The last district class of a transfer are always a bit melancholy. The transfers seem to go even faster for old folks like us. This transfer has been particularly fun because the Elders and Sisters in the district seemed to work so well together and Elder Bishesar has been a very successful district leader. He served as a zone leader in Den Haag (The Hague) before coming here. We also had a few more opportunities to work together than usual and the district won the zone soccer match (even without Elders Hosea and Groenveld).
We met a bit early to practice some songs for a gig that Sister Caldwell arranged at a rest home in Leuven. We had a great district class, followed by the standard transfer pictures. Sister Caldwell prepared a great lunch of Swiss steaks. Since Sister Robbins was headed home this transfer, the Elders decided that she needed to be treated to some late Christmas poppers full of confetti.
We then headed off to the rest home. Our young missionaries made quite an impression - to say the least. We have included a couple of Flemish favorites for the folks to sing along with. "Ke Sera Sera", the old Doris Day favorite was translated into Flemish and was quite popular. The all-time favorite was done by a Flemish artist, Eddy Wally and is called "Ik spring uit en vliegmachine" (I spring out of an airplane to see you). They all sang along with this one and enjoyed doing motions to match. It was so much fun that we decided that we need to do this for every transfer and the activities person invited us back. I guess we have the regular gig that Sister Caldwell has been working for since we got here.
We had to arrange for our loaner Toyota Yaris to go back to the mission office with Elders Neptune and Bishesar on Tuesday evening, so Elders Bringhurst and Neptune came to collect the car. We arranged to meet the couple serving in the European Union relations office for the Church, Elder and Sister Rochow from Adelaide, Australia. They met us at the train station and we took the metro and trams together to the dealership where the car was being repaired.
We enjoyed meeting them and discovered that Sister Rochow had also been a librarian like Sister Caldwell. Elder Rochow is a barrister with 30 years of practice and they both had done a lot of public relations work with the Church. The Church is most fortunate to have people of this calibre available to help. They are kind of on their own here and do not have the regular missionary associations that we enjoy so much. We hope to get together again soon.
We were happy to finally be united with the long-promised Chevrolet Orlando. It was promised to us last July and that is why they gave us the oldest Opel Corsa in the mission to drive. The Rochows didn't like this car in Brussels and we can see why. It is large, not very maneuverable and hard to park. It does have lots of bells and whistles and more room for us to haul missionaries and Young Single Adults. The seating in back is quite cramped, but it does hold seven and the back seats fold flat to haul stuff.
After picking up the car, we drove to Leuven for our weekly institute class. We enjoy associating with these fine young people and we especially appreciate the preparation and testimony that Brother Verhaegen (a former Bishop of the ward) puts into the lessons.
We tried out the built-in GPS on the way home and discovered that it is much harder to use and is far less accurate than our trusty Garmin. The Rochows told us that they gave up using it and bought a Garmin as well.
The first week of February turned out to be a week of sorrow as Bonnie's aunt Farol Thackeray passed away at age 98. She was sharp to the end and was beloved by everyone in the family. She always gave us "one-liners" to quote after a visit. We were blessed to visit with her a few hours before we left on the plane for Amsterdam. We were also sad to learn of the passing of Nancy Wilcox. Darren, her husband, served his mission here in Belgium.
On Saturday, February 6, the famous Belgian (Flemish) singer Eddy Wally passed away. We learned from some of our older members one his most famous songs, "Ik spring uit een vliegmachine" (I spring or jump out of a flying machine). This has proved to be a favorite at our rest home gigs. For those who want a little Flemish culture, here is a link to his performance in our town of Mechelen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRF7OKCqIg
We continue to enjoy working with the young single adults in the ward and the stake. We are blessed to have some exceptional young people. We certainly pray for their success in life and their continued happiness in the service of the Lord.
We met a bit early to practice some songs for a gig that Sister Caldwell arranged at a rest home in Leuven. We had a great district class, followed by the standard transfer pictures. Sister Caldwell prepared a great lunch of Swiss steaks. Since Sister Robbins was headed home this transfer, the Elders decided that she needed to be treated to some late Christmas poppers full of confetti.
We then headed off to the rest home. Our young missionaries made quite an impression - to say the least. We have included a couple of Flemish favorites for the folks to sing along with. "Ke Sera Sera", the old Doris Day favorite was translated into Flemish and was quite popular. The all-time favorite was done by a Flemish artist, Eddy Wally and is called "Ik spring uit en vliegmachine" (I spring out of an airplane to see you). They all sang along with this one and enjoyed doing motions to match. It was so much fun that we decided that we need to do this for every transfer and the activities person invited us back. I guess we have the regular gig that Sister Caldwell has been working for since we got here.
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| Sister Robbins with part of her fan club. |
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| Sisters Doxey and Robbins helping their biggest fan back to his room |
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| We had to grab one last photo before going our separate ways |
We enjoyed meeting them and discovered that Sister Rochow had also been a librarian like Sister Caldwell. Elder Rochow is a barrister with 30 years of practice and they both had done a lot of public relations work with the Church. The Church is most fortunate to have people of this calibre available to help. They are kind of on their own here and do not have the regular missionary associations that we enjoy so much. We hope to get together again soon.
We were happy to finally be united with the long-promised Chevrolet Orlando. It was promised to us last July and that is why they gave us the oldest Opel Corsa in the mission to drive. The Rochows didn't like this car in Brussels and we can see why. It is large, not very maneuverable and hard to park. It does have lots of bells and whistles and more room for us to haul missionaries and Young Single Adults. The seating in back is quite cramped, but it does hold seven and the back seats fold flat to haul stuff.
After picking up the car, we drove to Leuven for our weekly institute class. We enjoy associating with these fine young people and we especially appreciate the preparation and testimony that Brother Verhaegen (a former Bishop of the ward) puts into the lessons.
We tried out the built-in GPS on the way home and discovered that it is much harder to use and is far less accurate than our trusty Garmin. The Rochows told us that they gave up using it and bought a Garmin as well.
The first week of February turned out to be a week of sorrow as Bonnie's aunt Farol Thackeray passed away at age 98. She was sharp to the end and was beloved by everyone in the family. She always gave us "one-liners" to quote after a visit. We were blessed to visit with her a few hours before we left on the plane for Amsterdam. We were also sad to learn of the passing of Nancy Wilcox. Darren, her husband, served his mission here in Belgium.
On Saturday, February 6, the famous Belgian (Flemish) singer Eddy Wally passed away. We learned from some of our older members one his most famous songs, "Ik spring uit een vliegmachine" (I spring or jump out of a flying machine). This has proved to be a favorite at our rest home gigs. For those who want a little Flemish culture, here is a link to his performance in our town of Mechelen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRF7OKCqIg
We continue to enjoy working with the young single adults in the ward and the stake. We are blessed to have some exceptional young people. We certainly pray for their success in life and their continued happiness in the service of the Lord.
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