Sinterklaas had arrived in The Hague!Sinterklaas has a long red cape, wears a traditional white bishop's robe and red mitre, and holds a crosier, a long gold-coloured staff with a fancy curled top. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides a white or gray horse.
Sinterklaas traditionally arrives in the Netherlands each year in mid-November (usually on a Saturday) by steamboat from Spain. Some suggest that gifts associated with the holy man, such as mandarin oranges, led to the misconception that he must have been from Spain. He parades through the streets on his gray horse Amerigo, welcomed by cheering and singing children.Sinterklaas is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colourful Moorish dresses, dating back two centuries. These helpers are called 'Zwarte Pieten' (Black Petes). Sinterklaas and his Black Pete usually carry a bag which contains candy for nice children and aroe, a chimney sweep's broom made of willow branches, used to spank naughty children.Some of the older Sinterklaas songs make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and being taken back to Spain. They also climb down chimneys to fill the children's shoes with presents, this ca
uses their skin to be black.
They were all like stuffed birds after Thanksgiving.
We were greeted at the door by these two young pilgrims.
One of the oldest department stores in the Netherlands, Bijenkorf added a vintage horse drawn carriage to the parade!
Dating back to 1870, De Bijenkorf has a rich 140 year history. It originally sold buttons and sewing supplies, and is one of the most popular department stores in the Netherlands.
We love the traditions of this country!
In this bag was candy for all the little children. So cute!!!
We met our District Leaders of our mission in Leiden at the PietersKerk, for a wonderful non-demoninational Thanksgiving Day service to commemorate the 401st Anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims in Leiden, the Netherlands, with about 200 other Americans, in this beautiful centuries old church in a very quaint
The Thanksgiving season is her. Naturally, during this time of year, we reflect on those things that we have that we are thankful for. In our last General Conference, our beloved prophet Thomas S Monson talked to us about being thankful, even for little things that we might not recognize all the time. He told a story of a family, who after many years of using lanterns to light their house, finally installed electricity and light bulbs. They were amazed at how much better they could see. They had always had a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner with a nice ole’ Turkey to eat. Well, a few years went by since they had their electricity put in, and once again, Turkey day had arrived. They had had a very bad year crop wise, with a lot of their crops being washed away. that year, their Thanksgiving dinner was a lot less than it had been in years before. The children weren’t really happy about it. No one was happy about it. They just sat around the table looking at their meager supply of food. then, the father decided to do something. He went and got the old lanterns that they had and lit them, and hung them where they use to go. then he shut the lights off. It was so dark that they could barely see. They wondered how they could have ever survived with such minimal light. They remembered to be thankful for what they had not sad for what they didn’t. My family and friends, I hope you can all remember this Thanksgiving season what you are thankful for. Think about all that you have, all of those things you think you could live without. One of my favorite hymns is number 163, in the Dutch hymnbook, “Teluwvele Zegeninge,” or, “Count your many blessings.” This hymn always helps remind me of what I have, and it also reminds me that it was God that gave it to me.
I have so many blessings in my life. One of my favorite blessings right now is the opportunity I have to serve the Lord. “To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent met to.” –Bruce R McConkie
To be in service is a blessing. I t doesn’t matter who we are in service to, because when it comes down to it, it is God we are serving. “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.””Mosiah 2:17. King Benjamin continues to talk to his people both about service and thanksgiving. “Behold, ye have called me your king, and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? And behold, also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your Heavenly King –“Mosiah 2:18-19
I want you to know how much of a blessing it is to serve. I thank my heavenly King every day for the blessing I have of being here on a mission, in His service.
I have a challenge for all of you this Thanksgiving season. Show your thankfulness to the Lord by serving him in all places and at all times. Remember, the small things that the Lord has given you, “for by small and simple means, are great things come to pass.” Be not idle, but serve and give thanks. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
D&C 88:124
Elder Courtney Bair
One of the oldest department stores in the Netherlands, Bijenkorf added a vintage horse drawn carriage to the parade!
Dating back to 1870, De Bijenkorf has a rich 140 year history. It originally sold buttons and sewing supplies, and is one of the most popular department stores in the Netherlands.
We love the traditions of this country!
In this bag was candy for all the little children. So cute!!!We met our District Leaders of our mission in Leiden at the PietersKerk, for a wonderful non-demoninational Thanksgiving Day service to commemorate the 401st Anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims in Leiden, the Netherlands, with about 200 other Americans, in this beautiful centuries old church in a very quaint
The Thanksgiving season is her. Naturally, during this time of year, we reflect on those things that we have that we are thankful for. In our last General Conference, our beloved prophet Thomas S Monson talked to us about being thankful, even for little things that we might not recognize all the time. He told a story of a family, who after many years of using lanterns to light their house, finally installed electricity and light bulbs. They were amazed at how much better they could see. They had always had a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner with a nice ole’ Turkey to eat. Well, a few years went by since they had their electricity put in, and once again, Turkey day had arrived. They had had a very bad year crop wise, with a lot of their crops being washed away. that year, their Thanksgiving dinner was a lot less than it had been in years before. The children weren’t really happy about it. No one was happy about it. They just sat around the table looking at their meager supply of food. then, the father decided to do something. He went and got the old lanterns that they had and lit them, and hung them where they use to go. then he shut the lights off. It was so dark that they could barely see. They wondered how they could have ever survived with such minimal light. They remembered to be thankful for what they had not sad for what they didn’t. My family and friends, I hope you can all remember this Thanksgiving season what you are thankful for. Think about all that you have, all of those things you think you could live without. One of my favorite hymns is number 163, in the Dutch hymnbook, “Teluwvele Zegeninge,” or, “Count your many blessings.” This hymn always helps remind me of what I have, and it also reminds me that it was God that gave it to me.I have so many blessings in my life. One of my favorite blessings right now is the opportunity I have to serve the Lord. “To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent met to.” –Bruce R McConkie
To be in service is a blessing. I t doesn’t matter who we are in service to, because when it comes down to it, it is God we are serving. “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.””Mosiah 2:17. King Benjamin continues to talk to his people both about service and thanksgiving. “Behold, ye have called me your king, and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? And behold, also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your Heavenly King –“Mosiah 2:18-19
I want you to know how much of a blessing it is to serve. I thank my heavenly King every day for the blessing I have of being here on a mission, in His service.
I have a challenge for all of you this Thanksgiving season. Show your thankfulness to the Lord by serving him in all places and at all times. Remember, the small things that the Lord has given you, “for by small and simple means, are great things come to pass.” Be not idle, but serve and give thanks. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
D&C 88:124
Elder Courtney Bair
