Elder Müller in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission: I'm at a Turkish internet cafe....

Den Haag LDS Temple by Night

Hello!

I'm here in the Turkish internet cafe emailing again! So fun!

So we had a pretty good week. For once everything kind of went normally.

We had exchanges on Tuesday with the District Leader, so I got to go to Zoetermeer. It was quite the experience. My companion for the day was the District Leader's greenie, so he's only been out a couple weeks. It made it challenging but fun. :) It's always an adventure when you have a younger companion, you normally have to take the lead, and be ready to jump in if they don't know where to take the conversation. Mostly just because they don't have as much experience. It was fun, we'd knock a door, my companion would say that we were volunteers from our church and we were sharing a book. Then he'd look at me, and I'd do the rest of the contact. Brought me back to the days when I was a greenie in Brugge with Elder Childs. Not having any idea what was going on, or what to say to keep the conversation going.

I've actually been thinking about the beginning of my mission a lot lately. I'm almost trunky for it. Kind of weird haha. Life was a lot simpler back then. It's very hard, but simpler I feel like. The mission is always hard though. Reminds me of the talk Elder Childs and I would listen to every day, Missionary Work and the Atonement, by Jeffrey R. Holland. "Why would we believe, why would we think, that it would be easy for us, when it was NEVER EVER easy for Him?" Salvation is not cheap, and I am so grateful for the Atonement of Christ that allows us to reach Salvation.

I've been learning a lot about the enabling power of the Atonement these past couple weeks. I'm coming to realize even more, how impossible missionary work is without it. The funny thing about the Atonement is that you can read about it, study about it, listen to talks about it, etc. But until you actually use it, you really can't understand it. That's what I'm trying to do. Use the Atonement every day, both the redeeming, and enabling powers.

From the Book of Mormon, The Book of Alma, Chapter 7:

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Here is a link to the entire chapter:

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/7.11-13

That's all I have for this week. This email took a different turn than I thought it would, but I felt like I needed to share some of my ramblings with you all. :) This next week we will be in Utrecht working.

Love you guys!

Elder Muller