First Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays in Netherlands...

The holidays were a busy, busy time for Elder  & Zuster Romig.  Get ready for a whirlwind synopsis of our events for the end of November and all of December....

Thanksgiving is an American holiday and all the missionaries serving in the Groningen District are from America. So we hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner we'll never forget.  The only night that we could find free time in all our busy schedules was on Sunday, November 24, 2013. We asked each companionship to bring a food item to share and we provided the turkey (NOT AVAILABLE IN NETHERLANDS), dressing, broccoli casserole, 24-hour salad and rolls.  We were not able to find a turkey bigger than a chicken, so we roasted chicken breasts in bags and it tasted great.  We had yummy food and great company!

Elders England, Bonney, Sanderson, Besendorfer, Peterson and Nelson.

Zusters Heilner, Western, Rosenlof and Larson

We started the meal with a Romig tradition passed down from when Elder Romig's sister, Peggy, was on her mission.  Each of us had three kernels of popcorn and shared something we were thankful for with each kernel.  It was a sweet experience hearing the heartfelt gratitude of these wonderful young elders and zusters.

























A very important part of the night to remember is the phone calls received because it was "transfer night".  Each companionship was altered (except us) with four of our district members leaving including Elder Sanderson, our District Leader.  Elder England, and Zusters Heilner and Rosenlof were also transferred.

Elder Jose A. Teixeira

A very exciting event took place in Amsterdam on December 11 and 12, our Mission Zone Conference with a visiting General Authority, Elder Jose A. Teixeira and his wife.  Our mission has so many missionaries that the conference was divided into two groups, one met on Wednesday and one met on Thursday. We, as Senior Couples, were asked to help those days with preparations and presentation of food for about 90 people each day.




We were asked to prepare an African Fruit Salad for each day.  The fruits, because they are "exotic fruits", had to be ordered in advance to be ripe and ready to eat. We picked up the food from Makro (like Costco on steroids) on Monday, enjoyed FHE with the JoVo's that evening, and drove to Amsterdam on Tuesday (for this Zone Conference we drove over 400 kilometers).  Luckily, we were able to stay in our old apartment while we were there.  When we got to Amsterdam, we began cutting fruit, and cutting, and cutting, and cutting for about 6 hours each night.

One day's fruit included 9 large papayas, 32 mangos, 10 fresh pineapples, and 40 bananas...

We were delighted to have "house guests" each night while we were there, first night with four elders, next night with five zusters, and next night with four elders.  The guests were put to work cutting fruit the first two nights...we were SO GRATEFUL for their help!

"Houseguests" on December 10: Elders Muse, Claflin, Bosco and Eastmond

Zuster "Houseguests" & fruit cutting helpers on December 11.

"Houseguests" on December 12:  Elders Ipson, Sumpter, Praag, and Gomez.

It is nearly impossible to express how wonderful it was to be part of the training from President and Sister Teixeira as well as President  and Sister Robinson!  President Teixeira shared story after story after story to emphasize the points of training for us.  And each story was a personal experience!  We were especially humbled to hear of his conversion and the miracles that took place before, during and after.  It was amazing to be there for two days and hear new miracle stories on the second day, including more about his conversion.  What an inspirational man he is!  The training and instructions we received from Sister Teixeira and the Robinsons was invaluable and put to use even before we returned home.  What an amazing spiritual feast!


Sunday, December 15, started with an event we were dreading...until it was over!  We were the scheduled speakers in our Leeuwarden Sacrament Meeting.  We each spoke in Dutch, Zuster Romig gave a talk for about 3 minutes and Elder Romig spoke over 20 minutes.  It was terrifying for each of us!  Terrifying but extremely satisfying once it was over!  Isn't it amazing how hard "firsts" can be?!

After Sacrament Meeting we drove to Zwolle for a JoVo Dienst, (Young Adult Gathering) with Zusters Rigdon and Western riding along. After the Dienst we headed to Apeldoorn for a fantastic Stake Christmas Concert, where we enjoyed an evening filled with near professional music, both singing and instrumental.  The concert was used as a missionary tool, and there were many, many investigators attending.  We sat by some investigators who were attending with their neighbor, and all of us felt the spirit of Christmas as we listened and sang along.

Elder Romig with Bishop and Zuster de Ceuninck van Capelle

We had a delightful surprise while we were waiting for the program to begin. Sitting right in front of us was a man Elder Romig had not seen since his first mission to Netherlands, Paul de Ceuninck van Capelle.  Paul was about seven or eight years old when they met in 1969 in the city of Hengelo.  Paul's mother and siblings who were old enough, had been baptized by Elder Gary Romig, Brent's brother.  Paul has remained active in the church, in fact he is the Bishop of the Hengelo Ward! We also met his wife and some of his children.

After the concert, the Leeuwarden Zusters returned home with people who lived closer to them, and we returned to Groningen with the Groningen Zusters.  We finally arrived home at about 11:30 p.m. after driving a total of 370 kilometers!

The following Tuesday, December 17, our District Meeting was held in Leeuwarden instead of Groningen.  We fixed tacos for the missionaries after the meeting, then participated in a "blitz" of  downtown Leeuwarden.  We paired up in groups of four, then two's, and contacted people all through the center of town.  It was VERY successful, in fact, we returned to the church and had two separate discussions take place with investigators.  In total, we had names and information for several people who the missionaries are teaching and following up with.  The "blitz" was a first for us, and we loved participating!

Recently we have participated in several lessons with either the elders or the zusters.  Each lesson we have helped with has been a sweet and spiritual experience for us and we are so thankful for the opportunity to share this beautiful gospel with people who are hungry for more truth.

During the week before Christmas, we visited each of our Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching families to invite them to a special Christmas Service.  Our families cover ALL of Friesland, and we loved seeing the beautiful countryside...driving just over 200 kilometers to visit all the families.

Sunday, December 22 was a special day in Gemeente Leeuwarden with President and Zuster Robinison, our Mission President and wife, visiting and speaking.  We had sacrament meeting first, then a special Christmas Program, then a potluck meal.  We had over 90 people attending, including several of the investigators we had contacted during the "blitz" as well as less active members.  Our average attendance is around 40 people.

In the Netherlands, Christmas is celebrated on three days:  Sinterklaus dag (December 5), and religious 1st Christmas (December 25) and 2nd Christmas (December 26).  Sinterklaus dag is when St. Nicholas and his helper Swarte Piet bring gifts and fill wooden shoes with treats. 1st and 2nd Christmas are feast days and people attend church. 

We had the special opportunity to join a family, the Rijken's, from our branch for a meal in Heerenveen for 1st Christmas. They had the Elders and Zusters from Leeuwarden and us join them at their home.  After eating, the missionaries each had the opportunity to visit with their families.  We were able to Skype with all six of our children and their families before we went to bed.



































2nd Christmas included singing Christmas songs with the entire Zwolle Zone at an old folks home. 
The home is close to the Groningen church house and there are two members who live in the home. Elder Romig took this picture.


The Christmas season and December could not end better than with the birth of a new grandson, Jaxon Brent Romig, son of Jed and Ashley, on December 28, 2013!  Jaxon weighed 8 lbs. 8 ounces and was 20 inches long.  We are very, very thankful for modern technology and Skype so that we could talk with Jed and Ashley and see Jaxon soon after he was born!  Our arms longed to hold that little boy, but we know that we are doing what the Lord needs us to do at this time in our life.

Jaxon Brent Romig, born December 28, 2013
8 lbs 8 oz - 20 inches