Hello everyone!!
How is it going back in the states? Everything goes really well here in Belgium! Another week has come and gone! Ill start out this weeks email by answering all the questions I received! So we didnt take any pictures at the chocolate factory, but it wasnt too exciting looking, and Im not sure if we were allowed to take pictures in the factory..but it was still delicious.
Transfer week works as follows. On the Saturday before the end of the transfer, we all go to a internet cafe. The mission will have sent out a big long list of all the areas and all the missionaries to our emails. You go and you look to see if you are being transferred. If yes, then you have to figure out your travel plans which will be happening the following Wednesday. If you arent being transferred, then you stay in your area and continue work just as normal! Its normal for new missionaries to stay with their trainers for 2 transfers, because thats how long it takes to be trained! So it was no surprise to find out that I was staying here! Its average to stay 3 transfers in an area. So I will probably stay in Belgium for at least one more. And the next transfer is only 4 weeks, because otherwise we would be travelling on Christmas! So I dont know if Ill be in Belgium for Christmas, or if I will be somewhere else! My companion goes home at the end of this transfer, meaning in about 5 weeks. This mission is really big! I think we have over 300 missionaries! We have a few investigators that we are working with. People here are always crazy busy, so sometimes it can be hard to find a time to meet with people!! We do a ton of contacting. We are always trying to find new people to teach. That means a lot of talking to people on the streets, as well as going door to door in the evenings!
I have only been able to see downtown Paris, so I haven't seen the sight for the temple, nor have I seen the Eiffel Tower! And concerning the drivers license. That is and has been the procedure for a long long time, and missionaries have done it for a long long time as well. They will give back your US drivers license if you trade your Belgian drivers license back. So if I wanted my Utah one back, I could get it back at the end of my mission if I wanted too..but I kinda want to keep my Belgian one! Does that make you feel any better? I don't know why that works, but they will trade in our american licenses for European licenses.
Otherwise, trying to get a drivers license over here is extremely difficult and expensive. A french elder said that he tried, and spent over 2000 euros trying to get one, but failed the test, so he couldn't. Sad day. It has been pretty great weather over here! Not too hot, not too cold! I can definitely tell that the seasons are changing though. Winter is coming! That's crazy to hear about the bathroom! I definitely want to see pictures of the change! Okay! I think that's all the questions..on to this week! I will start with conference! We did get to watch most of the sessions in English! (Well...with a translator.) And guess what? We were watching the two morning sessions of conference at the same time!! How cute is that? While it was 10 o'clock your time, we were watching the same session, but at 6 o'clock here! So we got to watch one session on Saturday night. Then on Sunday we watched the Priesthood session, then the Saturday night session, then the Sunday morning session!! It was basically just a conference marathon!! They were being broad-casted at the church, so that's where we watched all of the sessions. It was so good! It was nice to be able to listen to all of the talks and the speakers. It was nice to be inside from the world and feel the spirit so strongly listening to conference! It was so great!! We watched with a bunch of other missionaries, as well as a few ward members, and a few investigators! So that was conference!
This week was pretty great, but seemed really long in fact!On Monday, we went to the National Park of Brussels, which seemed really familiar. Because it was! As we came up to the grand palace, I realized that I had just walked down those streets about a year ago! We spent last p-day walking around that area that me, mom, and Kira explored just a few months ago! Crazy crazy! We didn't know where to go, but Id say things like, "I think there's a little square down that way, if we want to go explore." And there would usually be a little square! I was surprised to see how much I remembered!! Then on Tuesday..oh boy on Tuesday. On Tuesday I was sick. It was pretty weird. I was great Monday night, but then Tuesday I woke up and just went downhill super quickly!! I had a upset stomach, and just had symptom after symptom come. I think that I was able eat about half a banana that day. I was quarantined, and had a special diet of bananas, applesauce, and rice for the day. (Even though I didn't eat any of it) The Elders gave me a blessing, and then the next day I was doing a lot better!!
And that, my friends, is the power of the priesthood!! And now I'm back to normal! (well, as normal as I will ever get.. ;) ) We've also met and had some really cool lessons this week! We met a guy from Africa named Mutombo. He is super cool, and said that the church was growing from where he was from in the Congo, and wants to learn more about our church! Super cool! Then we also had a lesson with a guy from Switzerland. He was baptized 20 years ago there, but when he came here to Belgium, he didn't feel welcome, so he became less-active. But we just met him on the tram! We don't even know where his records are..But he remembers next to nothing about the church, but has a lot of deep questions! He is really cool as well! His name is Evariste. Well, I think that is all of the great and exciting stories for this week! Thank you to those who send emails! I love hearing all you have to say! I love you all very much, and miss you all very much as well!
Until next week! Love,
Elder Hamilton
How is it going back in the states? Everything goes really well here in Belgium! Another week has come and gone! Ill start out this weeks email by answering all the questions I received! So we didnt take any pictures at the chocolate factory, but it wasnt too exciting looking, and Im not sure if we were allowed to take pictures in the factory..but it was still delicious.
Transfer week works as follows. On the Saturday before the end of the transfer, we all go to a internet cafe. The mission will have sent out a big long list of all the areas and all the missionaries to our emails. You go and you look to see if you are being transferred. If yes, then you have to figure out your travel plans which will be happening the following Wednesday. If you arent being transferred, then you stay in your area and continue work just as normal! Its normal for new missionaries to stay with their trainers for 2 transfers, because thats how long it takes to be trained! So it was no surprise to find out that I was staying here! Its average to stay 3 transfers in an area. So I will probably stay in Belgium for at least one more. And the next transfer is only 4 weeks, because otherwise we would be travelling on Christmas! So I dont know if Ill be in Belgium for Christmas, or if I will be somewhere else! My companion goes home at the end of this transfer, meaning in about 5 weeks. This mission is really big! I think we have over 300 missionaries! We have a few investigators that we are working with. People here are always crazy busy, so sometimes it can be hard to find a time to meet with people!! We do a ton of contacting. We are always trying to find new people to teach. That means a lot of talking to people on the streets, as well as going door to door in the evenings!
I have only been able to see downtown Paris, so I haven't seen the sight for the temple, nor have I seen the Eiffel Tower! And concerning the drivers license. That is and has been the procedure for a long long time, and missionaries have done it for a long long time as well. They will give back your US drivers license if you trade your Belgian drivers license back. So if I wanted my Utah one back, I could get it back at the end of my mission if I wanted too..but I kinda want to keep my Belgian one! Does that make you feel any better? I don't know why that works, but they will trade in our american licenses for European licenses.
Otherwise, trying to get a drivers license over here is extremely difficult and expensive. A french elder said that he tried, and spent over 2000 euros trying to get one, but failed the test, so he couldn't. Sad day. It has been pretty great weather over here! Not too hot, not too cold! I can definitely tell that the seasons are changing though. Winter is coming! That's crazy to hear about the bathroom! I definitely want to see pictures of the change! Okay! I think that's all the questions..on to this week! I will start with conference! We did get to watch most of the sessions in English! (Well...with a translator.) And guess what? We were watching the two morning sessions of conference at the same time!! How cute is that? While it was 10 o'clock your time, we were watching the same session, but at 6 o'clock here! So we got to watch one session on Saturday night. Then on Sunday we watched the Priesthood session, then the Saturday night session, then the Sunday morning session!! It was basically just a conference marathon!! They were being broad-casted at the church, so that's where we watched all of the sessions. It was so good! It was nice to be able to listen to all of the talks and the speakers. It was nice to be inside from the world and feel the spirit so strongly listening to conference! It was so great!! We watched with a bunch of other missionaries, as well as a few ward members, and a few investigators! So that was conference!
This week was pretty great, but seemed really long in fact!On Monday, we went to the National Park of Brussels, which seemed really familiar. Because it was! As we came up to the grand palace, I realized that I had just walked down those streets about a year ago! We spent last p-day walking around that area that me, mom, and Kira explored just a few months ago! Crazy crazy! We didn't know where to go, but Id say things like, "I think there's a little square down that way, if we want to go explore." And there would usually be a little square! I was surprised to see how much I remembered!! Then on Tuesday..oh boy on Tuesday. On Tuesday I was sick. It was pretty weird. I was great Monday night, but then Tuesday I woke up and just went downhill super quickly!! I had a upset stomach, and just had symptom after symptom come. I think that I was able eat about half a banana that day. I was quarantined, and had a special diet of bananas, applesauce, and rice for the day. (Even though I didn't eat any of it) The Elders gave me a blessing, and then the next day I was doing a lot better!!
And that, my friends, is the power of the priesthood!! And now I'm back to normal! (well, as normal as I will ever get.. ;) ) We've also met and had some really cool lessons this week! We met a guy from Africa named Mutombo. He is super cool, and said that the church was growing from where he was from in the Congo, and wants to learn more about our church! Super cool! Then we also had a lesson with a guy from Switzerland. He was baptized 20 years ago there, but when he came here to Belgium, he didn't feel welcome, so he became less-active. But we just met him on the tram! We don't even know where his records are..But he remembers next to nothing about the church, but has a lot of deep questions! He is really cool as well! His name is Evariste. Well, I think that is all of the great and exciting stories for this week! Thank you to those who send emails! I love hearing all you have to say! I love you all very much, and miss you all very much as well!
Until next week! Love,
Elder Hamilton