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| A snow-covered monument that still warms the heart! |
As we anticipated another six-week transfer, we realized that those missionaries serving here had never seen the monument! We decided to spend our preparation days each week taking the companionships out to the monument. We will continue to do this with each new missionary throughout our time in Groningen.
Elder Romig had felt a deep, sincere urgency to make this possible, and our first companionship to go with us were the Leeuwarden Zusters Rigdon and Hoff pictured below.
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| Zuster Rigdon & Zuster Hoff January 27, 2014 |
At District Meeting the following morning, Zuster Rigdon was very excited to share a "miracle" with the district. She had learned some family history with ties to missionary work in Netherlands. Her mother, VaLynn, wrote the following to us in an email:
" I was writing to Chelsea about her great, great, great, great grandfather the week that you took her to the monument where the first baptism in Holland was. (When you took her there she didn't realize the relationship). Her grandfather was born in Franeker, Friesland in 1812. He was married in Leeuwarden in 1835. He met the missionaries and was baptized while he was working in Wales. He later moved with his wife to Utah and later settled Malad, Idaho. When he was 48 he was asked to return to Holland to be the first missionary there. He served (his name was Aune Weigers van der Woude) with Paul Schettler. They served in Amsterdam and then he went to Leeuwarden. While there he introduced his brother and sister in law to the gospel. They were the first baptism's in Holland. So Gerrit van der Woude was Chelsea's g,g,g,g granduncle baptized by her g,g,g,g, grandfather! I told Chelsea that President Robinson was inspired to send her to Leeuwarden and that you were inspired to take her to the monument."
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| Zuster Rigdon with her mother and sister, when they picked her up from her mission. |
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| Elders Petersen and Besendorfer February 3, 2014 |
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| Elders Nelson and Toole February 10, 2014 |
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| Zusters Larson and Johnson February 17, 2014 |
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| Elders Van Komen and Toole March 31, 2014 |
The molen in the background of all the baptismal monument pictures is being refinished. We expect to see a new coating of thatching the next time we take a companionship to the monument.
We had a special District P-Day activity riding bikes to the monument followed by a picnic. It was such a wonderful activity, that it deserves an entire blog to help us remember. The following four companion pictures were taken at the activity.
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| Zusters Meier & Johnson May 5, 2014 |
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| Zusters Hoff & Clement May 5, 2014 |
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| Elders Rudolph & Pugh May 5, 2014 |
Special P-Day Service Project
July 28, 2014 - Cleaning the Monument
July 28, 2014 - Cleaning the Monument
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| Zusters Clement, Broekzitter, Brown, Riley, Wood, Romig and Koulen Elders Rasmussen, Lind, Rudolph, Cockbain, Romig, Thom and Bourne July 28,2014 |
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| Elders Rudolph and Thom July 28, 2014 Elder Rudolph is our District Leader |
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| Zusters Wood and Riley July 28,2014 |
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| Zusters Koulen, Wood, Riley and Broekzitter July 28, 2014 Zusters Koulen and Broekzitter served "Mini Missions" for three weeks. |
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| Zusters Brown and Clement July 28,2014 |
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| Elders Rasmussen and Lind July 28,2014 |
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| Elders Cockbain and Bourne Zone Leaders July 28,2014 |
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| Zusters Elting and Wood September 1, 2014 |
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| Zusters Aldous & Thorley October 20, 2014 |
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| Elders Hirsch and Giles December 1, 2014 |
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| Zusters Bradley and Fleming December 8, 2014 |
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| Elders Strikwerda, Childs (Co-District Leaders) and Rozendaal December 22, 2014 |
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| Zusters Doxey, Greenwell and Bush January 5, 2015 |
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| Elders Corsini and Robbins (Apeldoorn Zone Leaders) January 19, 2015 |
We have seen this beautiful monument in all possible kinds of weather, but today was a first for us! The fog (or 'mist' as they say in Netherlands) was so thick that we could not even see the picturesque molen in the background. In fact, for Senior Couples with natural, un-dyed hair, the hair disappeared in the picture as well! We asked a passing cyclist to take this picture for us. She was happy to help, visited with us for a few minutes and told us how she planned to bring her walking group to visit the monument. She also mentioned that she has relatives who live in America who are Mormons.
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| Elders Warner & Key January 20, 2015 |
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| Elders Eby & Key February 9, 2015 |
February 23, 2015 - Monument Maintenance
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| Elders Schmidt, Strikwerda, Losee, Zusters Bush, Watts, Romney, Hopkin, Romig, Elder Woltjen Elders Eby and Key sitting on top of the monument. Elder Romig was the photographer. |
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| Elders Schmidt & Strikwerda Groningen District Leaders February 23, 2015 |
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| Elders Woltjen & Losee February 23, 2015 |
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| Zusters Bush & Romney February 23, 2015 |
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| Zusters Watts and Hopkin February 23, 2015 |
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| Elder and Zuster Johnson (Rotterdam) Elder and Zuster Romig (Den Haag) Elder and Zuster Romig (Groningen) April 18, 2015 following the JoVo Volleyball Tournament |
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| Elder and Zuster Romig (Groningen) Elder and Zuster Romig (Den Haag) Elder and Zuster Robison (Office / Amsterdam) May 2, 2015 following Senior Couple Training |
May 18, 2015 - Weeding the Monument & Planting Flowers
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| Elders Moomey and Key on the Monument Elders Robbins & Yocom, Zusters Jones & Watts, Elders Shaw, Bishesar & Romig, Zusters Romig, Romney & Kimmons |
Riding bikes to the monument is a fun part of this P-Day activity.
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| We had to include this picture...the best photo bomb ever! Elder Bishesar's "floating head"! |
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| Each service project encludes lunch at a picnic table close to the monument. Notice the Kentucky Fried Chicken? Each companionship contributed to our picnic, and we provided the special chicken and cole slaw. Elder Key is on crutches, but still joined the fun and service. |
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| Elders Yocom and Bishesar Groningen District Leaders May 18, 2015 |
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| Elders Robbins and Key May 18, 2015 |
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| Zusters Kimmons & Watts (Zr. Watts is our Apeldoorn Zone Zuster Trainer) May 18, 2015 |
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| Elders Moomey & Shaw May 18, 2015 |
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| Zusters Romney & Jones May 18, 2015 |
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