Through the Atonement We Can Change

May 26, 2015

Hi Everyone!

That's awesome that you guys had an opportunity to be great missionaries and to go help out the missionaries with service. I hope you all had a good Memorial Day! Cierra sent prom pictures and I really like the Bull's Bridge picture you sent. That’s great that Cierra got the John Lynch Scholarship from the Catholic War Veteran Scholarship dinner. I'm sure Gramps was there too :) I had a great week and we set a baptismal date with one of our investigators. We set a date before we knew that he had a drinking problem, but he's still not telling us and I don't know what to do. It's a complicated situation, but I'm sure everything will work out. I'll keep praying. I'm staying in Kortrijk this transfer and Elder Jones will be my new collega (companion) He'll be my first younger companion. It's going to be awesome. I'm almost done reading the Book of Mormon for the third time and I don't have words to describe what that book means to me. Every time I pick it up and read it, I know it's true. I learn something new from it every time I read it and I know it's through the Spirit that I'm taught. It's brought me so close to Christ, and I know that through the Atonement we can change. I really like what Kaylee's investigator told her, “Stay strong and continue to believe that there is good in the world. That is advice to live by.” I love you guys and have a good week!

Love, Elder DeWitt

Enjoy Rather than Endure

May 18, 2015

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for the awesome letter this week! That's so great that you guys are being such good missionaries. It really made me happy when I read that you guys had an investigator over for dinner and that you're having the missionaries over. They really appreciate it, and it's really good what you guys are doing. Haha I remember bringing Cierra every where on Prom day, to get her nails and hair done. It was a lot of fun and I'm happy I got to do that. I really want to go to BYU Hawaii! Aunt Mary sent me pictures of the lake and of Joey and I. Those were such good times. I love it here on the mission and I know I'm learning so many things and growing and serving the Lord. I'm really so grateful to be here and I really like the message that Kaylee sent: “I’ve been thinking this week how the gospel is worth sacrificing for. When we, as church members, tell people that we teach Sunday school, fulfill callings, leave school to serve missions for a year and a half to two years, sometimes it’s hard to believe. One of my District Leaders asked us one time, “Why do you get up at 6:30 every morning?” To make this short, the gospel is always worth it. It’s always worth getting up at 6:30 for. It’s always worth all the effort we put into our callings. When we lose our lives in service is when we truly find it.” I also know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a beautiful message that brings joy and peace into the lives of people. Elder Cook (the elder whose blog you saw) gave his dying (end of mission) testimony the other day at a zone conference and said something that was really good. He talked about how people always say endure to the end on your mission, but he told us all to enjoy until the end. This is a good life quote and I know that there's no reason to have to endure but rather enjoy. I don't know if I shared Mosiah 2:41 with you guys. It's a really good scripture that I think goes well with that testimony. Mosiah 2:41 “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord Goth hath spoken it.” 

Elder Price and I had a great week and we were in Ieper quite a bit. We had lessons with our investigators and also visited Hill 62 in Ieper today! It was an amazing experience. We got to walk around in trenches and experience the history of the land. This land is so rich with history.

Love you guys! Have a great week!

Love, Jeremy

Didn’t Catch Any Cats

May 11, 2015

Hey Guys! How are you all? It's been a long time :) haha It was so nice to talk with you guys yesterday and I love you all so much. Thanks for the inspiring words and for all the love and support you give me. Elder Bednar’s talk was great and it's so true that if we keep our focus and Christ, we have no reason to doubt or to fear. He loves us and he wants us to return to live with God again. We had a great week and the Ieper Cat Festival was really cool and traditional. There was a big parade, but we didn't catch any cats. We've been talking to a lot of people on the streets with all of the festivities going on, and it's been really cool to see a lot of the traditions here in Europe. We're going to Gent today to sight see and it's beautiful outside. I love you guys so much! I don't have too much to say because I talked with you yesterday. I love you guys and I wish you the best this week. What is Cierra going to do until she goes to college in January? She should be a life guard for the summer. Is she driving yet? haha Love you guys, Have a great week!

-Love Elder DeWitt

Looking Forward to Mother’s Day (and Kattenstoet)

May 4, 2015

Hi guys!

Just came back from Antwerpen for zone P-day. We all played voetbal and it was a lot of fun. Elder Price and I had a great week. We went to Ieper a lot this week, but only two of our appointments went through. Our Branch President came with us and bore his testimony. It was really awesome and he told our investigator about his conversion story and how cool the missionaries are. It was really cool to hear him say so many good things about us and what the missionaries mean to him. We had our first meeting with our new Ward Mission Leader, and it went really well. He's very enthusiastic and really wants to get baptisms and get the ward involved. He knows a lot of the African community in Kortrijk because he is from Africa. He's a really cool guy. Elder Price is almost dead (finished with his mission) and my year mark is coming up. It's been a weird experience, the time goes really slow sometimes but when you look back it seems so fast. We also visited a less active family yesterday. They're from Russia and they're really cool people. I talked about how Kaylee was on a mission in Oekraïne and they said Ukrainian Russian sounds different. They have two daughters and they translated some things for their mom to us because they have better Nederlands and they speak Russian with each other. They're cool people but they're really busy. We shared a scripture verse with them and we'll probably try back in two weeks.

This Mother’s Day we'll be Skyping at our Branch President’s house, and I'll be Skyping around 6:00 my time. I can't wait to talk with you guys! We'll also be going to Ieper on Mother’s Day because they're having a historical festival called Kattenstoet and throwing stuffed cats off of the Stad building. Way back many years ago there were too many cats in Ieper because they had a bunch brought in to get rid of the rats, but then there were too many cats and they threw a bunch off the top of the Stad building to get rid of them and that's what they're celebrating haha. If I don't e-mail Nan tonight it's because the library is about to close, but you can tell her that I got her letter this week. The fast on Sunday was also really good and my testimony of fasting is much stronger now. I love you guys! Have a great week! I also got to see Elder Warner today (my trainer!) He told me to say, “Hi” to you guys and he still thinks you're really awesome. He really likes you're conversion story.

Love, Jeremy 

Busy Week

April 27, 2015

Hey Everyone!

We had a really busy week taking trains to Ieper and all over the place. Elder Price and I went to Ieper a lot this week because we have two new investigators there. One is the guy who lived with Buddhist monks, and the other is one of his clients who was at his house when we first met with him. He is meeting with missionaries and members of many religions to find out where God wants him to be. We had a great lesson with him about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. We asked him if he would read the Book of Mormon and pray to God to know if these things are true, and that when he comes to know if these things are true through the Spirit, if he would be baptized by some one holding the priesthood, and he said, "Yes!" He's really sincere and wants to know more. That’s really great that the investigator that the sisters found is coming to Church! You should invite her over for dinner with the missionaries.

I can't wait to talk to you guys on Mother's Day! The plan is to Skype around 6.00 pm my time. Those are the plans as of now, but I'll email more info about that next week. Tell Caleb and the guys at work that I say, “Hi!” We're going to Brugge today to do some sight seeing. How is Kasey doing? We just got a new Ward Mission Leader in Kortrijk. His name is Brother Brobbey and he's from Ghana. He's awesome and the ward is going to fast together for one of the members. A member was reading in Alma where they talk about how they gathered often and fasted for those who needed help. We're Fasting to help this member gain a testimony and to feel the Spirit. Love you guys, have a great week! I can't wait to see you all on Mother’s Day!

Love, Elder DeWitt

Relying on the Lord

April 20, 2015

Hi Everyone!

This was a really amazing week full of miracles. We had a great lesson in Ieper with a man who used to live with Buddhist monks and he showed us a picture of him in his robes. He had a bunch of friends there too! They all want to learn more and I can't wait to go back and teach them more about Christ. He's a really sincere and happy guy who has a lot of interest in the Church. He's awesome and wants us to come over twice a week so he can learn all of the lessons. I'm really relying on the Lord and praying. After the lesson we had with him this week, we went to go see a cool ceremony they hold in Ieper every night at the Menen Poort. We saw an American family whose son had just come home from his mission in Québec just three weeks ago! It was cool to talk with him and they bought us hot chocolate!

This weekend we went to Antwerpen for ring conferentie (stake conference) and it was awesome. On Sunday we went to Brussels for the Sunday session of ring conferentie and James brought us, the member who was recently baptized last year. It was an awesome experience and my Dutch is getting a lot better. I can understand a lot more and speak a bit more fluently. Haha I love it here in Kortrijk and I'm so happy I'm staying. It's awesome that Cierra got to go to Italy and see all of the amazing sites and do all the cool things she did! Definitely tell her to write it down in your journal. What does she want to major in when she goes to university? I've been thinking a lot about school and I really want to go to BYU Hawaii when I get back and maybe study Marine Biology :) I don't know yet though, I still have a while to think about it.

I'll be at my Branch President's house for Mother’s Day and we'll probably Skype around 12:00 or 1:00 my time. I'll let you know when I get more information. We went to a really good Potluck dinner and had a ton of lekker food. We had soup, a lot of rice, chocolate mousse, pasta, and a bunch of other stuff. We didn't make anything, but we will next time. I saw on billboards that Jurassic World is coming out. Are you guys going to see it? Love you all and I hope you have a great week! Visiting the concentration camp was a very emotional experience, and we were all sad after we left.

Love you guys!!!  

Elder DeWitt

Temple Conference and Keukenhof!

April 13, 2015

Hello everyone!

I'm sooo excited for Cierra! That’s so awesome! I really want to visit Italy. Haha tell her to send some pics from Italy to me! This week was really good. We had a potluck dinner at church after sacrament meeting and then we visited an elderly member after. We went to the temple and it was a really great experience. Keukenhof is beautiful and the pictures don't show how beautiful it is. We got our transfer calls and I'm staying in Kortrijk! I love it here and I know the Lord called me here. We talked about in district meeting how we are called to certain areas in the mission because the Lord has a work for us to do in our specific areas. Our district leaders invited us to pray this week and ask God why we are serving in the areas we are in and try to focus on finding the reason we are here. As I go out and serve everyday, I find my answer. Faith takes action and the Lord will help and strengthen us as we do His will. This week was pretty busy with travel for temple conference. We took a train to Antwerpen on Tuesday and then bought tickets to Rotterdam Central. From Rotterdam, we were able to use our NS business cards and took a train to Den Haag where the ZL's picked us up and we stayed at their apartment for the night. We traveled with the elders from Bruges and Gent. The next day, we woke up and took a tram to the temple in Zoetermeer. It was a really great session. We all went to the church building in Zoetermeer and President and Zuster Robinson bought us pizza and then we took a bus to Keukenhof, which was amazing. I might stay in Kortrijk another transfer after this because Elder Price is dying (going home) after this transfer and a new elder will come in. Love you guys, have a great week!

Love, Elder DeWitt