Serving without Love is Slavery

July 17

Transfers with be next week Wednesday and either my greenie will go somewhere else or I will leave and probably head into my last area. I am trying to ditch some of my stuff so that I have room to look for things that you would like. It is summer sales here so everything is about 60 to 70 percent off. Image result for volendam
We went to Volendam, a very Dutch place in our area with the rest of the district for P day and took a picture in traditional dutch clothing. fun.




This week was pretty slow. Tuesday was good. We had interviews, and a dinner appointment which is rare. We live outside of Amsterdam but all the members live in Amsterdam so the other 6 missionaries in Amsterdam get all the dinner appointments because it takes so long for us to get to a dinner appointment.

Everybody we have met has seemed to turn on us and yell at us or disrespect us as much as possible from behind their front door or become a new investigator and then try to convert us to their own religion or beliefs. It was really disappointing. But there are still some miracles. This last week it was time for us to go home for dinner and we decided to finish the street we were knocking instead. We didn't find anybody but right as we were about to walk into our apartment building I saw a man and had a impression to talk to him. So I did. it turns out his best friend is a mormon from his mother country. We have an appointment with him on Friday.

There are the days when I don't think I can handle talking to one more rude person without trying to slug them or something, and then there are the days when missionary work seems to easy and successful. I guess I am trying tot appreciate the way people do things and learn to love their habits, no matter how counterproductive they may be to missionary work. They say we have to serve a mission, but I was thinking this week that if you are serving then you are doing it with love, otherwise it is slavery. I don't want to be a slave to the people or the church or God. I want to serve them all.
The cheese doesn't yell at me

We had a lesson this week with a new investigator form last week. He had told one of his church friends that he could become a mormon pretty soon, so his friend came along to the lesson. Pretty much he was really nice guy, but just there to keep this man form investigating further. We would point out things from the bible that encourage us to seek more truth, but he would dodge the topic and read some other random verses that had nothing to do with our point. It wasn't worth our time. We probably do the same things that don't change and keep us back from more truth and light. It is probably very frustrating for God. It is important to be open for truth. 

The girl that I talked to a couple weeks that went to church in Rotterdam last week is now scheduled for baptism in 4 weeks. Super cool. I wish I could have an investigator like that. 

We also went to another Suriname birthday party this week it was fun. ​

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