Canal that surrounds the centrum (city center)
view from his apartment
City centrum
Chapel in Zwolle
Library (everything is really fancy here!)
So I don't know where to begin! It's been something else with me for the first few days in the Netherlands! I'm not sure how to describe it, but it kind of feels like I've been thrown into a video game or the middle ages or something! Europe is so different and so beautiful! The town is so big and is mostly old looking brick and stone buildings with narrow cobblestone streets and dark canals and paths. The air is cool and heavy with humidity which feels nice. It's only rained a couple times since I got here.
It's so crazy to hear everyone speaking dutch! It's so foreign sounding and it gives me the impression that I'm a character in a video game, it can be kind of unreal. So many people bike here! It's cool especially because they have great bike paths everywhere. The people here are quite diverse, beautiful and tall, but there are hardly any near my height. I'm picking up the language really fast, I understand half of people half the time. Most of them know english quite well, but don't really like to speak it. Every person I've talked to after I tell them I've only been here 5 days are quite impressed. I'm trying to take every opportunity to listen and speak to people. We haven't done a whole lot of contacting yet, but I've been introducing us every time so I get it flowing well and natural. I also bring a little notebook around everywhere to write down phrases I hear and definitions I ask from people. Dutch is really similar to english in a lot of ways. It seems like maybe half of dutch words I've learn so far have some similarity to the english word. I have made it a goal for my dutch to be indistinguishable from a native's by the end of my mission which will take constant study and talking to everyone I can about everything I can. But first things first, becoming comfortable in teaching lessons. I think I will be completely confident in the language by three months in if I study hard and practice all the time.
My companion is from Norway but speaks perfect english. He's been out six months and is good at being a responsible senior companion. He's a good guy and loves music so we have a good time. We've only taught a couple lessons so far, but we've visited some less actives done a service project and went to a ward BBQ which was fun to talk to people. Church was really nice! I was really tired, I guess my jet lag was finally catching up (4 days later...), but I enjoyed the meetings and meeting the members. Their meetings are in reverse order from ours and they probably had about 45 people there, the majority of which were young families. Me and my companion made some pretty high goals for this transfer that will take some serious work and desire, but I'm excited to see how we pull them off. We are the only missionaries in a very large area around Zwolle. There's lots of pretty Farmland in our area.
Our apartment is way out on the edge of town, about a twenty minute bike ride from church and a ten minute ride from the city centrum which is this large area surrounded by a canal which is like a mote. Apparently there used to be sort of a fort on the Island. It's really cool. Coming out and getting my first glimpse of what missionary work is actually like has been interesting. Ít's definitely true that not everyone is willing to follow to every single missionary guideline, but I don't think that's different in any mission. The missionaries here I think and have been told are very good and do their best to be obedient which means that our president trusts them enough to give them some freedom. There are about 120 elders and sisters in the Belgium Netherlands mission, and there's a group of 47 coming in next transfer which is huge. President Bunnell has been here a month and a couple weeks I think. He's really nice. We have zone conference on Wednesday.
There are a lot of things I want to do and be here and I'm excited to see how the Lord will help me. It's not going to be easy to become completely fluent and to always give my best, but I've set expectations for myself and I know that with the Lord's help, as I turn to Him and selflessly and diligently serve that it will be worth it. When I know I haven't done my best I can feel like. I'm sure I'll be tempted to get discouraged as things don't turn out as I had hoped (which as a greenie and a missionary in general happens often) but as I understand the Lord's will for me and set my life, mind and heart accordingly, I know I can overcome and do great things and be happier than ever before.
Setting our transfer (six weeks) goals was exciting. I'm blessed to have a good companion that knows what to do and is resourceful and willing to work hard. There is so much work to do but so much promise being a missionary. Our goals for this transfer are 2 baptisms, 5 people with baptismal dates, 20 people to attend sacrament meeting, 10 lessons with a member present, 40 other lessons, 30 to have five investigators progressing per week, seven refferals, 15 new investigators, 24 lessons with less actives, and 15 first lessons with an invitation to be baptized. These are pretty high goals but I know that if we truly have the desire and faith that the Lord will provide, even if we don't see how it's going to happen. I'm glad for these goals because they'll help us focus. These first few days have been so wonderful, hopefully I won't always be this tired though. We went shopping today, we're almost ready to start doing the Insanity workout every morning (we just need the DVD from the bishop) along with an aggressive diet. The food here is great and we have plenty of money as long as we plan. Goals and planning (and executing them) are key. I mostly need to work on the doing part now.
One other thing I've learned is that I don't need to be shy about my dutch. I just need to say what I feel I should say (open my mouth) because I'm plenty good at it (for 5 days in) so people will understand me because regardless of how proper it sounds, my testimony is critical and the more I practice saying things even if I feel I'm not ready the better I'll get. The gift of tongues is real and it's helping me.
Also I've learned a bit about the fact that God loves all of His children equally and completely and I must and can regardless of their appearance, class, choices they've made, or anything. You can only learn that and learn to act according with God's help. He can enable us to do many such things we thought impossible. He provides a way for us to keep all of His commandments "I know that the Lord gives 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" (1st Nephi 3:8). That 'way", especially when it comes to changing ourselves, is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because Christ experienced all of our trials and pains and difficulties, He knows how to overcome them and with enable us to do so if we pray to Him in faith, believing that He is able to help us as we do our best to follow His commandments. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ.
Hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Elder Knaupp
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