December 1, 2014
IT'S SO COLD OUTSIDE.
This week, the temperature took a dive. It went from being reasonably bearable to being freezing. I do not like it. It's definitely scarf weather now (and I'm trying to convince other missionaries that it's earmuff weather...it's a work in progress). The cold here isn't the normal cold, either -- it's a humid, biting cold. It goes right through your clothes sometimes. (Well, almost. I imagine that it's never quite as bad as walking around Alkmaar naked in this weather would be.) I went running this morning in what I'm pretty sure was... 0°C weather. My lungs will never be the same. Though, it is said that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven...
I was hardly in my area this past week -- there was so much to do, so many things that were going on. Elder Moreira, from the Quorum of the 70, visited our mission for the week, and there were a few activities revolving around that. Let me tell you -- Elder Moreira is absolutely amazing. He's got a phenomenal testimony, and he's absolutely hilarious. He's from Portugal -- his Portuguese accent (and not super fluent English) is awesome.
On Wednesday, Elder Moreira spoke at a zone conference for about half of the mission (he did the other half at a zone conference the next day). Elder Pouwer and I drove down to Rotterdam that morning -- it was the first time I've actually been in the city of Rotterdam in my whole mission. Rotterdam is pretty...ghetto. And driving there is crazy (Elder Pouwer has accidentally almost killed me more than once, but we aren't going to talk about that). Anyways, the conference itself was fantastic. I kid you not, Elder Moreira laughed almost through the entire thing. I was surprised that he didn't pass out from laughing so much. He is honestly one of the happiest guys I've ever met. He talked about a few things, including obedience and being -- you guessed it -- happy while on a mission. It was really good for me; it inspired me to work harder for these last six months. In his English (which was definitely understandable, but still funny), he also dropped some great quotes. One of my favorites was when he was talking about being cheerful, even with making mistakes: "you did something, it is not so good? Smiling." There it is, boys and girls. Smile in the face of mistakes. "Never we need to fight." "Always keep with the smiling." The list goes on.
Thursday comes -- in the morning, Elder Pouwer and I had to go down to Bussum to help clean out the old apartment that the mission is getting rid of. We got to destroy things and through them in a dumpster. It was every boy's dream (including Elder Robison, the office senior couple elder. I've never seen him smile so big as I did when I saw him smashing old furniture). Later that day, after a quick dinner (some noodles, I think), Elder Pouwer and I set off for Den Haag for a fireside given by Elder Moreira. (It was at this point that we realized that our Thanksgiving dinner had just been noodles. A Thanksgiving meal to remember...) We'd invited an awesome family from our branch to come, and they showed up to the fireside, which was great. We sat next to them, and I waited for the hysterical Elder Moreira to crack me up again. But this time, it was different -- he spent most of the fireside testifying powerfully and inviting the Spirit. It was indescribable. He was still the funny Elder Moreira, but he knew what the people at the fireside (which was meant for primarily investigators and less actives) needed. We had someone there who we were really hoping would feel the Spirit, and she did -- the words that Elder Moreira spoke pierced her soul. The difference in Elder Moreira between that day and the day before was subtle, yet powerful.
The next day, Friday, Elder Pouwer and I drove down to Leidschendam for Mission Leader Council. Elder Moreira was the special guest at MLC, and he didn't disappoint. It was more of a mix between how he was Wednesday and Thursday. He got down to business and gave us some really good advice for leading the mission. Let some more funny quotes loose and shared some great stories -- some hilarious, some very spiritual. It was a great experience having him there.
Also, in the middle of the meeting, I may have yelled the word "uterus" at him. Before you judge, I can explain. He was talking about how important women are and was making some comparison between women and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He reached one word, and turned to the Portuguese speaking missionary who was there to translate for his wife, saying the word in Portuguese. This missionary, Elder Conatti (who speaks practically perfect English), just shrugs. Then, Elder Moreira tries to explain what it is, pointing and making gestures, asking us what the word is in English. I'm the first to answer: "uterus!!" I answered wrong. A sister who was there got it, though: amniotic fluid. How was I supposed to know that? Well, not everyone can say they've yelled the word "uterus" at a seventy.
So on Tuesday, I was on splits in Amsterdam, working with my old friend, Elder Besendorfer. It's been over a year since we were companions! We taught a lesson to a hip African man inside the hair salon he worked in, but that's a story for another time. Anyways, we contact this woman on the street, and we start talking to her about the Book of Mormon. She says, "Mormon..that sounds so familiar!" Yeah? So we talk a little more, and she starts talking about missionaries she met in the Antilles -- "they're from your church, right?" Well, they were both American and rotated frequently -- getting transferred. Yep, those are our boys. "Wait...you guys baptize while wearing all white, right?" Yes, that's correct. What was she getting at? "I did that in Curaçao!"
Uh, what? You are a baptized member of our church, and the name "Mormon" just sounds familiar? I didn't even know what to say...haha. They have an appointment with her, though, so we'll see what happens.
I would say more. But moderation in all things, right? Including this weekly email. I'm too cold to think straight.
And remember -- always keep the smiling.
--Elder Bonney
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