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

Nothing Changes Until You Make a Change

Hey

I don't have much time, realized I.

I had a good week, things are a little slow but I am sure and I know that things will pick up again. We have been working super hard.

Also we have really been working with the members and they have been feeding us. yeah

We have a calendar for dinner appointments and the whole month of august was filled in for everyday.

September is also looking good. I love the members and especially this ward. They work hard and are good examples to the world.

Also the recent converts are keeping strong and are really being integrated to the ward.

We have seen some miracles this last week and it has been amazing.

I miss you all and love you

Love Elder Ellis

A Day of Forgiveness

I want to start off on something that I have learned over the past couple of weeks. Atonement is an action performed by our savior Jesus Christ, it includes the suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, the death on the cross and the Resurrection after 3 days. This act made it possible for us to conquer sin and overcome death. We learn from the scriptures that all people who have lived on earth, live or will live will resurrect. However forgiveness of our sins is something that we have to accept. Forgiveness plays a huge part in the atonement. Why? Jesus Christ stated in his example prayer, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." When we ask for forgiveness and repent the Atonement is applied, but when we choose not to forgive someone else we work against the Atonement. How can we be forgiven when we can't forgive someone else. It is hard for me to put in words but my experience is that forgiving someone is really hard but once it is done it is more gratifying and relieving than if I receive forgiveness for something I did wrong. Most of the time people don't mean to hurt us and even if they do we are hurt even more by not forgiving and carrying it around like a heavy chain everywhere that we go. I have not mastered this and I don't mean to sound wise, its just something that I have learned and that I have a testimony of. I love you all.
   On Tuesday I went on x-changes with a former companion of mine, Elder Da Cruz the Brazilian. He is super cool and I miss him as a companion even though we work in the same city and I see him at least 2 or 3 times a week. We had a great x-change.
But you know this entire week has been a little slow and even though I worked hard it was hard and really hot and I felt lazy. I still worked hard but I am not sure about the extra mile.
   On Wednesday we had a Zone Leader council and it was a really good one, Our new Mission President Robinson is great. We had a council where w discussed certain challenges in the Mission and we came up with some really good solutions. I love it.
There was this little white bird that ran around the back yard of the mission home and after one of the Elders tried catching it I used my bird catching skills that I acquired in Arizona from catching pigeons, ducks, geese, and Peacocks and caught the little thing it was then passed around to pet. It tasted really good for lunch... just kidding, we ate it for dinner....hahah that is also a joke.
   I just want to give some credit to the office Elders cause they are really cool.
This whole week we have had some really good dinner appointments with Members. I love the members. It is also going good with the recent converts.
   Friday was a good day, a day where I matured an entire year within one night. I am now 21 what? One of the sister cities in our zone had a long awaited baptism which was great. yeah baptisms!!! One of my birthday gifts was the 5 new solid investigators that we received. All in one day, we had a drought for a couple of weeks but the Lord is merciful. These 5 new people are incredible.
   Sunday was great as well Church was really hot, it got 38 degrees Celsius. We went to Gouda where the famous cheese comes from and we did some finding in the centrum since we went there for a meeting with the young single adults but we did not want to stay for the singles ward. It was extremely hot. Later we went to a family for dinner who lives close to Gouda.
   Well there goes another great week. I miss you all and love you.
I know that Jesus Christ lives and that the Atonement is real. I know that his church is restored and that it is lead by a prophet of God. I love the gospel.
Much Love, Elder Ellis

This Week Was Great

Hello Everybody

We have been preparing this Colombian mom with her daughter for baptism and they are so ready and we almost had it this weekend but they are struggling coming to church so we need to put it off for a while but I sure hope that they will get baptized this month. 

Also Merwin and Tony two of the guys that were recently baptized just received their first callings as Ward Missionaries. They are both very excited and so are we cause I know that they will grow so much more in the gospel and especially in knowledge and testimony. They are so cool. They are really going to strengthen the ward.

Borkan one of the young men just left for the MTC this morning to go learn German and than to serve in the Alpine mission so for those of you in Austria if he serves in your ward give him a big welcome from me. His name is Elder Abd el Moeti he has a Palestinian father.

   This last week one of the members challenged us to be the first ones at church and to stand out front greeting everyone that comes in. So we did and when we got the Eating Calendar back it was almost completely filled in which means that we left a good impression. It was cool. Its cool to ask members for advice and challenges since they are dutch and they know what would be effective and how we could improve.

   Its super sad the Andersons left and the last time I heard from them was when Elder Anderson gave us a call and gave us a referral of a lady that they had just given a Book of Mormon to. They endured to the end. They are seriously one of the most dedicated couples I have ever seen. They both spoke Dutch as much as they could and even Sister Anderson who spoke no Dutch prior to her coming to the Netherlands learn it in the last two years and she can speak it very well. They have been such an example to me.

   Transfers went well and it was pretty smooth. We just had to stand around the train station form 9 in the morning till about 3 in the afternoon. I may have seen some of the missionaries for the last time on my mission since a few of them went all the way down to Belgium.

   Currently we are teaching a few Africans, from Nigeria,Ghana, and Rwanda. I love teaching all kinds of cultures and ethnic groups.

   On Saturday we had the opportunity to have a Zone Leadership Correlation which is where the Zone Leaders (us) meet with the District Leaders from our Zone. We just went over responsibilities of leaders and how we can work better with each other. It was cool. It also got us all pumped about fulfilling our leadership roles.

   On Sunday I got to translate into German again. this time it was Fast and Testimony meeting. I at least got a lot of breaks but I tell you it sure is hard to translate all those stories being told especially when they use words that I am not so familiar with. It worked out though. The fam from Germany was very nice and I liked practicing my German. we also had an inactive member come and bring his girlfriend and her son. It was cool. I love going to church so much.

   I love the Gospel so much and am so thankful for my savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for a church that allows us to learn and to grow. 

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

Much Love

               Elder Ellis