Saturday was a very busy day. We drove across the long "afsluitdijk" a long dike built about 90 kilometers (about 60 miles)long to the western part of the northern area of the Netherlands. It holds back the sea and now encloses the Zuiderzee to make it a fresh body of water. Part of that area has been pumped dry and has now formed another province. It is amazing to me to realize how this country really has been taken back from the sea.
We spent part of the afternoon along the ocean and visited a fort in Den Helder with another senior missionary couple. In 1811 the French emperor and super strategist Napoleon ordered the Kijkduin Fortress to be built when he was visiting Huisduinen. It has a perfect view of anything approaching the shore. The fort lodged over 700 soldiers and there are underground passageways as well as a mote. Napoleon called Den Helder the Gibraltar of the North. I have attached pictures of the fort.
After a steak dinner (our first in the Netherlands)the four of us drove to Rotterdam for the evening to celebrate a wedding anniversary of another senior couple. Actually it was a good excuse for doing some great missionary work. Many investigators as well as ward members were invited to the event and we were able to mingle and get acquainted with them. We had five senior couples as well as two sets of Elders there so it was an enjoyable evening. We got home after midnight after spending more than seven hours in our little sardine can car.
This morning it was pretty hard to wake up and start the day. Our branch just had our only missionary from this area for a long time come home from Greece and so the whole morning was spent on meetings and well as serving a lunch after for all those who came. We had a number of non members there and some in-actives to welcome him home. Probably the most people this building has held for a long time. All of maybe 50 people. It took three people to pass the sacrament where it usually only takes one to bless it and one to pass it. If we could just get all of those people to come all the time. Each week we either, pray, teach a lesson or speak in sacrament meeting and sometimes more than one of these. No slackers allowed here.
1 comment:
I love learning about Holland and hearing about your mission. Thanks for blogging. PS...it makes me giggle because everytime I look at a new Dutch word I kind of think you just bumped your fist on the keyboard a few times. :D Happy Mission to you!
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