize how much I learned from him till he was gone. even though we are very different in many ways, I really look up to him and appreciate his patiance that he had with me. I learned so much. My new companion even said that the way I contact is like Elder Wells... haahah. Well I am feeling really good about my dutch but now my german is suffering because of it. Well thats what happens. This week we did a ton of finding (with my new companion) but did not really find anyone who is interested except for a few. I am also learning a lot about my self and am noticing things about my self that I want to change and improve on because of working with my new companion. We get along great but for some reason when we go contacting it does not go as great. Oh his name just means something bad in Dutch. Sorry that I jump around so much its just I have a lot on my mind and not much time. This week has been VERY interesting. Man it really sucks when people don't show for appointments or are not home. Oh because I took over Zwolle meaning I know the city and my new companion does not I feel a lot more responsibility and I am doing a lot of the phone calls now and I can actually understand the people. I always get to lead and be in charge of the map. Yeah. Fun. Well It has been super windy the last couple of days that when we bike somewhere it takes us twice as long to get there. It nearly knocked me off my bike a few times. Crazy. Well I don't have any crazy storys yet but they will come.....trust me. It is good to hear from all of you (both america and Austria) and I am very glad that things are going well. My cousin in austria had a baby.. how crazy. I can not even imagine that because all I can think of is this life right now. Oh it was way cool I bore my testimony at church again and this time I could say exactally what I wanted to say cause my dutch is better. There is a lady in my branch who has a way sweet dialect and so when we sing, because she sings loud I try to sing like her. I know that sounds weird but it sounds so cool. Once again time is not a friend of Missionary work. I am so busy and then there are times when we can't think of what to do cause appointments fall through and yet we find a ton to do. Those of you preparing for Missions, do it now, how I wish I was better prepared. I love hearing from home about how people are coming closer to the Lord. That is so important cause Why are we on Earth? Well Time is about up and I got to go. I miss you all. I love getting mail but don't feel forced. By the way I am sorry if I don't write as much back its just hard to find time to write. I love you all.

Elder Ellis