Week 31: "Are you allowed to wear jeans?"

January 13, 2014

So... I'm in Lelystad.

It was sad to say goodbyes to the Groningen members. They really were a great source of love and support. They make missionary work so easy! I'm going to miss them. But, the work goes on -- and the ward already loves my replacement in Groningen, Elder Toole (my second companion in the field!). The work will keep moving forward!

Last Tuesday was my last full day in Groningen. And, I think the city wanted to let me know how much it would miss me, because the skies were weeping. Bad joke. But seriously -- it POURED that day. It was pretty cold outside, and the rain came down and soaked me from head to toe. We were required to bike in such weather. It was...memorable. Around 6 PM, we showed up to some members' house for dinner, the Gouts. Zuster Gout just looks at me and tells me that there's no way I'm eating dinner in those pants. She made me change into Br. Gout's jeans and give her my pants to put in the drier. Br. Gout, seeing me in his jeans, asks if that's allowed. I certainly hope it was, because I did it.

On Wednesday, I said goodbye to Groningen, headed down to Utrecht, said goodbye to Elder Nelson, took a few more trains, and finally ended up with Elder Robbins in Lelystad. We dropped my stuff off and wasted no time getting to work. He's a hard worker, to say the least. It's going to be a good transfer.

So, Lelystad! Lelystad is an interesting city. Once upon a time, the North Sea covered a certain area. The Dutch people, being innovative and stubborn to the extent that they thought it would be wise to overpower nature, built dikes and drained an area of the Netherlands. Smack dab in the middle of that area, you have -- you guessed it -- Lelystad! The city built where the water should have been. Yep, I'm knocking doors and teaching people below sea level. Hopefully the North Sea doesn't decide it wants to come back anytime soon. Lelystad also happens to be one of the poorest cities in the country, and a lot of people who live here are living on government aid. It's an interesting situation, to be sure. Let's go.

It has been FREEZING recently. I don't know if I've ever been so cold on my mission. I layer up, but even then, the cold, wet air just pierces your five layers of clothing. I don't understand it. The air isn't playing fair. It's been a pretty mild winter so fair, but there are whispers in the wind that it's about to get a lot worse. Wish me luck.

Well, that's it for now. Keep it real, and keep your heads above water.

Much love.

--Elder Bonney

PS -- on LDS.org, there's an article called "That They Might Be One." There's a nice video to go along with it. It's about the Dutch saints in the mid 1900s. Watch it.https://history.lds.org/article/dutch-potatoes-video?lang=eng In it, there's a Dutch guy, Jan Weening. He is one of my favorite members in Groningen. Here we are.

Week 30: "The devil may be with me, but I'm bringing him to church!" **ADDRESS CHANGE**

January 6, 2014

"Hello?"

"Hey Angela, it's Elder Bonney! We were just calling to see if it was still okay for us to meet tonight."

"Oh! Hey elders! Yes, it's still okay... Did you get me the information for the church in Curaçao?"

"We'll get that to you. We've got time. Any news?"

"I'm going back, elders! My sister bought me the ticket! I'm going home to my island."

"Really?? When?"

"Tomorrow."

We'd poured much blood, sweat, and tears into Angela. We'd been teaching her since November. We had many ups and downs with her...MANY ups and downs. She was pulling ahead for the home stretch, though. She was reading, praying, and coming to church. She had a testimony. She was going to be baptized on Saturday, and she couldn't wait.

Then, on Wednesday, on New Year's Day, she told us that she was leaving. She'd been trying to go back to Curaçao for months -- we assumed it was just a dream. But, she finally succeeded. At first, I was very disappointed -- all that time, all that energy, wasted! I was going to get to see the baptism of someone I taught for the first time. Then I realized...it wasn't all a waste. She'll get baptized in Curaçao. It doesn't change anything. She'll be a huge strength to the branch there. Because of the situation she got herself into in the Netherlands, she was humbled and open to listen to our message. Now, she's home, where she probably wouldn't have listened. Instead, she has a testimony, and can't wait to share this wonderful gospel with her kids and friends. The work is so much bigger than the here and now, and it goes on -- no matter what. I was blessed to be a part in Angela's experience.

New Year's Eve here was pretty crazy. Fireworks started going off at 10 AM. Not constant fireworks, but about once every couple of minutes, you would here a giant explosion. It got more and more intense as nighttime approached. As missionaries, we had to be inside at 4 PM, because, after that, it gets unsafe for us outside. While sitting inside, it felt like we were in a war zone. I'm pretty sure people were using home-made bombs out there. Like, our apartment building would shake when they went off. It was awesome. When midnight hit (well, the Dutch people were a little slow, because my watch said it was 12:05 AM), the sky lit up. Take BYU's Stadium of Fire, shrink it a little bit, and put twenty of those in a circle around our house with a half mile radius. Fireworks here are crazy. For those who are wondering why I, a missionary, was up at midnight -- 1) it was impossible to sleep with those explosions going on (though I did get a half hour in) or my comp running around screaming with enthusiasm and 2) the fireworks were...pretty freaking awesome.

We had an investigator come to church on Sunday who we weren't expecting at all. He'd dropped us about a month ago, and the last time we'd seen him, he'd been doing pretty badly. He came to church smelling like alcohol, and said, "I was at a party last night for three hours, then realized that I shouldn't be there. I didn't sleep. I felt like the devil was with me. I said to myself, 'The devil may be with me, but I'm bringing him to church!'" And he did just that. And bore his testimony in fast and testimony meeting, to top it off.

The zone leaders called last night to tell me that I'm being transferred. I'm sad to leave this place. I really do love this city of Groningen and the people in it. Investigators and members -- I've met some great people here. I'll miss it. But, I'm excited, as always, for the future. I'm going to Lelystad. My new address is: 

Elder John Bonney

De Promesse 147

8232 Lelystad

the Netherlands

If you've already sent a letter to the Groningen apartment...EMAIL ME and let me know, so I don't just suddenly leave you hanging.

There's a Mormon Message out, and it talks about Lot's wife, and how she looked back. It mentions the scripture, Genesis 19:17 -- "look not behind thee," the Lord commands. That's how I feel, going into Lelystad. I've loved Groningen. I've loved my experience. But, I'm out here to serve the Lord and the people. I need to go to Lelystad ready to try and light things up, learning from the past but not living in it. I'm excited for the future. These two years only happen once.

I wish you all the very best in this new year, and remember -- "look not behind thee" and that, in the words of a poet, "the best is yet to be."

Much love.

--Elder Bonney

PS. We said a quick goodbye to Angela after our last lesson, when we gave her all the information for the church and missionaries in Curaçao. Goodbyes and lessons learned on both sides.