A brand new week

Hoi Familie!

Thank you Mom, Dad, and Tiffani for the emails this week!  It was a great week, the baptism of Jo-Ann and Joantly went very well, Sonia and Martinez are really excited for there own baptism, and I committed them to be be baptized before I leave for home in September, and they looked at me like I was crazy and said "Of Course!!"  It was really neat to see the joy on Sonia and Martinez faces.. there an amazing family, and the day was just made sweeter as Isaac and Christiana was there, Jen, Monique.. all the people that mean the most for me in Antwerpen were at church.. and then Elder Van Overbeek and myself get to do this all over again next week with Charles!  He is going to make it!  We went over the baptismal interview questions last week, and he had no problems, sharing powerful testimony with us.. so neat to see, the man has nothing except his faith in god, and that's enough for him.. Transfers are next week, and i've been telling everyone that I'm leaving, so made many many dinner appointments, which is awesome since we never get fed here!  It pays to leave an area sometimes =)  But definitely couldn't scrip a better way to leave antwerpen =)  

I really don't have too much to say, are car broke down, so were on foot, and public transportation, which means were going to be running around with our heads cut off pretty much!  I know the city by car, but not by tram and bus!  But it'll be fine, just won't be as productive this week =P  

Love you loads thanks for all the prayers and support!

Elder Mohrman

happy new week! This is a week for miracles :)

Hoi Familie!

Another week here in Antwerpen!  It's interesting, I've really been here a while.. thinking back on it.. we don't get fed that much here, in fact not really at all, and i've been trying to get this dinner appointment with this specific family since my first few weeks here, with the craziness of transfers, haven't really asked, and then this past sunday, I was talking to the man, and I said, "when are you going to feed us?"  and he said, "we've just been busy for the past little bit.." and I said "for the past 7 months??" kinda caught him off guard, as he realized, how ridiculous it was to have never had the missionaries over for the whole 7 months that I've been here, so he turned to his wife, and said we need to have them over, so who knows maybe I'll get a dinner appointment with them before I leave in a couple of weeks!  If I do, I think I would have accomplished everything that I was meant to have accomplished here In Antwerpen =)

Thank you all for all the prayers concerning the investigators here, especially about Sonia and Martinez.. it was neat, I went to the temple on Tuesday, praying for them, wrote there names in the temple.. twice =P  And found out that they did indeed go to the city center, and they are not married, but they found out everything that they need now to get married and have made a huge step in that direction.  It will probably take 2-3 months maybe longer for them to gather all there papers from Suriname and the Netherlands, but again, they know what they need to do, and there doing it.. I had a neat appointment with them on Wednesday, when I found out all this, and Sonia was talking about how her son Joantly was just not doing well with school, and how she wants us to bless him, so he can focus more.. The first thought that came into my mind was Baptism, and so I told her that, and said because I'm thinking about the gift of the holy ghost and how it leads us and guides us, and is a help for us, and so I was able to testify to them that maybe Sonia and Martinez had to wait to get baptized, but Jo-Ann and Joantly didn't have to wait, and that it would help there whole family out having Jo-Ann and Joantly be baptized and recieving the gift of the holy ghost.. wow talk about enthusiasm!  Sonia was like "THERE DOING IT, I give my full permission!!!!"  and so I had to calm her down, and ask Jo-Ann and Joantly individually if that's what they wanted, and JoAnn was super excited.  I now know that the reason why she came up to me the other week telling me she wanted to wait for her mother.. because Sonia wanted them all to be baptized at the same time, and totally understandable also.. but now Sonia is fully on-board, she wants it, almost to the point of forcing her kids in the water!! ha ha not really, but the baptismal service is planned and set for Jo-Ann Janki and Joantly Noordzee for this coming Sunday.. I'm happy for them, the whole family, and Martinez was in church now for the second week in a row with his family!  Doing wondeful, thank you again for all your prayers =) 

Jo-Ann has asked that I baptize her which is really special for me, because re-wind 3-4 months, we are at the church, her first or second sunday there, she just saw the baptismal service of Christiana, and we are standing in the hall looking at a big painting of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, and I asked her if she was going to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized, she said yes, but that I WOULD NOT be the one that baptized her, saying that I would drown her and what, just being silly, and I just remember thinking to myself, "I'm going to baptize this girl.."  And now I am.  If all goes well that is, but I can't see anything major happening, but keep them in your prayers, I'm really thankful that's for sure to be able to at least see half the family get baptized, At one of our appointments this past week, it came up again that I would more than likely be leaving, and Sonia the faithful woman that she is, said "just pray! And God will let you stay to see our baptisms!"  ha ha but I was able to testify to her that God had already heard and answered my prayers, saying that the transfer before I had prayed to stay so I could see them be baptized, and he gave me these extra 6 weeks, where so much had happened, where I was able to see Sonia and Martinez develop testimonies and desires to be baptized, and I had the priviledge of teaching them all the lessens, where now all they have to do is wait til' there married to be baptized, that's the joy of missionary work I've found, is seeing somone devolop there testimony, seeing how the gospel of Jesus Christ changes someone, so I told them, even though I won't now see them be baptized, God answered my prayers and I saw everything from the beginning to the end of them developing a burning testimony of the gospel.. Sonia understood, and the spirit was really strong, so now I'm more than convinced that I'm leaving this place, to spend my last 3 transfers in another city, expiriencing and growing relationships with other people.  But I suppose we'll just have to see in a couple of weeks what will happen, in the mean time!  Jo-Ann and Joantly are getting baptized on the 29th, and then the last sunday of the transfer, we have Charles planned, and he was also at church, loving life, and he is looking like he will make it for sure.. not a bad way to end a stay in a city if I do go, with 3 baptisms, and a number of people well on there way to that step =)  

Another cool lessen that I had while on exchanges, also happened with Sonia and Martinez, didn't know what I was going to share with them, so I went in, with the trust that the spirit would lead the appointment, Jo-Ann was leaving to go to the young womens activity, and how she left, just a lot of contention in the home, and I felt bad, and the spirit was definitely not there, so I thought about hymns, and I asked them to get the hymn books that I had given them, and we sang a couple of songs, and then we read the intro to the hymn book the message from the first presidency together, super cool, how fast the spirit came back after we started singing hymns with each other, and also cool to testify of the power of hymns, and to commit them that if they ever feel contention, as a family sing a hymn with each other.. said they would, thouht it was a neat lessen because it was pretty unorthodox, teaching about hymns?? Never thought about that before, but it was what they needed at that moment..

Also had an expirience where we were knocking some doors, and we met this kid who let us in, kind of an akward kid, but we watched the restoration dvd, and we testified of Jesus Christ and asked if we could come back the next day, which he said we could, next day we come with a spanish joint teach because this kids mother is from chile, and as were talking on the door, she gets a phone call and when she tells her friend that were mormons, the friend freaks out and starts anti-ing her right there while on the phone!  It was nuts, and what added to it, it was all in spanish, my companion speaks spanish, and so I'm watching this all play out not really understanding any of it, and then I get this feeling 3 nephi 11, and so I tell my companion who had pulled out the book of mormon, to give her 3 nephi 11 to read, and to explain the chapter, which she really found interesting that Jesus Christ appeared in the Americas, and then I felt to go a step further and have our joint teach translate for me as I bore my testimony of the book of mormon, just a neat spirit was there as this lady did a complete 180 and is really looking forward to us coming back on Tuesday.  So some neat expiriences, can't share everything with you all of course =P  But I loved the temple, really glad we were to go this past week, kinda weird to think it was my last time on my mission, I dunno, I kinda don't want it to be, so I think maybe we'll go to the temple when you come pick me up mom and dad! =) 

Love you all loads and thanks for all you do fo me!

Your son, bro, and friend

Elder Mohrman 

April 16th..a request to all...

Hoi familie!!  

Sorry for the lateness of the email.. I guess it's still monday, but since I do it so early usually, it feels late!!  Interesting to think that you all are up and about right now!  But wow, I have been busy, preparing for tomorrow, which like stefi I'll be able to go to the temple!  As a zone leader we have added responsibility and what not that we have to do, but it's all good!  Everything is done!  And i'm really looking forward to going to the temple tomorrow, just excited to be able to relax, to be able to think, and to be able to pray for my investigators in that holy place.  Pretty much when I start emailing you all, I have a lot of different things I would like to share, and tell you about, but when I start typing the only things that come too mind, are the updates and expiriences with investigators!  So sorry that all my emails are all kind of the same style, but hey, it's what's on my mind and it seems like you all don't mind =)  

I'll start with Sonia and Martinez.  I really had some sacred expiriences with them this past week.. really some neat stuff has happened.  I don't even know if I could put into words the expiriences and I wonder and ask myself if I should even try!  But needless to say, the committment has been extended for them to marry this week.  To go to the city center, either tuesday or wednesday, and seal the deal.. I'm planning for, hoping for, PRAYING for the 29th of April for this family to be baptized.. and I have the faith that it will.. so keep them in your prayers, I know pray works, and I know that when many people pray for the same thing it adds power, so all who read this, please pray for sonia and Martinez!  This past week we had a couple of appointments with them, and for one of them, earlier on in the week, we were late, so it was just sonia home.. so we talk, we talk about martinez how's he doing and what not, and Sonia has been very active in giving him in her words "an earful" (but in dutch =P) in going to the city center and signing the papers so they can be legally married.  But she bore her testimony to me, relating events that have happened over the past couple of months starting with our first appointment clear back in december, and she closed by saying, "I can honestly testify, that this is the true church, I can honestly testify..."  Wow, just imagine how I was feeling, the missionary, the friend that has expirienced literally everything with her, I haven't missed a single appointment, seeing how far she has come.. just an amazing feeling came over me, just joy and happiness for her.. I immediatley thought about the scripture in D&C 18: 15-16.. I can truly testify that this text is true!  When I look back on my mission, when I think of all the people that I've met and helped come closer to Christ, I just feel such joy and happiness!  So that was a pretty cool appointment, pretty neat especially since we were on exchanges and I was showing an elder on his first transfer around for the day, and our schedule for the day was Sonia, Isaac, Jen, monique, Charles and Nana.. all the people who have been baptized or preparing themselves to be baptized soon, really neat, because every appointment just went really really well, and after, driving to the next appointment I had the opportunity to share with this elder the stories of these people.. just a neat moment of being in leadership.  

Also this past saturday, we had our "Surinamse" party with Sonia, Martinez, there children, monique came, simon came, Jen was there, the antwerpen sisters were there, and another member.. we started our day at 12:00, met Sonia and Martinez at Antwerpen Centraal, then went shopping with them, went to all these african stores, (never would have gone in them before) then we went to the church, and I learned how to make some surinamse food!  It took about 3 hours to cook and all, but it was super legit, then we listened to Jeffrey R. Hollands talk from this past conference, and that's when I committed them to get married this week!  Spent a total of 6 hours with them on saturday!  A little unorthodox, but a really great day, and all 4 of them were at church yesterday.  

Charles, has been a little shaky with appointments, because of his situation, but he really wants to be baptized, he has his testimony, and he also was in church yesterday, were wanting to move his date up to the 28th of April, which we think and know he can make.  And Nana, wow, he has been reading and praying, and really growing with every lessen, were excited for him, and he should be baptized in May, along with Isaac Boakye's friend, Isaac, we set a baptismal date with him, after watching the restoration dvd, Isaac is a pro joint teach now, so solid, and explains things so clearly now, really is wonderful to see..

Those are the updates with the most positive investigators here in my city, other than with investigators, I'm doing just great, my companion and I, even though we see very little of each other, always on exchanges it seems like!  We have really figured things out teaching wise really fast, and he's a great guy, really enjoy Elder Van Overbeek, were still trying to find the good balance of having fun and being serious!  Fun is winning out ha ha but were doing great, love this place, love my mission, and thanks so much for all your prayers and support!  love you all so much!

Elder Mohrman

Happy Easter/True Christmas April 9

Hoi Familie!

Busy, Busy, Busy... We were so busy this week it was nuts!  Busy with missionary work for sure, but also just a lot of random things.  Last week we focused a lot on cleaning, we did a very deep spring cleaning, which was really good, because we chucked a lot of stuff that was left over in the apartment, but bad because we still have a mess that were not done with.. so on monday we spent the day cleaning, fun p-day, then on tuesday, we drove up to Eindhoven in the Netherlands, about an hour and  half away for there district meeting, I had the opportunity to go then to Heerlen on exchanges (hour to travel to heerlen from Eindhoven), really fun to be back, (not to fun being on a bike again though =P)  But got to see some members, and made a dinner appointment with a lady for when Mom and dad come, so that was great and wonderful and all that fun stuff!  Wednesday my companion drove to heerlen another hour and a half one way, to pick me up, drove the hour and a half back, thursday we had a jammed pack day full of appointments, and then we went to the Stake high council, let me pause and talk a little bit about this,

About 3 months ago, I had a meeting with the stake president and my mission president, and the stake president invited us to attend the stake council, because he wanted the missionary presence there.. We didn't hear anything else from him, but luckily I wrote it down, so on thursday we went, not knowing what to expect, thinking that we were just there, to be there.. but the stake president, was really happy to see us, and then in his introduction, said "We'll now hear from the missionaries for the next 10 minutes about what they've prepared for us.."  My companion and I, we were completely shocked, so we had 10 minutes to share something, that we didn't know we were supposed to share.. My companion was completely lost naturally, being here and a zone leader for only a week, but luckily I had some thoughts from our past meeting with the stake president that I was able to share, and it actually turned out really well.. in fact they all thought we had prepared our presentation =P  Spirit was helping us for sure, but we just talked about intregration and how we can better intregate the english speaking africans, with the dutch speaking natives.. It's been the problem of the area, we baptize here in my mission a lot of foreigners and most of those foreigners being africans, but then these new converts because they don't speak dutch, they don't receive callings, and there not fellowshipped the best and so they fall away, and so the retention is really bad here.. so hopefully with the ideas that we presented, things can improve we'll have to just wait and see!  But the recent converts here in Antwerpen are doing wonderful!  Isaac and Christiana are doing great, Isaac is now a missionary machine, referring his friends to us, and just sharing his beliefs with everyone... it's been such a priviledge to be able to be there for him and help him as he's gone through his growing pains as a new member, something he said to his friend was "just come to church no matter what, better to come late than not at all.." that touched me, because a month previously, I had shared that with him.. Jen recieved the priesthood, and is planning now to come on joint teach with us, amazing how well the ward has embraced him, and how much he has embraced the ward, he's preparing his father, his father has actually read the entire book of mormon in a month!  And it's been neat to see how there relationship as father and son has grown with the gospel.  Monique, bless her heart, she finally came to church on time!, and was able to recieve the holy ghost and the ward did something really shocking, they gave her a calling!  Right away, they gave her a calling, and she's now a primary teacher.. super cool, she was glowing.. too many miracles, too many blessings happening here in Antwerpen!  Sonia wasn't going to be able to go to church yesterday because she was going to be visiting people in the netherlands, but as I was waiting for other investigators that didn't show up, she did with the kids!  So cool, she just said that they turned around and came back to antwerpen because she wanted to go to church.. super cool.. We had had lessen earlier in the week, where we committed Joantley also to be baptized with his sister next week on the 15th, and he had agreed, so we were all stoked about this, but then on sunday, Joanne pulled me aside and said she was going to wait for her mother.. which isn't the worst thing in the world, a little dissapointing but if the whole family gets baptized together I suppose it's worth it, and it'll be a day they'll never forget.. I hope to see it, I've been to every single appointment, been there since day 1 with them, and seen all the progression with them.. I went over yesterday, unnannounced and we sang songs, read out of the book of mormon, and I had a heart to heart with Martinez, told him my feelings, told him I wanted to see them all baptized, and I told him that my last sunday was most likely going to be May 6th in Antwerpen, asked if he would prepare himself for that day, and he said that he would have to think about it, I explained that to make that day, they would have to be married within 2 weeks, so everything is clear, and laid out on the table now it is up to Martinez to use his free agency, so this coming week, we'll see if he'll take some action.. Sonia said to just keep praying and she said that she has the faith that everything will work out, and that they'll be baptized on that day.. I do too.. I know that they all have a testimony, even Martinez, it's just the action part.. but Sonia and the kids are so intregrated into the ward, it's neat, they will be a strong family for the ward here in Antwerpen.. This saturday, there going to make us Surinamse food!  Together with Monique, so hopefully I'll be able to learn a thing or too about surinamse food =) 

Other miracles, besides the people being prepared by recent converts here in Antwerpen, we have a man from Ghana his name is Nana, who has accepted the invitation to be baptized also on May 6th.. he's cool.. he has a special spirit about him, and he is really busy with the book of mormon.. he went to conference, and loved it!  Felt the spirit really strong.. Were really excited about him and the progression we'll see in him in the coming weeks.. Also Charles, a man from Nigeria, he's homeless now, just got kicked out of his house, but he's solid, and also has agreed and really want to be baptized on May 6th.. he'd do it tommorrow if we'd let him, but he's excited about the lessens.. I guess I forgot to give you the rest of our busy week, we went to brussels, my license is done, so now i have this crummy, paper, belgium one.. but I asked and they said that I'll be able to switch it back for my american one when I'm done!  Gelukig wel!  I'm not going to put the rest of what we did, all the driving, that we did, was the point anyways.. but needless to say I'm happy it's p-day and i'm happy to be able to rest!  

Life is great, things are happening, my companion is a peach, we get along, sometimes I feel too well!! It's like one big joke! =P  But were seeing many miracles =) 

Love you all, thanks for all the emails and prayers!  Your the best, 

Elder Mohrman 

just a wonderful week! April 2

Hoi familie! 

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!  Saw some amazing miracles this week and like Elder Neilsen said, "Thanks be to god!"  First and foremost I need to tell you about Sonia and Martinez.. Joanne was committed to baptism last week, do not remember if It happened before or after last monday, but she is super excited, we went through the baptismal interview questions and she just need a few of the commandments and she is good to go for the 15th!  And the ward is behind her the young womans president is super excited.. things are going great for her.. but the big miracles is with Martinez her father, he's been the reason as to why Sonia will not be baptized with her daughter, as he is still contemplating when he is going to take that step and re-marry with her, but with my new companion Elder Van overbeek, I felt impressed to ask him and her if they were preparing to be baptized.. he was totally against baptism before, but I felt like I needed to bring it up again, and sonia of course said she was, and I looked at martinez and asked him again, "are you preparing yourself?" And he said Yes.. the spirit was so strong! He did it, he committed, he passed through some roadblocks in his mind.. they still need to get married, but that statement gave him enough desire to come to church with the whole family and expirience conference.. which he loved.. told my companion that he probaby should have been coming all along with Sonia and the kids.. I am praying and fasting and doing all that I can for this family.. I hope and I know that you all will join your prayers with me for this family :)  I gave them a committment to read the chapter in the gospel principles book on eternal marriage.. so next lessen we'll see where he's at, if they've made further progression.. But what I've seen on my mission, when someone has committed to baptism, and overcome hurdles, the process is fast, so I have hope that Martinez will marry sonia this transfer, that's my goal, I would love to to see that happen, since I've been here from the start with this family, and now I've been granted 6 more weeks with them.. good stuff =)

We also had Nana come to conference, Nana is from Ghana, and he is absolutely amazing.. he loved conference, loves our message and is committed to baptism as well.. doesn't have a date yet, we have to work that out with him this week, but I think and have the faith that he'll also be baptized this transfer.. Charles is another one, came to church last week, loved it, been reading in the book of mormon, and also said that he would be baptized.. He was sick for general conference, but we'll bring him to the church, and watch a session on these computers with him.. I sure hope that he can be baptized this transfer as well!  So a lot of potential, a lot of neat things happening, Jen brought his father to conference, and also his girlfriend, I think that maybe these people will take longer than the 6 weeks that I have, but to be able to set the foundation so they'll be baptized in the coming transfer will be an amazing exprience.. Jen is also going to be recieveing the priesthood this week, and Monique is getting confirmed.

It was sad to say goodbye to Elder Da cruz, but we accomplished a lot together, and the fruits of our labors are really starting to be seen this transfer.. it's amazing how god works, he puts you with a complete opposite, but something about the companionship clicks, and miracles happen.. It was a little awkard going to members and investigators homes and telling them, that actually it wasn't me being transferred ( I had told everyone that I was) but that it was Elder Da Cruz.. poor kid, wasn't able to say goodbye to everyone that he wanted because our car was broken into last sunday (sorry forgot to share) so our car was getting it's smashed in window repaired so we lacked in mobility for Monday and Tuesday, but luckily he was able to say goodbye to Monique and Jen, Sonia and her family..

A little about my new companion, Elder Van Overbeek, from the Sacramento area, he is going to hit is year mark in a couple of days, so a lot younger than me in terms of mission expirience, it's been fun, he's been in the zone for the past 3 transfers so I've been on a couple of exchanges with him, and we have probably too much fun, it'll be fun transfer for sure =) 

Well I love you all, weird to think that next conference I'll be home, so I guess I won't think about that =P  But I definitely decided looking at the images of the conference center, I want to be there.. so next conference!  Me and you guys at the conference center for a session!  It's going to be sweet!

Love your faces!
Elder Mohrman