Switching up Antwerpen

Hey everybody!

So it was transfer calls week this week, and like usual it brought changes.  Elder Harrop will be heading out, going to Eindhoven.  I will be staying here and getting........ Elder Reese as a companion!  Haha super cool because Elder Reese is from my MTC group.  It will be fun to serve with him, and he's actually already served here in Antwerpen, for 4-5 months when he was first here. 

MTC selfie of Elder Reese, August 2014
Elder Cook, Elder Hirsch, Elder Lott and Elder Morrell at the desks

The last couple weeks have been super cool with finding new investigators, we have found quite a few and they are from all over the world.  3 of them are on the same street, with 2 guys from Lebanon and are here for work and school.  The other in from Nigeria and is here from school.  We are also teaching 2 other people from Nigeria, and of course some of the wonderful people of this country, Belgium.  We have 2 people that have a baptismal date now.  The first is Axx, she is one of the people from Nigeria and her sister is a member in France, so when she wanted to find a church for her she referred herself on mormon.org.  The other is an older gentleman named Bxx, and he is also from Nigeria.

I won't tell everything about the week but I do want to testify about out Father in Heaven's love for us.  He is so willing to provide us with help and support and everything we need to be successful in this life if we are willing to go to Him, desiring to be who he wants us to be.  Change and refining can hurt, but we come out better for it.  We become more like our Father in Heaven wants us to become if we trust in Him and don't shrink away.  God lives, his son Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer.  This is their true church, restored on the earth through a true and modern prophet, Joseph Smith. The book of Mormon is true, and is such a powerful influence for faith in Jesus Christ and for all else that is truly good.

The Refiner's Fire
James E. Faust
General Conference, April 1979

Love you all!

-Elder Hayden Lott

Question of the Week:  Back slapping is a common occurrence upon greeting someone in the United States, but I read that it is considered offensive by Belgians.  Would you say that is true?

Answer:  Yes, from what I've experienced it can be considered rude to walk up to someone and give them a slap on the back or to ruffle them up with a side hug.  That's been something that been weird getting used to, because sometimes when you see someone having a bad day or whatever you can't just walk up and put your arm around them.  I love these people, they've taught me so much :)

Antwerpen Zone Training, January 2016
Elder Hill on the left, Elder Lott on the right
picture from www.bunnellbelgiumnetherlandsmission.blogspot.com

No Letter This Week

Mom notes:  Elder Lott was busy preparing for a Zone activity, and only had a few minutes to write a few lines of a personal letter this week.  We were very blessed to receive a picture from a member who helped with the Zone activity that morning.

At the church house for brunch after a sports activity
with the Antwerpen Zone

Elder Lott shared this talk with us in a personal note
The Power of Self-Mastery
James E. Faust
General Conference, April 2000

Not Much to Say

Hoi Iedereen!
[Hi Everybody!]

This week, just like most, has flown by!  Filled with exchanges, meetings, lessons, and planning for our zone training coming up on Tuesday.  I learned a ton this week but one thing I think I'll share is an example I saw of a true servant of the Lord.  I got to go on exchanges with Elder Conatti (from Brazil) who is serving in Sint-Niklaas this week.  

Grote Markt, Sint Niklaas
picture from Google

Elder Conatti
picture from Robinson Mission Blog

It hit me that he is at the end of his mission and is going home in a couple of weeks, which plays into what I learned.  This transfer we have really been trying to implement a new teaching method (including teaching from pamplets) for teaching the lessons out of Preach My Gospel that we feel really good about that our missionaries can add to their 'bag of tools' for teaching people.  And even though Elder Conatti is at the end of this mission he has been very willing to learn and to teach this new method.  He realizes that this work is not his own, it is the Lord's, and his own personal preferences are much less important than what the Lord has in plan.  Super humbling to see that example. 

Larry R. Lawrence
What Lack I Yet?
General Conference, October 2015

Loving the Work, and the people here.

Love you all!

-Elder Lott

Question of the week: We've enjoyed seeing videos of people in the Netherlands ice skating in the streets because of the freezing temperatures making it unsafe to drive there.  Do the Belgian people embrace ice skating as enthusiastically as the Dutch?

Answer: As far as I know skating is way much more popular in the Netherlands.  People still skate here though.  They have makeshift ice rinks in many of the market squares here.  It's really cool to see. 

Market Square Ice Rink in Bruges, Belgium
picture from Google

New Years

Hey Everybody!

So we had another good week this week.  For exchanges this week just to give a glance of where I've been, I went to Kortrijk with Elder Garcia, we went on exchanges with the Geel Elders but I brought Elder Morrow back here to Antwerpen, we had a sister support day in Lokeren with Sister Duncan and Sister Karlson.  Oh, and we had to bring a bike to some Elders in Maastricht in the Netherlands.  So that was fun.  Time just keeps going by faster and faster and faster... it's crazy!

Kortrijk, Belgium
Medieval houses in downtown
picture from Google

Geel, Belgium
Train Station
picture from Google

Lockeren, Belgium
City Hall
picture from Google

Maastricht, Netherlands
Typical street in ancient city centre
picture from Google

The members here in Antwerpen were so kind, they all pitched in a little and got the missionaries serving from their ward and us serving here gifts for Christmas and new years.  Lots of really nice shampoo, lotion, aftershave, socks and stuff.  I was so touched and grateful.

This year for new years, President Bunnell challenged all the missionaries to set goals for the upcoming year, and for years to come.  I am so grateful to the Lord for being so willing to guide us as we look to him.  As we are sincere and look to Him, He will give us direction for our lives.

The Lord Has a Plan for Us!
Carlos A. Godoy
October 2014 General Conference

I love you guys!

-Elder Lott

Question of the Week:  Are there toll roads in your mission, or is it free driving through Belgium/Netherlands?

Answer: I haven't been on any toll roads, most roads are free to ride on.  Driving here in Belgium is so crazy though!  Roads are going all kinds of ways, there are signs everywhere, and cameras at nearly every intersection to take pictures if you are going even a little bit too fast or if you even come close to running a red light.  So pretty much there is no free agency when driving here.  The Netherlands is so much nicer to drive in.