Hoi Hoi

Hoi familie!!

Life is great here in Den Haag!! My companion is a character, he's on his 3rd transfer, so a pretty big gap, and we just get along super well!!  It's ridiculous how much fun were having here, don't worry though, were not out of control, were doing the work, and were doing good work, which is why were having so much fun!  Too many stories, too many expiriences, i don't know where to begin!  I guess i'll start with stephen, he is going to get baptized on the 16th, he is a great guy, and i don't think i've taught anyone so prepared in my life.. we taught tithing, and before we could, he pulled out the scripture in malachi about the blessings of tithing.. he has no questions, just gets everything, just waiting patiently for his baptismal day, and his chance to then go to the temple to be sealed with his family.. we are scrambling to find something that we can do for him, help him in some way, but he just says he's fine, he's wonderful, so me and my companion are now doing ''operation serve stephen''  and all that we came up with is to make him some bread, so we'll suprise him with some freshly baked bread, were excited =) 

Had some great lessens with some other investigators, i'm slowly meeting all the people here in den haag, we also have found some new investigators that were excited about, I think I told you about the young man in the wheelchair that stopped us, but we had an appointment with him this past week, and he's solid, so grateful for the book of mormon, and has committed to follow the lessens and everything.  He has a very humbling story, fell off of a 4 story buidling and broke his back, became paralyzed, but has slowly worked his way back so he can at least have some mobility in his legs, can't walk or anything, and what's truly amazing is that he lives at the top of a 4 story building, with no elevator, so every day, he climbs up and down the stairs using just his hands.. humbling story, and a very humble man, I want to help him so bad, and I hope that everything works out for him.. we should be having an appointment tonight, so we'll see how the second appointment goes.  We have this chinese student, his name is fang, what's cool about him is he's really good friends with sun, who i taught and he was eventually baptized the first time around that i was in den haag.  Fang has a testimony, and we are helping him get through his busy schedule, but i asked him if he wanted to be baptized, and he said that he did.. so good things happening here, and it just keeps getting better!!  The lord is really blessing us, there was another man in a wheelchair that stopped us, and said that he wanted to talk to us, and also this random lady from nigeria called us and said she's coming back end of june and wants to meet with us, this past sunday an old investigator from a few months ago, just walked into church unannounced and said had had just come back from vacation and wanted to continue the lessens now.. so many random miracles all at once, we don't know what's going on here, but god is blessing us, so were just taking it all in stride!! 

Well love you all, hope all is well, enjoy your summer, because over here its just raining... really just fantastic, especially on a bike again =P  ha ha

Have a wonderful week! 

Elder Mohrman

This email should peak your interest :)

Hoi familie!!

I'm emailing for the first time in 8 months somewhere other than the Antwerpen church!  And emailing for the first time on a normal keyboard, not one of those french ones and it is difficult!!  I've forgotten where everything is on this thing!  But i am in den haag, I came last friday, and it's been great so far.  Love my companion, he's a great guy and were having a lot of fun together, today we were playing ping pong on our little coffie table =P  We've also already seen some miracles!  They had an investigator who's name is steven.  He's from ghana, and i had my first appointment with him on saturday, I asked him different questions to see where he was and what not, and he said that he had prayed about the book of mormon and knew that it was true... pretty cool, so i asked him what does that mean or affect his life, and he said that he now needs to follow the teachings of joseph smith because he's a prophet.. so I told him that the teachings of joseph smith say that we need to be baptized into the church, and he was all for it, and so we set a baptismal date with him for in a couple of weeks!! Not bad for a first day huh? =)  He's a really cool guy, reminds me a lot like charles, someone who just gets it right from the get go, they had only had a couple of appointments before the one on saturday, so we still have to teach him everything, but it's going to go super fast.. he came to church and everything, so he will definitely get baptized this transfer.  Also had a cool expirience, a sister missionary who served in den haag a while ago, told me to look up some investigator she had when she was here, but i had forgotten the name, but on sunday that lady came to church randomely, she said that she had a feeling that she needed to go, and she asked for a blessing, so i gave her a blessing in dutch, and then after making an appointment with her, I found out who she was.. don't believe that was coincidental!  And also an investigator that i had the first time around, a cool chinese girl, has agreed to meet with us again, once she comes back from vacation.. she's a cool story, and that is the person, I really hope will progress.. so cool things already!  It was hard to leave, but it was time.. i don't feel antwerpen-sick, like i felt spijkenisse-sick, probably because it was dragged out for so long, and i'm back in a familiar place.. it was interesting to be back in church, and seeing old faces, recognizing them, but not knowing there names any more;... a lot of people recognized me, mainly because i gave the sacred grove cards out the first time around, they said "óh your the card elder".. well, i think that's all i have to report today, and all that i'm willing to type, this keyboard is starting to annoy me!!!  but i love you all, thanks for everything!  And looking forward to hearing from you guys next week!

Elder Mohrman

Last Week of Antwerpen!

Hey familie!!

The time has finally come!  Kind of... I was going to leave this place today, but of course they postponed it back another 4 days, so I still have most of this week here in Antwerpen!  The members got a kick out of that, they truly think that I won't leave now =P  But friday is the day!  And i'm back to the Netherlands, back to Den Haag!  I'm getting excited, with all the delays of getting there I'm starting to feel a little ansy, I love this place, but it just feels more and more every day that my time here is done.  Last saturday was a very special day for me, Sonia, Martinus, Monique, Jen, Jo-ann, Joantly, and a few of the members threw a party for me at the church, Sonia and Monique cooked surinamse food, and it was just a really cool evening being there with everyone that means so much to me here in Antwerpen, Earlier that day I had lunch with Isaac and Christiana, I love those people so much.  I gave Isaac after the meal and during our talk, I gave him my favorite sacred grove leaf, the one that has been in my scriptures my whole mission, and one of my name tags.. I'm planning on giving a name tag to Sonia and Martinus as well, just something to remember me by.  It was interesting sitting there that evening, with all of the recent converts there, and thinking about there individual stories, how I met them, where they had come from, different backgrounds completely different stories, but now they were all together, laughing with each other, talking with each other, making bonds and developing friendships.. just really neat.. a very happy day of my mission that is for sure =)  Ivan came to church yesterday as well, he's doing great, and he is so happy, since the first time I met him, to now, he has just more joy, and it's completely due to him finding the gospel again, same with all these people, the thing they have in common is accepting and applying the gospel of jesus christ.  True happiness.. Well other than wonderful meetings with members and recent converts, things have been getting really slow here, kinda sad to see, people are using there agency, and letting fear get in the way of faith, so we are re-building hoping that we can re-build the teaching pool for when Elder Davies comes here, we have some prospects, and some really cool people that we have appointments set up for this coming week.  Were excited and staying optimistic, were also swamped with lunch and dinner appointments, lucky for me, the members aren't sick yet of me using the going away card =P  So it will be a really enjoyable last 4 days in Antwerpen!  

Other than that, not much more I can think of to say, today for P-day, were going to be playing basketball with some other elders, been playing basketball a lot now that I have been with Elder Andrews, it's kind of nice to be able to make 9/10 free throws every now and then, brings me back to my glory days =P 

Love you all loads, and thanks for all your support and love,

Elder Mohrman

Have a happy week

Hoi familie! 

Really great to be able to SEE all of you as well ;)  Wow, crazy to think the next time I'll chat with you all, will be face to face.. But it's going well as you can tell.. I have one more week here in Antwerpen with Elder Andrews and it is going to be a blast!  Have a lot of apointments set up with members, a barbeque with the El Salvadorian family and the ghanian and surinamse feast on saturday!  Cool story of the week that I didn't share, a in-active his name is Ivan, he hasn't been to church for a few years, but this past week we were able to organize a meeting with him and the bishop, and he asked that we sit in with him for support, went really well, and both the bishop and Ivan were so happy after wards, Ivan took us out to Mcdonalds, and he was just exclaiming over and over that "I'm back!" "I'm back" and thanked me and told me that was the reason I stayed in Antwerpen for an extra couple of weeks, was too help him become active again.. pretty neat, he's a good guy, has a crazy story.. but anyways.. the situation right now in Antwerpen, we've baptized a lot of our investigators and the other ones are getting into the hard to have contact phase, so we are doing A LOT of finding right now.. I haven't had full days of finding in a very long long time, but maybe its so I get some practice again going up to Den Haag.. who knows, but we were able to look up Nana yesterday evening, after not having much contact with him for a couple of weeks, and had a wonderful appointment with him and a friend of his.  His friend we had met 3 weeks earlier and he was so perplexed and bothered by the fact that we had invited Nana to be baptized even though he had already been baptized before.. he said that he had been thinking about it every day since we had met the first time, and it was just really bothering him.. so Elder Andrews and I were able to teach about authority very clearly, and he said that he had peace of mind after wards.. I was able to extend my favorite first lessen commitment of "Will you investigate" and he said he would so we have two appointments for wednesday and sunday set up, really excited about him.. the name of the friend is Ben.. and he said a very beautiful prayer at the end of the appointment just thanking god that he has this chance to investigate.. so two appointments then it's on Elder Andrews and Davies to help him the rest of the way.. well I don't know what else to say to be honest.. Church was good, people were suprised to see me of course, but I'm just livin' the life right now!  

Have a wonderful week!

Love your son, bro, and friend

Elder Mohrman

The boy who cried wolf

Hoi familie! 

Another great week on this mission thing!  Charles was baptized, beautiful service, it was pretty cool because he's from Nigeria and we got all the nigerian members of the ward to participate in the baptismal service.  He was very happy, and it went super smooth, couldn't ask for anything better! 

So funny you know how I've been saying, it's over, I'm leaving this place.. it's set in stone.. I've been telling that to everyone in fact, been getting dinner appointments left and right people wanting to say there goodbyes, just great people.. and.. well.. I'm not quite leaving yet =P  In an unexpected twist my companion is going AP, and so I am staying in Antwerpen, but for only half the transfer, and then I'll be going back to Den Haag to be the district leader there.. craziness!!!

I thought I had tied up all the loose-ends here in Antwerpen, that was my whole focus this transfer, because I knew it was so strange and crazy that I stayed and Elder Da cruz got transfered, but I guess there's still some things I need to do and set in motion, and so I'm off to work, I have the deadline though, and I know what my last city will be.. Antwerpen seriously has become a home to me, I think we might have to spend just a week in Antwerpen with how many people I want you all to meet!  But it's great, I think this is the most perfect situation for me, be able to stay a little longer in Antwerpen, and then leave to Den Haag, a city where I only got 7 weeks in.. couldn't ask for anything better! 

Yesterday at the baptism, were watching this film while Charles and Victor the member who baptized him were changing, and Monique comes and sits behind me and says "elder Mohrman, give me your hand" and she then prays for about 5 minutes under her breath, praying that I'll stay in Antwerpen.. unbelievable.. and now I get a few more weeks, but Sonia is really happy, they want me to stay til they are baptized which of course would be great, but I have a couple more weeks with them and others.  Too many cool expriences, but my thoughts our jumbled and so are exprieinces, so I'm going to have to wait to share these things til next week where I'll be able to see and talk with you all!! 

Things are going really well here, had a great transfer with Elder Van OverBeek, and the elder who's coming Elder Andrews is in my youngers, and we have a good bond, so I'm excited!  As for my companion in Den haag.. I have no idea who he is, some newer missionary that i've never seen before =P ha ha Anyways loves

Your bro, son, and friend

Elder Mohrman

A brand new week

Hoi Familie!

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

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

Love you loads thanks for all the prayers and support!

Elder Mohrman

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

Hoi Familie!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your son, bro, and friend

Elder Mohrman