We are here, no visa yet, but they let us in anyway, no questions asked! Probably because of Henk's good looks. Pres and Sis van Dam were there to greet us and we were off to the hotel so we could sleep because the flight did not give us much (sitting next to the bathroom door slamming for ten hours will do that).
Our introduction to the Temple was great, everybody came to see the new President and Matron and we hope they also came to do the work the temple is intended for.
Right off the bat were asked to help at the veil, which is an experience all by itself. You never know what language is presented and they have multiple cards with the ordinances in different languages. So we did English, German, Dutch, French and even Spanish. Yes, you had better be multi-cultural as a worker in this temple or you won't survive.
The temple itself is absolutely beautiful and small and intimate. The people have received us with open arms thus far and we are looking forward to many more opportunities to get to know many more people. We are involved in all of the ordinances due to the fact that temple workers can be scarce at times. We get to the temple about 8:30 am and walk home about 10:30 pm. We eat a lunch and dinner at the temple that we bring from home and eat whenever the times allow.
Saturday after we finished at the temple we got in the car and drove to our very first Stake Conference assignment in Apeldoorn and this coming weekend we will be in Brussels Belgium for another Stake Conference. The speaking assignments are already stacking up and that gives us a chance to meet members in their own wards and spend time with them when things aren't so busy.
On Sunday we had the chance to be with Henk's brother and sister-in-law Thijs and Ans, one of the perks we get to enjoy and it was good to see each other again. Pres. Eyring's statement that this calling is for our family goes beyond our children and grandchildren. We hope to connect with many more family members that we have lost contact with over the years.
Monday and Tuesday we ventured out on the road (getting used to driving in Europe is much easier thanks to a GPS in the car). We found IKEA to get some things we needed and a store like Costco.
Overall this has been a wonderful opportunity in many ways and before long we will have a legal status and we will be fully vested for the next three years.
One of our favorite things to do, when we are not in the temple, is to take an evening walk. We saw this windmill, which is just a two minute walk from our home and thought you might like it too. Bikers are all around us and we constantly have to dart out of their way. One of these days we'll learn how to do that and keep both them and us safe.
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