Nikki's email from this past week, February 23rd!
"While I was in Amsterdam I saw the Olympic stadium from 1928!"
"Angela!!"
"We saw an albino pigeon"
Hallo iedereen!
Well, this past week was great--still having pain and such, but we're doing our best and seeing miracles!
We had a great lesson with Angela this past week about faith. She always says that she wants to be totally sure about her decision before she is baptized--we talked with her about what faith is, and how much we need to rely on it. It was a beautiful lesson and we could really feel the Spirit there. I've been studying the New Testament since I got to the Netherlands, and it's really helped me in lessons like these to share stories about faith and healing.
We've really seen a lot of miracles while traveling to appointments. I LOVE talking with people on trams or while we're walking somewhere. We met this young man named Dylan the other day, and he was very open and wants to learn more--we've been meeting a lot of people that are very open, which is a miracle. We've also had a ton of opportunities to serve people while travelling, which has been wonderful. Also, we have a music concert on the 7th of March, and that has been a really great way to invite people to church. I think I will be transferred before the concert, but I will find out this Sunday. Anyways, people are great, and I love loving them.
On Thursday I went on exchanges and worked in Amsterdam with Zuster Adams (she was in my BYU ward)! It was so great--we had a great day of work and catching up. Things in Zoetermeer went really well that day--Lucie is doing really well, I am really anxious to meet with her again because I wasn't there for this past week's meeting.
We had a lesson with George this past week, and he pretty much said he wants to stick to his own church. We had a great discussion about faith and personal revelation. The Spirit was strong as we shared our testimonies with him. We told him about the music concert, and he said he probably wouldn't come. About twenty minutes after the lesson, he called and said ''Actually, could you give me the information for the concert?'' I know he felt the Spirit during that lesson.
On Friday we watched Finding Faith in Christ with Irene, and it was really cool. She has such beautiful faith, and when she said the prayer before we left, both me and Zuster Faasavalu could just feel her testimony. She is so wonderful and we're excited to meet with her again.
On Saturday, during lunch, Zuster Faasavalu and I had a really wonderful talk about Christ, His love for us, etc. The Spirit was really with us, and I said ''Ok, Zuster Faa. We have the spirit with us, and I feel like we need to look up this person.'' We went and she wasn't home, but I knew that we were supposed to be in that area. So we went around in the neighborhood and knocked doors for a little bit. The very last door we knocked was the person we were supposed to find. He has never been religious, but he has a desire to know. We're going back to meet with him this week. Also his mom is a witch. Fun twist.
Yesterday was great--we had dinner with Zuster Rol--she is an artist, and I was looking around her house and noticed a new painting. I complimented her on it and she was SO excited--and when I told her I paint too she was like a little girl who had just won a pony or something. She said ''Oh Zuster Thomas!!!'' and just gave me a hug. Her son came and brought a friend that isn't a member, and we taught him about the Restoration with the Elders--it was really cool!
Also, today on the way to church (we're here playing games with other missionaries in our district and a member who likes to hang out with the missionaries) we saw a pony. We see ponies and horses along the street near the church a lot, but THIS time I got a picture.
One thing I've really learned on my mission is that none of us can or should take any credit at all for what is accomplished on a mission. I really felt that for the first time with Wouter--I cannot take any credit for anything that has or will happened to him. That was all the Lord. Heavenly Father has simply blessed me with the opportunity to love, help, encourage and learn from him. I learned that again with Ashil, and with everyone that I've come to know here. There was a missionary I was talking with the other day that went on about how many things they had accomplished on their mission, and it drove me a little crazy. I just wanted to say (and I pretty much did, in a loving way) that this is all the Lord's work, we are just His tools, His hands. I love being able to feel and be guided by the Spirit. That is when I know that I am a true missionary and servant of the Lord--when I am lead by Him.
I love you all!
VEEL liefs,
Zuster Thomas
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