zuster Ekstrom, I adore her

I. Absolutely. Love. My. Companion! Zuster Ekstrom is everything I want to be. We laugh too often and love each other ridiculously too much. I've never felt so confident or capable and we go out every day with incredible excitement and determination. We find with purpose and have seen miracles in every hour together. I just want to shout to everyone I see, "The gospel is true and will help you find happiness" and together, that's how we do it. It's a beautiful thing! I feel so good about what's going to happen over the next six weeks.

We had an amazing lesson with a man named Mark this week - the boyfriend of an inactive member. It was a powerful lesson and he was so positive that we challenged him to baptism. He totally said yes and we're working with him now to teach him regularly.

Kim's baptism is falling into line and I'm so grateful for the support of the ward in getting everything ready. It's going to be an experience of a lifetime. She's as strong as ever.

FHE with the ward is going great. It's still starting off but we're getting more people to come and it's proved to be a great way to get recent converts involved.

Our district meeting this past week was in Alkmaar and we had a fun time proselyting to passersby on a quaint little bridge while singing hymns. Music is a powerful tool. I love singing as missionaries.

I love you all so much. I can't wait to tell you everything someday.

With all my love and light,
Zuster Fritz

STAYING IN AMSTERDAM!!

Zuster Fritz is ecstatic that she'll be staying in Amsterdam!!
You can write to her there until the next transfer that will be about March 1st. Her address is:

Zuster Jillian Fritz
Groenhoven 622
1103 LS Amsterdam - Zuidoost
NETHERLANDS

She LOVES hearing from her friends!

1/3 in Amsterdam

1/3 of the people we hoped would have set baptismal dates this week pulled through. Kim is a rock star. Martha is well on her way "by the grace of God." Moses...well, Moses needs some time.

1/3 of my mission was reached 15 January, 2010 in Amsterdam. I celebrated with Ben& Jerry and Zuster Robbins during zuster exchanges. It was a miraculous day of perfection.

1/3 of the times that Claire and I tried to achter op on my bike yesterday actually got us somewhere.

1/3 of my mission will be spent in Amsterdam. I heard this morning that I'm remaining another transfer. Zuster Ekstrom will join me. I'm ecstatic.

It's a bittersweet thing to stay here and watch my trainer, my companion and my friend Zuster Fowler, leave me behind. I'm excited for her, excited for me, but change is always different. (duh) Yet adventure awaits us; I'm sure of it.

It's been such a week of miracles, great and small. I can't even begin to describe how much my heart is in this work and how much satisfaction I receive at it's progress. Jesus Christ heads this great undertaking of bringing the world his truth. I'm so proud to be a part of it. Something my

sister Emily told me before I embarked on this mission has stuck with me since and is only now beginning to take permanent shape in my understanding: "It's NOT about you. It's about 1) the

Savior and 2) the people." While at the beginning of my mission, I was completely willing and eager, I was also extremely selfish. It's been a rocky road, but I find that it sheds off a little more everyday - and that comes by serving and merging my will with His. Ceaselessly, everyday. Through prayer. It's a powerful line of communication that will never fail us or be too great for us. We are all worthy to pray.

I love you all so much and thank you for your letters, your support, your prayers. I am sorry I've been serving in such an AMAZING CITY with SO much to do every P-day that I've had hardly any time to write back most of the time, but maybe in a few months I'll be in the middle-of-nowhere-Holland with nothing better to do. ;)

Veel succes en liefs,
Zuster Jillian Fritz

oud en nieuw

Hello lovely everyone,

Happy New Year! "Oud en Nieuw" (Old and New as they call it here) was a flashy affair. Fireworks are a Dutch legacy and we didn't go a single minute without hearing explosions through the day. When night fell, the sky was colorfully lit and I imagine a bombing raid couldn't sound much louder. It was a memorable night of little sleep....Very little sleep!

the new year had provided us a great opportunity to talk with people about making changes and setting goals. I hope it yields great results.
With so much resolution to change in the atmosphere, I've also made some resolves to become a better me. My emotions have indeed been a struggle and challenge on my mission, but of one thing I'm sure - that the Lord Jesus Christ has been here before me. I've received several priesthood blessings with beautiful words of comfort and assurance. My testimony of the priesthood is being continually deepened as I've seen its pure power in my life and the lives of others.

We're preparing two investigators for baptism and watching them both progress has been a privilege for me. Kim is the light of my mission. I'm amazed by her willingness to live a gospel-centered life and so impressed with how prepared she is. We did nothing - she simply fell into our laps and I know that it's really not about us, but the Holy ghost in teaching toward repentance and change. Moses, on the other hand has a desire to change, but is not as active in making steps to get there. Everyone must make the decision in their own time.

One thing I must make absolutely clear is that Ik hou van minj fiets!!! I love my bike!!!. I truly think its the God-intended way to get from here to there. It's exhilarating and pure - truly a joy :)
Today's P-day is being spent in the Centrum as usual and we're lunching @ Hard Rock Cafe A'dam. I absolutely love this city. It's definitely unique.

I love you all oodles and hope and pray the best for you all by name. Love you, good night, sweet dreams!

Zuster Jillian Fritz

A day in the life of Zuster Fritz

6.30 arise, sport for 30 minutes
7.00 shower, breakfast, prepare for the day
8.00 personal study
9.00 companionship study
10.00 language study
10.30 lunch (grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, apple, stroopwafel)
11.30 leave for the centrum to look up inactive members of the ward
12.04 approached by three American tourists who are members of the church
13.17 come to find that the address the inactive member gave us was the Anne Frank house (she apparently didn’t want the missionaries to visit her)
14.11 after 11 minutes of bell-ups, approached by the police who came on a call from a resident we had belled, claiming we were not who we said we were. The police took down our legal names and told us if it happens again, we will be spending time in jail
14.25 Zuster Fowler and I decide not to go finding in the centrum anymore
16.06 amazing lesson with a former investigator, Martha, who wants to come back to church
16.51 go to look up former investigator around the corner from Martha. he no longer lives there, but schedule an appointment with the new tenant
17.00 Moses, our Liberian investigator, says it is too cold to go outside of his apartment so cancels his appointment
17.30 eat cucumber soup for dinner (for the seventh time this month)
19.00 Kwame gets baptized at the church. incredible experience
20.34 Bishop calls to tell us that church is cancelled due to expected snow Sunday morning

21.00 plan for the next day
21.30 call the elders and share miracles and report numbers
22.30 retire to bed

January 11, 2010

Our awesome brother from Ghana, Gershon "Kwame" Atiscolove was baptized this past weekend. All the die hards were there for it. We celebrated the anticipated date with a dinner appointment at Lucky's home - Kwame made us some of his African fufu. Cultural experience indeed.

Kwame wasn't a miracle find because we missionaries didn't find him. He found us. After following the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney and hearing his speeches laced with statements and convictions of his "mormon faith," Kwame was determined to find and join the church to which he belonged. He spent weeks looking up all the information he could and finally found the address of the church in Amsterdam. One Sunday after church, Kwame walked in and marched up to the elders, introduced himself, and told them he wanted to be baptized.

Zone conference is this week and I'm really looking forward to getting together with the zones and getting spiritually nourished. I'm interested to see where we'll all be transferred next week.

The Zusters ten Den Haag are coming to do a blitz this week in Amsterdam. I'll be working with Zuster Robins, which I'm really excited about. She's gorgeous.

Church was cancelled yesterday due to expected amounts of snow...which never came. Instead we went to visit Kim (the light of my mission) and watched the Testaments. We're certainly the die-hards because even without church, we totally fasted together. I forsee great blessings ahead of us. :)

Also, because of a miscommunication, we had two dinner appointments yesterday night to break our fast. One at 4:00 and the other at 5:30. I've never eaten so much in my life. I certainly love how well taken care of we are on the mission. :D

I love you all tremendously. Thank you all so much for your letters (especially a shout out to the VIENNA GROUP! you're all amazing). I am blessed with good friends and family to keep me going.

Tot ziens,
Zuster Fritz