MIracle in the Park

Yeah I'm learning how to really give my heart and that's how you can have power and influence for the good of others. A. came to church, I don't know exactly what's going through his head, but he's positive and showing some good signs. We met with him twice during the week. We can really get any further until he starts really reading the book of mormon, that's what he said, so our conversations where not really focused, but he recognizes that he needs to read the book of mormon, which he should start doing soon.

We had a great time yesterday evening in the park, we started talking with some people in the park and more and more kept coming to talk with us. They were all part of a sort of group of hippies, outcasts, and really easy going people that spend a lot of time in the park in groups. We've seen them before, from a distance, and apperently some of them have seen us and have paid attention and were curious to get to know us particularly. They sit around and smoke a variety of substances as they talk with each other. We've been getting better and better responses from these sorts of people because they see that we talk to everyone. Most of them respect us, are really friendly, and also a bit curious. They're a diverse group, mostly teenages, but some older people like one lady named Sasha that has made it her calling to watch over this divergent herd, seeing as one of the members is her daughter. She came later in the evening. She keeps them somewhat in line. She introduced herself and felt the need to introduce us to everyone. She told everyone that they should respect us. When one older man came up and, on seeing our nametags, began to express his disapproval of us, she stood up and reminded him that we respect everyone. Upon realizing that he actually agreed, the man said sorry. He was nice. It reminded me of when the sharks in Finding Nemo had to hold back their colleague from attacking Dory and Marlin, reminding him that "fish are friends, not food!".

We also met a really nice couple that evening that we had a good conversation with. He says knows God exists, although it's hard for him to admit. He said that he isn't ready to clean up his act yet, but we were able to let him know that he can take small steps now, that he was already on his way by choosing to talking with us, and that even with friendliness and openness. We got his number, he likes us, and if his good mood holds, maybe we'll be able to encourage him to take another step. Another particularly pleasing contact was a young man from Morocco. He joined himself on a conversation we were having with another man. He claims to be agnostic. I actually haven't met anyone yet who has taken that as an official stance. He told us that he wanted to hear our message. He found it interesting and gladly took the book of mormon. I asked for his number, but his phone had recently been stolen. 

In response to the question about German, quite a few dutch people speak it, as well as the occasional German that lives here. Sasha, the lady I met last night speaks German. She was quite disapponted after reading my name that I don't also speak it, but that didn't stop her from expressing that disappointment and preforming some antics, both in German. I could make a surprising amount of sense of what she was saying in German. I really enjoy hearing it because it sounds pleasantly foreign and yet strongly and intriguingly familiar, considering it's closeness to dutch. It's really a pleasure for me now to be able to understand Dutch to the point where although I may not always have a perfect, native understanding of every word being said, that I still absorb a unique impression of expression which I recieve inherently, that is without me having to really exert my focus to determine what has been said. As I lay in bed last night, my thoughts were overly excited in planning and imaging how I would like to learn German, and French, and Spanish, and Arabic. It's good to dream big, but it's most important to learn to do everything in approriate order of priorities and effectiveness. The most effective this I can do now is learn Dutch. In the future, we'll see. I believe that I will have good reasons to learn German and maybe another language or two. My view of what I want to do as a career and what I want to be as a person is becoming much clear and exciting through serving a mission. I love learning about all sorts of people and societies and I am discovering a deep desire to understand why individuals behave and think the ways which they do. I want to use the understanding and skills I develop from that study to work to influence people in order to help them to make their world and our world a better place. I am excited to imagine how the topics which I will end up studying may be involved with the facinating fields of communication, linguistics, history of peoples and cultures, philosophy, politics, theology, and leadership. I am so grateful for the mission field and the service through which I am becoming enabled to freely choose to take part in the greatest and most satisfying work and growth this world has to offer.  

The second most common language here (other than English) would be Arabic. Many Africans and most Middle Easterners speak it. We try and talk to a lot of them, but more often than not, they don't speak Dutch or English practically. So they really ought to call some elders to speak Arabic. 

Love, Ammon