Baptisms!!

OK, so I know I haven't been on my mission for that many weeks yet,
but seriously, this week gets the award for the most amazing week thus
far, filled with more miracles than I deserve!

Let me just start off by saying I LOVE MY MISSION. I am 100% in love
with every aspect, the work, the ward, the people, the city, the
language, yep all of it. Even the hard times. Haha I probably won't
admit it when I'm going through hard times, but I always learn
something.

But before I tell you about all of that, it sounds like things are
going great back home! I loved the pictures! Wow Julia you look
pregnant!!! Haha so beautiful though as always. Thank you for your
email! I'm glad to hear you're loving the house; you should send me
pictures. :) Chris and Angela look so happy! Please thank them for
sending me the invitation and tell them I am writing them a letter
today. I'm so glad all the family got to be together. William, I
totally can imagine you tearing up the dance floor -- way to make me
proud.

OK so this email is going to be really fast and random, but there is
so much I want to say! So yes, everything is going so well.
Seriously I keep thinking this is all too good to be true but then I
remember -- oh wait-this is the gospel; NOTHING is too good to be
true.

Last Tuesday we had the most fun zone P-day. We had a great time
doing zone finding and found a lot of new investigators. And then it
started pouring rain (haha) which it always does here, and we went and
played soccer. Well, the elders went and played soccer. Zuster
Gulliver and I got kinda lost and ended up just running up and down
the streets in the pouring rain singing "Onward Christian Soldiers,"
and then going home and making hot chocolate.

Wednesday was zone conference and it was so inspiring! I got to meet
a ton of sisters and elders and I got to see Zuster Pierson again
which was great. We talked all about working with members and the
importance of them. I got called on to do a lot of role playing
things and a lot of other missionaries came up to me after and said I
was the most confident Greenie they had ever met. Which I find funny
because I frequently don't feel that way. Anyway, it was so
inspirational and we came up with a lot of good ideas on how to help
the ward and work better with them.

Thursday we went on exchanges. Zuster Caitlin Robbins, who says she
knows John and Britt (which is why I included her first name) came
from Dordrecht to work with me. I was actually super nervous because
Zuster Robbins had never been here before which meant I was kind of in
charge of what we would do and the map and all that. I was so scared,
but I prayed really hard the night before that everything would go
okay. And oh my goodness does Heavenly Father answer prayers. I will
try and tell you quickly the biggest miracle.

We had an appointment with William for 12:30 and we had to go and meet
our joint teach in Central Station before. That meant we needed to
leave the house before 11:30. The bad thing was though that we ran
late and ended up not living the house till after 11:30. I was so
upset so I called William and told him we would be late. He responded
and said, "No you cannot be late; you must respect time," and all this
other stuff. So I said, "Okay then, we'll be on time." There was no
way though because we were so late. I prayed hard and we set out. We
met our joint teach and it started pouring rain. I didn't have my
umbrella and Zuster Robbins' was too small. (It's actually really
funny looking back.) Anyway, I tried really hard to find his place
but we got lost. So I prayed, "Please, please we have to get there."
And then all of a sudden the map made sense and we found our way.
When we got to William's door it stopped raining, I looked at the
phone, and the time was, I kid you not, 12:29. Haha oh my gosh I
could've cried. I promise you there was NO way that could've happened
without Heavenly Fathers help. We had a great lesson with William and
he is getting baptized June 19. I will forever call that the 12:29
miracle :)

Yesterday was Heidi and Marie's baptism and it was incredible!
Everything went so well, including my talk thank goodness. Saturday
night they took us and the elders out to eat and it was a blast. They
were so prepared. Practically the whole ward stayed and everyone was
so welcoming. The room was glowing. Next week one of the elders
investigators Kurt is getting baptized and they asked if I would give
the talk on the Holy Ghost. Haha lots of Dutch practice for me.

Oh how I love it here. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for all
of his children. We are so important to Him. I've learned countless
times already that if it's important to us, it's important to Him.

I love you all! Met veel liefde,
Zuster Holbein