Before & After...Maintaining the Monument

Before...

                            

                 
                                               and After...

Little did we know when we began our adventure with this beautiful monument that it would become such an important part of our activities as a Senior Couple here in the Netherlands.  We have seen it in all seasons, with many people, and in all conditions.

Some of our favorite activities as a Groningen District have included the maintenance of the monument. Weeds and grasses grow quickly during the warm weather...even growing ON the monument itself.  We have had three service projects as a District here, each with different missionaries and each in a different time of the year. In addition to the service projects, each visit we make, with whomever we bring to the monument, we do a little pulling of weeds and cleaning up.

The most recent service project is added at the top...

May 18, 2015
Co-District Leaders, Elders Yocom & Bishesar

Top: Elders Moomey and Key
Left to right: Elders Robbins, Yocom, Zusters Jones, Watts, Elders Shaw, Bishesar, Romig,
Zusters Romig, Romney and Kimmons

Always a fun bike ride to the monument - 18 kilometers round trip

We had to include this picture...the best photo bomb ever!  Elder Bishesar's "floating head"!
Elder Moomey in front...

Rainy fun time together...

Notice the "KFC"!  Forty-two pieces of chicken disappeared really quickly...

February 23, 2015
Co-District Leaders, Elders Strickwerda & Schmidt

Top: Elders Eby and Key
Left to right:  Elders Schmidt, Strickwerda, Losee, Zusters Bush, Watts, Romney,
Hopkin and Romig, Elder Woltjen  Elder Romig is the photographer.

Working hard and still having fun!

Picnic time!

July 28,2014
District Leader, Elder Rudolph

Zusters Clement, Broekzitter, Brown, Riley, Wood, Romig and Koulen

Elders Rasmussen, Lind, Rudolph, Cockbain, Romig, Thom and Bourne

We began this day as we met at the Hurdegaryp Train Station with our bikes.  It is about nine kilometers ride to the monument, and the day was sunny, but the wind was blowing.

We pass three beautiful Molen's (Windmills) as we ride to the monument.

The weeds were waist-high when we arrived.

Elder Romig had a chance to "enjoy" yardwork again...

Everyone worked and everyone had fun...

And then everyone enjoyed a picnic lunch together.

"Dreams Come True" ... A Sweet Reunion in Hengelo

Elder Brent Romig, Paul , Hugo and Rudy de Ceunick van Capelle, Elder Gary Romig
Cherie Niboer, Humphrey and Inge de Ceuninck van Capelle

A sweet reunion that we have waited almost 50 years to enjoy happened the first Sunday in January, 2015.  

Forty Eight years ago Elder Gary Romig baptised a family in Hengelo. Two years later Elder Brent Romig served in Hengelo where he met and loved the same family. 

This sweet woman, Sister  Gronovius, is the mother of nine children, and was very receptive to the gospel message when it was taught to her by Elder Gary Romig and his companion, Elder Johnson.  She was bapized with the five oldest children.

Two years later, when Elder Brent Romig was transferred to Hengelo, Sister Gronovius and Elder Koldewyn, Brent's companion, played a trick on him.  The elders knocked on her door, she invited them in, and they began the first lesson.  Elder Romig was teaching the Joseph Smith Story when all the doors opened and nine children all ran in, threw their arms around Elder Romig saying "Wij houden van je!"  ("We love you!")  






Brent has often talked about the wonderful times he had teaching, playing with the children, and learning the Dutch language.  Little Cherie would climb on his lap and have him read Dutch children's books to her, so she really helped him learn the language!  

Sister Gronovius was a fantastic cook and the missionaires loved eating her delicious Indonesian meals!
 

Elder Gary Romig, Bro. Kabel, Sister Schooltink, and Elder Brent Romig

 
Fast Sunday was spent on January 4, 2015 in the Hengelo Ward.  Both brothers bore their testimony and shared their stories from the past.  Bro. Kabel, pictured above, is a councelor in the Bishopric.  As a young boy he started recording the names, dates of service, and home town of each elder who served in Hengelo, and continues to keep this record to this day!  Brent and Gary each found their names in the book, along with other familiar names like Kim McKinnon from Brent's ward in Logan and Steve Burgoyne from Wasatch Ward in Salt Lake City.

Elder Gary Romig, Bishop Paul De Ceuninck van Capelle, Elder Brent Romig

Every missionary's dream is to know that people who's lives they have touched remain active in the church.  One of the greatest thrills for both Gary and Brent is to know that Paul, who was five years old when the family was baptized, is now serving as the Bishop of the Hengelo Ward! 

After church we drove past the old church house where Brent had attended meetings while in Hengelo.

The building also housed the apartment for the Senior Couple serving in Hengelo.

Sanne, Saskia, Marloes De Ceuninck van Capelle, Elder & Zuster Romig, Zuster Annemarie & Bishop Paul De Ceuninck van Capelle

After church we were invited for dinner at the De Ceuninck van Capelle home where Annemarie had cooked one of the best Indonesian meals we have had since arriving in Netherlands!
       




Eet smakelijk!






 

And take a look at the label of the whipped cream to put on our dessert...

"Lekker Romig"  means "Delicious Creamy"!

A fun side note...Hugo said to Gary and Brent, "Which one of you always wore a red scarf?"  Brent replied, "It was me!"

Truly a "dream come true" day!

JoVo Halloween Costume Party in Groningen - 2014

"Master Chefs: Suzanne and Brent"
Elder and Zuster Romig

We arrived in Groningen just before Halloween in 2013 and threw together a fun party for our new friends, the Groningen JoVo's (JongVolwassenen is Dutch for YSA).  This year's party was even bigger and better and a tradition has been created. First improvement:  COSTUMES!  We decided that since we do so much cooking on our mission and especially for these JoVo's that it would be very appropriate to come as Master Chefs.  Our young friends were very creative in the costumes they wore and it added a great atmosphere to the party.  Second improvement:  addition of FUN NEW GAMES!

We really believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, so we'll let these pictures tell the story!

Friends arrived in costume...

Elders Larsen, Giles, Rozendaal and Hirsch

Estrella Job and Erik Brandenburg

Paul Brandenburg and Jennifer Weening

Joey Hooijenga , Gisela and Adilson Clement

Sascha Fiedler & Meiske Hooijenga

Marleen Velthuis, Zusters Elting, Flemming and Bradley

Dinner time....
We served pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, chips, cupcakes, brownies, and donuts, candy, etc...

Games and Activities....

Pumpkin Carving...

Toilet Paper Mummies....

Egg Russian Roulette...

This activity was the "talk of the night"!  We had 30 eggs, 25 were hard boiled and 5 were not cooked.  EVERYONE participated!  One by one eggs were chosen from the carton and smashed on each individual's forehead.  We had gone through 15 eggs before the first raw egg was smashed on...ELDER ROMIG'S FOREHEAD! We didn't even get a picture of it because Zuster Romig was taking the picture, the egg squirted out, and here is the evidence!

1st raw egg:  Elder Romig's hard smash got Zuster Romig!

2nd raw egg: Leonie Stein

3rd raw egg:  Elder Rozendaal

4th raw egg:  Elder Giles

5th and last raw egg:  Oviedo Donegan

Pie eating contest (Dutch style)....
   We used Creme filled, chocolate covered bollens...

We hope that the Senior Couple who replaces us in Groningen will continue with this fun tradition!