This week has been good! Being a missionary is great! I have never been happier in my life! But it has also been difficult at times. I am so happy that I have been able to live in three countries and that I went to college where my life was changed, it has made a whole difference in my mission!
 |
| Mist on the hills - a natural air conditioner! |
My new companion is elder Flinders! He is from Syracuse, Utah. We get a long super well and with each companion I always learn something new that I can apply in my life. I love learning and being able to improve by using the atonement of Jesus Christ.
It has been a warm week, we are lucky in San Ramon and other places to get a mist each day that cools down everything! On one of the other pictures, is the Draper family! This was taken a few weeks ago when Elder Rowley (My last companion) was saying bye to members.
 |
| The Draper Family |
Since there is no door to door knocking (tracting) in our area we are looking for a lot of service projects. One of the things that we try to do weekly is go to a older women's home who has dementia along with a few of her room mates, and we talk to them. I enjoy that and it is such a privilege to come and talk.
We helped the Bairds more this past week by helping them move boxes into a storage pod. They have given us lots of good food to take home! We also helped brother Curl move two massive desks upstairs in his home! We couldn't get past one door haha, so we decided to take it apart which was easy and then we got it in the room. We also helped sister Livermore speed up her computer. Brenden Phung was there to help too. That was a fun service project because I like electronics.
 |
| iPad or this? |
We may be getting modified iPads soon. We took a picture of the physical things that may be on the iPads! (Look at all that stuff that we wont have to carry around anymore!)
This week we taught James about agency and the Light of Christ. All our other investigators were out of town :-(. I would never be able to teach these lessons, but with the help from God I have been able to teach with great power! Ammon once said, "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise His name forever." (Alma 26:12) We are continuing to practice teaching to members. The elders quorum is now helping us find times we can do that with the members.
 |
| With Ariele Herring |
What did we do for 4th of July? (Holiday) We went to the church for a free breakfast! It was delicious! Then we planned for the week and we received a text in Dutch from the bishop's daughter, Ariele Herring! I was happy that I was able to read and understand it! I replied in half English and half Dutch! They invited us to have dinner at their home and other members were there too. It was fun to talk to Ariele about Breda (this is were I was brought up and she went on a mission there!).
On Sunday we were invited to dinner where there were a few families from the church. It is a lot of fun getting to know the members and I feel like I am part of the ward!
I know this gospel is true, it is the only way that we can return to live with God again. This is what I share as much as I can, because we all need it in our lives, no matter what you are going through. Sometimes when I am having a difficult day I think of a Book of Mormon Prophet named Nephi who said, "I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7) I know this is true, and God will support us in whatever he asks us to do, no matter how hard it may seem.
Love, Elder Kloosterboer.
