14 - 20 August 2010

Last Saturday, we went to the Grand Place in Brussels for the "Carpet of Flowers". This is the town hall (built in 1444), one of the many cool old buildings in this town center - it's pretty tall!

This carpet of flowers is about half the size of a football field (20,000 sq. ft.). It was really incredible. They only do this every 2 years and it lasts 3 days (that's about as long as the flowers will last). It was packed with people. I don't have any idea how many thousands of people were there. I've never seen the Grand Place so packed.

A center view of the carpet of flowers with the guild house in the background. This guild house belonged to the baker's guild and was built in 1696. This is pretty typical in all the cities in Belgium. The different guilds built their houses around the main square or along the major canals and harbors.

Another spectacular view - we paid 3 euros to go up to a balcony in the town hall and look down at the carpet. The journey through the old Town Hall was spectacular too. They wouldn't allow any pictures and I don't know that I could do it justice trying to describe it. It was just room after room of paintings and old, grand furniture.

558,000 fresh flowers were actually used in making this carpet. The green is grass.

More of a close-up view of the beautiful flowers used.

Here's the happy couple! The Langevelds were with us up on the balcony, along with two of the four elders.

This is the Greek restaurant where we always take the new missionaries the day they arrive. So of course we have to eat there each time we go. The two office elders are in the middle with the Assistants to the President on the sides.

The Langevelds serve in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, so they were excited to experience some of Belgium with us - they had never been to the Grand Place and loved all of it.

More baptisms! This is Joseph Mendy, a man the sisters taught in Antwerpen (I actually taught one lesson with them a couple months ago). He is standing by Julie, my friend in the ward and a great member missionary. The second time Joseph came to church, it was testimony meeting and he bore his testimony! He hadn't even been baptized yet.

This is Joseph Mendey, mentioned above, and Andy Thomas, a young Belgium man who the assistants taught and was baptized at the same time. Andy has a Joseph on each side - on the left is the one who got baptized with him, and on the right is Joseph Tunde, the member, who introduced him to the Gospel and baptized him.

Elder Relitz baptized Joseph Mendey, and Andy was baptized by Joseph Tunde in the picture. The assistants are on either side. Loel taught a lesson to Andy with the assistants one night and was very impressed with him. Andy has a lot of respect for Loel and asked him to stand in the circle when he was confirmed. He also gave him one of his soccer medals kind of as a momento. It was a pretty tender moment when Joseph, the African and a relatively new member, baptized his friend, Andy, a white Belgium guy - as Andy came up out of the water, he hugged Joseph and just kept hugging him - didn't want to let go.

The sister missionaries had African dresses made and put them on after the baptism. Here they are with a couple of African members, Joseph, in the back, who had just gotten baptized, and the man on the side is an investigator that Julie brought to the baptism. He loved it and is now being taught by the assistants.

A picture of lot of the men after the baptism - Andy and Joseph, the two newly baptized members, are in the middle.

Joseph asked me to confirm him. I didn't know until I arrived at church Sunday morning, so it was quite a surprise. How blessed we've been as we've had experience after experience that we never anticipated when we left home.

After church, Julie invited us to her home for lunch. Her son Daniel was there and a relatively new member (since we arrived), Heidi, was also there. Heidi and her mother were both baptized about two months ago. Daniel served a mission to France and is a mainstay in the Young Adult organization here.

This was my birthday celebration at the office. We always make lunch for the office on Monday and Paula made Chicken Fajitas, with Carrot Cake for dessert. My birthday was actually on Sunday and what better birthday gift can you have than to see two new converts confirmed and be able to be a part of that.

This week we had to say good-bye to 4 missionaries who had completed their missions and were going home - it's always hard to say good-bye. We were with them, the Assistants, and the Brubakers the whole day before they went home. Picking them up a the train station, bringing them in for their final interviews, having a wonderful dinner and testimony meeting together, back to the mission home at night for dessert, and then up early the next morning, bringing them and their luggage to the airport. There were three outstanding elders and an incredible sister who we will miss tremendously.

We were supposed to welcome in 3 new elders on Tuesday but they are delayed for visa problems and are temporarily assigned in Jackson, Mississippi! We were very sad when we found out they weren't coming yet. We hope it doesn't take too long to get their visas.