Friday, June 19, 2009

Dutch Mission Conference

On Tuesday the 16th of June we had the last Zone Conference with our current mission President, Paul Woodland and his wife Marilyn. It was a rare conference of all of the Dutch speaking part of our mission. We had a group picture taken, which you see above this article. (If you click on the picture it will become larger. Also look for a zoom button, so it is easier to see.) It is amazing to us to know that there are almost the same number of French speaking missionaries who will also be having a conference on another day. The two languagues are what make this mission unique. Our mission president is fluent in French and has learned quite a bit of Dutch too. He is a great leader and we will miss him and his wife very much.

At the conference we heard the farewell testimonies of 12 missionaries who are leaving next week to return home. They had such wonderful testimonies that they shared with us. We heard the story of a man named Shum, who was praying about the Book of Mormon in the day time. At the end of his prayer he opened his eyes and the room was filled with bright sunshine and he felt a wonderful warm feeling. He knew then that the book was the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He was baptized and is now enjoying his membership in the church. The spirit was so strong during the meeting. We heard several of the missionaires talk about struggles that they had had at one point in their mission, and of the joy that they experienced with a change of attitude and heart. It was also wonderful to see how the Elders hug each other. The sisters also hug each other. It is so great to see the love and genuine concern that the entire group has for others. There were also some members present to help with some training. They played the role of investigators being met on the street. It was a wonderful day, and one that will be remembered for a long time to come. We love being a part of this great work.

No comments: