Well, to be honest, this week was pretty awful for many different reasons. BUT we learned a lot. And had a surprising amount of successes and miracles. So that's cool!
Updates: Li. finally talked to her husband and sure enough, he said he will not let her or the kids be baptized. :( It seriously broke our hearts. She told us Tuesday night in a phone call and we both had a really hard time after that. Actually, the hardest part is that she said that even though it pains her, she would like to find a church where he will let her be baptized. We spent the next few days trying to figure out how to make it clear to her that it's not the same... Then we went over Friday for one last lesson with her. What her thoughts are now, I'm not sure, but I do know that we felt the Spirit strongly in that lesson, and everything ended on a good note. I don't think this is the end of the road for her. We still pray that the Lord will soften her husband's heart.
Ib. did not agree that the Godhead is made up of three separate beings, and was actually very condescending about his views... It was scary. We had a terrible lesson with him on Saturday where I lost my patience with his contentious behavior and called him to repentance with 3 Nephi 11:28-30. Naturally, because it was bold but not loving, that didn't bring the Spirit either, and then I just felt bad that I'd said it. It really was overall a bad lesson. We came home to eat dinner and I cried and prayed for forgivenes... Then on Sunday I repented. We had a fantastic lesson! It went super well. So while he's no longer on date for baptism, he's closer than he was on Saturday.
Not a ton of other updates other than Me. is on vacation and Hs. came to church again! Woohoo. Apparently in Priesthood he said that he's not planning on getting baptized yet, but that he's not ruling it out as a possibility, and that though he loves the Bible, he's open to the Book of Mormon maybe being true. Haha. At least he understands what we're helping him work towards!
Well... Oh! Huge miracle. Da. - We were walking to catch a bus to go home from Hs' and then we saw it coming. I sprinted like my cross country days to wave it down (the bus driver laughed really hard - little blond girl in a skirt with a big bag, running to catch the bus) and we got on. It stopped for five minutes at a bus station along the way and we watched as a rather feminine looking (and sounding) man got off to smoke a cigarette. I really need to work on my not-judging skills because I was totally judging him! Then. He walks back into the bus and stops by us. "Can I ask you a question?"
I thought he was going to call me out for looking at him funny or something, but said "Sure!" Then he says, "Are you Mormons?" Turns out he investigated the church for a year and a half in Greece but lost contact when he came here. He'd fallen back into habits (drinking and smoking) and really felt like he was missing something. He wondered if it might be the church, so he prayed that he'd find members of the church if that's what it was! It was such a cool thing. If we hadn't caught that bus... Wow. Haha. He's on vacation for a couple weeks but when he comes back he wants to be taught again! And come to church!
There are others too but I've got to go! That's the story of mission life. So much to say, never enough time!
Sister Anjewierden
PS Jb. is being taught in Turnhout again! Best news ever! :)
(pictures from last week that never sent)
Top picture is with Ib.
Bottom is on the domplein.
Updates: Li. finally talked to her husband and sure enough, he said he will not let her or the kids be baptized. :( It seriously broke our hearts. She told us Tuesday night in a phone call and we both had a really hard time after that. Actually, the hardest part is that she said that even though it pains her, she would like to find a church where he will let her be baptized. We spent the next few days trying to figure out how to make it clear to her that it's not the same... Then we went over Friday for one last lesson with her. What her thoughts are now, I'm not sure, but I do know that we felt the Spirit strongly in that lesson, and everything ended on a good note. I don't think this is the end of the road for her. We still pray that the Lord will soften her husband's heart.
Ib. did not agree that the Godhead is made up of three separate beings, and was actually very condescending about his views... It was scary. We had a terrible lesson with him on Saturday where I lost my patience with his contentious behavior and called him to repentance with 3 Nephi 11:28-30. Naturally, because it was bold but not loving, that didn't bring the Spirit either, and then I just felt bad that I'd said it. It really was overall a bad lesson. We came home to eat dinner and I cried and prayed for forgivenes... Then on Sunday I repented. We had a fantastic lesson! It went super well. So while he's no longer on date for baptism, he's closer than he was on Saturday.
Not a ton of other updates other than Me. is on vacation and Hs. came to church again! Woohoo. Apparently in Priesthood he said that he's not planning on getting baptized yet, but that he's not ruling it out as a possibility, and that though he loves the Bible, he's open to the Book of Mormon maybe being true. Haha. At least he understands what we're helping him work towards!
Well... Oh! Huge miracle. Da. - We were walking to catch a bus to go home from Hs' and then we saw it coming. I sprinted like my cross country days to wave it down (the bus driver laughed really hard - little blond girl in a skirt with a big bag, running to catch the bus) and we got on. It stopped for five minutes at a bus station along the way and we watched as a rather feminine looking (and sounding) man got off to smoke a cigarette. I really need to work on my not-judging skills because I was totally judging him! Then. He walks back into the bus and stops by us. "Can I ask you a question?"
I thought he was going to call me out for looking at him funny or something, but said "Sure!" Then he says, "Are you Mormons?" Turns out he investigated the church for a year and a half in Greece but lost contact when he came here. He'd fallen back into habits (drinking and smoking) and really felt like he was missing something. He wondered if it might be the church, so he prayed that he'd find members of the church if that's what it was! It was such a cool thing. If we hadn't caught that bus... Wow. Haha. He's on vacation for a couple weeks but when he comes back he wants to be taught again! And come to church!
There are others too but I've got to go! That's the story of mission life. So much to say, never enough time!
Sister Anjewierden
PS Jb. is being taught in Turnhout again! Best news ever! :)
(pictures from last week that never sent)
Bottom is on the domplein.
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