First Day in the Ministry

Hey there...this is Leanna. So things have finally slowed down a bit, just enough for me to make a post of my very own. People keep telling me that i must have brought the warm weather from California with me to the Netherlands. Its been in the mid to low 40s...I think I expected it to be a whole lot colder, but it really hasn't been all that bad. It has not rained all that much or been incredibly windy while we've been out and about...and let me tell you, we have been out. I'm loving the freedom of not having a cell phone, although Sabrina has had one on hand for Matt and the congregation. All in all, I'm loving my European expedition.

Today was my very first day out in the ministry in Amsterdam. We missed our bus this morning by like 8 minutes; fortunately that particular one comes quite frequently. After making a transfer to the metro we realized we were not really going to be all that late. We paused momentarily on our brisk walk to the meeting for field service to notice a woman with the Watchtower of Mary on the cover. Finally we arrived only to find that we would have to interrupt the meeting by buzzing for the door to open...we made it to the 10th floor, opened the door...they were all just sitting around a big coffee table sippin' tea.I love the European routine of tea or coffee that just seems to surround you everywhere. Sabrina and I had plans, or "an appointment" as they refer to it here, with Monica. Another sister had made plans to join our group, but she called the night before to let us know she would not be able to make it because of the flu. No problem, instead a lovely sister Rita became my partner for the morning.

Rita had a call she has been trying to set up a time to schedule an appointment to study so we thought we would give him a try. Success…we had a pleasant conversation and she made an appointment for Saturday. Next stop, the previously mentioned study. Unfortunately, she was not home…but that’s okay, Rita still had the territory for that apartment building. We spent the remaining of our morning going up and down several flights of stairs, mixing in and elevator every now and then. Our last door ended up being a Ghanaian woman…the majority of that conversation was in Twi, but Rita so graciously allowed me to read a scripture every now and then. Just as we were getting ready to head out, Rita received a phone call from Monica and Sabrina letting us know where to meet them. So ends my first ministry day here in Holland with many more to come this week

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the ministry, but I just had to include it. Yesterday Bri and I went downtown to tour the Rijks Museum.I’ve seen pictures of some of these paintings, but to actually visualize them in the scale that is meant to be is just breathtaking. I would get so caught up in the details mentioned in my interactive pod guide, I would have to be reminded to take a step back and enjoy the painting in its entirety. It never ceases to amaze me that someone can use paint to capture this single moment or people’s feelings…and to top it off, some look as if they're a mere photograph. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I felt mentally, emotionally, and possibly even spiritually (so much of the art depicted how religion truly has made a muck of things and peoples lives) drained that Bri and I both were in the mood for a cup of coffee.

Well...that's all for now. We have early morning plans with a sister...we're meeting her at a metro station @8.