dearest crew:

 

this week was intense. time is flying by. i have been here for 5 months. that is crazy to me. life is so short! it is such a small time. moments like this make me really want to cherish my time more and use it all more wisely. on tuesday we went to sister adamaah's house and my companions had their first ever Fufu. it is classic ghanain cuisine. i taught them how to eat it with their hands. it was quite a delightsome event. everyone needs to try fufu at least once - i will have a fufu party when i get home, dont even worry about it. we biked to Noord and spent a good chunk of time there. oh - btw - does anyone know how big amsterdam is in comparison to kaysville? in fact - i need a map of kaysville in my apartment. i have no idea how far we bike everyday - not a clue. i should figure it out. anyways. i am getting distracted.

 

its a particularly rainy week. which means - a lot of rain. and a lot of getting wet. but i bought an orange umbrella. so - its all good. we had a super swell appointment with pedrita and edvin this week. we asked them if they had read in the book of mormon and they said YES!!!!! oh what joy fills my heart to hear that answer. it was great. oh how i wish everyone could have a little taste of the love of God! if only they knew how much they were loved! and that they have so much potential. do we even truly understand what we have? oh man sometimes i feel like i have no idea what i have. i do know that Heavenly Father wants us to figure it out. and He has given us all of the tools to do so. He didnt just send us down here and tell us "good luck with that" and leave us to our own craziness. i feel like we have so many amazing resources and they just keep coming! blessing after blessing. answer after answer. oh snap - we are so blessed.

 

this morning i was studying a talk by e.uchtdorf from the fantastic conference issue that you sent me (THANK YOU SO MUCHHHHH) and it was called the "why"of the priesthood. i love that talk. it goes hand in hand with missionary work. i loved this quote "preaching is fine, but sermons that do not lead to action are like fires without heat or water that cannot quench thirst" - talk about brilliant. that sure moved me to action. and then he quoted good old thomas edison "the value of an idea, lies in the using of it" amen. amen amen. the gospel is simple. i can sum it up in three words MAKE IT HAPPEN. well, almost. its all about our action. oh how i pray and pray for our investigators to come to church. to read in the book of mormon. their testimonies lie in the actions they take. it is the same for me. i am learning this every day. good gravy! i am so grateful for Heavenly Fathers seemingly endless patience with me. i don't think i make it very easy for Him.

 

so, today - we went to the hard rock cafe in amsterdam. wow. it was so weird. i felt like i was in america. it was crazy. that is pretty much what we did for pday. next week we will have a party to celebrate my bday and also roos' bday. woo hoo! i shall make us jamaican food. it will be grand. i shall also send some photos. yes. life is good. everyday is something new. nothing ever goes as planned - but i guess it isn't ever boring. we don't have time to be bored! last night we wanted to shake things up so we had a sleepover on the main floor. one of our couches has a pull out bed and we dragged our beds down - listened to strauss and sipped herbal tea. it was quite the party. that is how we do it in amsterdam.

 

things are going super duper well with jenny. she is AMAZING. seriously. oh man. everytime we ask her how she views something we have taught her, she gives us some brilliant analogy and understanding that is just so deep and fantastic. oh wow i feel so blessed to even know her. her date is still the 16th of june and its going to be a super great day! woot!

 

we met a man named Geert. he is awesome. he came to church on sunday and we took him on a tour, then he stayed for all three hours and then he stayed for the baptism and the food afterwards and when i went to make up an appointment he said -" well, i will be here on wednesday for the ward dinner so we can do it before it starts." amazing. what a champ! we shall see what occurs.

 

well - that is pretty much what happened this week. i feel like i could've been more poetic. next week perhaps. oh - guess what? i just found some gluten free bread at the store. that is pretty cool.

 

 

so - i will leave you with the quote that is going to help me get through the week.

 

"there is no obstacle too great, no challenge too difficult, if we have faith. " - president hinckley.

 

i love you all! thank you for the birthday wishes and awesomeness! i am so grateful!

 

lovessssssssssssssssss - katelyn