Tuesday, November 24, 2015

A'MERICA

Goedeavond!!

Sorry it is a late email again this week, but today was Thanksgiving...sort of. haha.

We spent today in Zwolle playing Football and Soccer for the TURKEY BOWL:) It was great and I was QB for the last play and we scored a touch down and won. WOO WOOO!! haha It was great. The missionaries in this mission are great.
Then we came to the Romigs an ate a Thanksgiving Dinner and it was delicious..a little bit like home, but not as yummy of course cuz it wasnt the same. Still good though. So it has been a very AMERICAN day. haha it was great. 
Shout out to Elder Reese who caught my throw to score a touchdown and also Elder Childs for snapping it to me...(They forced me to say that)
Also Shout out to Sis. Harris, because she then tackled me to the ground in the mud....she is such a sore loser;) haha jk Sis. Harris.
(they are all watching me write this)
They were looking at the mud all over my arms...
Sis. Jensen, Sis. Bush, Elder Williams, Eld Soloman

Quick little 101 of Groningen for my mama..:
It is a college town!! So there are a lot of people from all over here..not as many as Gent but still quite a bit.  It is beautiful here and I was here during fall with all the beautiful different colored leaves. It is getting cold though and this week we biked through two Hale storms...but dont worry they were small. It snowed for like a second on Sunday and it was beautiful. We were listening to Christmas Music and Sister Harris was freaking out. She is so hilarious... and I am really enjoying my time with her. The people here are either Protestant, Athiast or Catholic...or other..there are some random ones. Normally people are nice, but sometimes the people can be stubborn and sometimes rude..
The members are great though...it is still not Gent:( but they are still awesome! 
Best reaction ever this week was: A guy opened the door and read my name and then said NEE and slammed the door. haha I have never had anyone read my name and slam the door. (I forget if I already told you that)
The weeks are flowing together. So sometimes I forget what I say. 

This week was pretty bland...Just a normal week. We are kicking butt here in Groningen and this week we got 30 hours!! WOO WOO! This place is great.
Next week 40:)

Not too much crazy happening...Belgium is pretty locked down right now...but we are pretty safe here up in the North...literally the farthest north.

The bike is doing ok it is a super small bike but it is great...it works well!...I will have to take a picture...I just keep forgetting...taking pictures is sooo hard...I really do try mom. 

I love you all so much. I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve here at this time. I am so grateful for my friends and family. I am so grateful for this gospel and the knowledge that I have that we can live with our families forever. Missionary work is hard, but I know this gospel is true, and it makes it all worth it. Someone asked us: why do you do what you do even though it is so hard? Because I KNOW IT IS TRUE. 
What are you grateful for this season??
I love and miss you all!!

Liefs,
Zuster Stewart-Chester
They tried on all of our things even the helmets and our boots. so great.

The hale also that is our back yard..

Zwolle today



Friday, November 20, 2015

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

Goedeavond!


Cute little girls we visit....The Richardsons.
That is wierd...never written at night and had to say Good evening before..

It actually is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas here...but we have already started to listen to Christmas music, and I am sitting next the Romig's "Thankful" tree...which is their excuse of having a Christmas tree up early haha...sooooo kinda looking like Christmas on my end.

The weather here is typical fall weather...but it is flat here (there are literally no hills or anything) so the wind is insane. It gets up to about 30 mph winds...haha that sounds lame but it is killer while riding our bikes everywhere. Seriously the wind could knock you over if you let it...also with my guitar on my back the wind just pushes me back down the road some times. It is a struggle, but we usually can get to where we want, I am just a sweaty mess when I do...so dont worry mama, I am not that cold. Oh and it rains A LOT over here..but I am sure you have all guessed that.
  
Before I get into this weeks letter....I have to make a HUGE shoutout...:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND TODAY!! GABBY MILLER/RAMMELL...because for some reason I still have that saved on my phone...I SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND HOPE YOU HAVE THE BEST DAY EVER!!! WE WILL CELEBRATE ALL OF THE BIRTHDAYS I HAVE MISSED WHEN I GET HOME. I tried to write you a letter...well did, and you never gave me your address so it has been sitting on my desks for weeks...so if you want a birthday letter from me you will have to send me your address. haha I love and miss you so much!! Hope everything is going well!!!

Also shout out to Noah!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY...KEEP KILLING IT IN ECUADOR...CANT WAIT TO PARTY WHEN WE GET BACK!

This week was great!! 
On Wednesday I got on a train going to Utrecht with Sister Karlson, and on the way back I was with someone else. 
Zuster Harris...is AWESOME!!! We seriously get a long super well and I laugh sooo much already with her. We have been killing it working together just in these past few days. 

We have this thing on my mission where we try to get 23 proselyting hours a week....it is more to just push us to talk to more people, and it is great...because I am awkward and it pushes me to step out of my bounds. Me and Zus. Karlson really struggled getting hours. 
Zuster Harris and I contact almost everyone we see. Even on bikes, with our ridiculous helmets. In two days we got 21 hours. THAT IS INSANE!!! We got 7  hours and 40 minutes in one day. We are seriously killing it and working sooo hard. We talk to as many people as we can and try to talk to people on trains...we are just plain weird...but killing it. haha.
Just in these past three days we have already taught two first lessons on the street. I have never done that. I really do believe it is because we are working so hard, that we are finding people. We still talk to some mean people sometimes, and not everyone will talk to us..but every once in a while, we get those gems!
I am so excited to kill it this transfer with her.

I have to do a quick tribute to the Romigs, because they are seriously the greatest. They make me feel like I am at home whenever I am with them. Zuster Romig is hilarious, and today she pretended like she was going to strangle me and shook my jacket because I wouldnt stop laughing haha. She is THE best. I seriously love them soooo much. They are my Groningen grandparents and we tease eachother and laugh like crazy.

I dont really know what else to say...if you have specific questions just ask me and I will try to include them.
Everyone is really sad about what has happened in France these past few days. We are really safe here though, so dont stress mama. 
The policy doesnt come up when contacting...but some of the members are really struggling with it. 
I think it is important to always go to the center. If you are struggling finding faith, then look to what you know is true. If you have a strong testimony about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith then hold fast to what you know. If you dont have a testimony at all..then I can only say one thing. GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY ABOUT IT!!! There is a quote by Elder Holland I dont know it exactly but he says something like: What you DO know, will always TRUMP what you do NOT know! If you have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet than hold strong through the difficult times. The Lord is TRYING OUR FAITH!! Just like it says in 3 Nephi 26:11....He will try our faith. Are we strong enough to have our faith tried. If not...BECOME STRONG. God knows us. He wants you to turn to Him. He will give you the strength you need. I know that!!
I know this gospel is true, and that the phrophet Thomas S. Monson receives inspiration from God to lead His people. We may not understand all things....we are not supposed to understand all things. All we must do is TRUST. Trust that God will show us the way, and that everything will work out in the end.

I love you all soooo much!! I miss and pray for you all, all the time!! Wees Veilig!!

Ik hou van jullie!!
Zuster Stewart-Chester

Utrecht....I have more pictures but no time

We went to Hogwarts in Utrecht for lunch. 


lovely selfies on our way to church in the rain....
more hogwarts

Add caption

This is Zuster Harris ....I love her.
yummy CTR:)

Someone gave us a handfull of candycorns...



Wednesday, November 11, 2015

...NADER MIJN GOD TOT U...

Goedemorgen!
feed my sheep

Another week passes....well this week was fantastic.
Remember how I told you about how they were going to have the Singing Elders come, and have us sing with them. Well we did.
They drove up on Saturday night, and we practiced. Elder Hunter is insanely talented...and he just goes at it and could conduct a huge choir. It is a good thing that Zuster Robbins had already taught me the Alto to Nearer my God to Thee...because we just went at it and it was a little overwhelming haha. Just helped me realize why I was never in any choirs. I just like to kind of wing it grab my guitar and sing just a regular song, without any crazy arrangement...and maybe that is kind of a bad thing...because the song sounded amazing....but haha all well.
It was super cool, and the Singing Elders are crazy good. Elder Hunter told me I could be in a choir...because apparently I can sing a really low note...he was freaking out a little about it haha...too bad I can go low, but not that high. haha 
Dont worry mom I got some recordings...but I doubt it will let me send them home so you will just have to wait till I get back.
It was a really good time though, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was an incredible experience to sing in front of about 150 members of a completely different church and just interact with them after as well. Super cool, that they are willing to let us share their church building while we have ours renovated. 

This week also, I got my bike stolen haha. Of course...I am an idiot...and I dont really want to talk about it haha. But! THE LORD ANSWERS PRAYERS!!! Because the next day I was at the Romigs and they said...well we have got a bike that has been sitting in the garage for months that you could have. SOOO Incredible. Such a tender mercy, because I was really worried about having to pay for another bike.
We got transfer calls last night...well we had to call the Zone Leaders to find out whats going on. But I am staying here in Groningen! Also I am getting a new companion Zuster Harris...and I am so pumped!! I am ready to work hard with her.  

Shout out to Sam Hubbard!! Happy Birthday!!! I hope you have an awesome day...heard about you growing out your hair...and I want to see a picture now.

Also I have decided I want to learn French. Brussells was opened up in our mission again...and well French is a super cool mission. So I really want to learn it haha. I dont know if I said...but I learned how to contact people in Spanish and it has actually helped a ton already! 

Yesterday I taught a first lesson and invited her to be baptized all by myself in dutch...because Zuster Karlson was busy distracting the Less active who was there...(she is the one who thinks Joseph Smith is a fallen prophet). But it went really well. haha She said she would though if she comes to know that it is true. My dutch is coming a long really well..There is still sooooo much I need to learn, but I really have been blessed with the language and yesterday I was having all sorts of conversations with the people from the Apostolische Genootschap church...I am sure I spelled that wrong...Sorry!!

SO yeah...that was my week. It was quite nice actually...I hope you all had a great week as well.
I hope you are all thinking still about the question I asked last week, especially through this difficult time in the church. This Gospel is true. I know that, and I will always know it even when tough things come my way. As a missionary I invite people to pray about things that they dont necessarily agree with. My invitation to you all for this week is to do the same. If there is something that you dont have a testimony about or you are struggling agreeing with, get down on your knees and ask God. He will help you know whether it is His way and will.

I love this Gospel and I love being a missionary.
I miss you all!
en Ik hou van jullie heel veel!!
Liefs,
Zuster Stewart-Chester
places by our house

another scenery picture ...by our house....


This is just a pic of us rehearsing....Elder Hunter is playing the piano...Elder Shaw left...Elder Muellor...no idea how to spell his name...Elder Richards...Elder Cinatti (also probably spelled wrong...but his cousin is Elder Frederico...funny huh?) and Elder Wootan taking a picture as well.

Jelle's baptism invitation He made it himself.  Zuster Robbin's and I's letter is in the corner....

Thursday, November 5, 2015

"...Wie Goed Doet, Goed Ontmoet..."

HALLO!!!

I don't have much time...but this week was pretty much a party.
A missionary kind of party of course:)

We had Bro-day again this week because they felt bad that they didn't stay very long, and they ended up staying with us the whole day, and went with us to our Halloween Party with the Jovo's.  It was a great time...Me and Zus. Karlson were dinosaurs...I didn't have my camera but she has pics...I will get them from her.
People don't really celebrate Halloween here, but apparently they are starting to because they are becoming more Americanized. haha It is mainly just a lot of partying though...and getting drunk of course.

But we just had an awesome day...went and taught a lesson to a guy who was baptized, but never comfirmed, because he is back on drugs...but we are working with him.

I had exchanges this week, and was able to go back to Leeuwarden again! I was with Zus. Manning though. She is seriously an angel, and so good at just making me think. She literally just asked me so many questions and I really had no answers for some...she really helped me realize what I can do to make Groningen and my companionship even better.

I got my hair done this week...not the best..but it looks good at least so that is all that matters. I have a great picture of me in foils for you all though.

For actual Halloween day, all of the missionaries in Groningen got together..and we went to a super old fancy Café and planned for how we can do better and more fun contacting ideas here in Groningen. We are going to have a Music day every week...because there is this awesome guy named Harm in the ward...who is in a band. I am super excited.

There is this awesome Less active member here in Groningen, and he is from Friesland so he speaks Fries...(which is literally a completely different language) but they speak dutch as well. He is super cool and we are working with him and the Elders. He plays volleyball and wants to learn the guitar, so me and Elder Wootan are trying to teach him.

The Romigs took us to KFC this week...so Shout out to my Dad! haha It is the only place in the Netherlands with free refills haha so it is a huge hit for us Americans...haha.

That is pretty much it...just a great week.
I just got news that Jelle is going to get baptized on the 14th so I will be able to go back to GENT!!!!! I am so excited. He is so awesome, and I am so excited for him.

My quote in the title...is actually just pretty random...it just means Whoever does good, gets good back. So my uitdaging (challenge) for you all is to do some good this week. Look for those around you who need help. Serve those you love, and serve those you hate.

Ik hou van jullie en miss jillie heel veel.
Wees Veilig!
Zuster Stewart-Chester
Hair...your welcome.


Decorating for Halloween party...Elder Richards caught in the act of eating candy...that is Jenny, a JOVO in the ward here.


KFC on Bro day.


We found a zip line on bro day and had to use it..the Elders got mud all over their clothes...well Elder Reese did.


Elwin and Swapna who are going to India...we walked with them around the centrum for a while..because we don't know when we will see them next...a couple of investigators.

The fancy old café...

The mist here in Groningen is insane lately...you cant see anything...this picture doesn't even show it.