The Weather Sure Changes

Hello Y'all

So I had a good week. We have had the most dutch weather you could imagine, rain! sometimes the sun pokes through. Yesterday and today the sun is shining really bright, cloud free today to be exact. 

Last Monday we had a zone p-day where we went on a boat tour underneath a city called Den Bosch. It was cool and it rained the whole time.

We had a first lesson with a lady Monday night and she was so awesome and just super open to the Holy Ghost. We set a baptismal goal with her. The spirit was so strong.

Tuesday was fun we had District meeting where we supplied the food and the Andersons worked their magic and made a delicious meal.

Right now there are a lot of people on vacation which makes it hard to get appointments so we basically just find all day long talking to everyone. That is so much fun since I love talking to people but its still nothing like teaching a lesson to one of your investigators.

We had a couple of lessons with one lady who was preparing for baptism and I was sure that she was going to make it but for some reason all these concerns started coming up and she now disagrees with everything and is trying to teach us. It is so sad since we really care about her and love her. We had to drop her in the last appointment and tell her what our purpose is and that we don't come to argue with people but that we look for people who are open to learn more and find out for themselves if what we are teaching is true. 

I went on x-changes with Elder Hendrickson and it was so much fun, we talked to so many people. We had a great time and found a lot of potential people. 

It was a good week. Sunday was awesome, a lot of people were on vacation and we had no investigators in church but the 4 last baptized people were in church so it was good to see that they are strong and active. I also taught the lesson in Priesthood and both I and Elder Schulte gave talks. It went well. The Elders Quorum president also gave a fantastic talk. I love church.If you are scared go to church .If you are angry go to church. If you are sad go to church and if you are happy go to church.

I love you all and am so thankful for all of your support. Keep strong, be strong and .......uh

Much Love 

               Elder Ellis

I Love My Mission

Hey Everybody

I am doing good and it has been a good week.
I want to share a personal experience about the atonement. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for us in the garden of Gethsemane. I know that he took our sins upon himself. I knows us. He lives, and loves us. Our Heavenly Father loves us, For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son... I love the scriptures and what they teach concerning Christ and the Atonement. I am so thankful for the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood Authority. I know that it is real but I can only share my experience. I have made mistakes in my life and I have repented and I repent daily and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I have felt peace from it and a burden lifted off my shoulders. The guilt is swept away. The power of the Atonement is real and it can take place in any ones life. I love it.
I feel so much love from our Heavenly Father. I don´t have much to share this week except for my testimony that I know that all these things are true and I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I have read it and am reading it again and it has brought me closer to God and Christ. I love you all. In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Love Elder Ellis

So Far All is Well

Hello

It has been a great week. Merwin the man that was baptized last week received the Aaronic Priesthood and passed the sacrament already. He is doing so good. It was amazing to see him walk into church randomly one day and six weeks later be baptized. It was such a miracle. We have another few really positive people who will hopefully be baptized soon. One lady is from Ghana and loves making food for us and it is delicious. Let me tell you. 

   So we are teaching some really cool people. We also try to talk to as many people as possible. We get a lot of their info but it is hard to make appointments since they usually respond "Ah just come by whenever and if we are home you are welcome if not try another time" So we have become a lot more straight forward like we ask specifically if they are even interested and we tell them how we can't waste our time and energy just looking them up to see if they are home. I have gotten really bold. 

    Here is a random fact, I have let my hair grow out longer than ever before on my mission, now don't worry I comb it to the side and part my hair so it is still appropriate. I actually liked it. What is funny is that a guy from our ward said that when he was on a mission he just had his hair short and did not have to do anything with it but the last 4 months of his zending he grew it out and gave it a part just like I am doing. So it must be some kind of thing that you do at the end of your mission. Idk.

    This last week we had a Zone Conference where we got to meet the new Mission President and his wife. They are so awesome and I am so excited to work with them. I also went on x-changes with Elder Pope. It was super cool. We had a great x-change. I learned a lot from him. You know being a Zone Leader is is super fun and I just like helping people. Yesterday we approached someone and offered help she was relieved to hear that we wanted to help. Her husband went off on us how we are just advertising for our church and he told us how we are liars and that he does not need help from us. We really just wanted to help. She looked pretty mad at him for not letting us help. When we left it sounded like as if they got into a fight. Oops. Well people my time is up.

I love you all. Best Wishes from

                                             Elder Ellis

A New Mission President

Hello everybody!

Its been a great first week of the transfer. Elder Schulte and I are getting along very well.... we actually have to do our best not to laugh. The first day before we left our apartment we knelt down to pray and could not leave for like 10 minutes because we laughed so much that we could not start praying. Don't worry we are doing our best and we don't laugh in appointments. I would just like to add that I probably have never laughed so much in my life in such a short period of time. haha

   So this past week has been great. We are teaching some really cool people and especially a few who are so ready to be baptized and are progressing so much, I love them. We were at one of our investigators home who is from Columbia and it was pretty hot that day so she gave us little fans that you have to wave around with your hand it was funny. We all had a great time, it seems that I still entertain people. Some of you may be sad since I can´t entertain you but no worries I still do my thang, yeah word I keep it real.

We had a baptismal interview for one of our investigators and so we got to see President Brubaker one more time for the last time. It is sad that he is leaving. Matter of fact he is gone. This last week we were yelled at twice within a couple hours. As I was talking to a man on the street another man pulls up on his bike and starts yelling at us that Jesus Christ is the only way back to God, the man I was talking to walked away and honestly I first thought that the man on the bike was helping me and yelling at the guy I was talking to but as the man walked away I found myself standing alone with my comp being yelled at. He was saying that we were wrong and that Jesus is the only way. I was confused because that is what we think as well but obviously he was not fully aware of that. My comp walked away and was like "come on lets go". I remained standing pointing at the name Jesus Christ on my name tag. He than cursed me in the name of Jesus and the congregation that I belong to so lets just put it this way, I about walked up to him and physically stopped him but I than just walked away. Almost the same thing happened one hour later. Crazy day. Oh well that happens sometimes.

    We had a baptism on Saturday and Tony received the Priesthood on Sunday. It was a good week.

I love you all so much and miss you tons.

Love Elder Ellis

Our last Conference with President and Sister Brubaker

Hello

 

We had an awesome week. We were really busy on Monday and had no time to e-mail as you have probably noticed.

Right now we are teaching a couple of people who are really positive and will probably be baptized soon. David is one of them and he is so cool. He is 27 and loves the Book of Mormon and the Institute program. You know all the young adults in this area are really great.

I was on x-changes with Elder Hyer on Tuesday in Rotterdam North which is my old area except that we biked and did not sit in a car all day. While we were on a subway on our way back to the station where we parked our bikes an announcement was made that there was a bomb at the station where we needed to go. We ended up getting there by foot but the entire city block was blocked off and Police was everywhere. They just found a grenade that was actually fake or something like that.

We then ate dinner with a family whose son went on a mission 2 days after I did and just returned home for a foot surgery since he broke his foot playing Football. So we had dinner and hung out, he served in Germany so we could speak German with each other.

The whole week has been really good.

We had a sweet Mission Conference on Thursday and that was President and Sister Brubakers last one. It was sad but we got some really good advice from them. I love them so much and will miss them so much.

Saturday was a really good day and so was Sunday we worked really hard.

I love my mission so much.

Well I am staying here in Rotterdam South with a new companion Elder Schulte and Elder Benson will be going to St. niklaas in Belgium.

I am still the Zone Leader. It will be fun.

I love you all.

Love Elder Ellis

Hi

Hello everybody

It was a great week especially with all the sunshine. It seems that people are happier when the sun shines. It does get really hot sometimes but since the car has airco we can't complain.

The week started good with a sweet Family Home Evening at the young single adult center. A lot of people came and even though it was hard to get everybody focused it turned out really well. Clarissa, a recent convert, gave the lesson and it was really good. She is doing so good and is fellowshipping other investigators already. 

On Tuesday we went on X-changes and that went really good. We just saw cool miracles of the right people that were put on our path. 

We set a few more baptismal dates this week with really cool people and saw a lot of success.

On Saturday we had a baptism. Tony is baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is so cool and is doing so good.

Sorry but I am out of time we had a fun P-day.

 I love you all. I also went on X-changes in Amsterdam.

Love Elder Ellis

The Lord is Merciful

Hello

It has been such a good week. It is so nice to see people change their lives for the better because of the impact the gospel has on them. I have seen so many wonderful people change their lives. I love it. There is the coolest guy ever who will be baptized this weekend in Rotterdam south at 19.00 on Saturday. He has been doing everything to put his live in order. I love his so much. His name is Tony. He is the man. 

   I want to share a miracle with you. I have really been working on talking to everyone and working hard. Well as the week went on we were not finding any new investigators and I felt as if we are doing something wrong when the calm feeling came to me that we need to just continue working hard and that the Lord will provide Investigators for us. On Saturday we fasted to be able to be more consecrated to the work and have more power. We had a fantastic day but then Elder Benson brought up the same concern that we are not finding anyone. I was able to comfort him and promise that we would see a miracle on Sunday and that if we have faith that the Lord will provide. I really had faith and I exercised it. On Sunday as we come into the church almost late for waiting at the metro for someone who did not come we were welcomed by a brother who told us that there is a guy in the room with all the Priesthood holders and he is not a member. This man has been to our church before in Germany and in Eindhoven a while back and now really wants to learn more and we set up an appointment and shared a lesson and he became a new investigator. Then during sacrament meeting I was pulled out of the chapel to go talk to a single mother and her daughter who were waiting outside in the hallway. The lady's mother is a member in Colombia and she wants to come to church from now on and fill the emptiness that she feels inside of her. So both the lady and her daughter also became new Investigators. The Lord really did provide for us. I am just glad that we gave our best this past week to be worthy of such a blessing and that the Lord trusts us with his precious children. I know that God loves all his children and he will lead them to us as we gain his trust. I love the Lord.

  It is the most rewarding feeling when you feel the spirit working through you and when you can say something and know that the spirit is backing you up. I love this work. I know that my redeemer lives and that we can repent and feel joy through the gospel. I know that his church has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that he leads the church today through the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I can feel the love that the Savior has for all of us and all he wants us to do is come unto him, love him and keep his commandments. He gave his life for us so that we can live. He is the Redeemer of the world. Jesus Christ lives. God is merciful and loves showing mercy to his children. That is a characteristic of God, the very thrill of extending his mercy to us even when we sometimes feel not worthy of it. Let us do our best to become more like him by following our perfect example Jesus Christ. I love him and God. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

I love you all. I miss you and I am thankful for all the prayers and support. 

Love Elder Ellis