Week 35: "Sorry boys, no time -- speed skating is on! It's just too exciting!"

February 10, 2014

The 2014 Olympics have begun, and the Dutch people have been busy rooting on their speed-skaters. We went to go look up an investigator the other day, and he answered the door in his bathrobe, informed us that the 5000 meter speed-skating finals were on, and it was absolutely too exciting. He did want us to come back another time, though (when speed-skating isn't on). And just so everybody knows -- in the men's 5000 meter skating race, the Netherlands took the bronze, silver, and -yes- the gold. They love their speed-skating.

If you're wondering, yes, this past week flew by also. We wake up every morning and have no idea how we're going to get everything done. And, usually, we don't get everything done that we need to -- it's been pretty crazy. There's still stuff that needs to be done today, too, so this won't be too long.

We've still had time to do some finding this past week, and we've seen some miracles. It's amazing how you can first start talking to somebody, and they'll be completely confrontational and stand-offish, but slowly you start to see the Spirit soften their heart, and they end up talking to you for five, ten, twenty minutes, and you make an appointment or they agree to come to church. It really is amazing.

With some people, though, it isn't so. On Thursday, I was on exchanges in Hilversum, another city in my district, working with an Elder Lindstrom. We stopped so that we could regain our bearings and figure out where we were. Suddenly, a guy screeched to a halt right next to us, and informed us that, if we wanted to live, we would get off his street and never show up again. Because if we stayed, he would kill us. So, there's that. We decided it was best to leave that happy man and his street.

There's this one kind of candy here, called drop. It's like salty black licorice. And it is...disgusting. But, Dutch people love it. They always try to offer it to me. "Don't you want genuine Dutch candy?" Not if it tastes like death and the wrath of Poseidon mixed together, no
.

Saturday was my birthday! And, birthdays are actually a big deal in the Netherlands. We were meeting with some Lelystad homies/investigators (because my birthday actually was still a work day, go figure), and when one of them found out that it was my birthday, he got up, left, and came back with doners, which are super delicious Turkish sandwiches. It was awesome.

Well, I got to bounce. There's still a lot to be done today. But keep it real, and enjoy the Olympics. I'll be back next week. Tot zo!

--Elder Bonney