Week 57: HOIHOI

We had a good week here! Last pday we bought these cool bike computers. They tell you how fast you are going and how far you have gone. It has been really interesting to see our stats! and cool to see how accurate Elder Crow and mines are to each other. So this week was about a normal biking week and we did 102 kilometres on the bikes! crazy eh. I never would have guessed that we go so far! and our average speed is like 28 to 32 km per hour, that's without wind. If we have the wind with us we can do 40 plus and then against the wind it's like 18 to 25… depending on how tired we are and how hard the wind is. So ya, that is cool.

On Tuesday I did a baptismal interview. He was a cool guy from Accra, Ghana. He was then baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. He is in the Amsterdam ward. The short way of writing Amsterdam is Adam or A’dam, just so you know. On Wednesday we did a decent amount of look-ups and referrals. We have so many referrals here in Alkmaar. It's because our area is so big. Also our mission has the most referrals in the entire world haha... so we have a lot of people to be looked up. They are all scattered all over though so that makes it more difficult... we also looked up a few less actives that day and that worked out well. They liked us and we are going over again for a dinner appointment with 2 of them. One is going to make Arubian food for us! and the other is going to make chicken enchiladas. She is American so that will be fun.

On Thursday we went on exchanges to Zaandan, a city near Amsterdam. It was one of the elders birthdays so we had a 4 man exchange and that night we played some games. We also had a dinner appointment with this family from Seattle so that is always fun.  On Saturday we had a volleyball activity with the ward. There weren't so many people there but we had enough. It was really fun. It has been so windy lately, I don’t enjoy it, especially on the bikes!

This weeks Questions:
1.  How are district leader duties going?
2.  Are you getting to know the missionaries in your district better?  Where are they from?
3.  What do you do for service in Alkmaar?
4.  How many do you teach regularly? How is the finding going?
5.  Do you have food in your apartment now?
6.  How was church yesterday?  Do you help out in the branch at all?
7.  How are the members in the branch?  Have you been getting more dinner appointments?
8.  Did you see the M. family this week?
9.  Have you recovered from being sick?
10.  Is Elder Nielsen in a neighbouring zone?  Will you ever get to see him?
11.  What do you do for zone activities?
12.  Did you go anywhere this week? Will you get to any of the islands?

1. Ya being a DL is good. I enjoy being able to work closely with the other missionaries.
2. Haha yes I am, I love going on exchanges, one is from El Salvador, one from Seattle, one from Oregon I think, one from Arizona, and the rest form Utah.
3. Niks, but next week we are helping an older couple in the branch move some things around in their house.
4. We have a lot of investigators but only like 3 we teach regularly. We had some good finding this week too! We have a lot of refferals that we look up.
5. Yes yes we have lots of food. Although we need to go shopping today!
6. I helped out in the young mens' class. We had like 50 today I'd say. I actually introduced myself for the first time haha, and yes we usually give our testimonies.
7. We have almost 2 weeks solid of dinner appointments! It's so good!
8. Nope but she made an appointment with us for this next week! I think they really like having us over.
9. Yes, I am finally feeling 100 percent.
10. I don’t think I will anytime soon…
11. Today we are going to Amsterdam centrum to do a scavenger hunt!!!! So pumped for it!
12. Zaandam and Amsterdam, that’s all. I really want to go to Texel! It's an island. We do have there a refferal! So we might get the chance.

That is all love you bye
elder fernhout

Alkmaar

Week 56: President Nelson, Biking, and a Windstorm

Well that is kinda sad I will be missing the Eagles in the super bowl… oh well. I'm sure they will win though. Too bad their good QB is injured. Anyway, I just can’t catch a break here in Alkmaar. After being hit with the sickness, I recovered and now this week I pulled my groin again… I was biking then the wheel popped so we went to the apartment and I got another bike to use. The pedal came off while I was riding it and I had to push it like a scooter which is when I hurt myself… so ya that was not fun. I fixed both bikes now. During the week we had to rely on public transport. The bus system here is really slow.

Both of our appointments for last Monday fell through. On Tuesday we had district meeting which Elder Crow and I taught. It went really well! We both feel great about it. The sisters made lunch afterwards which was great and we all got to talk and get to know each other. We were also able to go to a member's house to watch the President Nelson broadcast. That was cool to see, as well as the questions afterwards.

That night we also had ward council which was super interesting to sit in on because it is a bunch of old Dutch people talking with each other which, idk, is just so great. I loved it. We have such a loving and caring ward here, despite the average age of the ward being 70 (that is a real stat btw, it's been calculated…). So ya, we have an old branch but they are great.

On Wednesday the wind was super bad but not like Thursday. We had to bike a lot too. It sucked so bad! My legs were dead but we made it to all our places on time. We had a good appointment with this one investigator and we also found another one.

Thursday we got a text from the mission advising us to stay in our apartment until 3:00 pm when the wind would die down a bit. So we did our weekly planning session. We also had a dinner at familie Munster again. I love going there. I was able to speak some more Portuguese with her which she loves. They are a great family and we have a good time together. They also showed us pics and vids from things that the wind had done, port-a-potties being blown away and people too. It was crazy. There were so many trees on the ground.

Friday we got the bikes fixed up and did a lot of travelling. We had a lunch app and a dinner app. We ended up being an hour late to the dinner one cause our bus never came to take us to the train. Then we had to take another bus and we missed that and then got on the wrong one. In the end they came and picked us up. I felt so bad. But what was cool is I had actually met 2 of them before when I was in Brugge. It was great to talk again. We had a fun time.

Saturday we had a lot of time to find people so we traveled a bit to a near by dorpje and worked there. We found 2 new ones, really cool people too and young! We had no food so we went to McDonalds to eat, been a while since I've done that. Then we walked around the centrum and looked at some cool old buildings. Alkmaar is really beautiful.

Sunday, so yesterday we had church, then after wards we had a ward feast type thing and it was so good. There was a ton of food and it was fun to have all the members together.

Questions:
1.  How is the work in Alkmaar?
2.  Do you live in an apartment, house?  Will you take pictures for me?!
3.  Did you have many dinner appointments this week?  Did you eat herring yet, haha? (p.s. be sure to take pictures when you do!)

1. great! We have a good time up here!

2. little apartment. oh ya, I forgot to take pics…

3. ya, a lot. a few of them cancelled but it was not bad at all. no, I haven't, and I will definitely be taking pics.

that is all,

love lots elder fernhout

Week 55: Zoetermeer to Alkmaar

I will begin at last pday. We had a lesson in the middle of pday because Elder Ballard and I are consecrated like that. It fell through though so that was rough. I didn’t get to say goodbye to the investigator, but oh well. That night we had correlation at Dave's house as usual [Dave is the ward mission leader]. We ended with a game which was fun. Oh I almost forgot, Dave took us out bowling too! It was great. I won the first game, he won the next, then tied for first the third. It was fun, they had some pop songs playing which was really weird to listen to. Tuesday we had our last district meeting. After we took a bunch of pics then went out to lunch, then took more pics. Later on Tuesday Elder Ballard got ill, same as what I had, so we stayed home and took it easy.

Though we did have an appointment with A and F, my favourite investigators in Zoetermeer.  It went super well and at the end of the appointment, I asked A to pray though he declined.  So I said the prayer then after he says, can I say something? Then he quickly says some things in Turkish.  Afterwards he told us that he just prayed if this is the right church and if he should be baptized.  It was so humble and perfect! That’s what I love about missionary work, we don’t convert people, we don’t have to convince people we are right or that the BoM is true.  We just have them pray to ask God if it is true.  So yes, I was so happy for A to take that step.  It was sad to say goodbye to him and F.  But I know Ballard is a solid missionary and I have no doubt he will do a great job with them.

I came home and packed up all my things. I thought with Christmas I was going to have a really hard time fitting it all into my 2 bags, but in the end I had more space than when I came to Zoetermeer. I don’t know how, I must have packed really well I guess… so that was nice. What's nicer is that Dave offered to drive up my bags to Alkmaar from Zoetermeer. So on Wednesday morning he came and picked them up and I took my bike on the train and met Elder Crow in Amsterdam. We then traveled to Alkmaar where I met Dave at the apartment. It was the best transfer day ever cause it was so easy. I didn’t have to carry anything really, just super chill and I usually hate transfer day. So I am so appreciative for Dave. Not only that but he then took us out to Burger King for lunch after. Elder Crow is like who is this guy!? I didn't even unpack but we went straight into things. We had an appointment and that night and we knocked doors right until 9:00 pm. I was still feeling really sick all these days. Alkmaar is a lot rainier, darker, and colder than Zoetermeer! I haven't seen sun for 4 days.

On Thursday we had a busy day. After studies we hit up our scour area for a few hours and found a new investigator, a cool young Dutch dude. We also had a dinner appointment with this lady who is from Brazil. She is an active member but her husband is a nonmember, as well as her 2 kids. We took a bus close to their house then he picked us up with a car to take us to their home. I loved it so much! First of all, when I heard she was from Brazil, I was like, well great, I just lived with a Brazilian for 3 months, so I spoke Portuguese with her and she thought it was great. The family owns and runs a tulip farm, how Dutch is that! We talked about that a lot too. They fed us fish. I was worried about it but it turned out to be delicious. Afterwards, they gave us a bouquet of tulips to take home, I took pics. I felt like Sister M appreciated us being in her home so much. It was great being there. Apparently the missionaries haven't visited much, but they must have liked us because they made a return dinner for this next week. They heard I haven’t had herring yet and want me to do it, so ya, that's gonna happen this next week. Yay.

Friday we had a DLC [District Leader Conference] meeting in the Amsterdam church.  It was just with the other 2 DL [district leaders] in the zone and with the sister training leaders, as well as the ZLs [zone leaders]. We talked about the zone and how to help them out and get some fun things in this transfer. Oh, also one of the coolest things to happen this week was when we were on the bus to go to the M family. We got a call and it was for me from the Provo MTC. I was super confused but I took the phone from Elder Crow and all I hear is, “Elder Fernhout, this is your Father,” haha, it was Elder Richards. He works at the referral centre in the MTC and he had to call us to talk about some referrals. Apparently, our mission gets the most referrals in the entire world and Alkmaar gets a lot! So we had a bit of a cool convo then talked about the referrals. It was honestly just so nice to talk with him for a bit. It has been a long while since I heard his voice, haha.

Saturday we had a good appointment with this older couple in the ward. I told them I’m from Alberta and they were like, oh we know people living in Lethbridge, I told them I'm from Lethbridge! They know a family Joosten I think it was, and a familie Schwur or so.

Sunday was cool, I got to meet the ward. Well, it is actually a branch. The mission loves putting me in the little branches, haha. Anyway, it was cool to meet them. The branch here is full, I mean full, of old people. It’s like having a ward full of gmas and gpas. It’s great, actually they are so kind. We got a lot of dinner apps.

Then last night we went by one of our investigators houses and he had 2 friends over. We talked about some random things. They said they play ping pong a lot and I was like no way, I love ping pong. So we set up a real app for Wednesday to talk about the BOM then a ping pong app for today. I am so excited. We clicked really well which I was happy about. So today is gonna be a great day!  A lot of other things happened too! Elder Crow is a very hard working guy.  He is just chill and fun to be around and loves the outdoors. It’ll be a good transfer.

Questions:
1. How are you feeling?
2. How did your transfer to Alkmaar go?
3.  What are your first impressions of Alkmaar?  What is your new area like?
4.  What is the branch like?
5.  Is the accent different?
6.  How will you get around, public transport or bike?
7.  Do you have much in common with Elder Crow?
8.  Will you have many dinner appointments or will you have to prepare meals?

1. Good
2. Really good
3. Cold, old people, reminds me a bit of Brugge, pretty, feels like a home though.
4. Older, kind, strong
5. Not really, they speak very normal Dutch, although some older people can be hard to understand
6. BIKING!!! lots of it
7. He is chill, really good at guitar so I will be able to learn lots form him.  He actually writes his own songs, super cool.
8. We only have one day without a dinner app. We even have 2 in one day on Friday. Also, Elder Crow is a great cook! It's gonna be great. We have a Mexican meal planned for then.

That is all, love, Elder Fernhout

Zoetermeer District

Alberta vacation advertisement

Elders Fernhout and DeSeil

Elders Waters, Fernhout, and DeSeil 

With Zoetermeer Zusters

Elder Crow

Some cheerful tulips 

Week 54: Overplaatsingen! Transferring to North Holland

Well this week was right packed full of things. Tuesday we had district pday in Den Haag. We went there to email then after went to the centrum to do a scavenger hunt. It was fun, there were 2 teams, ours won. We all met up back at the church and hung out and played some sports in the gym. We have so many good missionaries in our district and I like a lot of them. That night we came back and had dinner and got back into real missionary work. Wednesday Elder Ballard and I were picked up by Elder Van Der Put to help out again. So from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm we were running around the Netherlands moving stuff. We went first to the old sister apartment in Leiden and took out a couch and some other items. Then we drove to Rotterdam and Elder Ballard and I had to bring the couch up 4 floors to the top. It was not easy. Then we had to haul a bunch of things down. The apartment in Rotterdam Zuid is not that nice… glad I am not there, haha.

Then we went to Amsterdam to drop off a new washer there. I got to see Elder Furniss, it was nice to catch up a bit. There we had to carry the washer up only one floor. The apartment there is nice, I wouldn't mind being in the Amsterdam 4 man. Then we went to Delft to go to the Ikea there and pick up some cabinets and chairs and things. We took them to the Leiden apartment, then travelled back to Zoetermeer to drop off all the garbage we acquired at the dump here. Afterwards, we went to McDonalds and then home. What's cool is that I got to take a car from the office. That night we used it for the 3 appointments we had. So nice. We were allowed to take the car cause the next day, Thursday, we had to drive to Den Helder, a city way up north. We left at 7:30 am and got there a bit after 9:00 am. It was a fun drive just Elder Ballard and I. I miss driving so much, especially road trips! Thursday we moved a bunch of things out of an apartment in Den Helder and brought a lot of it to the apartment in Leiden and also built all the Ikea stuff we had brought there. Sorry if this is confusing, but ya we did a lot in those 2 days. Thursday we got home at like 6:00 pm. Solid day. We were so tired after 2 days of hard work. It was really fun to work alongside Elder Van Der Put and his wife though, they are great people.

On Friday I went on an exchange with the DL [district leader], Elder de Seil, he is from Suriname. He is a convert from age 19 and is the youngest of 13 siblings in his family total. He’s a cool dude. We had a busy day. First we went to the farm and did that for the first half the day. Afterwards we had lunch and planning.  Then that night we had a dinner appointment with a really cool member in the ward. He made some great dutch food for us.  We then had an appointment with this Polish lady scheduled but it fell though, she wasn’t home. Never is home, dangit.

That night though I didn't feel too good and we took it easy. I woke up at 12:00 am very sick. It was so awful. I went back to sleep but had to keep getting up throughout the night. I had such an upset stomach. That morning I was in so much pain and had to just cope with it. I stayed home the entire day. I was able to fall asleep for a bit which was nice. In 3 days I lost 5 kilograms…. Elder Occon gave me a blessing and that night I ended up feeling a lot better so that was nice. I was able to sleep too despite having slept during the day. I woke up Sunday morning with still some pain but was able to go to church. Still today I have a bad stomach. I still have no appetite and haven’t eaten really anything for over 2 days…oh well, I am on the up. [He suspects he came into contact with Ecoli at the farm and then afterwards ate oliebollen on the way home]

Saturday we got calls. I really wanted to stay in Zoetermeer, but it turns out I am leaving. I am going to the city of Alkmaar. It encompasses Den Helder. It is probably the biggest area in the mission. It is really remote but I am looking forward to it. It’s Elder Ballard’s baby [training] area, haha. What’s funny is that Occon is going to my baby area, Brugge, and is excited for that.  Elder Ballard is staying here and will be training.  He is also taking over “Ikea” duties.  Elder Balthar is going to Rotterdam Zuid. Oh, also I will be a district leader with Elder Crow, my new companion. Elder Crow is from Arizona and was in the same arrival group as Elders Ballard and Occon. On Sunday I was so sad to have to say goodbye to all the members. I really felt like I needed at least one more transfer here, but oh well. I took a bunch of pics with members that I will try to upload if I have time.

We are always setting goals but because we had to stay inside for New Years we used the time to set 1 year goals and 5 year goals. So yes, I have even more goals now.

Questions of the week:
1.  What is happening with transfers?!
2.  Did you work at the farm this week?
3.  Tell me how it went with your “Ikea” assignments.  What was it like driving?  You haven’t driven for over a year!
4.  What were your impressions of the other cities you travelled to?
5.  Are the Dutch good drivers?  Are they patient?
6.  How has the weather been?  Is it getting colder or warmer?  I’m looking forward to longer days.
7.  When did you find out that President Monson passed away?
8.  How is it going with the members of the ward?  How was church on Sunday?

1. I’m going to Alkmaar as a DL with Elder Crow.
2. Yup, I think that is why I got sick.
3. Crazy, I love driving, I miss it, it didn't feel weird though. It was nice and normal.
4. Amsterdam was really nice and so was Alkmaar when I drove through on the way to Den Helder. In Den Helder I saw the beach which I took a photo of. It is a really quiet city. Den Haag is really futuristic and advanced, opposite of Brugge.
5. For the most part ya, they also don't signal here though. They are more aggressive here which you have to be but that just means they don’t mind when you have to be, so ya I guess they are more patient. Crazy driving here though with bikes and scooters and other cars and people.
6. Getting warmer but today and yesterday were freezing. It is getting lighter out lately!
7. Right when everyone else knew. They sent a mission wide text out. I want to know who the new apostles will be, I hope one is Gary B. Sabin, he is such a good guy.  Oh we found out who the new mission prez here will be. He’s from Sint Niklaas in Belgium. He’s the dad of the guy who took Elder Furniss and I golfing. It is gonna be weird to have a native president.
8. Good, it was sad to leave, when you leave everyone tells you how much they miss you and it sucks. I really liked the members here. ugh.

Funny language things that have happened recently.

what I meant to say: wat doe je voor kerst? (what do you do for Christmas)

what they thought I said: wat doe je verkeerd? (what do you wrong (as in general))

that was rough. also this happened the other day.

what I meant to say: ik wil dokter worden (I want to become a doctor)

what they heard: ik wil dochter worden (I want to become a daughter)

that was awkward ahah... anyway that is all for this week.

hou doe elder fernhout

Driving to Den Helder

Saying goodbyes to the great ward members

The Van Der Puts

Weeks 52 and 53: Christmas, Tweede Kerst, and New Years

Wowowowo I am halfway! It feels really short but at the same time when I think of all that I have done it feels like a long time. No, I didn’t do anything special, just celebrated the new year which was freakin crazy! Ya, the Wassenar Ward members are great at sending photos to you. They know what it is like and a lot of them have missionaries of their own out in the field. So ya, about New Years. We had to be in at 4:30 pm cause it gets really crazy here. People will shoot you with fireworks and will put them in your hood and run away or blow up trashcans with them. All kinds of things. The night of New Years is like the movie The Purge honestly, you're kinda allowed to do whatever. At about 8:00 pm we were chilling in the house setting goals, planning, and playing board games (a game called Ticket to Ride) and all you hear for hours on end is fireworks, nonstop, fun stuff.  They have been going for like 5 days. So we decided to go to the 13th floor of our building and look out. You could see fireworks all over but then at 12:00 we went out and it was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen. It was amazing. We could see Den Haag and in 360 degrees there were fireworks as far as you could see. I have lots of vids and pics of it. But I am convinced that the Netherlands is the best place to be on New Years!

Oh wow sounds really cold. I wish I was there to help scoop up the snow, but here I was doing my own shovelling. We went to the farm and we hadn’t been for 2 weeks so there was a lot of poop to scoop. I thought I was done and then he showed us this other area. I had never seen so much poop, I can’t even describe it, and I had to scoop it all up, it was extremely heavy.  My snow shovelling skills came in handy. I scooped it into wheelbarrows which were then hauled out by the other elders. It was kinda fun and really satisfying.

I miss not being in Hawaii right now… ugh. Oh well. I’m more jealous that all the family is together and I am missing than the fact that they are in Hawaii.

Exciting things about the week are we had a great appointment with a less active member, he said he will come to church and that he really appreciated us coming by. We have had a few good appointments with families A and F. They are progressing and came to a ward Christmas dinner party we had. They loved it! It was really fun for the missionaries as well. The husband really wants books to read but the problem is that he reads only in Turkish, so we downloaded the Gospel Library App for him and now he has access to more books and other materials, he likes it. They haven’t come to church yet on Sunday but they want to, the desire is there.

Questions:
1.  What did you do for Christmas?
2.  What did you do for New Year’s?  Did you see/hear any fireworks?
3.  Did you have many dinner appointments this week?
4.  How is the work?  I imagine it is difficult to see people this time of year.
5.  Did you do anything for your 1 year celebration?
6.  Did you give Elder Ballard his stocking I sent?  Did he like it?
7.  How full is the drive getting?  Do I need to download pictures?
8.  I saw on the forecast for Zoetermeer rain and showers everyday for the week. Are you managing to keep dry?  I hear the Dutch have a lot of different words for rain.

1. We had a lunch appointment with a family in the Wassenar Ward, super cool family. We played some games with their kids and talked. The husband was sick so we gave him a blessing afterwards. Not much else besides looking up a few less actives.
2. ooooh yes, they went non stop for about 5 days. The other elders could not sleep, haha.
3. Yup, mainly with members from the Wassenar Ward which was sick. This one Filipino fam fed us, we had a good time and I learned a few words in Tagalog.
4. Ya it is really hard, everybody just says next year, next year. So we have a lot of appointments this week and next but it has been kinda rough. We went on exchanges with the ZLs [Zone Leaders]. I was with Elder Enger. I have worked with him before back when I was in Emmen. He is really great, we had a fun time. Also found a new investigator so that is always nice. Then Ballard and I found this Polish couple a few days after so we have 3 new investigators this week, so pretty good!
5. Not really
6. Ya he did and yes he did. We used the snow powder on New Years, it was fun.
7. Ya, maybe a good time to take some things off. I have lots to upload, don’t know when I can do it but soon. [He is writing from a library in Den Haag because the computers in the library in Zoetermeer were down and he is also having a district PDay, lunch and activity in Den Haag.  I’ll add pictures to the blog as he sends them.]
8. Ya it is wet here, sucks but it's okay. Ya we are staying mostly dry.

The scripture of the week is Alma 38:5, I was reading and I did the thing that you always used to do when we did family scripture reading, you replaced the name with my name. So I did that and it was nice to see how it was applicable in my life. And like it says, if we put our trust in God then things will work out and I see that so much! not only in my life but in the lives of so many others. If you don’t know what to do just trust God and things will work out!

[What is cool about him sharing this scripture is that I had a scripture in a draft email, but hadn’t sent it yet, that reminded me of him … Alma 38:3… same chapter just a couple of verses earlier.  It reads, “I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites (Zoetermeer).”]

hou doe