I have become a Blijfer...

Goedemiddag iedereen!!

This is the monument in Leeuwarden I didnt actually take this but I thought it was super cool

I hope everyone is doing well, and staying safe.

Everything is going really well here, and we are seeing some awesome small miracles every day.

My title: wellllll.....in dutch blijfer basically just means a stayer...haha poorly translated but....We recieved transfer calls this week, and I am staying in Groningen. That means that I will be in Groningen for at least 6 months. That is a third of my mission...wierd!!! TIME FLIES!!!

I really cant complain though, because Groningen is a blessed place and we are really doing well here. We are pretty busy all the time...not to mention this place is beautiful!!

Poor sister Harris is leaving. I am super sad about it actually. We just click soooo well together. It was soooo easy to be her companion and we had so much fun. I really know we are going to be friends forever. She is headed to Doordrecht and going to be sister training leader so she is going to kill it!! She is moving on to her 6th city which is insane for sisters while I am still on my second haha.

Anyways I will be getting sister Duncan...who I am pretty sure is the closest in mission age to me so we are pretty young. Apparently she is a beast though...I am actually super scared that she is going to whip me into shape haha. Nah but me and sister Harris have already just been killing it here...but we still like to take our breaks sometimes, and I have heard she is Always going. President challenged me to make her exhausted and I told him I would do my best. I am hoping that she isnt used to biking as much, because we bike everywhere here in Groningen. Hopefully that will get her;) ha but I am super pumped. She just seems super chill and awesome, so I have a feeling we are going to get a long super well.

This week we had an awesome miracle and I really was just amazed with how it all just fell into place. GOD IS THE MASTER PLANNER!!! We went on exchanges to Apeldoorn this week, and they have made a new rule, that you both just go to the sister training leader's city to work. So we were headed over...and we were already running late...literally 10 seconds from our house I watch sis. Harris wipeout on the ice, and as I go to help her, I also wipeout we laughed...but then we took it slow and walked on icy parts. We then had to take sister Harris's bike into the shop because we were going to take atvantage of our full day away from using our bikes...which never happens. Then walked the rest of the way to the station...for some reason we just didnt feel rushed...which might have been a little bad...but dont worry it works out. I was just taking my time...looking at stickers on the lamp posts. Then we got to the station and we had missed our train....but we looked and there was one leaving right then so we sort of ran...but the train wouldnt open up the doors...(God wouldnt open up the doors) and we waited for the next train. We got on and unloaded all of our crap onto the seats next to us...

(Random thought........

Elder Ord Always said that we look like hobbits going on an adventure...So I have decided that me and sister Harris are Pippen and Merry....because we Always look like bundled up in a ton of scarfs and hats and with our bags and my huge guitar...haha

and done with the random thought.)

soooo people started to load on the train and it was becoming pretty packed so I moved my stuff so somebody could sit there and a guy sat down next to me. He began to read and then sleep and also listen to music, which are Always really hard things when trying to contact someone. Well sister Harris is a boss, and before we got off she goes..."wat was je aan het lezen?" haha and he didnt hear her so she had to repeat it to get his attention. Anyways long story short he starts talking to us and he said he was super curious and wanted to talk to us...he almost went to Apeldoorn with us but we ended up going to Starbucks and he bought us Hot cocoa ahahaha. It was super cool, he took a Book of Mormon and we are actually meeting up with him tonight.

Anyways it just really blew my mind...how everything played out because everything that happened that day happened for a reason. God must have pushed us gently off our bikes that morning...and made it so that we didnt feel rushed and everything. It was incredible. God knows us all individually and knew that I would have my stuff on the seat, and He knew that I liked looking at stickers haha. random and silly but hey.

GOD IS THE MASTER PLANNER!! On a mission we have to plan a lot...but something we Always do before is pray. Because HE is the master planner and knows exactly what we need to do. So if you need direction..then pray to the master...

I love you alll and miss you..but I love being a missionary..time is passing too quick...you dont realize until it is gone. Sis. Robbins is going home this week...wierd!!!!!

Ik hou van jullie!!

Wees veilig!

VEEL LIEFS,

Zuster Stewart-Chester

I shoved more whip cream on his face you can see me coming up in the first and getting him...so then he got me. haha just a typical fhe night here.

  

I can ride my bike with no handlebars...no handlebars!!

we went to the klompen factory today!

HALLO!!!

Goedemiddag!

Hopelijk alles is goed met jullie.

This week was one for the books.  

I had just an incredible experience...one night we were biking back home after something, I forget even what we were coming from, and we were just contacting on the way home. Sis. Harris is awesome, and just starting contacting people, and for some reason I was really struggling finding the courage to do it. I asked her how she does it. I said: "How do you do it, I literally have to force myself to do it every time." She told me that she had learned that she didn't ever want to have any regrets, and she said "Even if no one is nice or no one is interested and I get home that night, I can say that I put in the work and that I still tried."

It got me thinking of course...and we didn't see anyone for a little bit, and I was really hoping that I would be able to see someone so I could know I had tried my best that day. well we turned into a super dark almost farm area, and there was this lady walking. She kind of startled me because I was really searching for someone, and she came out of no where. I slammed on my breaks and started talking to her. 

We got all of her information and she said she wanted a Book of Mormon and that she was searching for another church. She said ya..."toevalig ja ik ben aan het zoeken, maar ja toeval bestaat niet!!!" what?!?! that is what we say to people!!!!

So in english she said....coincidentally I am searching, but ya, coincidence doesnt exist. Super cool. We will see how it goes.

Also the same night, we were biking home, and there is quite a few different ways to go to get to our house, because we live far away from everything...we came to a spot where we always pass by and go straight, and without even thinking about it, in my mind I said lets go this way..(meaning turning right) so I said to sis. Harris "lets go this way." we did, and I told myself if I see anyone I have to contact them, because we were actually 30 seconds from our house...well this girl was walking and I stopped her. I asked her if she was religious, and she said she wasn't really. I asked her if she believed in God and she said I dont know...so I said. Would you like to know if God exists? she hesitated but then said. "Ja wel" meaning YES. I told her well we as missionaries help people to come to know that God exists and that he loves each of us, would you be interested in meeting with us, and we can help you discover that for yourself. Super cool, we got her info, and she said we could stop by....who knows she was a little hesitant in giving us her information...but it was super cool, to have been led by the spirit. It is such a thrill.

This week also there was a CODE RED!!! It snowed on onday...and then the next day the streets were covered in ice. School was cancelled for everyone...the busses weren't running and neither were some of the trains. Kids were literally ice skating on the streets...I have some fantastic videos...sorry you will have to wait. 

But because it was sooo dangerous and we had district meeting so the Leeuwarden sisters were here in Groningen President told us to go straight home and stay inside...so we had a SLEEPOVER, and it was a blast!! 

The next day we went back to work, and tried to bike, but sis. Harris slipped and hurt herself real bad so we took the bus for the rest of the time. 

Crazy miracle though...the time she slipped we were on our way to our appointment and we got him on baptismal date!! Super awesome...tender mercy from the Lord. Dont worry she is fine...just a bruised knee.

It was a good week...except for the fact that we had two people message us this weekend and tell us they do not want to meet with us anymore, and one of those was preparing for baptism...so that was a little rough...but other than that it was a nice week.

Yesterday 2 of our investigators came to church...and 25 students from a christian club came to see what it was about. We gave away 25 copies of the Book of Mormon.

The title...I am a pro bicycler now obviously;) haha but really biking a lot every day, makes you pretty good, and I can go up and down bumps and turns without holding the handle bars...pretty cool eh? haha 

sorry for the crazy long email..it was a good week!!

Ik hou van jullie!!

Fijne week nog!

Straight ice streets.....

Yummy hot cocoa for our sleepover and lots of candy whoops.

we made yummy food with the ranch grandma sent me...THANK YOU!! also I straightened my hair..and it was weird!!

Zuster Stewart-Chester 

"It feels like we are biking through a war zone!!"

oh yaaaaa I forgot to mention...it snowed this morning...right after Januari 1st it has been super cold, and it has been snowing all day!! crazy!

Hooooooooiiiiii!

Goedemiddag allemaal!

Hoe is het met jullie?!

This week was a good one. Hope you guys all had an awesome New Year's Eve party...we sure did. Here in the Netherlands they are SUPER big on fuurwerken (fire works)!  It is extremely dangerous how much they light off and they'd literally start from 2 in the afternoon on the 31st and end like at 7 in the morning the next day. It is off and on of course...but it is insane. So as a rule all of the missionaries have to be in their apartment at 4. We were kinda sad because we wouldn't be able to see the fireworks in our little neighborhood...but boy were we wrong...in our little doorpje in lewenborg...apparently it has the most fireworks in Groningen. There was someone setting them off right next to our house and fireworks going off in every neighborhood...and huge ones at that.

Also that morning we realized the necessity of being inside our house, when we biked passed little kids messing around with fireworks while wearing our helmets. They yelled something at us and threw a firework at us....it was one that had already been set off...but wow my life flashed before my eyes..(I don't know where she gets her dramatics from:).it was seriously like those stories you hear about in general conference and missionaries being persecuted. So crazy...but we are safe haha and we were inside all that night so don't stress mom.

My bike is the yellow one...

It was a fun night though...and we were able to eat treats, set goals, and laugh a lot.

This week we decided to knock a neighborhood that we had been feeling good about for a while, but never really had time. We planned in just an hour..(power hour before lunch) and we literally only knocked 10 doors if that much. We gave away two book of Mormons and got another potential....one of the ladies said she didn't even want a book at first but after talking with her some more we got her to take one and she said we could come by again. Super cool...we were definitely led by the spirit. 

Something cool that the ward does here, is they hand out copies of het boek van Mormon for them to give away each week challenging someone to give one away. Soooo cool. I know it is hard in Utah, because there are so many members...but make sure you take the time to look around and notice if there is someone you can give one too, because really why would it hurt to just give them a book. What they don't know is the book can change their lives...

Ik hou van jullie...I really can't think of what else to say.... The quote is from biking through the sounds of fireworks going off like crazy. Also the next day it was dead and there was just firework trash everywhere soooo crazy. I will send you pics.

I love you all!

Blijf maar veilig, but have fun:)

Gelukkig niewjaar!!

Geel liefs,

Zuster Stewart-Chester

I have never made so many yummy things
 until being with sis. Harris...haha yum.

The APs came to Groningen and we worked with
 them and went to lunch, they had just bought klompen and wanted to show us.

It is beautiful here:)  

beautiful Groningen.

Happy New Year:) 

The shining sun in Gronigen

fireworks trash...i have videos
of the fireworks...so you will have to wait, sorry!!

outside the Romigs...the canal is freezing over.

Hot cocoa cuz it is COLD.

Elder Bonner and sis. Harris.

sorry I dont have any pics of fireworks...we are going to have to have a party at the end of myu mission and go through all the videos I have..they are sooo great!!

Sis. Harris on New Years eve... she is the best. haha