Dad, you spent two years as a missionary so I know that you must have some stories. Yay for giving the lady a Book of Mormon and poinsettias! How many more do you have to go? Sounds like a pricey night with weird food, but I hope you enjoyed it. Sounds like you're going to have to join the biking club and put that shiny new bike to use.
This week! It was really good! First off, it was pretty warm this week, which is nice both because I was less cold and because people are a lot more willing to talk to you when it's warm.
To start, we spent P-day in Gent touring a castle, and I have decided that I want one. My new life dream is to be a Disney princess and live in a castle with lavines, a torture chamber, and a weapons room. It was really cool. Also, it was Sinterklaas- the first of Belgium's three Christmas holidays.
We also had a zone conference this week with Elder Johnson from the Area 70 Presidency. He talked about being a high-yield, low-maintenance missionary (or member of the church). He said that our goal should be to become someone who is an active part of building the Lord's kingdom and who doesn't need constant help or supervision to do so. It was a really good conference, and I have seen the power of high-yield, low-maintenance members in my life. Also, it was really fun to see Zuster Burnham at the conference. I have missed her a lot!
Miracle of the week (we actually had lots, but this one was the biggest): We are teaching a woman named Yinet from the Dominican Republic. We were knocking a street about a month ago that I felt really good about, and we knocked her door. We told her about the Book of Mormon, and she told us that we could bring one back in Spanish. We did, but she didn't have time for us to meet with her right then, so we scheduled another appointment. When we walked in the next week, the Book of Mormon was on the table and she told us that she and her daughter had read in it every night, and that it was a very important book. We've taught her a few times since then, and last night we were teaching her about baptism. She told us that she really wanted to be baptized, but that she was afraid she was too old (she's 30). We assured her that this was not the case and invited her to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God. She said, "Ah, ja, ik echt wil het" (Yes, I really want to, but the feeling doesn't quite come across in English- jammer). Also, we her brother-in-law sat in on the last two lessons, and she told us that she hadn't been able to read the Book of Mormon much this week because he kept stealing it from her to read it. I am so excited for this sweet little family! I feel like the Lord has really prepared them for this gospel!
Graapje of the week: We were teaching Joy (one of our investigators). She has been preparing for baptism, and we were having a really spiritual discussion with her about it. She was telling us all about the changes that have happened in her life since she's started meeting with the missionaries, and it was just a really good lesson. Then we asked her a question, and she closed her eyes to think about it (she does that when she really wants to contemplate something) and not 20 seconds later, she started snoring. Zuster Berrett and I just looked at each other like, "What the heck just happened?" We tried to wake her up, but she was OUT, so we just left a note and left. It was super awkward and funny. She's told us before that when she feels the Spirit, it makes her sleepy because she feels so comfortable, so we're just assuming it was a King Lamoni moment where she was overcome by the Spirit. (But actually she told us later that she'd taken cold medicine, and it makes her sleep).
DON'T SEND THIS STORY to anyone else, but it was a really special moment for me that I wanted to share: We taught Nathalie about tithing this week. I have been dreading this lesson a little bit, because I knew that finances were a little tight. Once we started teaching it, it just didn't feel super right. There was something off, and we weren't sure what. Then she kind of broke down and told us that she really wanted to pay it, but she just didn't think she could. She told us how she was already having to make choices between getting the treatment that she needed (she has 3 bone disease things that make it really hard for her to walk and give her a lot of pain) and providing for her kids in the way she needed to. I had no idea just how tight things were for her, and the whole time I was just praying to know what Heavenly Father wanted me to say to this daughter of His who was struggling so much. It was one of those moments when my mouth was filled once I opened it. I opened it to tell her how much I love her, and then the Spirit hit me really strong, and I just started crying. I told her how much I loved her, and how I would not ask this if I didn't absolutely know that it would do nothing but bless her. Then came what I realized God needed her to hear: "Nathalie, our Heavenly Father loves you even more than I do, and He would not ask this of you if it would hurt your family. He will provide a way for you to pay it, and He will bless your family if you will have the faith to keep this commandment." Then she started crying too, and we just cried together, but the Spirit was so strong, and it was such a testimony to me. God loves us. He loves us so much, and He does not require anything of us that will hurt us. Everything that He gives us is for our good. We just have to have the faith to follow, even without always knowing how it will turn out. It's a strange thing being a missionary, because the Spirit teaches me as I teach others. My testimony of tithing and the commandments in general was strengthened so much in that moment.
Anyways, I love all of you!!! I hope you have a wonderful week!
veel liefde,
Zuster Cluff
p.s. When is your church on Christmas? Because we need to figure out Skype times.
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