Nicholas Fernhout in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission: Week 40: Ik Werd Ziek and Zone Conference in Zwolle

Well, this week wasn’t particularly special. Kinda lame actually but with some good high points. Some of the crappy things that happened were that I got sick and so did ER and I also lost the very important card that we use to travel anywhere. Buses, trains, trams, metro just anything so that sucks... but that happened only a few days ago so it hasn’t been toooo bad. [The good news is that he has now found it!]

On Tuesday we helped T. in her garden for a few hours. We moved some big tiles around and picked up a door for her, just random things that needed to be done. Wednesday we had zone conference which was definitely the high of the week. It was sick because it was combined with the zone from Amsterdam which is where E. Furniss is at. So when I got to Zwolle I got on a bus with a bunch of other missionaries but then just as the bus was pulling away I saw EF coming out of the station and it was really funny cause he made a funny face and I was like there he is!! Good moment. Then when we met at the church we talked a bunch. It was really great to see him again. I also saw a ton of others like E. Tanner who I sat beside and I saw the 2 from Matt’s group. There's just so many missionaries who I like and it was like a family reunion! Good times.

We also got a new way to contact people and they introduced a new referral program. Good stuff. Then the day after we went on exchanges with Zwolle. I went to Zwolle for the first time on an exchange and I was with 2 greenies. Our District Leader, E. Geddes, came to work in Emmen with E. Rytting. I was kinda bummed because we had a solid appointment in Emmen, as well as a dinner appointment, and then in Zwolle they had nothing… so we did a lot of doors, in the rain… but we had a good time the three of us. We even found a new investigator! We had some other good talks with people. One guy said we will talk again in 20 years and he said he knows that. So I asked him his name. It is Jan and so in 20 years I'll be lookin for him. Toeval bestaat niet! [Translation: coincidence does not exist]. The 2 greenies are E. Robinson from Boston and E. Eck from Utah, both are chill. I had never really talked to EE before but he's prettty sick. Loves skiing so we talked about that a bunch, he would fit in well with all the guys back home I think.

The next morning I was feeling really crappy but we had a pretty chill day ahead of traveling to Den Haag to pick up ER's ID card. That was a lot, a lot, of trains. We got some Subway there, then went to Leiden quick to scan his ID for the office, then we came home to Emmen, then we took another train to Coevorden to go to a dinner appointment with the Van Dammes who are a sick family. We talked about our families and Sister VD says to tell you that you are an amazing mum, haha [Sister VD sounds awesome :)]. After we took a train home. I was dead after. The next day we went to T.'s again to do service and she also fed us some food. She made stamppot! my first. It was really really good too. It had endive (lettuce stuff) and bacon bits and potatoes and that’s it. She also made some red beets in vinegar and sugar. All really good! We helped her in her garden again. It was raining the entire time though and we got really muddy, not particularly the best weather to do garden service.

Sunday we watched General Conference in the morning and then later that night with the VDs. They fed us dinner again, what is really funny though is that Zuster VD made oma soup, like it was just the same! [as the way Oma Fernhout makes it] and she said that her oma taught her and they call it oma soup, haha. So I told her about our oma soup. She thought that was super funny cause she hasn’t met anyone else who makes it like that. We had it during Conference. Super nice of them! So I have only seen 2 sessions so far. That takes us to now.

Ya, I did hear about Elder Hales, just this morning though. I miss 7 layer dip. Oh and that's really funny that you made oma soup too! [and for General Conference as well!] haha. Noooo I can't believe we lost to Raymond!

Questions:
1. How was Zone Conference?
2. What did they feed you at zone conference? Dutch food?
3. How much of General Conference did you get to watch? Did you watch it from the church? Will you get to watch the sessions you missed sometime?
4. Did you have a favourite talk from General Conference?
5. How did the missionary work go this week? Did you find any Fernhouts?
6. What techniques are you focussing on to find people?
7. Are you able to get around on the trains and other transportation okay?

1. Good

2. Uh, it was rice and chicken curry thing, so not really Dutch no, haha. It was really good though.

3. 2 sessions, both morning sessions. One from the church and one from the VDs. Ya, we will watch them at the church this week sometime.

4. I left my notes at the house on accident but my fav was Elder Waddell's talk.

5. Decent. Not too much time for any proselyting but a little in Zwolle, and no, no Fernhouts found, haha.

6. Using this new survey, we ask people questions and then from their answers we know how to best relate the Gospel to them. I like it!

7. Haha, funny you ask that this week. The week I lose my travel card.

Dat is alles.

Algemene conferentie is Dutch for general conference, btw.

Okay love you lots bye.