Hoi familie!
Another week. Crazy huh? It was an interesting week, missionary work wise, we found a few people on our own this week.. finally! That was pretty neat, we knocked on this door, and a young guy answered and started talking.. really cool guy, told us his purpose in life was to do the will of god.. I asked him what he thought god wanted him to do, and he said to preach his gospel.. both really good answers.. very knowledgable person.. knows the bible really well.. and he's young! Maybe like 24-25.. pretty crazy, don't see young people like that, that knows the bible so well.. but we talked about Joseph Smith and the restoration, and he said he's never heard about that before.. we made an appointment for this coming wednesday.. so.. hope that goes through, and hope we can create an atmosphere where he'll be able to feel the spirit.. But he was the most positive person that we found on our own from this past week.. it was pretty interesting, when I came into the land I was picked up by Pres. and sister Brubaker, and after I went with the two assistants to go do some contacting in Brussels and to eat out and what not my first day and night. One of the assistants was leaving the next day, so it was pretty neat to be able to talk with him as I was coming in, and he was leaving.. now.. 7 months later or something, he came back with his family, and turns out he served in spijkenisse, and we were able to go to a dinner appointment with a member and this former elders family.. which was cool, I've always enjoyed talking with returned missionary's, but his mother who's name is... Beverly Koons.. who grew up in some place I think called Lakewood, Florida, which is right by a place called Liveoak I guess she said.. And she hung out with/ran around, was good friends with a guy by the name of Jay Mohrman.. what a small flippin' world.. is that not crazy? I don't think I've ever met someone that has only known Uncle Jay and not you dad.. she didn't remember you.. but wow.. so yeah, it was a fun appointment/dinner thing, she couldn't believe that I was related to Uncle Jay.. and she said to tell Uncle Jay that Beverly Koons says hello.. I don't know if you knew her dad? maybe.. probably.. but anyways.. And then for the past three days this other returned missionary has been around, he served about 4-5 years ago, and we've kept being invited to homes that he's visiting, so we've had three appointments with him the past three days.. crazy.. been able to talk to him a lot also, which was pretty cool as well.. he gave us a referal.. just some random guy that he remembered he met during a finding session one time, and he still remembered where he lived, so we went and looked him up yesterday and.. wow one of the most humblest men I've every seen.. we didn't say much, just that we were sent by this former missionary, and he brought up, that he wanted to talk with us again, he told us when, gave us his number.. it was amazing.. we were able to tell the former missionary that today, and he seemed pretty excited.. cool experience for him, to be able to give us missionary's a referal from someone during his time here.. maybe someday I'll be able to do that ;)
Funny guy though, the former missionary that is.. he left his wife behind, and so he brought a camera to make little videos to show her and what not.. and every time he wanted to do something that he hasn't done since he was here.. like eat some vla.. (dutch dessert) or riding a bike.. he would forget to make a video, so I had to remind the guy three different times, to make videos for his wife! Kinda funny.. maybe you had to be there ha ha,
I think this coming week were going to go visit this Jehova Witness guy... should be fun and interesting.. I'm not a good person to bash.. or have people bash with me.. I ask and say to random of things which I suppose is a good thing! Yesterday we were let in by some Jehova Witnesses and they kept wanting to talk Doctrine.. but I kept asking them random questions about how they met.. how many children did they have.. and nothing about faith at all.. it was kind of fun, just because we left with a good feeling of getting to know these people instead of, thinking to ourselves.. wow these people are morons.. so it was fun.. also a really neat experience that I'll quickly share, we have this investigator named Pat, she was found before I got here, and we haven't had a lessen with her my whole time here.. we finally had one a couple days ago, and we were able to really get to know her and know her background I guess you could say about religion.. she's from nigeria and says she's very religious and all.. but a couple of years ago, when she married the dutch guy, she had a problem and she prayed to god every day for a while, but she never received an answer she said.. so she said she was tired of it, and quit praying and all.. quit reading the bible.. everything.. still believes, but just tired of making an effort.. we had a powerful appointment where we committed her to a "testimony" date, and we promised her that if she read, pondered, and prayed ever day til this date, that she would have an answer that the book of mormon was true.. and then I felt impressed to say, that as she reads the book of mormon, thinks about it and prays, that she'll also get an answer to her other problem, question that she had earlier.. she said that she would do it.. pretty neat experience.. hopefully she does..
went to the zoo last p-day.. think I mentioned that we were going last week.. it was cool.. took pictures.. you'll see them I suppose sometime.. but it was sweet.. okay that's all you get from me this week,
Love you all
Tot Ziens
Elder Mohrman
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hey.. it's me.. again! =P
Hoi Familie!
Hoe gaat het met jullie! Oh man.. what a week.. rain, rain.. go away.. what has been going through my head this whole week! I love the rain, always have.. but the rain here.. it doesn't go away. And it's not the most amazing experience in the world when you have to bike for an hour to an appointment while it's pouring rain!! But it was okay, because traveling all that way paid off, as we were able to set a baptismal date with our investigator! So once again.. able to set a date.. we'll see what happens, still hoping that Lilian will get baptized down in heerlen, waiting on that news.. finding has been difficult here.. haven't had much success.. in fact we haven't found a new investigator yet.. we've had referals from members which have been awesome! But nobody that we've found.. Sometimes you get into a rut with finding.. get into a pattern.. and well, my companion and I have gotten into one.. but it's good.. fighting through it.. were going to force ourselves to talk to more people on the street, instead of doing doors.. but also like I refered to above, we've gotten referals from members, and Me and my companion have set the goal to really push that and get more from the ward! Had a really neat experience, my first week here, we went to a member house, had dinner what not.. the lady who is single with a few kids, she started talking about a friend she knows and how she wishes that she could find a way to help him, and share the gospel with them.. but he's sick and she had no idea how to reach him or what to do.. And she said that she prayed for him every night.. after she said that I felt really prompted to challenge her, to instead of praying just for his welfare, to pray instead for what she could personally do, to help him.. to ask god what she could do.. I promised her that if she did that she would receive an answer and know how to help her friend. It was pretty neat... never have done that before.. and yesterday at church, I followed up with my challenge and she had done it.. she said that in fact yesterday when she was brushing her teeth, the thought came into her head to send him a card, with our info on it, because he's still sick.. really cool.. I had such a good feeling, just because the sister kept the commitment that we gave her.. so.. pretty neat experience.. Another sister in the ward had a miscarriage this past week.. really sad, so we went by and left a card saying that we loved them, and hope everything was good type of thing.. they showed up the next day to church, and said there thanks to us, that it meant a lot.. just neat little experiences..\
We haven't been finding, but the pool of investigators that we do have are pretty solid.. we have the potential for 3-4 more baptismal dates that could happen this coming week.. really excited about it.. if my companion and I are really dilligent and on top of things, I know that it will happen.. I just have felt that it will.. now the hard part is being dilligent, and doing the little things to keep in contact with these people!
I'll tell you a little about Spijkennisse now.. we actually don't live in Spijk.. we live in a city across the river called hoogvliet.. and the elders to Rotterdam south also live in that apartment.. oh man.. it's a party.. the oldest one (mission wise) is Elder Bjork, and he's on his 7th transfer.. I'm the second oldest on my 6th.. my companion is on his 5th and the other one is on his 3rd.. so a really young apartment.. but it's a blast, I love these guys! It's a really goofy apartment too.. it seems like were always laughing and joking about something.. were saying that this apartment would be a perfect "missionary sitcom" =P
But yeah so we live in hoogvliet and we have to travel over a huge river every day to enter Spijk.. just an outside town, doesn't have any history or anything.. but there's other awesome little towns in our area that have a lot of history.. the area that I am in now is the most dense in terms of members, there's 3 wards around here, two in rotterdam and then spijk.. so it's cool to be more in the thick of things than in the middle of no where in heerlen..
But everything is good.. I said last week that the apartment had decided and were determined to do dutch week.. well.. we got to friday night.. it's difficult.. man.. but we almost did it! We just kind of got burned out.. but it was the best attempt of dutch week I've ever had on my mission, so next transfer I'm excited for dutch week! (at the start of each new transfer, the first week is dedicated as dutch week)
Oh yeah.. so now that I'm back up here in the heart of the Netherlands, people are telling me once again, that i pronounce my name wrong.. really interesting, at church I introduce myself to people, and I say my name.. they look shocked at first then théý'll get really close and look at my name badge, and say "oh! It's MohrmAAn, not "Mormon".. To which I respond, "Well no.. ít's pronounced Mormon" and they'll actually try and argue with me.. amazing.. got to experience it I guess to understand ha ha
Well I guess were going to go to some zoo with a bunch of other missionary's.. so I gotta go.. Love you all, and thanks so much for all the emails, I love hearing about everyone, and yeah.. Doei! Tot Ziens, tot de volgende week! Ik verwach uitstekend emailen van jullie voor de volgende week!
Ik hou van jullie!
Elder Mohrman
Hoe gaat het met jullie! Oh man.. what a week.. rain, rain.. go away.. what has been going through my head this whole week! I love the rain, always have.. but the rain here.. it doesn't go away. And it's not the most amazing experience in the world when you have to bike for an hour to an appointment while it's pouring rain!! But it was okay, because traveling all that way paid off, as we were able to set a baptismal date with our investigator! So once again.. able to set a date.. we'll see what happens, still hoping that Lilian will get baptized down in heerlen, waiting on that news.. finding has been difficult here.. haven't had much success.. in fact we haven't found a new investigator yet.. we've had referals from members which have been awesome! But nobody that we've found.. Sometimes you get into a rut with finding.. get into a pattern.. and well, my companion and I have gotten into one.. but it's good.. fighting through it.. were going to force ourselves to talk to more people on the street, instead of doing doors.. but also like I refered to above, we've gotten referals from members, and Me and my companion have set the goal to really push that and get more from the ward! Had a really neat experience, my first week here, we went to a member house, had dinner what not.. the lady who is single with a few kids, she started talking about a friend she knows and how she wishes that she could find a way to help him, and share the gospel with them.. but he's sick and she had no idea how to reach him or what to do.. And she said that she prayed for him every night.. after she said that I felt really prompted to challenge her, to instead of praying just for his welfare, to pray instead for what she could personally do, to help him.. to ask god what she could do.. I promised her that if she did that she would receive an answer and know how to help her friend. It was pretty neat... never have done that before.. and yesterday at church, I followed up with my challenge and she had done it.. she said that in fact yesterday when she was brushing her teeth, the thought came into her head to send him a card, with our info on it, because he's still sick.. really cool.. I had such a good feeling, just because the sister kept the commitment that we gave her.. so.. pretty neat experience.. Another sister in the ward had a miscarriage this past week.. really sad, so we went by and left a card saying that we loved them, and hope everything was good type of thing.. they showed up the next day to church, and said there thanks to us, that it meant a lot.. just neat little experiences..\
We haven't been finding, but the pool of investigators that we do have are pretty solid.. we have the potential for 3-4 more baptismal dates that could happen this coming week.. really excited about it.. if my companion and I are really dilligent and on top of things, I know that it will happen.. I just have felt that it will.. now the hard part is being dilligent, and doing the little things to keep in contact with these people!
I'll tell you a little about Spijkennisse now.. we actually don't live in Spijk.. we live in a city across the river called hoogvliet.. and the elders to Rotterdam south also live in that apartment.. oh man.. it's a party.. the oldest one (mission wise) is Elder Bjork, and he's on his 7th transfer.. I'm the second oldest on my 6th.. my companion is on his 5th and the other one is on his 3rd.. so a really young apartment.. but it's a blast, I love these guys! It's a really goofy apartment too.. it seems like were always laughing and joking about something.. were saying that this apartment would be a perfect "missionary sitcom" =P
But yeah so we live in hoogvliet and we have to travel over a huge river every day to enter Spijk.. just an outside town, doesn't have any history or anything.. but there's other awesome little towns in our area that have a lot of history.. the area that I am in now is the most dense in terms of members, there's 3 wards around here, two in rotterdam and then spijk.. so it's cool to be more in the thick of things than in the middle of no where in heerlen..
But everything is good.. I said last week that the apartment had decided and were determined to do dutch week.. well.. we got to friday night.. it's difficult.. man.. but we almost did it! We just kind of got burned out.. but it was the best attempt of dutch week I've ever had on my mission, so next transfer I'm excited for dutch week! (at the start of each new transfer, the first week is dedicated as dutch week)
Oh yeah.. so now that I'm back up here in the heart of the Netherlands, people are telling me once again, that i pronounce my name wrong.. really interesting, at church I introduce myself to people, and I say my name.. they look shocked at first then théý'll get really close and look at my name badge, and say "oh! It's MohrmAAn, not "Mormon".. To which I respond, "Well no.. ít's pronounced Mormon" and they'll actually try and argue with me.. amazing.. got to experience it I guess to understand ha ha
Well I guess were going to go to some zoo with a bunch of other missionary's.. so I gotta go.. Love you all, and thanks so much for all the emails, I love hearing about everyone, and yeah.. Doei! Tot Ziens, tot de volgende week! Ik verwach uitstekend emailen van jullie voor de volgende week!
Ik hou van jullie!
Elder Mohrman
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday June 13
Don't have much time so I'm skimming the emails from this week.. we are at a member's house because all the stores and shops are closed for second pentecost day? Never heard about it before but it's a holiday here, and the dutch are fanatical when it's a holiday, everything shuts down... kinda like jerusalem on there sabbath.. dutch is different.. there's definitely a difference between the dutch culture and American culture.. one that you just have to experience.. but were doing a dutch week this week.. nothing but dutch, and all 4 of us have really commited to do so.. i'm excited.. already learning a lot.. and praying lot naturally ;) Church was interesting.. it'd be so easy to not like an area, but i've noticed that it doesn't have to be that way, so i've made a personal goal to make this area just as great and memorable or better than my time in Heerlen.. if I'm trying to make it awesome, it should make things better right? ;) My simple reasonings.. okay, Love you all again I really don't have much time.
So yeah.. these emails is really the only thing I need in the box.. and snack food.. i noticed that the other day.. I didn't have any more snack food! and sweeter snack food.. if that makes sense.. so combos.. maybe laffy taffy's.. ;)
Can't wait til next week!
Love, your son, Elder Mohrman
So yeah.. these emails is really the only thing I need in the box.. and snack food.. i noticed that the other day.. I didn't have any more snack food! and sweeter snack food.. if that makes sense.. so combos.. maybe laffy taffy's.. ;)
Can't wait til next week!
Love, your son, Elder Mohrman
Monday, June 6, 2011
Heerlen... Last Week =0
Hoi Familie!
The adventure in Heerlen is coming to a close. And what a fun adventure it has been! I had a lot of mixed feelings going into Sunday, the day we find out about transfers. At the beginning of the week, things were going slow, our most positive investigators were dropping off the face of the earth, and I just really felt like it was my time to go! As the week went on however, we had some amazing appointments and re-contacted most of our investigators, with the peak coming yesterday, hearing that Rick (the american referral, who was anti-ed) had convinced the lady (who had antied him) to listen to us. And we should be having our first appointment with him hopefully tonight. Also made contact and made strides with other families that we were teaching, so going into Sunday, I didn't want to leave this place! It was back on fire.. things were going great with the companion, with investigators.. but while I was on the phone talking with some members about Rick actually last night, My president called and gave the news that I am indeed being transferred. I'm headed to Spijkenisse? No idea how you spell it, but it's a suberb of Rotterdam, which is more known. My companion is going to be Elder Davies, who is going to be going on his 5th transfer, so.. I'm going to be a senior companion for the first time on my mission! Crazy huh? I'm excited I know Elder Davies from the MTC, and I've been on a couple of exchanges with him when I was serving in Den Haag. I'm looking forward to this transfer, it's going to be definitely interesting.. Get out of my american bubble i've been in here in Heerlen and back into the world of Dutch!! I've really enjoyed my time in Heerlen like i've said.. the people here are amazing.. Calling the members back who I was on the phone with at the time Pres. called. They invited us over to have dinner and ice cream tonight to say goodbye.. so that will be fun..
Concerning Lilian, her baptism did not go through sad to say, she called the day before her interview and told us she wasn't ready.. not yet.. she is still going to come to church and investigate, but she said that it was too fast, and she needed more time to prepare.. but to be honest, I feel it's what''s best is for her. She'll be able to now have more time to read the Book of mormon, and to build relationships with the ward.. I was going to be the one to actually baptize her.. so obviously I can't now, but I'm looking forward to hearing when she finally does get baptized. Keep praying for her ;)
Well the next couple of days are going to be a lot of good byes.. to investigators, and too members. But last week for p-day which was kind of fun and interesting, after emailing you all, me and my companion decided to take an adventure and we biked to the three land point of germany, netherlands, and belgium.. I repeat we BIKED there.. about 15 or so miles there.. (hilly country mind you) then as the 3 land point is on a massive hill, we did a lot of mountain biking on trails.. thought of Mitch, he would of been proud =) and then we rode back.. so all in all I would say we did a good 35 to 40 MILES of biking last monday...what an adventure.. I'll have to tell you more about it sometime ;) But because of that and other fun stuff we've been doing on P-days, I've had no time to write letters.. so if you've written me a letter, I would just ask for patience with me! I'll try to get them out as soon as possible!! I haven't forgotten or ignoring you!
But I think that's about it.. my new address is
saffraanstraat 261
3193 XK hoogvliet
netherlands
So.. yeah.. thank you all for the emails.. they were wonderful.. and love you all!
-Elder Mohrman
The adventure in Heerlen is coming to a close. And what a fun adventure it has been! I had a lot of mixed feelings going into Sunday, the day we find out about transfers. At the beginning of the week, things were going slow, our most positive investigators were dropping off the face of the earth, and I just really felt like it was my time to go! As the week went on however, we had some amazing appointments and re-contacted most of our investigators, with the peak coming yesterday, hearing that Rick (the american referral, who was anti-ed) had convinced the lady (who had antied him) to listen to us. And we should be having our first appointment with him hopefully tonight. Also made contact and made strides with other families that we were teaching, so going into Sunday, I didn't want to leave this place! It was back on fire.. things were going great with the companion, with investigators.. but while I was on the phone talking with some members about Rick actually last night, My president called and gave the news that I am indeed being transferred. I'm headed to Spijkenisse? No idea how you spell it, but it's a suberb of Rotterdam, which is more known. My companion is going to be Elder Davies, who is going to be going on his 5th transfer, so.. I'm going to be a senior companion for the first time on my mission! Crazy huh? I'm excited I know Elder Davies from the MTC, and I've been on a couple of exchanges with him when I was serving in Den Haag. I'm looking forward to this transfer, it's going to be definitely interesting.. Get out of my american bubble i've been in here in Heerlen and back into the world of Dutch!! I've really enjoyed my time in Heerlen like i've said.. the people here are amazing.. Calling the members back who I was on the phone with at the time Pres. called. They invited us over to have dinner and ice cream tonight to say goodbye.. so that will be fun..
Concerning Lilian, her baptism did not go through sad to say, she called the day before her interview and told us she wasn't ready.. not yet.. she is still going to come to church and investigate, but she said that it was too fast, and she needed more time to prepare.. but to be honest, I feel it's what''s best is for her. She'll be able to now have more time to read the Book of mormon, and to build relationships with the ward.. I was going to be the one to actually baptize her.. so obviously I can't now, but I'm looking forward to hearing when she finally does get baptized. Keep praying for her ;)
Well the next couple of days are going to be a lot of good byes.. to investigators, and too members. But last week for p-day which was kind of fun and interesting, after emailing you all, me and my companion decided to take an adventure and we biked to the three land point of germany, netherlands, and belgium.. I repeat we BIKED there.. about 15 or so miles there.. (hilly country mind you) then as the 3 land point is on a massive hill, we did a lot of mountain biking on trails.. thought of Mitch, he would of been proud =) and then we rode back.. so all in all I would say we did a good 35 to 40 MILES of biking last monday...what an adventure.. I'll have to tell you more about it sometime ;) But because of that and other fun stuff we've been doing on P-days, I've had no time to write letters.. so if you've written me a letter, I would just ask for patience with me! I'll try to get them out as soon as possible!! I haven't forgotten or ignoring you!
But I think that's about it.. my new address is
saffraanstraat 261
3193 XK hoogvliet
netherlands
So.. yeah.. thank you all for the emails.. they were wonderful.. and love you all!
-Elder Mohrman
Monday, May 30, 2011
May 30th
(Note: the first line is in reference to last week when Elder Mohrman asked teasingly, whose email will we open up first now that his sister is also on a mission and entered the MTC this week. I replied it depends how he looks at it as she will be in the Philippines and so a day ahead so we will get her emails on Sunday and his on Monday. So he was told that he could view it as we read his first and then six days later read hers or we read hers first and then his the next day...)
hoi family!
I think I"m going to look at it that you read my email first, and then after six days of pondering over my experiences and stories then you'll be ready to read stefi's.. =D Ha ha Nah Just kidding.. That's exciting for her, I'm glad she has a big group. She'll really enjoy it.. I don't know how much she would have enjoyed being in a situation like I was in.. but I can see that situation I was in was perfect for me, for my growth and the situation stefi is in is perfect for her and her personal growth.. Interesting how people need different things ;) I hope that my few thoughts were appreciated by her..I just feel sometimes to share stuff with the family, and so I do.. If Icould, I'd go back to the MTC, and so I just really wanted to let Stefi know the amazingness of the MTC, because so many missionary's elders and sisters, they don't appreciate it while there there.. That's awesome your reading the New Testament the way you are.. I just finished the book of mormon.. and now I've committed myself to read all the other standard works.. starting with the New Testament, and then Doctrine and Covenants and then I'll tackle the Old Testament.. but I really want to read all the scriptures on my mission..
It'll be fun to be able to share our thoughts to each other as we read the New Testament at the same time! =)
I am learning more and more about the importance of communication. Missions are a great way to learn about patience and working with people. I can't be like I was back home and let people stew and not talk to them about problems.. problems just don't go away with time..and so they need to be addressed sooner than later.. these are good lessons.. If there's just communication with investigators, members and even companions, then things can always be so much better..
I am hoping to be moving on this next transfer so I can work on Dutch more but I am excited to think that I will end with a baptism! It's been so neat to see the progression of Lilian, from coming only for one hour to church, then to two hours the next sunday, and then to all of church.. to now this past sunday she even wore a skirt! Her prayers are night and day difference, she prays to the father in the name of Jesus now.. and it was neat to see that progression.. she's an interesting lady and definitely a blessing for me.
Also last thing, yesterday for memorial day, we were able to go to margratten or to an american world war 2 cemetary.. the biggest in the netherlands.. and you know it's the classic row upon row of white crosses..but they had a ceremony there, and it was huge thousands of people, it was just neat to be apart of and witness.. made me think how these young americans came over to liberate the dutch from physical oppression, and now here I and the other missionary's, young americans come over to free this people from a spiritual bondage.. kind of a neat thought..
I recieved the packages.. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
I have a lessen with Lilian actually in five minutes so don't have time to write more.. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts..I do want to hear more about people’s missions though.. mom got out her journals and I've committed her to read through them again and share stories with me.. I'd love for others to do the same.. so.. that would mean a lot!
Ik hou van jullie gezichten! (I love ya'll faces!)
Your coolest missionary... son =)
Elder Mohrman
hoi family!
I think I"m going to look at it that you read my email first, and then after six days of pondering over my experiences and stories then you'll be ready to read stefi's.. =D Ha ha Nah Just kidding.. That's exciting for her, I'm glad she has a big group. She'll really enjoy it.. I don't know how much she would have enjoyed being in a situation like I was in.. but I can see that situation I was in was perfect for me, for my growth and the situation stefi is in is perfect for her and her personal growth.. Interesting how people need different things ;) I hope that my few thoughts were appreciated by her..I just feel sometimes to share stuff with the family, and so I do.. If Icould, I'd go back to the MTC, and so I just really wanted to let Stefi know the amazingness of the MTC, because so many missionary's elders and sisters, they don't appreciate it while there there.. That's awesome your reading the New Testament the way you are.. I just finished the book of mormon.. and now I've committed myself to read all the other standard works.. starting with the New Testament, and then Doctrine and Covenants and then I'll tackle the Old Testament.. but I really want to read all the scriptures on my mission..
It'll be fun to be able to share our thoughts to each other as we read the New Testament at the same time! =)
I am learning more and more about the importance of communication. Missions are a great way to learn about patience and working with people. I can't be like I was back home and let people stew and not talk to them about problems.. problems just don't go away with time..and so they need to be addressed sooner than later.. these are good lessons.. If there's just communication with investigators, members and even companions, then things can always be so much better..
I am hoping to be moving on this next transfer so I can work on Dutch more but I am excited to think that I will end with a baptism! It's been so neat to see the progression of Lilian, from coming only for one hour to church, then to two hours the next sunday, and then to all of church.. to now this past sunday she even wore a skirt! Her prayers are night and day difference, she prays to the father in the name of Jesus now.. and it was neat to see that progression.. she's an interesting lady and definitely a blessing for me.
Also last thing, yesterday for memorial day, we were able to go to margratten or to an american world war 2 cemetary.. the biggest in the netherlands.. and you know it's the classic row upon row of white crosses..but they had a ceremony there, and it was huge thousands of people, it was just neat to be apart of and witness.. made me think how these young americans came over to liberate the dutch from physical oppression, and now here I and the other missionary's, young americans come over to free this people from a spiritual bondage.. kind of a neat thought..
I recieved the packages.. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
I have a lessen with Lilian actually in five minutes so don't have time to write more.. I appreciate everyone’s thoughts..I do want to hear more about people’s missions though.. mom got out her journals and I've committed her to read through them again and share stories with me.. I'd love for others to do the same.. so.. that would mean a lot!
Ik hou van jullie gezichten! (I love ya'll faces!)
Your coolest missionary... son =)
Elder Mohrman
Monday, May 23, 2011
May 23rd
Hoi Familie!
Another week... I'll get straight to our investigators here, Lilian came to church again, this time stayed for all three hours, and even stayed for the Potluck they call it lunch afterwards.. really sweet, she's made progress every week, and it's awesome to be able to see and witness that. In sunday for Sacrament meeting, there were 4 speakers and they all took a different commandment.. we havenn't talked about commandements yet with LIlian but she got bombarded with Word of Wisdom, Law of Chasity, Tithing, and fasting all on sunday! She didn't say anything about it.. so I suppose all is good with her?! ha ha it was interesting We were expecting a few other investigators in church, but they didn't end up showing.. I wonder now after the fact if it was a good thing they didn't show up! Get everything all at once ha ha.. but no it was kind of dissapointing.. we have a young couple as investigators and I was praying and planning and thinking of ways to get this couple to church.. even went to there house saturday night as a suprise visit to get them to church and we got a soft commitment that "they would probably come".. they didn't obviously so a little dissapointing.. but it's okay, because at ward council the first part of there meeting was all about our investigators and a game plan on how to fellowship them and get them to church.. That was awesome.. We weren't even there.. but it's really nice to have the ward working so hard with us for these investigators. That doesn't happen too much.. As for Rick.. he also didn't come to church, he was on fire and was thinking of people to invite to church with him.. the people that he decided on however anti-ed him.. told him we were a cult and bla bla bla.. and so he didn't come, and he's still in contact with the family from church.. so hope is not lost, but he got bombarded by adversity this past week.. rough.. won't answer our calls, so we have to rely on the member to be able to get another appointment with him and hopefully help him out. Oh and Lilian is from Aruba, and I learned from her that Netherlands is the official language there! That's Surniame and now Aruba and a couple other Islands.. I'm thinking future vacation spots for sure.. =)
Hit another wall with Language.. pretty frustrating, but i've been taking all my free time in the morning and at night in studying the language.. Don't know why learning a language has to be so hard.. can't it just be simple? Come naturally.. something like that.. but alas it doesn't.. just have the comfort that it does eventually come!
Me and my companion it seems like we've run into and talked to many different people who do many different things.. Só i've made a sort of bucket list.. of things I want to do when I get back from things that i"ve observed over here. It seem like every couple of days the list just keeps growing and growing.. one of them was to become a good cook! And i'm been expermenting while i've been over here.. starting to use spices when I cook meat.. and though it may sound simple and is simple for all you natural cooks, that's a huge step for me!! =P
But no.. all is good.. we have a couple other potentials that we found this past week that we will be looking up, and if you all could just keep Lilian and Rick, and our other investigators in your prayers that would be great ;)
Love you all, and thanks for the emails..
Tot de volgende week! I just have to wonder.. who's email will you all read first.. mine.. or the bugs? =P ha ha
Elder Mohrman
Another week... I'll get straight to our investigators here, Lilian came to church again, this time stayed for all three hours, and even stayed for the Potluck they call it lunch afterwards.. really sweet, she's made progress every week, and it's awesome to be able to see and witness that. In sunday for Sacrament meeting, there were 4 speakers and they all took a different commandment.. we havenn't talked about commandements yet with LIlian but she got bombarded with Word of Wisdom, Law of Chasity, Tithing, and fasting all on sunday! She didn't say anything about it.. so I suppose all is good with her?! ha ha it was interesting We were expecting a few other investigators in church, but they didn't end up showing.. I wonder now after the fact if it was a good thing they didn't show up! Get everything all at once ha ha.. but no it was kind of dissapointing.. we have a young couple as investigators and I was praying and planning and thinking of ways to get this couple to church.. even went to there house saturday night as a suprise visit to get them to church and we got a soft commitment that "they would probably come".. they didn't obviously so a little dissapointing.. but it's okay, because at ward council the first part of there meeting was all about our investigators and a game plan on how to fellowship them and get them to church.. That was awesome.. We weren't even there.. but it's really nice to have the ward working so hard with us for these investigators. That doesn't happen too much.. As for Rick.. he also didn't come to church, he was on fire and was thinking of people to invite to church with him.. the people that he decided on however anti-ed him.. told him we were a cult and bla bla bla.. and so he didn't come, and he's still in contact with the family from church.. so hope is not lost, but he got bombarded by adversity this past week.. rough.. won't answer our calls, so we have to rely on the member to be able to get another appointment with him and hopefully help him out. Oh and Lilian is from Aruba, and I learned from her that Netherlands is the official language there! That's Surniame and now Aruba and a couple other Islands.. I'm thinking future vacation spots for sure.. =)
Hit another wall with Language.. pretty frustrating, but i've been taking all my free time in the morning and at night in studying the language.. Don't know why learning a language has to be so hard.. can't it just be simple? Come naturally.. something like that.. but alas it doesn't.. just have the comfort that it does eventually come!
Me and my companion it seems like we've run into and talked to many different people who do many different things.. Só i've made a sort of bucket list.. of things I want to do when I get back from things that i"ve observed over here. It seem like every couple of days the list just keeps growing and growing.. one of them was to become a good cook! And i'm been expermenting while i've been over here.. starting to use spices when I cook meat.. and though it may sound simple and is simple for all you natural cooks, that's a huge step for me!! =P
But no.. all is good.. we have a couple other potentials that we found this past week that we will be looking up, and if you all could just keep Lilian and Rick, and our other investigators in your prayers that would be great ;)
Love you all, and thanks for the emails..
Tot de volgende week! I just have to wonder.. who's email will you all read first.. mine.. or the bugs? =P ha ha
Elder Mohrman
Monday, May 16, 2011
May 16th
Hoi Familie!
Kind of a strange different week this week. Felt long and slow because I was sick at the beginning of it, and then we traveled a lot as well. Had odds and ends things that we needed to do as well, but it was good, saw some pretty neat miracles this past week. Liliana we set a baptismal date with on saturday. It's for the 4th of June.. and she came again to church.. she's a shy lady, and she really only feels comfortable around us, and the first sunday she only came to the first hour, this sunday she stayed for the second as well.. which was good because she got to meet a few people in the ward and talk with them. So next week we hope she'll come firstly but then stay for all three hours.. Relief Society would be great for her.
She's the fourth baptismal date I've set during my time in Heerlen. As you know none of them have gone through, but I'm sure hoping she does.. She needs it more than anyone just with her history and what has recently happened to her... so please continue to pray for her!
We also had a dinner appointment yesterday with an awesome american family, and the mother took a co-worker to church and then to the dinner appointment, we talked to the guy for a few hours and watched prophet of the restoration with him.. It was a neat appointment. And while we were there we got a call from another member saying that he has someone that he's been talking too that is almost ready to meet with us!! It's been crazy how many little miracles me and my companion have seen here. Sometimes I feel we don't really deserve it to be honest! But were being blessed a lot, and so I won't complain! =)
The american's name is rich and when we were at church during sacrament we were sitting with lilian, and I look over and sister woodbury, (woodbury's is the name of the awesome american family from before) she started beckoning me to come over because Rick (the co-worker had shown up) So I went over there and sat by him and started talking a little bit. He didn't feel comfortable staying for sunday school, so he went into the primary room with Sister Woodbury as we went to sunday school with Lilian. After that, Lilian left and we went to the primary room to get Rick to go to preisthood, but he liked it in there so we spent the 3rd hour in primary! Crazy, haven't been in primary in a long long time.. but it was fun, it was a neat expirience. The adults in there were great, and while the kids were doing activities they were just making Rick feel at home. At the dinner appiontment, we were joking around about how he would be a perfect primary teacher.. ha ha hopefully we'll meet with him again soon.. the guy is loaded and he has like a 18 bedroom house here in the area, and he lives alone.. drives a really sweet car, the newest edition of a charger.. so really interesting.. he was also an actor way back when and is really good friends with the person who directed the movie "twilight"and also "jesse" from Full- house.. interesting huh?
well those were the highlights of the week, had some really good food, one dish was from a suriname lady, it was fried bananas with fish =0 and this salad thing.. interesting meal most greasiest thing I've ever eaten I think.. and also I can't beleive how much fish I've eaten while i've been here.. and I have to be honest, it's not too bad.. maybe the fish in Utah just is horrible, and real fish doesn't taste that bad? I dunno.. maybe it's just the people cooking the meals ha ha
But anyways, hope all is well, love you loads,
Tot de volgende week!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Kind of a strange different week this week. Felt long and slow because I was sick at the beginning of it, and then we traveled a lot as well. Had odds and ends things that we needed to do as well, but it was good, saw some pretty neat miracles this past week. Liliana we set a baptismal date with on saturday. It's for the 4th of June.. and she came again to church.. she's a shy lady, and she really only feels comfortable around us, and the first sunday she only came to the first hour, this sunday she stayed for the second as well.. which was good because she got to meet a few people in the ward and talk with them. So next week we hope she'll come firstly but then stay for all three hours.. Relief Society would be great for her.
She's the fourth baptismal date I've set during my time in Heerlen. As you know none of them have gone through, but I'm sure hoping she does.. She needs it more than anyone just with her history and what has recently happened to her... so please continue to pray for her!
We also had a dinner appointment yesterday with an awesome american family, and the mother took a co-worker to church and then to the dinner appointment, we talked to the guy for a few hours and watched prophet of the restoration with him.. It was a neat appointment. And while we were there we got a call from another member saying that he has someone that he's been talking too that is almost ready to meet with us!! It's been crazy how many little miracles me and my companion have seen here. Sometimes I feel we don't really deserve it to be honest! But were being blessed a lot, and so I won't complain! =)
The american's name is rich and when we were at church during sacrament we were sitting with lilian, and I look over and sister woodbury, (woodbury's is the name of the awesome american family from before) she started beckoning me to come over because Rick (the co-worker had shown up) So I went over there and sat by him and started talking a little bit. He didn't feel comfortable staying for sunday school, so he went into the primary room with Sister Woodbury as we went to sunday school with Lilian. After that, Lilian left and we went to the primary room to get Rick to go to preisthood, but he liked it in there so we spent the 3rd hour in primary! Crazy, haven't been in primary in a long long time.. but it was fun, it was a neat expirience. The adults in there were great, and while the kids were doing activities they were just making Rick feel at home. At the dinner appiontment, we were joking around about how he would be a perfect primary teacher.. ha ha hopefully we'll meet with him again soon.. the guy is loaded and he has like a 18 bedroom house here in the area, and he lives alone.. drives a really sweet car, the newest edition of a charger.. so really interesting.. he was also an actor way back when and is really good friends with the person who directed the movie "twilight"and also "jesse" from Full- house.. interesting huh?
well those were the highlights of the week, had some really good food, one dish was from a suriname lady, it was fried bananas with fish =0 and this salad thing.. interesting meal most greasiest thing I've ever eaten I think.. and also I can't beleive how much fish I've eaten while i've been here.. and I have to be honest, it's not too bad.. maybe the fish in Utah just is horrible, and real fish doesn't taste that bad? I dunno.. maybe it's just the people cooking the meals ha ha
But anyways, hope all is well, love you loads,
Tot de volgende week!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, May 9, 2011
May 9th 2011
Hoi Familie!
Just like what you all expressed in your emails, it was really great to be able to talk with you all. Kinda sad that it's over! That hour flew by! You all sounded just how I remembered.. crazy huh? ;)
I was just happy I was able to make it through the call, I've been battleing with this virus for the past two weeks, and it got me last night.. threw up in the middle of the night. . oh man not fun! But hey such is life.. good thing it's P-day, can take it really easy =P
Liliana the lady that we met on saturday, and then who came to church yesterday, called us again today and we were able to meet with her right before this at the church. Really neat. We watched "To this end was I born" and just shared our testimony about how Jesus Christ is how we find peace and rest of soul. That he is the only person that truly understands us, and can help us. Felt like it was a good lessen.. It was great because My companion and I were on the same page, we had planned on watching another movie with her one about the restoration, but we both felt something about Jesus Christ would be better for her.. She's amazing.. still don't know quite what to think about her.. since she came into the scene so fast. I explained breifly her story over the phone, but I'll give you more detail.
We were walking doing a consecrated hour, and we were walking by her, when she asked if we were from the church, and if we could pray for her.. she said she had a lot of pain and sadness in her life, she just seperated with her man after finding out that he had been cheating on her.. and her daughter chose to believe the guy rather than her, so she is going through some real heavy stuff. We were in the middle of a parking lot of a grocery store, so we walked over to some trees away from everyone else, and she's talking a mile a minute about her life and about her situation, and I'm just feeling we should give her a blessing, well then áfter talking with us and spilling her life to us for about 5 minutes, she asked when we have church service, we told her tomorrow at ten.. said she wanted to and will come and also that she wanted to be baptized, and asking how we baptize in our church and how long it takes to be baptized.. wow.. at this point I couldn't decide if she's crazy or not.. but one thing led to another and we said we could walk to our church since it wasn't far, and pray there for her.. so we walk to the church, my comp made some lemonade for her, we gave her a blessing.. and a church tour.. asked us again when she can be baptized.. we said we have to teach her first about our church and doctrine, and she has to come to the church 3 times. So she said she'd come, and she did the next day.. stayed for sacrament meeting, which was powerful because it was mother's day and the primary sung a mother's day song and what not.. she had to go after sacrament, but we set up another appointment, and then our appointment today was a suprise.. so pretty neat.. she literallly came out of nowhere asking to be baptized.. don't know what's going to happen, she's going through a mid-life crisis so don't know if she's all there... pretty neat that we've been given this opportunity to try and help this woman.
Another positive investigator we have is from bejing, china.. we met her on the street, and had a church tour with her and watched the restoration dvd.. our joint teach was a chinese guy around the same age, and it was a really powerful lessen as well.. I love teaching people that ahve no background with god.. and seeing them feel the spirit for the first time.. anyways she said she wants to learn more.. not so sure on baptism because she doesn't know what her family will say..(there in the government =0) but she definitely wants to learn more..
Those are probably the two most positive people that we have so far, but we also have other families that I wish I had more time to share with you all ;)
Love you all.. I pray for you guys always, and thanks so much for being a support for me ;)
--Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Just like what you all expressed in your emails, it was really great to be able to talk with you all. Kinda sad that it's over! That hour flew by! You all sounded just how I remembered.. crazy huh? ;)
I was just happy I was able to make it through the call, I've been battleing with this virus for the past two weeks, and it got me last night.. threw up in the middle of the night. . oh man not fun! But hey such is life.. good thing it's P-day, can take it really easy =P
Liliana the lady that we met on saturday, and then who came to church yesterday, called us again today and we were able to meet with her right before this at the church. Really neat. We watched "To this end was I born" and just shared our testimony about how Jesus Christ is how we find peace and rest of soul. That he is the only person that truly understands us, and can help us. Felt like it was a good lessen.. It was great because My companion and I were on the same page, we had planned on watching another movie with her one about the restoration, but we both felt something about Jesus Christ would be better for her.. She's amazing.. still don't know quite what to think about her.. since she came into the scene so fast. I explained breifly her story over the phone, but I'll give you more detail.
We were walking doing a consecrated hour, and we were walking by her, when she asked if we were from the church, and if we could pray for her.. she said she had a lot of pain and sadness in her life, she just seperated with her man after finding out that he had been cheating on her.. and her daughter chose to believe the guy rather than her, so she is going through some real heavy stuff. We were in the middle of a parking lot of a grocery store, so we walked over to some trees away from everyone else, and she's talking a mile a minute about her life and about her situation, and I'm just feeling we should give her a blessing, well then áfter talking with us and spilling her life to us for about 5 minutes, she asked when we have church service, we told her tomorrow at ten.. said she wanted to and will come and also that she wanted to be baptized, and asking how we baptize in our church and how long it takes to be baptized.. wow.. at this point I couldn't decide if she's crazy or not.. but one thing led to another and we said we could walk to our church since it wasn't far, and pray there for her.. so we walk to the church, my comp made some lemonade for her, we gave her a blessing.. and a church tour.. asked us again when she can be baptized.. we said we have to teach her first about our church and doctrine, and she has to come to the church 3 times. So she said she'd come, and she did the next day.. stayed for sacrament meeting, which was powerful because it was mother's day and the primary sung a mother's day song and what not.. she had to go after sacrament, but we set up another appointment, and then our appointment today was a suprise.. so pretty neat.. she literallly came out of nowhere asking to be baptized.. don't know what's going to happen, she's going through a mid-life crisis so don't know if she's all there... pretty neat that we've been given this opportunity to try and help this woman.
Another positive investigator we have is from bejing, china.. we met her on the street, and had a church tour with her and watched the restoration dvd.. our joint teach was a chinese guy around the same age, and it was a really powerful lessen as well.. I love teaching people that ahve no background with god.. and seeing them feel the spirit for the first time.. anyways she said she wants to learn more.. not so sure on baptism because she doesn't know what her family will say..(there in the government =0) but she definitely wants to learn more..
Those are probably the two most positive people that we have so far, but we also have other families that I wish I had more time to share with you all ;)
Love you all.. I pray for you guys always, and thanks so much for being a support for me ;)
--Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, April 25, 2011
I'm stayin! Heerlen for at least one more transfer.. week 12 I believe in Heerlen
Hoi familie!
So you got an email saying the mission office and home have been moved, that is true.. it's crazy we found out about transfers yesterday and the whole mission is changing pretty much.. Where assistants and zone leaders are have all changed.. so it was fun to call around and here the different news.. me.. I'm staying. 3rd transfer it will be in Heerlen, I'm excited about it, I love this place, and it's really beautiful.. the ward is amazing.. I love the ward, every week I'm just becoming closer and closer with people here. Elder Mickelsen however is going away, he as been upgraded from District Leader to a big bad Zone Leader! It was pretty fun to see his face has he got the call.. he was pretty shocked. It was a good transfer with him, we worked hard. We had a lot of ups and downs missionary work wise.. had 2 baptismal dates that we set drop us after a couple days.. Karel at the beginning and then another one this past week.. kind of a bummer.. also a lot of investigators drop us for different reasons.. but we saw miracles in other ways, even though we kept being dropped we kept finding new people.. and so we've constantly stayed busy.. the biggest miracle for us came yesterday at church.. a couple of less-actives showed up to church that we had no idea were coming.. one we had a dinner appointment on saturday with, and I asked her if she would come to church, and she told me she couldn't.. but then she came.. and she said that she wanted to surprise me.. oh man, it was such a good feeling to see her at church.. We also had a less active who we met randomly on the street.. he came up to us and started talking saying he was baptized a couple years ago, but he went inactive because he got back into drugs that sort of thing.. but he wanted to meet with us and we've tried a couple times going over to his house to no avail.. but then he showed up at church too.. True miracles, and a really good way to end the transfer.. although number wise it will never show how good and amazing it really was.. My new companion is named Elder Leash I believe? Don't know much about him.. so it'll be fun.. I hope.. but yeah, this last week was pretty good, like I said last week We got to go to the temple on tuesday.. it was interesting.. did the endowment in dutch.. but it was just good to be back at the house of the lord.. after the temple we went to the famous keukenhof.. where it's world renown for it's flower gardens.. don't think I've ever taken so many photos of flowers in my life.. but hey it was for memories.. maybe the girls will find them pretty or something.. =P
Here is the new address to the mission..
De Kerk van Jezus Christus
van de Heiligen der Laatste Dagen
Schipholweg, 66
2316 XE
Leiden, Netherlands
So yesterday after church we went to a awesome family's house for Easter Dinner.. we had ham, and funeral potatoes.. and just a classic american meal.. the family is graet, they let us make a grocery list of american items we miss the most, and there going to go shoppping and buy them for us.. hmm.. well don't have to much else to share this week.. wish you all the best, excited to be able to talk to you guys on the phone on mother's day!! =)
Love you all, and thanks for all your emails and support, you guys mean the world to me.
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
So you got an email saying the mission office and home have been moved, that is true.. it's crazy we found out about transfers yesterday and the whole mission is changing pretty much.. Where assistants and zone leaders are have all changed.. so it was fun to call around and here the different news.. me.. I'm staying. 3rd transfer it will be in Heerlen, I'm excited about it, I love this place, and it's really beautiful.. the ward is amazing.. I love the ward, every week I'm just becoming closer and closer with people here. Elder Mickelsen however is going away, he as been upgraded from District Leader to a big bad Zone Leader! It was pretty fun to see his face has he got the call.. he was pretty shocked. It was a good transfer with him, we worked hard. We had a lot of ups and downs missionary work wise.. had 2 baptismal dates that we set drop us after a couple days.. Karel at the beginning and then another one this past week.. kind of a bummer.. also a lot of investigators drop us for different reasons.. but we saw miracles in other ways, even though we kept being dropped we kept finding new people.. and so we've constantly stayed busy.. the biggest miracle for us came yesterday at church.. a couple of less-actives showed up to church that we had no idea were coming.. one we had a dinner appointment on saturday with, and I asked her if she would come to church, and she told me she couldn't.. but then she came.. and she said that she wanted to surprise me.. oh man, it was such a good feeling to see her at church.. We also had a less active who we met randomly on the street.. he came up to us and started talking saying he was baptized a couple years ago, but he went inactive because he got back into drugs that sort of thing.. but he wanted to meet with us and we've tried a couple times going over to his house to no avail.. but then he showed up at church too.. True miracles, and a really good way to end the transfer.. although number wise it will never show how good and amazing it really was.. My new companion is named Elder Leash I believe? Don't know much about him.. so it'll be fun.. I hope.. but yeah, this last week was pretty good, like I said last week We got to go to the temple on tuesday.. it was interesting.. did the endowment in dutch.. but it was just good to be back at the house of the lord.. after the temple we went to the famous keukenhof.. where it's world renown for it's flower gardens.. don't think I've ever taken so many photos of flowers in my life.. but hey it was for memories.. maybe the girls will find them pretty or something.. =P
Here is the new address to the mission..
De Kerk van Jezus Christus
van de Heiligen der Laatste Dagen
Schipholweg, 66
2316 XE
Leiden, Netherlands
So yesterday after church we went to a awesome family's house for Easter Dinner.. we had ham, and funeral potatoes.. and just a classic american meal.. the family is graet, they let us make a grocery list of american items we miss the most, and there going to go shoppping and buy them for us.. hmm.. well don't have to much else to share this week.. wish you all the best, excited to be able to talk to you guys on the phone on mother's day!! =)
Love you all, and thanks for all your emails and support, you guys mean the world to me.
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, April 18, 2011
Heelen! Week after last...
Hoi Familie!
So today is monday.. but.. no p-day... Yup, our P-day has been changed due to the fact we will be going to the Temple this Week! Really excited.. I'll be there tomorrow.. so my long temple drought of I don''t want to think of how long will finally be over.. sweet. I knew this has been coming for a few months now and as it's been coming closer and closer the excitement and my thoughts keep going back to temples.. President Monson's talk this last conference on temples, I really really enjoyed.. The temple is an amazing place. I've only been a handful of times and yet.. I dunno.. just hard to explain.. I miss it.. so I'm glad to be going back. My companion and I have been going through the area book, there's three different ones in Heerlen, and some of them are really old dating back to 2003! And we've been having success in finding people.. going through and calling them up, or even going to there houses, and making appointments.. we've met some interesting people these past few weeks doing that. This past week a few days ago I forget what day exactly, We visited this lady who was taught maybe 3-4 years ago? But we talked with this lady on her door, and her background is muslim, but she had a rotten marriage with a muslim man, and so divorced him.. she then fell in love with a person from suriname who was catholic.. her family freaked out! disowned her and what not.. So the idea of "groups" or organized religion doesn't appeal to her at all.. but on the flip side she is respectful and beleives in listening to people and hearing people out, as long as they show the same respect to her.. she had some really good points about life and religion.. she said that if she wanted to talk to her god, she can do it wherever she wants.. in her car, at home, doesn't need to have a set place or way of talking to god.. we agree! She also asked us, some interesting questions, she asked us that if we fell in love with a muslim girl.. who didn't share our belief.. would we marry her? Or could we not look past the muslim in her.. From her background it was a very honest question, and a very good question.. immediately I thought about the temple.. and how I want a temple marriage.. but how do you explain that to someone with a background like she had, with all the pain she's felt due to the fact that her parents disowned her for marrying outside of there religion? I knew the answer I would give.. but didn't know how to explain it in a way that would help her understand.. it was a interesting, fun conversation.. The lady did say she would come to church and check it out.. see how were "unique" from every other christian church.. so hopefully she'll come this next week!
Talking with members here, Been able to hear many different stories about the Netherlands temple.. It seems that every temple has it's "miracle" stories. One of the members here is a temple worker and we stopped by to visit him one night, and we talked about the temple, different things that happened with the construction of the temple and what not.. So many stories that I just don't have time to share!! I guess you all will just have to be content with that there are cool stories that I've heard about it.. =)
We had stake conference this past sunday, it was in Brussels and we got to ride with a member here, he a cournel in the Air Force and actually just got stationed here a couple months ago.. Bro. Kitchen.. really neat guy, just another person on the list of amazing people I've met on my mission ;) Stake conference was fun, because a new stake presidency was organized, the old stake president was called to be an area 70 so you heard his name over general conference.. his name is hans boom.. so that was cool. But It was interesting to see the stake presidency get organized because I guess the last time I saw that happen was with Pres WIlardson.. but I don't really remember too much about it, cool to see how the church is run though.. Well.. as of missionary work here, like I said we've been going through all the old investigators.. we've also still managed to have success finding.. but yeah.. this week ended strong for me.. not going to lie I didn't have the best week this week feelings wise.. just didn't have enthusiasm, and I was sick.. so maybe that contributed to why I was thinking a lot about home and just thinking how great it would be to be able to go home for a day.. see you all.. talk to you all.. but.. I snapped out of it, with some of these neat expirences that I mentioned above.. so no worries here, back on track.. not that I was really off track.. I hope?! But anyways.. Don't know what else to write.. Shared all the neat expiriences.. umm... cool.. well thanks for all the emails.. I'm glad everything is good with everyone..(that wrote me emails at least =P ) Happy Nikki found a job.. and.. hope tiffani had a good b-day?
Love you all.. you guys mean the world to me!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
So today is monday.. but.. no p-day... Yup, our P-day has been changed due to the fact we will be going to the Temple this Week! Really excited.. I'll be there tomorrow.. so my long temple drought of I don''t want to think of how long will finally be over.. sweet. I knew this has been coming for a few months now and as it's been coming closer and closer the excitement and my thoughts keep going back to temples.. President Monson's talk this last conference on temples, I really really enjoyed.. The temple is an amazing place. I've only been a handful of times and yet.. I dunno.. just hard to explain.. I miss it.. so I'm glad to be going back. My companion and I have been going through the area book, there's three different ones in Heerlen, and some of them are really old dating back to 2003! And we've been having success in finding people.. going through and calling them up, or even going to there houses, and making appointments.. we've met some interesting people these past few weeks doing that. This past week a few days ago I forget what day exactly, We visited this lady who was taught maybe 3-4 years ago? But we talked with this lady on her door, and her background is muslim, but she had a rotten marriage with a muslim man, and so divorced him.. she then fell in love with a person from suriname who was catholic.. her family freaked out! disowned her and what not.. So the idea of "groups" or organized religion doesn't appeal to her at all.. but on the flip side she is respectful and beleives in listening to people and hearing people out, as long as they show the same respect to her.. she had some really good points about life and religion.. she said that if she wanted to talk to her god, she can do it wherever she wants.. in her car, at home, doesn't need to have a set place or way of talking to god.. we agree! She also asked us, some interesting questions, she asked us that if we fell in love with a muslim girl.. who didn't share our belief.. would we marry her? Or could we not look past the muslim in her.. From her background it was a very honest question, and a very good question.. immediately I thought about the temple.. and how I want a temple marriage.. but how do you explain that to someone with a background like she had, with all the pain she's felt due to the fact that her parents disowned her for marrying outside of there religion? I knew the answer I would give.. but didn't know how to explain it in a way that would help her understand.. it was a interesting, fun conversation.. The lady did say she would come to church and check it out.. see how were "unique" from every other christian church.. so hopefully she'll come this next week!
Talking with members here, Been able to hear many different stories about the Netherlands temple.. It seems that every temple has it's "miracle" stories. One of the members here is a temple worker and we stopped by to visit him one night, and we talked about the temple, different things that happened with the construction of the temple and what not.. So many stories that I just don't have time to share!! I guess you all will just have to be content with that there are cool stories that I've heard about it.. =)
We had stake conference this past sunday, it was in Brussels and we got to ride with a member here, he a cournel in the Air Force and actually just got stationed here a couple months ago.. Bro. Kitchen.. really neat guy, just another person on the list of amazing people I've met on my mission ;) Stake conference was fun, because a new stake presidency was organized, the old stake president was called to be an area 70 so you heard his name over general conference.. his name is hans boom.. so that was cool. But It was interesting to see the stake presidency get organized because I guess the last time I saw that happen was with Pres WIlardson.. but I don't really remember too much about it, cool to see how the church is run though.. Well.. as of missionary work here, like I said we've been going through all the old investigators.. we've also still managed to have success finding.. but yeah.. this week ended strong for me.. not going to lie I didn't have the best week this week feelings wise.. just didn't have enthusiasm, and I was sick.. so maybe that contributed to why I was thinking a lot about home and just thinking how great it would be to be able to go home for a day.. see you all.. talk to you all.. but.. I snapped out of it, with some of these neat expirences that I mentioned above.. so no worries here, back on track.. not that I was really off track.. I hope?! But anyways.. Don't know what else to write.. Shared all the neat expiriences.. umm... cool.. well thanks for all the emails.. I'm glad everything is good with everyone..(that wrote me emails at least =P ) Happy Nikki found a job.. and.. hope tiffani had a good b-day?
Love you all.. you guys mean the world to me!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, April 11, 2011
Still in Heerlen!
Hoi Familie!
What a wonderful week! At least it sure feels like that when the sun is shining every day and my companion and I don't have to wear any jackets all week! Really nice.. For a couple days we just had our white shirts on.. It's interesting because now people gap and gawk and point and laugh ten times more than they did before.. but it's okay, at least they don't think were Jehovah Witnesses anymore!! Well.. at least the smart people.. =P
So for the past few months I've been thinking that I've been getting really fat.. Thinkin' that I'm pushing 180 pds or something.. well.. I just made a really great discovery.. our scale.. is in kilos.. and so what I was seeing was actually in kilo's and I'm only 75-78 kilos.. totally misread it.. and I did the conversion, and I've actually lost weight since the MTC!!! So much stress and guilty feelings as I ate different type of foods.. so.. yeah.. I'm not fat. Maybe that should of been the title of this email =P Thought I'd share that with you so you don't think I'm turning into a whale or somethin' out here!!
We had a really good week this week.. nothing too special with progressing investigators.. but we got a lot of new potential investigators. We went to the city of Maastricht for a couple of days, (just another big city in our area) and we had a lot of good experiences.. We got contacted by a couple ladies on back to back days.. which is not really normal.. the first one is from Peru, and she just came up and started talking to us because she knew we were mormon missionary's from our white shirts and just spilled her soul to us.. talked our ears off.. but we got her number and we have an appointment with her today in fact.. the next day were in maastricht were just chilling on the water front (maastricht has a huge river that goes inbetween it) (huge tourist city also) and this lady comes up and starts talking to us and asking us who we are and what not.. turns out she's from Romania and we also have an appointment with her today.. so pretty cool.. it makes missionary work easier when people come up and talk to you! ;) We also met with a referal we got from my old companion in Den Haag.. his name is Zahng.. from china.. been living here for 10 years.. doesn't speak any english just simple simple dutch.. and we were able to communicate with him with our simple dutch.. it was neat, he bought us McDonalds.. so cool experiences, cool people I got to meet...
With all these people that I got the opportunity to meet this week, made me think about all the different people i've met throughout my mission so far.. for me the people that I've gotten to know, mostly members, but also investigators and other missionary's even, I think is what I appreciate the most and love the most about my mission.. We have a couple members in Heerlen, that are just amazing people.. amazing families.. Example is a sister who was baptized in Suriname last December, her name is Zuster Van de Bos.. So nice.. so kind, and has a fiery testimony.. really reminds me a lot of Nancy back in Den Haag, my first baptism.. but Zuster VD Bos, she knows so many people, and talks to so many people about the gospel.. we have her son as an investigator right now and a couple other daughters as potentials.. Also the Ward Missionary and his family from heerlen.. the Chardon's.. there amazing as well.. and there's so many others in Heerlen and there's so many other's in the different cities I've served in.. easily the best part of my mission..
Well family, enjoy the week.. Happy Birthday to Tiffani.. hope you didn't think I forgot!! Just saving the best for last ;)
Tot Ziens
Liefde,
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
What a wonderful week! At least it sure feels like that when the sun is shining every day and my companion and I don't have to wear any jackets all week! Really nice.. For a couple days we just had our white shirts on.. It's interesting because now people gap and gawk and point and laugh ten times more than they did before.. but it's okay, at least they don't think were Jehovah Witnesses anymore!! Well.. at least the smart people.. =P
So for the past few months I've been thinking that I've been getting really fat.. Thinkin' that I'm pushing 180 pds or something.. well.. I just made a really great discovery.. our scale.. is in kilos.. and so what I was seeing was actually in kilo's and I'm only 75-78 kilos.. totally misread it.. and I did the conversion, and I've actually lost weight since the MTC!!! So much stress and guilty feelings as I ate different type of foods.. so.. yeah.. I'm not fat. Maybe that should of been the title of this email =P Thought I'd share that with you so you don't think I'm turning into a whale or somethin' out here!!
We had a really good week this week.. nothing too special with progressing investigators.. but we got a lot of new potential investigators. We went to the city of Maastricht for a couple of days, (just another big city in our area) and we had a lot of good experiences.. We got contacted by a couple ladies on back to back days.. which is not really normal.. the first one is from Peru, and she just came up and started talking to us because she knew we were mormon missionary's from our white shirts and just spilled her soul to us.. talked our ears off.. but we got her number and we have an appointment with her today in fact.. the next day were in maastricht were just chilling on the water front (maastricht has a huge river that goes inbetween it) (huge tourist city also) and this lady comes up and starts talking to us and asking us who we are and what not.. turns out she's from Romania and we also have an appointment with her today.. so pretty cool.. it makes missionary work easier when people come up and talk to you! ;) We also met with a referal we got from my old companion in Den Haag.. his name is Zahng.. from china.. been living here for 10 years.. doesn't speak any english just simple simple dutch.. and we were able to communicate with him with our simple dutch.. it was neat, he bought us McDonalds.. so cool experiences, cool people I got to meet...
With all these people that I got the opportunity to meet this week, made me think about all the different people i've met throughout my mission so far.. for me the people that I've gotten to know, mostly members, but also investigators and other missionary's even, I think is what I appreciate the most and love the most about my mission.. We have a couple members in Heerlen, that are just amazing people.. amazing families.. Example is a sister who was baptized in Suriname last December, her name is Zuster Van de Bos.. So nice.. so kind, and has a fiery testimony.. really reminds me a lot of Nancy back in Den Haag, my first baptism.. but Zuster VD Bos, she knows so many people, and talks to so many people about the gospel.. we have her son as an investigator right now and a couple other daughters as potentials.. Also the Ward Missionary and his family from heerlen.. the Chardon's.. there amazing as well.. and there's so many others in Heerlen and there's so many other's in the different cities I've served in.. easily the best part of my mission..
Well family, enjoy the week.. Happy Birthday to Tiffani.. hope you didn't think I forgot!! Just saving the best for last ;)
Tot Ziens
Liefde,
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, April 4, 2011
Heerlen...bummer...forgot what week....9
Hoi Familie!
Hoe gaat het met idereen?? Hopelijk alles is goed met jullie. So this past week was not bad.. weather is getting better and better every day.. we had our first day in the 70's.. oh man that was nice.. really hot and warm in a suit coat.. but hey.. no complaints.. I'm tired of the cold!
Last week for P-day we visited 6 different castles in our area.. that was pretty cool, granted.. some of them were just old rich man mansions that they just stuck the label "castle" on them.. but still really neat.. a lot of history.. don't know what were going to do today.. It's a little cold so I think were going to take a rustig day =P Went on a few exchanges this week first one was with Elder Taylor.. he's on his 2nd transfer.. so I got to play senior companion again ;) It was fun, he came to heerlen, and we had a few appointments and did some finding.. had a pretty neat experience, we have this investigator her name is Rosemary, she's from Jamaica.. we only meet with her once a week, because her husband is anti religion.. and because of that we don't have your number because she doesn't want us calling and having the husband answer.. so all we have is her word that she'll be at appointments.. and she's kept all of them for the past 6-7 weeks.. but.. this week.. she missed it.. and we had no way to contact her so it was kinda a bummer.. but as we were finishing up our consecrated hour.. we knock on Rosemary's best friends door, and she's in the house! So we were able to set up another appointment, and even have her friend as a potential now! It was pretty neat.. most would say coincidence.. but.. I don't think so.. it was random how we found her again.. she's a really sweet lady, I hope things work out with her.. bummer anti-god husbands, they just cause problems!!
Went on another exchange in Gent, Belgium, Elder Mickelsen did his little District meeting thing, so I got to go to Belgium for the day, and this time got paired up with a Greenie, who's only been in the land for two weeks.. so got to play senior companion a lot this week! It was fun, Elder Calkins is the Elder's name in Gent, and we actually had a lot of success.. taught like 5 lessens to people on the street.. had another appointment with one of there investigators.. and He got us lost! So.. cool exchange ;) It's interesting Belgium and Netherlands are very different.. the buildings in Belgium (or at least Gent) they look fake almost.. like something you'd see in Disney world or something.. I dunno.. it's just strange.. Feels almost 3rd worldish.. maybe because they don't have a government or something =P One lady we talked too, elder Calkins and I, she thought that Elder Calkins looked 16.. and so I asked how old she thought I was.. she said maybe I was born in like 1987!! ha ha It was funny because Elder Calkins is older than I am.. don't think I look that old do I??
Well I told you about my opportunity to give a member a blessing last week.. well this week I went on splits with her husband and we went to some former investigators that we have never met before.. and I got to give my first blessing in Dutch!! Wow.. pretty intense.. really simple, really basic.. but I remember Elder Oaks talk in the April Priesthood session Conference in 2010, so.. doesn't matter if it's simple or basic.. a blessing is a blessing.. it was a pretty neat experience.. the man started to cry, because he felt "heavy on his head" and his wife started to tear up as well.. I'm being really blessed on my mission concerning blessings.. pretty much every one that I've been apart of something really neat and powerful has happened..
Conference though, that was great. Period. (Kim =P) First session the Saturday morning started at 6 p.m live here.. and we were only allowed to watch it if we watched it with an investigator.. so we were scrambling all week trying to find someone, and we ended up going to an investigator's house, his name is serge he's from Congo.. doesn't speak English, and knows Dutch.. so I got to watch my first conference session in Dutch! check that off my bucket list ha ha it was interesting.. I was just glad to be able to watch it.. Then we went to Antwerpen for Priesthood sunday morning.. and then we stayed at our Bishop's house all day with his family and we watched Saturday afternoon, and Sunday Morning was live at 6 p.m.. so two sessions live.. two recorded sessions and we didn't get to see the last session.. kinda a bummer.. but it is what it is.. really loved Pres. Monsons talk on Temples.. then the choir sings Spirit of God.. powerful.. there was a lot of neat talks during conference.. but I've already spent enough time with this email'=P Thanks for the emails everyone.. Hope you all have a great wonderful week..
Ik houd van jullie!!!
Tot Ziens
--Elder Mohrman
Hoe gaat het met idereen?? Hopelijk alles is goed met jullie. So this past week was not bad.. weather is getting better and better every day.. we had our first day in the 70's.. oh man that was nice.. really hot and warm in a suit coat.. but hey.. no complaints.. I'm tired of the cold!
Last week for P-day we visited 6 different castles in our area.. that was pretty cool, granted.. some of them were just old rich man mansions that they just stuck the label "castle" on them.. but still really neat.. a lot of history.. don't know what were going to do today.. It's a little cold so I think were going to take a rustig day =P Went on a few exchanges this week first one was with Elder Taylor.. he's on his 2nd transfer.. so I got to play senior companion again ;) It was fun, he came to heerlen, and we had a few appointments and did some finding.. had a pretty neat experience, we have this investigator her name is Rosemary, she's from Jamaica.. we only meet with her once a week, because her husband is anti religion.. and because of that we don't have your number because she doesn't want us calling and having the husband answer.. so all we have is her word that she'll be at appointments.. and she's kept all of them for the past 6-7 weeks.. but.. this week.. she missed it.. and we had no way to contact her so it was kinda a bummer.. but as we were finishing up our consecrated hour.. we knock on Rosemary's best friends door, and she's in the house! So we were able to set up another appointment, and even have her friend as a potential now! It was pretty neat.. most would say coincidence.. but.. I don't think so.. it was random how we found her again.. she's a really sweet lady, I hope things work out with her.. bummer anti-god husbands, they just cause problems!!
Went on another exchange in Gent, Belgium, Elder Mickelsen did his little District meeting thing, so I got to go to Belgium for the day, and this time got paired up with a Greenie, who's only been in the land for two weeks.. so got to play senior companion a lot this week! It was fun, Elder Calkins is the Elder's name in Gent, and we actually had a lot of success.. taught like 5 lessens to people on the street.. had another appointment with one of there investigators.. and He got us lost! So.. cool exchange ;) It's interesting Belgium and Netherlands are very different.. the buildings in Belgium (or at least Gent) they look fake almost.. like something you'd see in Disney world or something.. I dunno.. it's just strange.. Feels almost 3rd worldish.. maybe because they don't have a government or something =P One lady we talked too, elder Calkins and I, she thought that Elder Calkins looked 16.. and so I asked how old she thought I was.. she said maybe I was born in like 1987!! ha ha It was funny because Elder Calkins is older than I am.. don't think I look that old do I??
Well I told you about my opportunity to give a member a blessing last week.. well this week I went on splits with her husband and we went to some former investigators that we have never met before.. and I got to give my first blessing in Dutch!! Wow.. pretty intense.. really simple, really basic.. but I remember Elder Oaks talk in the April Priesthood session Conference in 2010, so.. doesn't matter if it's simple or basic.. a blessing is a blessing.. it was a pretty neat experience.. the man started to cry, because he felt "heavy on his head" and his wife started to tear up as well.. I'm being really blessed on my mission concerning blessings.. pretty much every one that I've been apart of something really neat and powerful has happened..
Conference though, that was great. Period. (Kim =P) First session the Saturday morning started at 6 p.m live here.. and we were only allowed to watch it if we watched it with an investigator.. so we were scrambling all week trying to find someone, and we ended up going to an investigator's house, his name is serge he's from Congo.. doesn't speak English, and knows Dutch.. so I got to watch my first conference session in Dutch! check that off my bucket list ha ha it was interesting.. I was just glad to be able to watch it.. Then we went to Antwerpen for Priesthood sunday morning.. and then we stayed at our Bishop's house all day with his family and we watched Saturday afternoon, and Sunday Morning was live at 6 p.m.. so two sessions live.. two recorded sessions and we didn't get to see the last session.. kinda a bummer.. but it is what it is.. really loved Pres. Monsons talk on Temples.. then the choir sings Spirit of God.. powerful.. there was a lot of neat talks during conference.. but I've already spent enough time with this email'=P Thanks for the emails everyone.. Hope you all have a great wonderful week..
Ik houd van jullie!!!
Tot Ziens
--Elder Mohrman
Monday, March 28, 2011
Heerlen...week 8
Hoi familie!
Hoe gaat het met alles? Cool pictures I got to see that dad sent me, Arizona looked pretty.. warm ;) But actually the weather has been really great the past week.. We can now go biking without coats.. so that's nice.. Really starting to see the beauty of this place, and also now that we're biking so much (didn't bike with Elder Robert because of bike problems) Really starting to see how Hilly this place is.. wow.. There's a town that is in our area called hoensbroek.. and to get there on bike you have to go over a few hills.. good size ones.. and well.. when you have to do that every day, a person gets a little tired.. Last night I just passed out.. So tired.. probably the most tired I've been on my mission so far.. which is good.. I think that when I have that feeling that means I was working pretty hard during the week =) ...and what a week we had.. lot's of up and downs.. Karel the person I talked about last email, we had our appointment with him, and it was one of the best appointments I've ever been apart of.. really neat, set a baptismal date with him.. committed him to come to church, and meet with us three times every week.. it was amazing.. our joint teach said he had never had seen someone so prepared for the gospel.. so really riding an emotional high after friday with the lesson.. it was great because we had quite a few potentials we found the previous week drop us this week.. so it was much needed.. but of course.. stuff happens, Karel didn't show up to church on sunday, and then we get a text later in the day saying he wants nothing more to do with us.. yeah.. a pretty hardcore drop.. been dropped by plenty of people but this was pretty unexpected, pretty heavy.. but work goes on.. we found success in going through the area book, and so we have a number of appointments lined up for this next week.. including a couple of Americans. We went finding on a street where an american family lives.. so it's a street for american's and we made a couple of appointments to come back.. one guy his name is Äsh Henry" is pretty intense, but a cool guy should be a good experience going over to his house.. it's amazing how much more religious military people are.. a lot of people we talk to in the ward and outside that are apart of the military say that the experiences that you go through during war or what not, really makes a person come to the realization that there truly is a god, that there is something more out there.. back to this guy named Ash, he didn't believe that we were americans ha ha He said a few times, you two aren't americans, where do you really come from.. made us think.. wow is our english really getting bad? I guess that's a good sign right? It's a weird thing to be able to understand a person and one moment.. and then they switch the topic and you can't understand anything that there trying to say.. that's where I"m at right now.. talk about the gospel and I'll talk to you for a while.. but talk about anything else.. it's a struggle.. but getting better.. In my planners I write "line upon line, precept upon precept"so that has helped keep a positive attitude and not get discouraged..
Another neat experience, we were making plans and we decided to stop by this one member's home to ask if he could be a joint teach or something, when we went in, I was talking to the wife, and she was saying how we showed up at the perfect time, because she has been going through a lot of stress with everything, and it had finally taken her toll on her.. so we were able to give her a blessing, and she asked me to give her that blessing.. it was neat because after I was finished she said that I said a line in her patriarchal blessing.. so yeah, really neat.
So summary of this week, lot's of highs.. lot's of lows.. spiritual experiences and not spiritual experiences.. had my first appointment with Jehovah witnesses the other day.. it's not very fun being preached too and being told that everything that we believe is false.. so.. yeah fun eventful packed week I just had.. Really excited for Conference.. It's going to be good.. The super bowl of missionary's I remember my MTC teacher calling it.. so looking forward to that..
Love you all.. pray for you all.. thanks for all the emails and letters and love and encouragement and info about your lives.. it's appreciated ;)
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Hoe gaat het met alles? Cool pictures I got to see that dad sent me, Arizona looked pretty.. warm ;) But actually the weather has been really great the past week.. We can now go biking without coats.. so that's nice.. Really starting to see the beauty of this place, and also now that we're biking so much (didn't bike with Elder Robert because of bike problems) Really starting to see how Hilly this place is.. wow.. There's a town that is in our area called hoensbroek.. and to get there on bike you have to go over a few hills.. good size ones.. and well.. when you have to do that every day, a person gets a little tired.. Last night I just passed out.. So tired.. probably the most tired I've been on my mission so far.. which is good.. I think that when I have that feeling that means I was working pretty hard during the week =) ...and what a week we had.. lot's of up and downs.. Karel the person I talked about last email, we had our appointment with him, and it was one of the best appointments I've ever been apart of.. really neat, set a baptismal date with him.. committed him to come to church, and meet with us three times every week.. it was amazing.. our joint teach said he had never had seen someone so prepared for the gospel.. so really riding an emotional high after friday with the lesson.. it was great because we had quite a few potentials we found the previous week drop us this week.. so it was much needed.. but of course.. stuff happens, Karel didn't show up to church on sunday, and then we get a text later in the day saying he wants nothing more to do with us.. yeah.. a pretty hardcore drop.. been dropped by plenty of people but this was pretty unexpected, pretty heavy.. but work goes on.. we found success in going through the area book, and so we have a number of appointments lined up for this next week.. including a couple of Americans. We went finding on a street where an american family lives.. so it's a street for american's and we made a couple of appointments to come back.. one guy his name is Äsh Henry" is pretty intense, but a cool guy should be a good experience going over to his house.. it's amazing how much more religious military people are.. a lot of people we talk to in the ward and outside that are apart of the military say that the experiences that you go through during war or what not, really makes a person come to the realization that there truly is a god, that there is something more out there.. back to this guy named Ash, he didn't believe that we were americans ha ha He said a few times, you two aren't americans, where do you really come from.. made us think.. wow is our english really getting bad? I guess that's a good sign right? It's a weird thing to be able to understand a person and one moment.. and then they switch the topic and you can't understand anything that there trying to say.. that's where I"m at right now.. talk about the gospel and I'll talk to you for a while.. but talk about anything else.. it's a struggle.. but getting better.. In my planners I write "line upon line, precept upon precept"so that has helped keep a positive attitude and not get discouraged..
Another neat experience, we were making plans and we decided to stop by this one member's home to ask if he could be a joint teach or something, when we went in, I was talking to the wife, and she was saying how we showed up at the perfect time, because she has been going through a lot of stress with everything, and it had finally taken her toll on her.. so we were able to give her a blessing, and she asked me to give her that blessing.. it was neat because after I was finished she said that I said a line in her patriarchal blessing.. so yeah, really neat.
So summary of this week, lot's of highs.. lot's of lows.. spiritual experiences and not spiritual experiences.. had my first appointment with Jehovah witnesses the other day.. it's not very fun being preached too and being told that everything that we believe is false.. so.. yeah fun eventful packed week I just had.. Really excited for Conference.. It's going to be good.. The super bowl of missionary's I remember my MTC teacher calling it.. so looking forward to that..
Love you all.. pray for you all.. thanks for all the emails and letters and love and encouragement and info about your lives.. it's appreciated ;)
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, March 21, 2011
Heerlen...week 7
Hoi Familie!
Easiest Transfer ever!! Didn't have to pack.. didn't have to worry about catching trains, or worrying about bikes.. none of that!! So happy I'm able to stay in Heerlen for another transfer! ;) My new companion Elder Mickelsen has been out two more transfers then me.. so 3 months or something like that.. were a pretty young companionship but it's awesome!
Already we have a lot of potential investigators that we found in the past week,and i've noticed how much my contacting has improved just being with him.. it's great. He's from South Jordan, and he went to Bingham High school, and played tennis there.. and he's just as much of a sports nut as me.. we have had a lot of good quality I would say conversations concerning sports ;)
I thought I would share one cool experience.. like I said we found a lot of new people last week.. one of them is a dutch man named Karel.. When we knocked on his door, he was actually reading a Jehovah Witness Pamphlet.. but he let us in, and we were able to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and explain about it.. he told us how he believed in the bible but it was difficult to read.. and he said that the Book of Mormon seemed easier.. when we prayed with him at the end, in his prayer he sincerely asked if he would receive an answer that the Book of Mormon was true.. it was really neat, I've never heard a more sincere prayer about whether the Book of Mormon was true or not on my mission..hopefully all will go well with him, we have a return appointment on Friday.. But thanks Mom and Dad for the emails.. And I hope the rest of the family will enjoy there week..it's finally starting to be beautiful weather here.. we get a couple of days of awesome sun.. then a couple of days of coldness.. but the past three days have been sunny, so hopefully that will continue.. Love you all.. prayers are always being said you guys! ;)
Elder Mohrman
Easiest Transfer ever!! Didn't have to pack.. didn't have to worry about catching trains, or worrying about bikes.. none of that!! So happy I'm able to stay in Heerlen for another transfer! ;) My new companion Elder Mickelsen has been out two more transfers then me.. so 3 months or something like that.. were a pretty young companionship but it's awesome!
Already we have a lot of potential investigators that we found in the past week,and i've noticed how much my contacting has improved just being with him.. it's great. He's from South Jordan, and he went to Bingham High school, and played tennis there.. and he's just as much of a sports nut as me.. we have had a lot of good quality I would say conversations concerning sports ;)
I thought I would share one cool experience.. like I said we found a lot of new people last week.. one of them is a dutch man named Karel.. When we knocked on his door, he was actually reading a Jehovah Witness Pamphlet.. but he let us in, and we were able to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and explain about it.. he told us how he believed in the bible but it was difficult to read.. and he said that the Book of Mormon seemed easier.. when we prayed with him at the end, in his prayer he sincerely asked if he would receive an answer that the Book of Mormon was true.. it was really neat, I've never heard a more sincere prayer about whether the Book of Mormon was true or not on my mission..hopefully all will go well with him, we have a return appointment on Friday.. But thanks Mom and Dad for the emails.. And I hope the rest of the family will enjoy there week..it's finally starting to be beautiful weather here.. we get a couple of days of awesome sun.. then a couple of days of coldness.. but the past three days have been sunny, so hopefully that will continue.. Love you all.. prayers are always being said you guys! ;)
Elder Mohrman
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Heerlen... week 6
Hoi Familie!
Sorry.. late again.. but had a really fun p-day! We went to the three
point mark.. where germany, netherlands and belgium meet.. that was neat to
go to.. the highest point in the netherlands is also right by there.. then
we went to an american grave site.. i forget the name, but i have never
seen those cemetaries with the rows and rows of white crosses.. that was
really neat also, really feel a lot of gratitude for all those americans that
gave there lives for freedom.. after that we went to a city called
valkenburg and got to explore an old castle.. it says it was the only fortress in the netherlands.. it was pretty amazing.. amazing how they can build such
buildings with the technology that they had.. but that was my p-day.. so a lot of traveling and a lot of sight seeing! but we have great members here,
that let me use there computers ;)
So transfers this week.. and yup.. you can guess.. I'm packing my bags again! ... oh whoops, just kidding, I'm actually staying!!! craziness, but now my companion is the getting transfered.. he's going to a city called eindhoven which is actually in our district, and the elder there, elder mickelson is coming to be my companion, so they just switched places.. I couldn't be more excited to know my companion this time around as I know elder mickelson pretty well, he's going on his 6th and he was actually elder de meesters greenie right before i came.. so i replaced him in amsterdam.. and we've been in the same zone every transfer i've been in the land.. really cool guy, from salt lake, and went to byu.. likes sports.. so it's going to be a lot of fun i think!! I had a feeling that Elder Robert was going to be transferred and I made a list in my mind who would be a good companion to help keep and expand the work...my thoughts kept coming to Elder Mickelson even though we are both young in the mission field. Heavenly Father knows what we all need and I have learned from each companion many things. I don''t have a lot of time, so you get a sorry email this week =P but thanks for all the emails1 almost had a heart attack
when I saw the browns emailing me11 =P ha ha just kidding, thanks for everything,
and glad everyone's lives is going great! Love,
Elder Mohrman
Sorry.. late again.. but had a really fun p-day! We went to the three
point mark.. where germany, netherlands and belgium meet.. that was neat to
go to.. the highest point in the netherlands is also right by there.. then
we went to an american grave site.. i forget the name, but i have never
seen those cemetaries with the rows and rows of white crosses.. that was
really neat also, really feel a lot of gratitude for all those americans that
gave there lives for freedom.. after that we went to a city called
valkenburg and got to explore an old castle.. it says it was the only fortress in the netherlands.. it was pretty amazing.. amazing how they can build such
buildings with the technology that they had.. but that was my p-day.. so a lot of traveling and a lot of sight seeing! but we have great members here,
that let me use there computers ;)
So transfers this week.. and yup.. you can guess.. I'm packing my bags again! ... oh whoops, just kidding, I'm actually staying!!! craziness, but now my companion is the getting transfered.. he's going to a city called eindhoven which is actually in our district, and the elder there, elder mickelson is coming to be my companion, so they just switched places.. I couldn't be more excited to know my companion this time around as I know elder mickelson pretty well, he's going on his 6th and he was actually elder de meesters greenie right before i came.. so i replaced him in amsterdam.. and we've been in the same zone every transfer i've been in the land.. really cool guy, from salt lake, and went to byu.. likes sports.. so it's going to be a lot of fun i think!! I had a feeling that Elder Robert was going to be transferred and I made a list in my mind who would be a good companion to help keep and expand the work...my thoughts kept coming to Elder Mickelson even though we are both young in the mission field. Heavenly Father knows what we all need and I have learned from each companion many things. I don''t have a lot of time, so you get a sorry email this week =P but thanks for all the emails1 almost had a heart attack
when I saw the browns emailing me11 =P ha ha just kidding, thanks for everything,
and glad everyone's lives is going great! Love,
Elder Mohrman
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Heerlen ....week 5
Hoi Familie!!
So.. yeah.. it's wednesday.. ha ha whoops! Nah actually it's not my fault. You all know the great ol' party in louisianna called "marty gra"? Well here, in south holland it's called "Carnival" and it's a week long party here where everyone get's dressed up and drunk.. and well.. all the stores were closed monday, which inclueded the library where we do our emails =0 And nobody was home member-wise that we tried calling so couldn't email on monday!!... and we travelled to Antwerp on Tuesday so had no time there.. so you all get my email today!! So hopefully you weren't having silly thoughts about me forgetting to email.. There was and would always be a reason!!! =)
So Carnival.. I guess ít's a catholic tradition? No idea how or why? Same with Marty Gra.. and also they have it in Rio also.. but it's a week long.. party I guess you could say.. Started last thursday and yesterday was the last day. People just dress up in funky costumes.. mostly clowns.. but saw a lot of pirates and weirdo costume that looked straight from a dr. suess book.. so pretty much halloween.. and they dress up all day, every day.. and starting on saturday they have parades in the different cities in the area, and it's just funky floats with people in funkier costumes, drinking beer while dancing and singing to "carnival" music. Horrible stuff... you have to be drunk in order to like it.. So crazy though, on sunday we were getting out of church and Heerlen was having there parade, and to go to our bus stop we had to walk through it.. nuts. I've never seen crazier people in my life. I was seriously in loony toon land! We saw a couple of members who ditched out on church there at the parade, ha ha they were pretty suprised to see us.. interesting how people make excuses to ditch out on church! =P But on Monday we were able to go to another parade with a member, His name is Bro. Mazurik.. don't know if I told you about him.. he's from poland.. knows Josh Wilson really well.. but that was pretty fun, seeing the parade, and expiriencing the cuture.. even if it is crazy! They throw out bags of tortillas from the floats.. no idea why.. but we have a nice supply of tortillas now! I think the weirdest part of the parades for me, was seeing the people in the parade all dressed up.. dancing and drinking while they march.. and then seeing the people watching the parade also all dressed up... Everyone dresses up!! Last night, as we got back from antwerpen, we had a lesson fall through.. which was kinda a bummer since we asked Bro Kitchen, a member who just arrived a few weeks ago come as a joint teach for us.. so he arrived and took us out to dinner.. really cool guy.. but as we were eating in this resturant we start hearing this carnival music again! We look outside and there's another parade going on!!! A night parade.. I guess one last one to top off the week.. It was crazier then any of the previous ones.. techno lights.. the floats were bigger and better... craziness.. glad that week is over.. made finding pretty hard, as you can imagine.. had a few times we knocked on doors, and have someone in a clown outfit with a beer in his hand answer the door.. strange is a simple word to describe it!
As for the missionary work in heerlen, we didn't have much fire this week.. had a few people drop us, including bobby who I talked about last week, that was a bummer as he was our most positive person.. just didn't want to change, used his free agency =0.. had others say they want to meet in a couple of weeks which would include Grace the other one I talked about =0.. but we were blessed in other ways.. we got a baptismal date, first one that heerlen has had in a long long time.. and then we got a lot of referalls from other missionary's in our mission.. which doesn't happen very much.. so had a down week.. but.. we got other things that we can build on... interesting how things work out like that..
Really enjoying the ward here.. we get to eat out at member's homes about 2 times a week.. so not much.. but the families that have had us over are amazing.. this past week we ate at an English families home.. and a half american and half canadian family.. awesome people.. it's so neat to see and get to know people from other cultures and countries.. something that really doesn't happen much in utah!
But a couple of stories from this past week, we gave a turkish book of mormon a couple of weeks ago to this muslim woman, who said her husband was depressed.. we went back about a week ago and met the husband for the first time, and set up a lessen. We taught him, and although nothing came out of it, we were able to give him a blessing.. not often that you can say you gave a muslim man a blessing.. but he said he enjoyed christian churches and said he would like to come to ours.. so hopefully down the road something will happen.. but it was neat expirience nevertheless.. so i've been itching to play basketball or any sort of sports for a while now.. months!! And I found out that there was a basketball court right by our house, so I bought a cheap basketball from a sports store, and we've been able to play a few times.. On monday after the parade we were able to play for about 3-4 hours.. so nice.. but interesting experience with that on monday.. there were a few moroccan kids playing soccer.. (the hoops are on this miniature soccer court) so we were just shooting, and they didn't pay any attention to us, same with us to them.. and then as they were playing this soccer game, the oldest one kicked a ball and it came really close to Elder Robert's head.. He just said "pas op" which means "watch out" because well.. it almost whacked him.. they freaked out.. the kid who kicked it started swearing under his breath.. some little tiny kids who were watching, started making fun.. saying "pas op.. pas op.. pas op.." being really annoying.. swearing at us.. saying there going to blow us up.. blow up america.. making fun of america.. vulger things.. swearing constantly.. never.. in all my life have I heard stuff as bad as what these little kids were saying, just the disrespect to complete strangers.. it was crazy.. I couldn't believe it.. we ignored them, just kept shooting.. after about 5 minutes of non-stop garbage from these kids, we finally just asked if they wanted to play basketball with us.. and so we played them in basketball.. owned them.. they had no chance.. no one here can play a sport other than soccer... but it shut them up and instead of trashing us constantly they ran there mouths about other things.. we said we'd play them in soccer since they played us in basketball.. so we played soccer with these kids, and actually didn't do too bad, but even then they were running there mouths.. But they said after we were through we were welcome any time to come back and play with them.. I dunno.. maybe we'll go back sometime.. =P Me playing soccer.. who would have thought =P
I can't think of anything else exciting that happened this week.. thank you all for your emails.. really glad I was finally able to read them!!
take care, can't wait to hear from you all on the normal day, monday!
-Elder Mohrman
p.s. Yeah, haven't heard much about the phillipines living condition wise.. so nothing to share on that regard.. all I know is that The phillipines is a blessed country.. a country that the church is growing so much in.. She's (Stefi)going to see lot's of success on her mission, and really see the gospel touch many peoples lives.. I can't remember if I put this in one of my emails or not, but I have listened to a couple talks from Gordon B. Hinckley and he talks about him opening up the phillipines to missionary work.. and how much it has grown in such a short time... and how it is still growing.. beautiful temple there.. =)
Thanks for all the updates.. don't know if I have shared this but one of the assistants played basketball at timpview.. his name is elder brockbank.. He worked out with Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies.. all them.. so I get to talk basketball with him everytime I see him, it's pretty sweet, he's a nice guy.. crazy to think I played against him.. which I did.. he started for Timpview in 08 and 09.. there's also a elder in my younger group that I've played against in basketball he's from "sugar salem"don't know if you rembember that team.. so pretty interesting.
So.. yeah.. it's wednesday.. ha ha whoops! Nah actually it's not my fault. You all know the great ol' party in louisianna called "marty gra"? Well here, in south holland it's called "Carnival" and it's a week long party here where everyone get's dressed up and drunk.. and well.. all the stores were closed monday, which inclueded the library where we do our emails =0 And nobody was home member-wise that we tried calling so couldn't email on monday!!... and we travelled to Antwerp on Tuesday so had no time there.. so you all get my email today!! So hopefully you weren't having silly thoughts about me forgetting to email.. There was and would always be a reason!!! =)
So Carnival.. I guess ít's a catholic tradition? No idea how or why? Same with Marty Gra.. and also they have it in Rio also.. but it's a week long.. party I guess you could say.. Started last thursday and yesterday was the last day. People just dress up in funky costumes.. mostly clowns.. but saw a lot of pirates and weirdo costume that looked straight from a dr. suess book.. so pretty much halloween.. and they dress up all day, every day.. and starting on saturday they have parades in the different cities in the area, and it's just funky floats with people in funkier costumes, drinking beer while dancing and singing to "carnival" music. Horrible stuff... you have to be drunk in order to like it.. So crazy though, on sunday we were getting out of church and Heerlen was having there parade, and to go to our bus stop we had to walk through it.. nuts. I've never seen crazier people in my life. I was seriously in loony toon land! We saw a couple of members who ditched out on church there at the parade, ha ha they were pretty suprised to see us.. interesting how people make excuses to ditch out on church! =P But on Monday we were able to go to another parade with a member, His name is Bro. Mazurik.. don't know if I told you about him.. he's from poland.. knows Josh Wilson really well.. but that was pretty fun, seeing the parade, and expiriencing the cuture.. even if it is crazy! They throw out bags of tortillas from the floats.. no idea why.. but we have a nice supply of tortillas now! I think the weirdest part of the parades for me, was seeing the people in the parade all dressed up.. dancing and drinking while they march.. and then seeing the people watching the parade also all dressed up... Everyone dresses up!! Last night, as we got back from antwerpen, we had a lesson fall through.. which was kinda a bummer since we asked Bro Kitchen, a member who just arrived a few weeks ago come as a joint teach for us.. so he arrived and took us out to dinner.. really cool guy.. but as we were eating in this resturant we start hearing this carnival music again! We look outside and there's another parade going on!!! A night parade.. I guess one last one to top off the week.. It was crazier then any of the previous ones.. techno lights.. the floats were bigger and better... craziness.. glad that week is over.. made finding pretty hard, as you can imagine.. had a few times we knocked on doors, and have someone in a clown outfit with a beer in his hand answer the door.. strange is a simple word to describe it!
As for the missionary work in heerlen, we didn't have much fire this week.. had a few people drop us, including bobby who I talked about last week, that was a bummer as he was our most positive person.. just didn't want to change, used his free agency =0.. had others say they want to meet in a couple of weeks which would include Grace the other one I talked about =0.. but we were blessed in other ways.. we got a baptismal date, first one that heerlen has had in a long long time.. and then we got a lot of referalls from other missionary's in our mission.. which doesn't happen very much.. so had a down week.. but.. we got other things that we can build on... interesting how things work out like that..
Really enjoying the ward here.. we get to eat out at member's homes about 2 times a week.. so not much.. but the families that have had us over are amazing.. this past week we ate at an English families home.. and a half american and half canadian family.. awesome people.. it's so neat to see and get to know people from other cultures and countries.. something that really doesn't happen much in utah!
But a couple of stories from this past week, we gave a turkish book of mormon a couple of weeks ago to this muslim woman, who said her husband was depressed.. we went back about a week ago and met the husband for the first time, and set up a lessen. We taught him, and although nothing came out of it, we were able to give him a blessing.. not often that you can say you gave a muslim man a blessing.. but he said he enjoyed christian churches and said he would like to come to ours.. so hopefully down the road something will happen.. but it was neat expirience nevertheless.. so i've been itching to play basketball or any sort of sports for a while now.. months!! And I found out that there was a basketball court right by our house, so I bought a cheap basketball from a sports store, and we've been able to play a few times.. On monday after the parade we were able to play for about 3-4 hours.. so nice.. but interesting experience with that on monday.. there were a few moroccan kids playing soccer.. (the hoops are on this miniature soccer court) so we were just shooting, and they didn't pay any attention to us, same with us to them.. and then as they were playing this soccer game, the oldest one kicked a ball and it came really close to Elder Robert's head.. He just said "pas op" which means "watch out" because well.. it almost whacked him.. they freaked out.. the kid who kicked it started swearing under his breath.. some little tiny kids who were watching, started making fun.. saying "pas op.. pas op.. pas op.." being really annoying.. swearing at us.. saying there going to blow us up.. blow up america.. making fun of america.. vulger things.. swearing constantly.. never.. in all my life have I heard stuff as bad as what these little kids were saying, just the disrespect to complete strangers.. it was crazy.. I couldn't believe it.. we ignored them, just kept shooting.. after about 5 minutes of non-stop garbage from these kids, we finally just asked if they wanted to play basketball with us.. and so we played them in basketball.. owned them.. they had no chance.. no one here can play a sport other than soccer... but it shut them up and instead of trashing us constantly they ran there mouths about other things.. we said we'd play them in soccer since they played us in basketball.. so we played soccer with these kids, and actually didn't do too bad, but even then they were running there mouths.. But they said after we were through we were welcome any time to come back and play with them.. I dunno.. maybe we'll go back sometime.. =P Me playing soccer.. who would have thought =P
I can't think of anything else exciting that happened this week.. thank you all for your emails.. really glad I was finally able to read them!!
take care, can't wait to hear from you all on the normal day, monday!
-Elder Mohrman
p.s. Yeah, haven't heard much about the phillipines living condition wise.. so nothing to share on that regard.. all I know is that The phillipines is a blessed country.. a country that the church is growing so much in.. She's (Stefi)going to see lot's of success on her mission, and really see the gospel touch many peoples lives.. I can't remember if I put this in one of my emails or not, but I have listened to a couple talks from Gordon B. Hinckley and he talks about him opening up the phillipines to missionary work.. and how much it has grown in such a short time... and how it is still growing.. beautiful temple there.. =)
Thanks for all the updates.. don't know if I have shared this but one of the assistants played basketball at timpview.. his name is elder brockbank.. He worked out with Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies.. all them.. so I get to talk basketball with him everytime I see him, it's pretty sweet, he's a nice guy.. crazy to think I played against him.. which I did.. he started for Timpview in 08 and 09.. there's also a elder in my younger group that I've played against in basketball he's from "sugar salem"don't know if you rembember that team.. so pretty interesting.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Heerlen...week 4
Geachte familie..
Ik ben heel verbaasd over het nieuws van de familie!! Tjonge Jonge..
First comes first, congratulations Stefani! Manila huh.. craziness.. really ironic since my ward mission leader went on his mission to the phillipines, and his wife is from the phillipines, every tuesday I get treated to good ol’ phillipino food. I think it’s delicious, so nothing to worry about stefi ;) Also really cool, because in the past few weeks I was listening to some talks by Pres. Hinckley and some of the things in his talks were about the phillipines and the missionary work history of the country. Really cool.. Really neat.. It’s a blessed place, and your going to really enjoy it. Also the temple in manila is very beautiful, kinda like the Frankfurt temple in design.
Tiffani.. way to be.
Mitch & Nikki.. hi.
Kim.. Jealous.
And thanks to everyone else that sent emails.. I just repeat myself every week I think, but I really do appreciate all the emails, telling me about your lives.. what’s happening back home.. ;) So this week, like I hinted at last week was a pretty busy week, had a lot of appointments with new people, and the results of all those appointments resulted in some pretty amazing investigators we now have. Let me tell you about some of them. Bobby is a guy we met ringing door bells in a big apartment building.. he let us in, because his hobby is religion.. Reads a lot and has studied most all of the major religions in the world.. didn’t know much about us.. just knew that we had a bunch of wives or something.. =P But we were able to talk to him, and read out of the book of mormon about adam and eve, and after he was saying stuff like “wow, never thought of that before”, and “Yeah that makes sense, never heard that before” Well we got a return appointment, and that return appointment was this last saturday, we taught the plan of salvation, but for that week, he had begun reading out of the book of mormon on his own, and said that he wanted to check out the church sometime.. really cool to see.. also pretty neat moment happened with him. I’ve had this feeling to carry around the conference issue of the liahona with me.. and had been doing so for the past week.. never having the opportunity to share it with anyone until bobby was saying how a couple of years ago when his mother died he went to church and the guy just stood up there talking about stuff that happened two thousand years ago.. and he didn’t see how that helped him, now. I was able to share the conference issue with him, bearing my testimony that it was things being said directly to us, not something that happened two thousand years ago.. it was a really neat moment, he liked it, and took it, and our next appointment with him is this tuesday, so we’ll see what happens with him! It was just neat to see the answer as to why I was carrying that magazine with me for the past week.. it was meant for him.. only problem was I was studying that magazine for my language study! =S Oh well.. I guess I can find other dutch material to read ;)
Grace is also a really cool person that were teaching, she invited us to a “bible study” and so we got to go, and be with all these college kids who actually want to learn about the bible.. pretty big change to see a group of people who are actually religious! But it was neat, they were all really nice to us, and we got to answer a lot of questions about our church.. we’ll see what happens with that too..
Got to play sports again on saturday, that was sweet! Glad to know I can still hit 10 free throws in a row.. haven’t completely lost my touch.. yet =P
Well I hope all is well with you family.. thanks for the prayers, and know that you all are getting prayed for from this end as well.. I’m probably leaving out some neat stories, a lot has happened this week but, that’s all I got for this week! Het spijt me!
Ik hou van jullie! Bedankt voor alles! Tot Ziens tot de volgende week!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Ik ben heel verbaasd over het nieuws van de familie!! Tjonge Jonge..
First comes first, congratulations Stefani! Manila huh.. craziness.. really ironic since my ward mission leader went on his mission to the phillipines, and his wife is from the phillipines, every tuesday I get treated to good ol’ phillipino food. I think it’s delicious, so nothing to worry about stefi ;) Also really cool, because in the past few weeks I was listening to some talks by Pres. Hinckley and some of the things in his talks were about the phillipines and the missionary work history of the country. Really cool.. Really neat.. It’s a blessed place, and your going to really enjoy it. Also the temple in manila is very beautiful, kinda like the Frankfurt temple in design.
Tiffani.. way to be.
Mitch & Nikki.. hi.
Kim.. Jealous.
And thanks to everyone else that sent emails.. I just repeat myself every week I think, but I really do appreciate all the emails, telling me about your lives.. what’s happening back home.. ;) So this week, like I hinted at last week was a pretty busy week, had a lot of appointments with new people, and the results of all those appointments resulted in some pretty amazing investigators we now have. Let me tell you about some of them. Bobby is a guy we met ringing door bells in a big apartment building.. he let us in, because his hobby is religion.. Reads a lot and has studied most all of the major religions in the world.. didn’t know much about us.. just knew that we had a bunch of wives or something.. =P But we were able to talk to him, and read out of the book of mormon about adam and eve, and after he was saying stuff like “wow, never thought of that before”, and “Yeah that makes sense, never heard that before” Well we got a return appointment, and that return appointment was this last saturday, we taught the plan of salvation, but for that week, he had begun reading out of the book of mormon on his own, and said that he wanted to check out the church sometime.. really cool to see.. also pretty neat moment happened with him. I’ve had this feeling to carry around the conference issue of the liahona with me.. and had been doing so for the past week.. never having the opportunity to share it with anyone until bobby was saying how a couple of years ago when his mother died he went to church and the guy just stood up there talking about stuff that happened two thousand years ago.. and he didn’t see how that helped him, now. I was able to share the conference issue with him, bearing my testimony that it was things being said directly to us, not something that happened two thousand years ago.. it was a really neat moment, he liked it, and took it, and our next appointment with him is this tuesday, so we’ll see what happens with him! It was just neat to see the answer as to why I was carrying that magazine with me for the past week.. it was meant for him.. only problem was I was studying that magazine for my language study! =S Oh well.. I guess I can find other dutch material to read ;)
Grace is also a really cool person that were teaching, she invited us to a “bible study” and so we got to go, and be with all these college kids who actually want to learn about the bible.. pretty big change to see a group of people who are actually religious! But it was neat, they were all really nice to us, and we got to answer a lot of questions about our church.. we’ll see what happens with that too..
Got to play sports again on saturday, that was sweet! Glad to know I can still hit 10 free throws in a row.. haven’t completely lost my touch.. yet =P
Well I hope all is well with you family.. thanks for the prayers, and know that you all are getting prayed for from this end as well.. I’m probably leaving out some neat stories, a lot has happened this week but, that’s all I got for this week! Het spijt me!
Ik hou van jullie! Bedankt voor alles! Tot Ziens tot de volgende week!
Elder Joseph V. Mohrman
Monday, February 21, 2011
Heerlen....week 3
Hoi Familie!
Hope alles is geweldig met jullie! Another week gone by.. crazy to think Í've almost been out for 6 months.. sure doesn't feel like it that's for sure! But last week was a really good week.. We didn't have to travel so much, still traveled to Antwerpen for a zone conference on Tuesday but other than that, we were able to stay in heerlen, and the results was we had one of the best weeks that heerlen has seen in about 2-3 months! Being really blessed, seems like everytime we go out and dedicate an hour to finding we find a new person to teach! It's amazing.. this next week we have planned 10 lessens with 10 different investigators.. ablsolutely amazing that's the most that I've ever had planned on my mission, and my companion says that's the most for him as well.. so don't know what were doing.. but were being blessed a lot! ;) Couple of our investigators like I said we just knock on there door, we teach a lessen and then set a return appointment.. the thing that is really working that is getting people's interest is the book of mormon.. love that book! We have a card that we give out to people, it's "Life's greatest Questions" and it just lists about 15 different questions, big questions that all people have, that is answered by the book of mormon.. I love showing that card to people as it shows the people what the book of mormon contains inside it.. Really excited about this coming up week.. really happy that the success I was seeing in Den Haag is carrying over to Heerlen ;) Kind of interesting, it's amazing how many people we meet, that have taken the lessens before from missionary's 20-30 years ago.. we've met a bunch lately, one man we met at the bus stop, and he said that he played basketball with the missionary's in some city 15 years ago, and then he started taking the lessens.. but he said he wasn't interested anymore.. but he continued to talk to us through the bus ride.. that really showed me how much god loves us.. here's someone who who had the chance a long time ago.. decided it wasn't for him.. now he's meeting the missionary's again, in a random city, in a random spot.. hopefully he felt something from talking with us.. but anyways
Before I forget Happy 27th Kim!! Hope You have a sweet time in Mexico celebrating your birthday ;)) And Stefi. whoa.. intense.. can't wait to see where you get called too ;) Yeah I dón't have really much to report on.. the work is picking up, really happy about that, and I should have some neat expiriences to share next week ;) Thanks for everything that you guys do, enjoy life.. don't miss me too much.. ;)
Tot Ziens tot de volgende week!!
--Elder Mohrman
Hope alles is geweldig met jullie! Another week gone by.. crazy to think Í've almost been out for 6 months.. sure doesn't feel like it that's for sure! But last week was a really good week.. We didn't have to travel so much, still traveled to Antwerpen for a zone conference on Tuesday but other than that, we were able to stay in heerlen, and the results was we had one of the best weeks that heerlen has seen in about 2-3 months! Being really blessed, seems like everytime we go out and dedicate an hour to finding we find a new person to teach! It's amazing.. this next week we have planned 10 lessens with 10 different investigators.. ablsolutely amazing that's the most that I've ever had planned on my mission, and my companion says that's the most for him as well.. so don't know what were doing.. but were being blessed a lot! ;) Couple of our investigators like I said we just knock on there door, we teach a lessen and then set a return appointment.. the thing that is really working that is getting people's interest is the book of mormon.. love that book! We have a card that we give out to people, it's "Life's greatest Questions" and it just lists about 15 different questions, big questions that all people have, that is answered by the book of mormon.. I love showing that card to people as it shows the people what the book of mormon contains inside it.. Really excited about this coming up week.. really happy that the success I was seeing in Den Haag is carrying over to Heerlen ;) Kind of interesting, it's amazing how many people we meet, that have taken the lessens before from missionary's 20-30 years ago.. we've met a bunch lately, one man we met at the bus stop, and he said that he played basketball with the missionary's in some city 15 years ago, and then he started taking the lessens.. but he said he wasn't interested anymore.. but he continued to talk to us through the bus ride.. that really showed me how much god loves us.. here's someone who who had the chance a long time ago.. decided it wasn't for him.. now he's meeting the missionary's again, in a random city, in a random spot.. hopefully he felt something from talking with us.. but anyways
Before I forget Happy 27th Kim!! Hope You have a sweet time in Mexico celebrating your birthday ;)) And Stefi. whoa.. intense.. can't wait to see where you get called too ;) Yeah I dón't have really much to report on.. the work is picking up, really happy about that, and I should have some neat expiriences to share next week ;) Thanks for everything that you guys do, enjoy life.. don't miss me too much.. ;)
Tot Ziens tot de volgende week!!
--Elder Mohrman
Monday, February 14, 2011
Heerlen....Week 2
Hoi Familie!
What a week.. wow.. felt like you dad, traveled all the time this week!! Tuesday traveled an hour and back to Eindhoven for district meeting.. wednesday traveled 3 hours one way to Amsterdam to get my legality, thursday traveled two hours one way to Brussels then one hour one way to Gent.. the friday went back to Heerlen, Saturday rode a bus for an hour going to this little tiny village in the middle of nowhere to an investigators house, then Sunday I got to go to Germany for the first time! But wow.. tons and tons of traveling.. but really cool week as well, not every day, you can say I traveled and visited three different countries in a half week =)
Like I said was able to go back to Amsterdam, after getting my legality card, we were able to have lunch with a Young Adult from there, Elder Robert served in Amsterdam also about a year ago, and so it was fun to be able to just I guess “relax” in Amsterdam talking about old times.. ha ha I can’t believe I can do that now.. reminisce about old times?? What in the world.. Anyways.. off too Brussels, we traveled all the way there.. got there around 7, hadn’t eaten at all.. so we went with one of the office elders to get dinner.. and where did we go?? To dominos of course and got a pizza! Spent the next day in Gent on exchanges with Elder Brown who is a transfer younger than me.. got to play the big bad senior companion again =) We went for a lot of the day to the city of Brugge which is a very very beautiful old city.. It’s in there area and Elder Brown had never been.. so we decided why not just go there and do some finding.. pretty cool, as I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to go back. They say that Amsterdam and Brugge our the two prettiest cities in the mission.. check that off my list of places to see while I’m here =) We also during this past week had some bus trips to small little towns in the middle of nowhere like I said above.. long.. but beautiful.. being able to see the countryside and the rolling hills.. I’m definitely in an amazing place. Yesterday, in germany after eating lunch with the family, as they drove us home, they stopped in the city of acchen, germany, and showed us around. It’s an extremely old city, and was actually charlamaigne’s capitol they say.. we went inside his cathedral.. parts of that cathedral has been around since 800 a.d.. pretty dang old.. Had the family write a little note to Stefani in german of course, just saying I was in germany.. When I finally send my stuff home it’ll be in there =) And talking about sending stuff home, I talked with a few American’s, and they will be more than happy to drop off my boxes for me.. talking to one family they said this one size of box will cost 15 dollars but it can weigh any amount.. so since I have this extra American money laying around (thanks to all who sent me American money =)) It won’t be a problem and I’ll be able to send you some Dutch Stuff =) Last week, I saw the cartoon Asterix and it was only a couple of euro’s.. so of course I got it =) Thought of dad ha ha
So for language, been reading those children story books about the book of mormon and old testament, new testament, doctrines and convenants.. finished the book of mormon book, and about half way through the doctrine and convenants book! It’s pretty neat because it’s simpler dutch obviously, but to be able to read it, and understand everything is a pretty neat feeling.. and plus reading the doctrine and covenants book, reading stories that I’ve never heard before, I feel like I’m understanding the D$C a lot better! My next one will be the old testament.. also got the packet that was sent to Den Haag.. thanks for everything in there, the Tootsie rolls were a nice surprise =) Thanks for all the leafs as well.. I think I have enough for a VERY long time =) Broke my camera though earlier this week.. so I don’t have any pictures of Heerlen.. got to look for a new one.. but I’ve spent enough money already so I feel kinda bad about spending more.. Hopefully I’ll see one on sell or something.. let’s see is there anything else.. I dunno.. hopefully stefi get’s her call this week! Looking forward to hearing where my little sis goes!! =) ha ha ha Okay
Love you all Familie thanks again for the emails,
Elder Mohrman
What a week.. wow.. felt like you dad, traveled all the time this week!! Tuesday traveled an hour and back to Eindhoven for district meeting.. wednesday traveled 3 hours one way to Amsterdam to get my legality, thursday traveled two hours one way to Brussels then one hour one way to Gent.. the friday went back to Heerlen, Saturday rode a bus for an hour going to this little tiny village in the middle of nowhere to an investigators house, then Sunday I got to go to Germany for the first time! But wow.. tons and tons of traveling.. but really cool week as well, not every day, you can say I traveled and visited three different countries in a half week =)
Like I said was able to go back to Amsterdam, after getting my legality card, we were able to have lunch with a Young Adult from there, Elder Robert served in Amsterdam also about a year ago, and so it was fun to be able to just I guess “relax” in Amsterdam talking about old times.. ha ha I can’t believe I can do that now.. reminisce about old times?? What in the world.. Anyways.. off too Brussels, we traveled all the way there.. got there around 7, hadn’t eaten at all.. so we went with one of the office elders to get dinner.. and where did we go?? To dominos of course and got a pizza! Spent the next day in Gent on exchanges with Elder Brown who is a transfer younger than me.. got to play the big bad senior companion again =) We went for a lot of the day to the city of Brugge which is a very very beautiful old city.. It’s in there area and Elder Brown had never been.. so we decided why not just go there and do some finding.. pretty cool, as I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to go back. They say that Amsterdam and Brugge our the two prettiest cities in the mission.. check that off my list of places to see while I’m here =) We also during this past week had some bus trips to small little towns in the middle of nowhere like I said above.. long.. but beautiful.. being able to see the countryside and the rolling hills.. I’m definitely in an amazing place. Yesterday, in germany after eating lunch with the family, as they drove us home, they stopped in the city of acchen, germany, and showed us around. It’s an extremely old city, and was actually charlamaigne’s capitol they say.. we went inside his cathedral.. parts of that cathedral has been around since 800 a.d.. pretty dang old.. Had the family write a little note to Stefani in german of course, just saying I was in germany.. When I finally send my stuff home it’ll be in there =) And talking about sending stuff home, I talked with a few American’s, and they will be more than happy to drop off my boxes for me.. talking to one family they said this one size of box will cost 15 dollars but it can weigh any amount.. so since I have this extra American money laying around (thanks to all who sent me American money =)) It won’t be a problem and I’ll be able to send you some Dutch Stuff =) Last week, I saw the cartoon Asterix and it was only a couple of euro’s.. so of course I got it =) Thought of dad ha ha
So for language, been reading those children story books about the book of mormon and old testament, new testament, doctrines and convenants.. finished the book of mormon book, and about half way through the doctrine and convenants book! It’s pretty neat because it’s simpler dutch obviously, but to be able to read it, and understand everything is a pretty neat feeling.. and plus reading the doctrine and covenants book, reading stories that I’ve never heard before, I feel like I’m understanding the D$C a lot better! My next one will be the old testament.. also got the packet that was sent to Den Haag.. thanks for everything in there, the Tootsie rolls were a nice surprise =) Thanks for all the leafs as well.. I think I have enough for a VERY long time =) Broke my camera though earlier this week.. so I don’t have any pictures of Heerlen.. got to look for a new one.. but I’ve spent enough money already so I feel kinda bad about spending more.. Hopefully I’ll see one on sell or something.. let’s see is there anything else.. I dunno.. hopefully stefi get’s her call this week! Looking forward to hearing where my little sis goes!! =) ha ha ha Okay
Love you all Familie thanks again for the emails,
Elder Mohrman
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Midweek surprise post of pictures
Joseph's new companion's mother just sent us some pictures from earlier this week...the district getting together to eat at a members place...what a wonderful person to be so willing to feed so many!
The older gentleman is from I understand an 80 year old man who goes out with the missionaries daily. He even keeps the same schedule as the missionaries...that is simply amazing.
The food looks good...typical european salad and the apple type cobbler with ice cream...I think they are spoiled :)
The older gentleman is from I understand an 80 year old man who goes out with the missionaries daily. He even keeps the same schedule as the missionaries...that is simply amazing.
The food looks good...typical european salad and the apple type cobbler with ice cream...I think they are spoiled :)
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