Had a Great Week

Hi everybody!

 

   Just another week has gone by like always. Missionary work has been so great.

Last Monday we had a great p-day in Amsterdam which is also not the best place for two

innocent missionaries.

   Tuesday was such a special day. We went to the temple in Zoetermeer with half of the mission.

It was great seeing all the familiar missionaries that I know. It was such a spiritual feeling and it just felt

great to leave all worldly things behind and focus on the spiritual things. I really felt the spirit especially giving me spiritual guidance. Afterwards we had a Temple conference and had a great training by President Robinson and his wife. They are such an amazing teaching team. They work in unity. After all that when we were back in our own area we had a dinner appointment with an investigator who is the girlfriend of this awesome member. It was such a good lesson focused on Christ and the spirit was so strong to testify.

   On Wednesday we had a great experience, we looked up a person who was not home so we knocked some doors and talked to people on the street. Well nothing much happened so we walked away when the thought came to my mind '' You just barely got here and you are gonna give up that quick'' my first response was ''no... of course not we were just walking'' well the thought to pray for guidance came next. We prayed and stayed in the area, the first lady that walked past us seemed that we needed to talk to her. We had a nice chat and was not interested because she has been through to much in her life to believe that there is a god. After we walked away I had another prompting that was like ''you are gonna give up that easy?'' so we walked back which is the one thing that you don't want to do after you have been rejected and talked to her again. This time around she understood who we were and felt that god sent us to her she opened up and we exchanged information. She is such a nice lady. The spirit is there to guide us and when he prompts us to do something we better do it cause he is not wrong.

That same day we met with Junior before the young adult family home evening. He is so amazing and just understands the gospel. He feels the spirit and is preparing for baptism. We stayed for institute and it was a great lesson.

   Oh Elder on Thursday we looked up my favorite Iraj the Iranian guy and he was home after not being able to get in contact with him for a few weeks. He gave us fruit to eat like always and we took some pics. I love that man. I love the people in in my mission. I love this work.

   On Friday we had a great training by the stake President to all the missionaries in the Zone/stake. He gave such a good training. He introduced to us the stake mission plan of the year 2013. What an inspired Stake President and he will really motivate the members in the stake. Later that night we met with Junior again and had another great lesson.

   On Sunday we had a great church service. I gave a talk. Junior got on a bus that did not stop in Amsterdam and on the same bus happened to be the JOVO that we had on joint teach with him. They both took a bus back and walked to the church together. It was such a miracle because he probably would not have found his way to the church.

   Today was a great P-day, we were able to get some cleaning done and dis some fun stuff. I love the day to day experiences on my mission and in life.

I miss you all and love you. I know that God lives, he gave his only begotten son because of his eternal love for us. I know that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us and our sins, however he lives because he overcame death. I know that he restored his church and that it has the proper priesthood authority and is lead by living prophets and apostles. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that the words in it are the words of Jesus Christ. I know these things because of the Holy Ghost which teaches us of all truth. I leave my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Much Love

                Elder Ellis

                Een Zendeling van

                DE KERK VAN

                JEZUS CHRISTUS

                VAN DE HEILIGEN 

                DER LAATSTE DAGEN

The Lord Blesses

Hi Everyone

 

This past week was amazing. We have been working so hard all transfer and it seems as if it is now paying off.

We looked up a couple of ladies who we met on the street a couple of weeks ago. They just let us in which has been

unusual and we taught them the restoration and they understood it and felt the spirit. They both have been looking for the true church.

They both want to be baptized. We also ran into a guy from Brazil who used to take the missionary lessons 4 years ago. He also wants

to be baptized. He is so cool and he came to church and stayed to see a baptism. I love the people here so much.

   For the rest we just had good things happen this week. We had a great fast and testimony meeting. I bore my testimony again. I also had to give the

lesson in Priesthood Elders quorum. We had some really cool dinner appointments this last week.

I love my companion Elder Hanson he is a really good Elder. I love this work.

Thanks for all your support.

Much Love Elder Ellis

Hey

Hey everybody.

 

I am doing great especially since we had such an awesome general conference, I learned so much from it and now I just have to apply all that I learned. I am so excited for all the young women who can now go on a mission at the age of 19. Sister missionaries are so cool and bring such great faith and work ethics into missionary work. I love all the sisters in my mission. I am so glad that I am on a mission.

I love this work and this gospel.

Thank you all for your support and the prayers for missionaries, I have felt strength throughout my mission.

This last week was a good week, my companion bought a good bike for 25 euros.

We also had a few appointments with some really cool people. One of our investigators who is an Iranian singer gave us one of his Cd's and it is really good. There is a language barrier but it is so cool to teach him and I love that guy so much.

We had a nice Ward dinner activity and the food was really good.

On P-day we went to Den Helder with the assistants and the Mission President and his wife and we had such a good time. We went to a rescue ship museum.

I love the Netherlands. This last week we also had a really good lesson with one of our investigators and we all felt the spirit so strong and I feel like a lot of confusion was cleared up. She also came to general conference.

I know that the church has been restored and that it is being lead by living prophets through revelations from Jesus Christ.

I love you all

Love Elder Ellis

Another Day Another Dollar

Hello

Good afternoon. I had a great week. Things are going all over the place and so are we cause Amsterdam is huge well bigger than Rotterdam especially since it was divided into two areas. Luckily Amsterdam has excellent public transportation. I am walking a ton, I really got used to having a car for 7 and a half months so now its a huge change. I love it though cause if you think of missionaries you get this image in your mind of two missionaries walking down a street. So I am really fulfilling my role as a missionary.

   Last Monday we were invited to a lady's birthday party and we had some BBQ. She lives next to the church and used to take the lessons from the sister. She is really nice. A couple other non member friends came by and we were able to tell a little about the church.

   We have been doing a lot of finding since most of our appointments fell through. I like finding put teaching an actual sit down lesson is the best. I love it.

On Wednesday we had a District Leader council and a Zone Leader Council combined and the first half was separate and President asked me to train the District Leaders. Even though I am a District Leader myself President trusted me with that task. It went really good. We then had a great training by President his wife and the Assistants. The spirit was so strong.

   On Friday all four zones had a training at the same time which were held by the zone leaders. President went to one one assistant to another and his comp to another so there was one more zone that needed someone to be there representing President and so President asked me if I would go to Apeldoorn with my companion for him. It was really cool to be in my old zone and I felt cool, yet also very humbled. All the trainings were powerful. President now calls me his Deputy.

   We live with the Assistants and Elder van de Graaff happens to be one of them and also happens to be one of my former companions and a super good friend of mine so we have a blast in our apartment. Most dinner appointments with members both companion ships are invited so it feels like we are companions again. I love that kid.

   The members here are awesome. I don't have much time to get to know  them but I do love them.

I love this work and I love you all. 

   Love Elder Ellis

Amsterdam

Hey

Sorry I have to keep it short but I don't have much time.

I really like Amsterdam so far and there are seriously people everywhere from all over the world. We try to talk to everyone and of course especially the native Dutch people.

Elder Hansen and I are having fun and get along great. The Ward is great too and things are picking up too. We had one of our investigators come to church. We traveled with him which meant that we had to go through the centrum of Amsterdam. Not the best thing to do on a Sunday morning right before church but oh well. I am working hard and doing my best to rely on the Lord.

I love you all

Much Love Elder Ellis

Farewell Rotterdam

Hello

So transfers is this week and I was sure that I would stay here in Rotterdam and stay as a Zone Leader but the Lord has other plans for me. He has called me to Amsterdam. I am very excited to go there and to work with my new companion Elder Hansen from Idaho.

The cool thing is that I will be in the same apartment with one of my former companions Elder van de Graaff. Also I will be District Leader again over the Assistants and the sisters in Amsterdam. 

   This last week we had a zone conference with a seventy, a counselor from the area presidency Elder Patrick Kearon. He is from England and he so cool and spiritual. The spirit was so strong and there was so much that we learned. We also had a zone leader council with him and that was very special too. I learned so much and felt the spirit so strong.

   I was on x-changes with Elder van de Graaff and we had a blast, I just love that missionary.

I also really enjoyed my time with Elder Schulte, I love all of my companions. I will really miss Rotterdam I mean that is my city now, I love the people and just everything. I will especially miss the people that I have worked with. They all mean so much to me. 

   This last week while on our way home I saw someone from the car that I knew and have taught in the past and that I really care about. I have not been able to get in contact with him so when I saw him I jumped out of the car, ran over and we hugged. It was so good to see him again. I love meeting people and just loving them. I love my mission so much. 

I love you all, love Elder Ellis

Here is my new address

Elder Ellis

Vogelkersoord 4

1112 ED Biemen

Nederland

What a Week

Hello 

Its been a good week.

We went on x-changes this week with the Elders te Utrecht. It was fun I was with Elder Wang, we had a really fun time ,we laughed a lot. We talked to a lot of people and since all the universities are starting up again there are students everywhere, on bikes and businessmen/women so it was crazy to bike through the centrum. This guy almost crashed and so he looked over at me and we just started talking to each other. There are people crossing everywhere and everyone is flying and rushing from one place to the other. Elder Wang was already ahead. The guy and I rushed through the city dodging other bikers and cars and I told him about what we do, I started teaching him and he showed interest and right as I was about to ask him for his information to make an appointment we looked at the road splitting ahead of us and he said where do you have to go and I quickly looked and just barely saw Elder Wang fly over into the street on the right so I said right and he said nice talking to you I have to go straight, and there he went he was gone.

It was a nice conversation and he actually had interest. It was crazy, by the way no one in the Netherlands wear helmets when they bike. We had a great x-change.

   On Wednesday we were in this area looking up a guy when his neighbor looked out the window to tell us that he was not home but that we were welcome to come into his home and talk to him. So we did. He is Muslim and very nice we talked for a while and he told us how he likes Mormons and that he tells people that they should not judge us but that we are really nice, that was very kind of him, then he said that he knows a Mormon that used to come to Amsterdam for work. This Mormon is from Utah and has four wives and we were like oh no. We had a nice conversation, he invited us to come back to eat with him some time.

   This past week we have been able to do more service than usual. We did yard work, helped someone clean and move out of his college dorm room, and move some furniture around. Three different people. It felt great to just help people.

   The whole month of August we have been packed with member appointments and we have been able to work better with our ward. There is some good stuff happening.

   On Sunday one of our investigators came to church who initially told us that she would be unable to attend because she worked till 3 in the morning. Well she came anyways because she did not want to miss one Sunday. She is amazing and is really putting up some collateral. Things are going great. I miss you all and love you.

Much Love Elder Ellis