Full Week - March 17th

This last week has been super full! I love it :) Zuster Israelsen and I have a lot of friends right now who are interested in the gospel so our days our full of appointments and when we don't have appointments we are either out talking with more people or in a missionary meeting :) Haha sometimes we even find time to eat which Zr. Israelsen is grateful for since I get so excited to schedule appointments that I forget to schedule meals...Luckily our ward and investigators are pretty good about asking if we've eaten or simply providing food when we come over.

Some exciting things from his week are:

-We went to Kinderdijk last P-day with our friend, Thomas

-Invited a friend to be baptized and he said yes (!)

-Said goodbye to the Roberts. This is more of an exciting thing for them than for us. Luckily, they are moving back to America and that just happens to be where -I'm from, so I have no doubts that I will see them again :) I love them sooo much!!

-Had many really awesome and spirit filled appointments

-Attended a baptism in Gouda  with some friends

-Went to Zone Conference in Antwerpen <3 I love that city! It was so exciting to be there again and see some familiar places! The conference itself was super uplifting and instructive. We talked about how to be better at contacting and teaching and how to be more personable, we learned more about our endowments in preparation for our temple conference next month (!), and we were reminded to be clean and hygenical...I can assure you all that that piece of our conference was not directed at me. A really cool scripture that President Robinson shared during his training that I really appreciated was 1 Samuel 15:22, "...Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of the rams." Often I think that to be a better missionary I need to sacrifice things like my studies or meals to make more time, however, than I am not being obedient to the schedule we're given. It was a good reminder/kick in the pants (skirt?).

Also, I got permission from President Robinson to make an appointment with Sara while I was in Antwerpen! It was so nice to see her again. I love Sara and her daughters so much and am so grateful that because of the gospel of Jesus Christ we were brought together. I know that it is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we will all be able to be friends for eternity in the heavens with our Heavenly Father. And I am so grateful "that the same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy," (D&C 130:2). Heavenly Father truly does love us and has prepared an eternal plan of happiness.

-Elizabeth Roberts gave us a cool quote:

"Today many sisters are being called to serve. Many more are preparing to serve. Not because they aren't married or don't have anything else to do, but they have the desire to serve. One reason that the Lord wants more sisters to serve is because within the next generation He will send His Priesthood army to the earth. He wants to send choice spirit children to mothers who have been prepared, properly trained and taught in the gospel. What better schooling can a mother have than the experience and growth she gains through serving a mission." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

I am super grateful for my mission. I know that I would not be ready to do all the Lord has in store for me in my life without the experiences and perspective I have gained here. Any girls out there who are trying to decide if they should go on a mission or not, I hope this sways you in the direction of going :) I promise you will experience more joy than anything you've so far experienced.

-Got transfer calls yesterday. I am moving to Amsterdam to serve with Zuster Davies! I am super excited for a few reasons one of which being I have always wanted to serve with Zuster Davies since the MTC, in fact, we are planning on rooming together at BYU, so this will be the perfect trial to see if it happens...:) Also, I had a feeling since I got here that once the Roberts were out, I was too. It would feel weird for me to serve here without them. Zr. Israelsen will stay here in Dordrecht and Zuster Townsend (one of my MTC companions) will join her. I am sad to leave behind all the friends I have here, but I wish them all success and know that as they continue to seek the Lord's will and follow it they will be happy now and in the eternities.

So, there are a few things from my week :) I love you all a lot. Sincerely and truly.

Have a wonderful week!!

Love, Zuster Becky Hinchcliff

PS I got the Valentines Day package! Thank you all so much, I love you!!!