Monday 27 February 2012

Another Week

Welll Hello everybody
 
So first of all I am doing very good and am having a lot of fun. My companion is super funny and we laugh all the time.
Well Rotterdam is so big and busy and there are always people outside. There is always so much going on. Traffic can be pretty bad especially with all the small European roads and when there is construction its even worse. I still however really enjoy driving. All the parking we do is parallel parking which I am not too bad at. I have only hit two cars and scraped along side a car. No I am joking! (tap, tap, tap... Knock on wood)
I may have mentioned that we have changed the way that we do Missionary work. We work more with computers now or at least we are supposed to. Its just to map out where people live to make looking up people more effective. We also now focus on looking up people and that talking to all the people that we find in that area. We have seen so many miracles and have had a lot of success but no new investigators. We find  lot of potentials.
Oh one miracle, so we just contacted a guy on the street and he did not have a lot of time so we just exchanged numbers and we called him later to try to get an appointment and he was on a lunch break at work and said "Hold on I am eating right now but you can talk to one of my work colleagues." So we did and we got his information from him and made an appointment. We later shared a great lesson with him. It is just amazing how and where you find people.
Here is another miracle, we were just talking to a lot of people on the street one day when some 26 year old girl saw us from far away and recognized that we were churchy because our clothing gives it away (good thing I was wearing my stinky robe and not my expensive recreation clothes) well once we were done talking to some guy she approached us and asked if we were Jehovah´s witnesses, we were like "NO" jk "no" so she asked but are you from a church and we were like weeelllll.....you could say that, so she asked if she could have some pamphlets or something to learn more because she is looking for a religion. Our response to that was: "Wo don´t just come up to us like we give out free folders or something!" No jk we were like "Uhh.. yeah of course, ( and since that never really happens that someone just asks us for info we did not really know what to give her so we gave her everything we had) here is a Book of Mormon in English and in Dutch and here are these 5 pamphlets with information and here is a Doctrine and Covenants and Mormon Doctrine and Jesus the Christ......" and like 10 other books, she than looked at us all freaked out dropped everything and ran away screaming... Okay no that was all a lie. So we gave her a card and invited her to church and got her number. It was cool.
Sorry if my sense of humor is not that funny, I just felt like writing all that.
We had a really good Zone Training this last week and I as a Zone Leader got to conduct which was fun. Everything went good.
So on a mission you experience a lot of really good things and a lot of things which are really sad like a super awesome investigator dropping you right before they are baptized. It is just so sad to experience those kinds of things. Keep you chin up. I mean it.
I love you all and miss you all and I hope that all is well in Zion where ever you all are. Save me a piece of that corn for later.
Say Hi to all who know me and greet them with a special kiss. (Joseph Smith Translation: Salutation)
I love you all.
 
Love Elder Ellis

Monday 20 February 2012

Hello

Well.....
 
I am having fun and we had a baptism this weekend which was really nice to see. The guy is so cool and he was just prepared. A few weeks ago he just walked into the church randomly, now he is baptized.
I am also driving in a car which is really nice. I am enjoying it a lot. Man Rotterdam is pretty big and it has a huge harbor. I really like it here so far. It is a lot different than any other city that I have served in.
Well my companion is awesome too. He is the funniest guy ever. We have so much fun and work super hard. There is a lot that we have to do as zone leaders but its nothing that we can't do.
So, we have some new missionaries in the Rotterdam Zone, one of which is Zuster Schwab. She is from Idaho and Steve Schwab from my ward in Bullhead City is her uncle. I have not met her yet but I have talked to her on the phone.
Things are going good. The entire mission is changing its finding tactics which will be fun to do something new. I will also be conducting the Zone Training on Thursday. President will be there and all and I have to conduct. I am very excited.
I am so tired. Since transfers it has been non stop work and very exhausting. I like working my butt off but even today on P-day I could not take a nap, cause this Barber place we went to, to get my Comps hair cut took the learning student over an hour to do a simple hair cut. She did good though.
I have been learning so much and am trying to apply it all to my life.
I am not sure what else to say so I love you all and wish you all the best and I miss you.
 
Love Elder Ellis

Monday 13 February 2012

Thanks for Your Support

Hello
 
I have had a really good week. I have been learning so much the last 6 weeks. My companion Elder Li is so awesome and such a good example. I am so thankful for having been his companion.
Also, having worked in Almere the last 6 weeks has been so much fun and filled with Miracles and Spiritual experiences. I really loved my time here.
The members here are so great and supportive, the Investigators are amazing and miracles. We have 3 baptismal dates right now and I am confident that they will be baptized in the coming weeks. Unfortunately I will not be able to witness them.... Yes I am being transferred. It came by surprise cause I really did not see it coming at all. I really thought that I would stay in almere for at least 2 transfers. Well I am not and I am very sad to leave but very excited to go work in Rotterdam. I actually had a dream that I left to go be a Zone leader and now it is coming true. That's really weird. I will really miss Almere and I wish that I could have gotten to know the people a little better.
Now, my new companions name is Elder van de Graff. I am so excited that I get to be in a car for the rest of the winter. But that does not matter because I actually love biking and just stopping randomly to talk to people.
Man it was so cool, last week a guy just randomly walked into church and really liked it. There are so many miracles happening everywhere.
I also went on ex-changes in Haarlem which is west of Amsterdam. That was really cool too. I will miss going to Amsterdam for P-days. Oh well I will just have to see what we can do in Rotterdam, which is also a very big city.
So i want to share with you how much our Heavenly Father loves all of us. He loves us. If we love him, we keep his commandments. I am working on loving him more and all of his children. I have been asking myself lately why I am on a Mission and why I work hard or do certain things which help me become a better Missionary. I love God and his Son Jesus Christ. I am learning hoe to love them more and to serve out of Love. "Love is the Key" like our mission motto says.
I love you all and I feel your love for me and for God when I receive your letters and other ways of support. I feel the love and the prayers spoken for me. I am so grateful to be on a mission and to help others come unto Christ.
Thank you all so much.
 
Love Elder Ellis

If you want to write me here is my address:
 
Elder Ellis
Baroniestraat 18a
3051 ED Rotterdam
Nederland
 
Thanks. Love you all
 
Elder Ellis

Thursday 9 February 2012

Hello

Hello everyone.
 
I am so sorry that I was not able to write an e-mail this last Monday. We had a zone p-day and got home to late for us to get to the library on time.
Well I also don't have much time right now to write much so I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing good and am loving my mission. I am also enjoying the freezing cold. It got to -25 Celsius which was freezing cold. I love this work, the work of the Lord. I love you all and miss you all. I'm lovin it.
Well till the next time.
Much Love,
                Elder Ellis