Belgium News Stories

These two videos were aired on Belgium television this week.  It takes a long time for these to load, so be patient.  The first is a feature on Mormons, showing Elder Steenblik (who Elder Lott replaced), and Elder Cockbain (Elder Lott was his last companion).  It is so cool to see the church house and town centurm that Elder Lott serves in.

Belgium News Story - Mormon Missionaries in Flanders

The second is a feature on Belgium National Evening News called "Everybody's Famous".  These Sisters were assigned to the Turnhout area of Belgium, and it is wonderful to hear the language and see the town centurm that is so typical for the area.  At the bottom of the linked story, you can click to watch the news story.

Sister Missionaries on "Everybody's Famous"

We were also so very blessed to receive messages from several ward members in Leuven this week.  It was reassuring to know that missionaries in the Belgium area were safe and unaffected by the terrorist arrests that occurred this week.  

Yesterday evening we had your son over for dinner and a spiritual message. Normally elder Lott's companion is elder Denny, but yesterday they decided to go on an exchange with the elders from the Genk Ward. That is how your son ended up at our house with elder Thomas.

I wanted to let you know that your son is doing well and that we loved having him over. Between the soup and the main course, he shared a spiritual message with us. At church, elder Lott is typically the quieter one, but yesterday he was very animated and in good spirits. At some point he even picked up a guitar and started playing some tunes. 

Dinner with a ward family - Elder Thomas in the middle, Elder Lott on the right

This morning in church we took a few more pictures. I don't know how current events are portrayed abroad, but there is really not much going on in everyday life. The terrorist attacks were in France, so far away. As a result, our police and homeland security have made a series of arrests, some of which included some violence. I believe the only reason these events are splashed all over the news, is that they are so uncommon here. Also the media exaggerate the presence of the military on certain locations. The truth is that the American embassy has always had security measures, the same goes for Jewish schools and synagogues in Antwerpen. Now those security measures are taken over by the military, so the police force can focus on investigating whether more arrests are necessary. The only thing that has changed, is the uniforms. Why that is such huge news, I don't know. I guess people like sensation and in the absence of real news, this is what the media are going with.

Elder Lott (on the left) at the Leuven Ward with Elder Denny (in the orange tie)

We also found pictures of Elder Lott playing soccer with the Leuven ward members in 2˚C weather.  I'm sure he didn't mind the weather and just enjoyed being outside exercising!