Only a week an half left of my first transfer in the land

Goede Dag iedereen! 

This week has been quite an interesting one in regards to weather, teaching, and personal triumph. For the past three days the wind has blown in all directions so as we're riding our bikes with all the human force we are capable to summon, we, (about 80 percent of the time) have to get off our bikes and just start walking. It's quite fun though, I have to admit, sometimes we refuse to get off our bikes and we hold one fist in the air to spite the wind and yell to each other, "we can do it! Adversity is strong but we are stronger! Yeah!" 

(Yes, we know we're quite dramatic and we may or may not have been given strange looks as we ride by but sometimes you just have to make hard things fun in order to get through them.) My hair is also a highlight to see whenever we walk to a door and I see my reflection of the results of crazy wind and my thick/now curly hair. Sometimes I just leave it be because the people get a laugh at what we look like when we knock on their door. I think it was on Wednesday when it was crazy wind but it was pouring freezing rain and one of our appointments fell through so we had a 4-hour gap of just being outside. One woman said to us when she opened it the door, "it's raining guys." "We know, but we still have to work :)" Everything was just drenched and I had to stay like that the entire day, by the time we got back to the apartment at 9pm I couldn't really feel my toes or fingers lol. 

Through the insane weather this week, I have begun to gain a testimony of when it says in the scriptures that one soul is priceless in the eyes of God. Yesterday, was one of the coldest and windiest days yet and we were knocking doors without success for 2 hours straight. When we were done, we got on our bikes and started to head to our appointment, when as we were riding we see a man with his 2-year-old son walking down the street. Both of us has a very strong impression to stop and talk to him, so in a very awkward, and might I add difficult introduction when trying to get off your bike while riding and the wind in blowing, all the while trying to keep your skirt down, we were able to start a conversation in my stumbling Dutch. He told us that he has family in the US and we went to church one time and saw the temple and that it was really amazing. 

Anyways, after we finished, we got back on our bikes and continued. Extremely grateful and just happy, my companion looks to me and said, "that's who we were suppose to meet. that's why we were out here so long with no success. We needed to talk to that guy." I don't know if he'll ever call us or be interested again but just being able to talk to someone that was really nice and positive was a highlight in the many freezing hours we spend with people not wanting to talk to us. And while riding my bike back I was thinking of that scripture of the worth of souls, and you begin to really appreciate just that one person who wants to listen in the sea of the hundreds who don't. 

I've also been realizing the power of your personal testimony. We have one investigator, a teenager, who's been kicked out of her home because her parents didn't want to deal with her anymore. She's been going through such a hard time lately and as we were talking in the library and I just spoke about how much this gospel has taught many skills in my life and how it has shown me through years of studying that I'm important to God. Many people think that conversion and testimony comes quickly or rather should come quickly because they reason that if God loves them then He would make himself known unto them. 

My personal experience is not that at all. To know God, and to understand your worth means to work diligently to want to know Him. You have to pour your soul out in prayer and study of the scriptures to understand what He wants for you. And once He sees your effort, your diligence, and yearning to have Him in your life then, and only then, after the trial of your faith will you really understand that He's there and that you're important to Him. It all begins with the sincere hope of wanting to understand which leads to faith and then to action (on your part). If you're looking for God, you will find Him because He really is there and He's waiting for us to want to have Him in our lives, to encompass our lives and have His love abound in them. 

I love you all! 

Zuster Begazo