Week 10 + 11 Ghent

Update by sister Brandenburg. Unfortunately she did not send any pictures this time...

Yes I am still alive. Sister Mercer and I bravely continued our sacred quest through the burning sun. While riding in flaming buses, and walking through empty streets chasing the shadows, we conquered many doorbells... and hearts :-)

We met a lot of amazing people again. We saw the life of an older woman change for the better just by praying and reading in the Book of Mormon. We also met a man who met previous missionaries 4 years ago, and would love to talk with us again about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many more small miracles happened. Life is good...

We also did some cool trips! First we went to The Hague for some mission related issues. Oh beautiful Netherlands, how I have missed you. Sister Mercer needed to eat herring. It is a tradition that all missionaries of the Belgium/Netherlands mission have to go through. I hope they don´t find out I have never eaten it.. (yes I am Dutch... that´s why they assume I did eat it... ;-) ). We also went to Lokeren on a sister exchange. I served a day with sister Lucero, and Mercer served with sister Berret. A nice event was the baptism of a young girl in Sint-Niklaas (my father served there).

What makes Belgium different so far....? I saw a rooster climb (flyjump) a tree and walk around in it. That was an unusual sight. Also, we get to experience great joy when a bus arrives on time.

I can proudly say that my Flemish vocabulary is improving as well: allee, saluutjes, ijskast/frigo confiture and much more! I even start to say ´u` or ´gij` to younger children...what?  

Week 8 + 9 ....Ghent!‏

Sister Brandenburg has moved to Ghent. Below you will find another update by her...
If you want to send a written letter to sister Brandenburg so that she has more time to read it, or if you want to send pictures or some sweets, you can mail to:

sister Brandenburg
Schuttersveld 2
2316 ZA Leiden
Netherlands

21st of August....the moment has arrived... Transfer calls! Every six weeks (I kind of jumped in in the middle of a transfer) we get transfer calls and it is the most exciting and nervewrecking period! You get to hear if you keep serving in your current area or if you leave. Lechtenberg stays, Nyakoh is going to Groningen (where a lot of family of mine lives) and I will go to sister Nyakoh's home branch Ghent! My father also served in Belgium, following his footsteps, yeah!  I already start to talk weird, different words, different sentence structures... I bet when I am home me and my dad can speak Vlaams to each other. Our secret language. Therefore, although I am not honoring my blogspot's name yet.... I am very happy!

In Belgium it sure needs a different approach  to come in contact with people, but that is what makes it exciting. Sister Mercer is my new companion and she is a lot of fun (and a hard worker). The Ghent area is pretty big so we travel a lot as well.

Sister Brandenburg wearing a different nametag?!

Now before I mention something really cool, I'd like to share something spiritual as well. I really came to realize what a privilege it is to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We met so many people who shared very personal stories with us, wherein the gospel can really help them through their lives. It sure is amazing to see their joy when they realize it. It just makes me so calm and positive in my live to know that we always have someone we can trust and lean on, and also guide us throughout our lives because we are here with a purpose (talking about Christ if someone missed the reference :P).

And I want to close this weeks story by saying that I drove in a Tesla!!!! (sitting in the back, but still...). It was awesome. It barely makes any noise (perfect if you're trying to sneak away) and it feels like you're hoovering on the road, and driving with no hands.... sci-fi coming true right there! Yup... 

Amsterdam week 6 and 7

Another update by sister Brandenburg:

Time sure went fast! almost serving a month already. We met a lot of people, got to share the restored gospel, grew closer as a companionship, and I had to take a lot of people on the back of the bicycle (being Dutch serves its purposes) I am temporarily borrowing from an elder. I had the pleasure to briefly serve with sister Dundan who supports sisters throughout the Belgium/Netherlands mission (she is back home right now). I also went on an exchange to Lelystad and served with sister Smith. Really nice to see other mission areas as well. Later that week we got deliiiiicious Indonesian food from a sweet sister of the church. Yep, good week. As a missionary it is one of the best things to have dinner at a member´s house, get to know them and hear their testimony about the church.

Preparation day was Amsterdam day. for some reason you could mainly find me in the cheese shop (free delicious samples!) and to look more smart, also in the bookstore. in the city we met some members from the USA who were on a Europe trip. Always fun to randomly talk with fellow members.

Photo: Pretty Amsterdam

Photo: Rainbow! pretty, pretty...

There were two other great experiences this week. We got to meet someone who really needed the gospel in her life and she knows its true. That was really a testimony to me that the Lord prepares people to receive the restored gospel and its up to us to find them. We also had a baptism this sunday for the sweetest Spanish lady you can meet. She was being taught by elder Ocampo (called to serve to speak Spanish, but he can speak Dutch as well) and Tolman (called to serve to speak Chinese, but speaks Dutch as well). It was a very special experience to be there. Even tough I can barely speak to her (due to my lack of Spanish speaking experience) I do know she is awesome!

Oh, and let us not forget we ate fufu this week, being prepared by a lovely Ghanese member). Sister Nyakoh the experienced showed oblivious sister Lechtenberg and me how to eat it.

Week 4 + 5 Amsterdam‏

Sister Brandenburg is doing good. Here is another update with her own words:

The real missionary work has started! Together with my new sweet companions Sister Nyakoh (from Ghana and Belgium) and Lechtenberg (USA) we get to do a lot of things. We get to teach people who are investigating the church. You really have to take their needs into account which makes it special and personal (my personal favorite is the Plan of Salvation wherein families can be together forever.. Yeah!). We also support the (members of the) church, we do service work (really nice to see that by doing small things for people it can bring a smile to their faces - priceless). Last but not least... roaming the streets and knocking doors! to find people who are interesting in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This can be done any moment of the day and it's interesting to meet many different people with their own way of living. I find it enjoyable to knock on people's door and they appear to be Jehova witnesses. I can remember the good old times when I opened my door for them and talked with them for a bit. How the tables have turned!

I never knew that walking through the city includes a free birdsafari as well! We found some fine specimen in their natural habitat. Learning something new everyday.

Green bird

Heron on a car

We also got our bicycles this week. I have a temporary one and Sister Lechtenberg her tires were finally fixed (if any tire-slashers are reading this: stop doing it, be nice, be cool).  Anyway, due to safety reasons we have to wear helmets. As a Dutch person who was almost born with a bicycle, the picture shows how I feel :-). Oh well, it most certainly is a new experience! With our bicycles we are able to be much faster and therefore do more missionary work. Woohoo!

Helmet group picture

Week 1-3 MTC Preston

Sister Brandenburg left the MTC the day before it was p-day, so she had to wait a bit longer to send an update to her family. She is doing well and serving now in the Amsterdam Ward where she has met her younger sister who got married the day after sister Brandenburg left for her mission.
Below an update of the first few weeks as experienced through her own eyes...

 

 

6 July is the day. I am leaving for my mission in order to: Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. I am very happy that I have the opportunity to do this for the upcoming 1,5 years.

I arrived at the missionary training center Preston and saw many (indirect) familiar faces. For example: sister Elgueta I met during my study exchange in Norway. At the time we both didn't want to go on a mission but last year we both received the prompting to go, and we are both being called to serve in the Hawaii Honolulu mission! Her companion at the MTC is sister Topp. She will serve in the same mission (after her visa issues are resolved, just like mine and sister Elgueta's... America... ;) ) We found out our brothers were companions in the Scotland-Ireland Mission. Coincidence>? I think not! we are going to do something awesome over there, I can feel it.

photo:Topp, Elgueta and I will serve in Hawaii

The MTC is smaller than the one in Provo (the one I was supposed to go) and I am glad because it gave me the opportunity to meet many great people. I had great teachers, great room mates, a great district (district Jacob - a prophet in the book of Mormon - for the win!), and a great companion. I had the honor to serve with the lovely Canadian sister smith. she will serve in the London South mission and she will charm and impress everyone there with her funny laugh and hard work.

The MTC was a good experience. I had the opportunity to understand the gospel even better and be reminded of how important the atonement is for us. Also I really got to understand that it is the Holy Ghost who is the teacher through us. Having that experience with the people you are meeting up with to teach is really amazing.

On July 26th (my father's birthday.. Happy Birthday Dad!) it was time to leave. It was early in the morning and the group that I left with... we weren't very lively due to shortage of sleep (2 hours). But we made it safely to the airport!. I was traveling in a cute little airplane (with 10 other travelers) to Rotterdam airport (never been there, cool!) and I was picked up by a hardworking and dedicated missionary couple, the Van der Puts (long time no see). They brought me to Leiden where I had to fill in some paperwork. The mission office of the Belgium/Netherlands mission is there. It was really weird to walk in Leiden as a missionary and not as a student!. One year ago I finished my bachelors degree there. from Leiden we traveled to my new mission area until my visa arrives... Amsterdam! 

 

photo: cute airplane

 

Photo: Sisters Brandenburg, Nyakoh and Lechtenberg

MTC Week 2

Another week has gone by. Sanna is enjoying her time in the MTC. She is learning a lot with plenty of practice teaching together with her companion and learning from the scriptures and others.
She will be in the MTC for another week and then go back to the Netherlands to serve in the Belgium/Netherlands mission for the first part, until she will receive her visum to go to Hawaii.
Last week they went on a field trip with all the missionaries. Below are some pictures that she send in her email.

MTC Preston

Sister Brandenburg has started her mission! For the next 18 months general emails that she will send will be posted on this blog as well as a collection of pictures from time to time. She won't be able to read or reply to all the reactions, but we, as her family, will keep her posted so that she knows that you are thinking of her!

On July 6th sister Brandenburg went to the MTC in Preston where she is having a good time at the moment. Her first companion is Sister Smith from Canada.