Week 69 (Nivelles)

Bonjour tout le monde!

This was a great week. Just not a lot of time to write about it! We had a rendez-vous with the family we met last week, and it went super well! They're planning on coming to church soon even!

We also met the spitting image of old Indiana Jones, in voice and look. Imagine a Belgian Harrison Ford telling you about how he was adopted by the army during the World War (in American English). It was amazing.

À très bientôt!
Elder Wood

In front of the church building

Surprise! Elder Wood's aunts and uncles were in Belgium on vacation and stopped in at his ward's Sacrament Meeting. He says "It was weird."

Meeting our family's new puppy, Inka, via video chat

With Elder Poulson, reunited in the Brussels Zone after being in the MTC together

Food photo: Is it a Sourpatch Kid or a Swedish Fish? Nobody knows.

The streets of Nivelle, including a rainbow (it's been a little rainy).

Week 68 (Nivelles)

Another crazy week!

We had Zone Conference in Brussels this week, so the Zone Leaders invited all the elders in the zone to stay the night at their apartment beforehand. We had our interviews with Président that day, then we helped out by passing by old addresses to see if members still lived there. The next morning we all went out and played a big game of Frisbee together, and it was incredible.

In Zone Conference we talked a lot about giving Spirit-led invitations to people to help them strengthen their relationship with their Heavenly Father. We also talked about why it's so important to listen to the Spirit to know what will best help the person progress. Overall it was an amazing conference.

On Friday something that I've been waiting for for a while now came. The Book of Mormon videos! Or at least the first one. I first heard about them in the MTC over a year ago, and now they're finally releasing them, weekly. So if you haven't heard of them yet, go check it out! They're great for bringing the Book of Mormon to life and helping your personal study of it. And it's something exciting to look forward to every Friday!

À lundi prochain!
Elder Wood

Brussels Zone Conference

Lunch at the Zone Conference

Elder Wood and Elder Poulson with some amis they met during exchanges

Reunited with Elder Belka, who was his Zone Leader in Dunkerque

After the game of Ultimate Frisbee

Krispy Kreme doughnuts from the American military base

Food photo: Krispy Kreme!

A plane in the roundabout entering the military base

Week 67 (Nivelles)

Back in Belgium, back in action!

It's been crazy getting used to the new area and ward. Especially since we technically have two! We have the Nivelles Ward, but we also have an English branch in Mons. It's interesting since it's mostly made up of military families from America. So when we attended on Sunday it was my first English sacrament meeting in over a year. That was weird.

We've also been meeting with a bunch of cool people. One day we taught the Restoration twice in a row, in English. So even though talking so much in English is weird, it was nice to be able to express exactly what I wanted to say. And even though it will never quite be like that in French, hopefully I'll get close one day, that's what I'm working towards!

À tantôt!
Elder Wood

Elder Dunn and Elder Wood

Saying farewell to Elder Coryell

"With a cool guy we met on the metro"

They have a car!

"La Vie est Bel"(ge)

"These hedges were infested with spiders!" (You can see a web if you look closely)

Week 66 (Les Lilas)

Route 66 anyone?

Let's get right to it, it's probably your first question anyway. Transfers. This time around, I'm headed back to Belgium! Not to Charleroi though, I'll be in Nivelles. And speaking of route 66, they have a car there. That'll be different.

In any case, this week was pretty good. We had a lot of rendez-vous and even ate dinner with the bishop's family! One of our meetings was with this lady who was really interested in the Book of Mormon. We explained it and read some together, and after we bore our testimonies. Despite being in a noisy McDonald's, as Elder Coryell shared his experience of praying to know if the Book of Mormon was true, it brought tears to her eyes. It was an amazing rendez-vous, the Spirit was really strong.

So, if it's been a while, or if you never have, I invite you to put Moroni's promise to the test. Pray sincerely for an answer, and have the faith that God will respond. He will. It's a promise.

Bon courage!
Elder Wood

Their district: Elder Coryell, Elder Wood, Elder Christensen, Elder D'Anjou, Elder Rosza, & Elder Vincenzi

Elders Vincenzi, Rosza, Wood, and Coryell with Ben, the ward mission leader in Les Lilas

Elders Vincenzi, Christensen, Wood, and Coryell with some of the Les Lilas bishop's family members

Sunrise from the apartment window

Week 65 (Les Lilas)

How is it that a week can be such a long amount of time, yet only so much happens? If any of you ever figure out how time is the way it is, let me know.

This week we had exchanges with the Aulnay Elders again. Elder D'Anjou and I were working in Paris, and had a great rendez-vous with Pacome. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and he really liked it. Then afterwards, the Zone Leaders surprised us with an impromptu rdv that they didn't have time to teach. So we stole it from them. And the guy they were going to meet with was really cool, he's interested in learning more and reading the Book of Mormon, so that was a good surprise!

We've also been handing out a lot of invitations for Venez & Voyez recently. Often we'll just be walking down the road and give them out to anyone that will take one. The other day we gave one to a guy sitting on a bench, and we struck up a conversation with that. He was super nice, and he told us to wait there as he went into his church to see if his friends were there so he could introduce us! They weren't there, but it's the thought that counts. So we left him with an extra invitation for them, and he told us he would come if he had time. It's always great to meet people who are so ready to share the gospel with their friends, even when all they have is an invitation. They're an example to us all.

À bientôt!
Elder Wood

Elder Coryell and Elder Wood with an ami

From his apartment window, with Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur in the background

The same scene without him in it, so you can see Sacré-Cœur a bit better (if you squint really hard!)

After a baptism, with his district and some ward members

The entrance to the Paris Temple

Food photo: A family in their ward invited them over to help celebrate their daughter's 7th birthday

Their Venez & Voyez invitation