Gij Zijt Mijn Hoogste Goed (I Need Thee Every Hour)

Transfers!

So I'm being transferred to Gent, Belgium. My companion will be Sister H., who was in my MTC group. This´ll be the first time I've had a companion from my group or older since my first transfer. I´m excited! I will miss Dordrecht though.

I have learned a lot about what the Lord wants and expects from me this transfer. He expects us to "whate'er thou art, act well thy part." He expects us to be true disciples, which means that we must lift where we stand, do our very best, and put our whole heart and souls into what we do. I am grateful that I know that every calling in the Church, and every transfer call on a mission, is directly from the Lord.

This week has been fantastic. We met with a JoVo (young single adult) girl who we thought would not be super happy to meet with us because it took so long to schedule an appointment. But she was super cool and we had a really good talk. She was really open with us. We also found and started teaching a man who investigated the the Church a little in Curacao and now is seriously considering baptism.

Because of the Atonement, Christ has already overcome everything. We may have trials and tribulations, but ultimately what we have to do is "endure it well" and accept the Atonement.

Have a great week!

Priceless Heritage of Hope

Aloha!

This week we saw one of our investigators op straat (in the street) totally randomly and got a chance to talk to him. We were a little worried because for about a week and a half after coming to church he hadn't maintained contact the ward member who was emailing. But we gave him a few pamphlets, which apparently he read, because yesterday we heard that he´d emailed again with a few more questions and said that he´d read them. Also, the fireside on Friday and Zone Conference on Saturday were both incredible. An Area 70 who lives in our mission, and his wife, came to speak. It was wonderful that the Spirit was so present. I learned so much and I hope that I can apply it in the coming weeks.

Our other investigator is getting closer to baptism, but isn´t quite there yet. He just needs to be reading more consistently in the Book of Mormon!

This week was hope week, and I actually learned a lot about the power of hope. One of the things that I learned is that even if you don´t have an overwhelming feeling of peace, optimism, and joy, you can still have an enduring hope for the future. Those things are definitely a part of hope, but there are times that things are hard and those feelings are not the first ones on your mind. However, part of hope too is staying positive during opposition, and having "faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future" (PMG 117). While we do not always know what will happen, we do know that the Lord is in control and that He will take care of us. We can have "confidence and assurance that all things will work together for our good" (PMG 117). I´m so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace and hope that it brings.

I love you all! Stay strong!

Love,

Zuster Stevens

Voorwaarts, Christenstrijders! (Onward, Christian Soldiers)

Hallo!

Things are coming right along in Dordrecht! It´s starting to get warmer. Enjoy all your dry climates while you can, lucky duckies. On Wednesday we gave a lesson on the door to a cool man. We had given him a Book of Mormon during the original contact and told him to read Moroni 10:3-5. (Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.) When we went back, he had read it and he said that that was really what he needed to hear that week. We also were able to teach the whole Restoration to him right there and at the end he said that everything we had said seemed in harmony with what he believed and so he was excited to read more out of the Book of Mormon and learn more about our message. He´s a very sincere person and is really involved in helping others and while doing so trying to help them see the importance of Jesus Christ. We´ve got a follow-up appointment with him this week and we´re really excited.

Yesterday was Stake Conference, and we saw the satellite broadcast Stake Conference that they did for Europe. I really learned a lot, particularly from President Uchtdorf´s talk. He talked about testimonies and how we need to be constantly working on building them. We can´t stop at a certain point and think that we´re fine. We are all in danger of losing our testimonies if they´re not constantly growing. It applies to investigators and it applies to us. I´m so grateful for my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that it changes people. I have seen it´s effects work miracles in my own life and the lives of those around me. It helps us be happier. I am so grateful that I know that I have a Savior who has redeemed me and who is also there to help and strengthen me in my trials. I have felt His help. I am grateful for my testimony that my family can be together forever. I can think of no greater blessing. I am grateful to know that God lives, and that He hears and answers prayers. I have seen the great joy and blessings and freedom that come from obedience. I am so grateful for my testimony.

I love you all and hope you´re doing well!

Love

Zuster Stevens

Kom, Volg Mij Na (Come, Follow Me)

Yesterday we had a super cool miracle. A few months ago this 18-year-old ordered a Book of Mormon and we took it over to him. He´d seen the church online. He set up an appointment with us, but it turns out his parents did not approve, so he called us and told us he couldn't meet, but that he would stay in contact via texting. A little while later he told us that he had some questions but that it would be easiest to email them. So we sent him the email address of one of our members. He apparently got busy with school or something, because we didn't hear anything for a month or so, and then he sent a long list of 7 very good questions about the Church and Church doctrine (we got a copy of them later from the member). The member is a returned missionary of a few years and super excited about missionary work. Then yesterday he came to church, with his mother! And they sat with the member who he had emailed and he said that he might come again! Also, on Tuesday we had a way cool lesson with this lady who just let us right in and is so sincere. She was very willing to set up another appointment with us.

One of the biggest miracles of all this week: one of our investigators has gone a week without coffee! That´s been one of his biggest struggles and it is incredible to see him doing it.

This week I learned a lot about how important it is to not judge others. Why is that so important? Because you hurt yourself spiritually. It´s harder for people to trust you when you are judging other people. Trust is a two-way thing and a lot of times people will trust you more as you trust them. It is so important to remember that we are all children of God, and He loves us very much. We all, every one of us, has sins and weaknesses. We´re all striving to get back to our Heavenly Father. And because God loves us so much, He has given us a Savior so that we can return to live with Him again. He has made it possible for every one of us. And because He loves us so much, repentance is available to all of us, no matter what we´ve done, when we finally decide that we are tired of living below our true potential, humble ourselves, and turn to Him. It is never too late so long as He says there is time. Because He loves us so much, He has promised us eternal happiness, but because that gift is so priceless, He asks a high price of us. He asks us to give up all of our sins for Him. But when we do so, we get more than we could ever imagine in return. It´s not that it´s not hard, because it is and always will be. But what it is most of all is worth it. And it is absolutely worth it. The Lord is intimately involved in the details of our lives. All flesh is in His hands. He knows what we need and when we need it. He loves us perfectly. These things I know.

I love you all! The gospel of Jesus Christ is true!