Jumping Borders

Hey Everybody!

Hey so crazyness again this week.  I'll start with the most recent news.  Transfer calls were last night and I'm on my way out. The trend continues and I'll be hopping across the border again, back to Belgium, serving in the city of Antwerpen.  I have been called to serve as a zone leader of the zone Antwerpen (which is all of Flanders, the Northern Half of Belgium, plus Brussels) and will be serving with Elder Harrop.  He's the first companion of my mission who I actually kind of know before I am companions with him.  He's a pretty cool kid and actually served here in Breda (well technically Roosendaal) right before I got here.  Really crazy but really exciting.  I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to serve, grow, and love.  I am really going to miss this Breda area/ward though.  The people I've met here, relationships made, lessons I've learned will hopefully last a lifetime, well hopefully an eternity!  Elder Stanworth is staying and I know that he and his new companion Elder Stanger will move the work forward here.  They will certainly have a lot to do, seeing as there will be no more sisters in Roosendaal and that whole area will now be theirs as well.

Merry Christmas
Elder Lott, Elder Stanworth

Merry Christmas, Avenger Style

Christmas Decorations

I'm kind of sad because this last week I was serving in Breda, I wasn't really even in Breda.  Monday was P-day. Tuesday I was on exchanges in Vlissingen. Wednesday we exchanged back, came back and packed to go sleep over in Belgium so that we could get to the Zone conference on time on the next day which was Thursday.  (We got to sleep over in Leuven and a family there heard I was sleeping over and fed us dinner and had cake and candles for my birthday which they remembered from last year.)  

Birthday Party

Conference on Thursday was really fun, we learned some new teaching methods going along with visual teaching that I think are really going to help our mission's ability to teach spiritually powerful lessons.  Right after conference we had to run and switch some stuff then head up to Zoetemeer to sleep over with those Elders because Elder Stanworth and one of those Elders were going down to Belgium to get legal there.  So I spent a day in Zoetemeer doing service on a cow farm. (Yes! a real Dutch cow farm! Sadly I didn't get any pictures though) Also working in their area.  Then Saturday we were in Eindhoven for the first part of the day for District Leader Council.  So Saturday afternoon was the first time I'd really worked in my area all week.  Then Sunday was church; we had success getting a few people to come, then transfer calls that night.  Chaotic week but all good stuff.  Got to talk to some cool people on train rides.  

I've learned this week from study and pondering that the best way to get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is to first read of him and his teachings, but then a key factor is that we then try and follow in his example, develop Christlike attributes, and try and act and be as he would act and be.

Linda K. Burton
First Observe, Then Serve
General Conference, October 2012

I love you all!

-Elder Hayden Lott

Question of the Week:  I read that the Dutch are quick to use first names with new acquaintances, unlike American culture where titles and formal names are considered more polite.  Do you find this to be true?

Answer:  Yes, people here in the Netherlands are quick to swith to your first name.  Ward members never really refer to each other as Brother or Sister, just by their first names.  People find it quite hard to use Elder once they know our first names so a lot of the time I won't tell people my first name until they've gotten used to using Elder.  Funny stuff 

Elder Hill and Elder Lott
This is Elder Hill.  He was in the same ward/grade as Jake.
(So same ward as Jeff, Tami and crew.)  Small world right?
[Mom note: Elder Jake Yeoman is one of Elder Lott's cousins,  and Jeff and Tami are his aunt and uncle.  Elder Yeoman is currently serving in the Salem, Oregon Mission.  One of Elder Lott's close friends is also serving in the Salem, Oregon Mission.  As far as we know, they haven't met each other yet.  But so crazy that Elder Hill and Elder Lott have met so quickly after Elder Hill's arrival in the mission.  At a family party this past weekend, we had discussed whether they would ever meet each other, and here's our answer!]