July 10, 2017 (Mon)
This was the day to just get ready and go (to the Netherlands)! John drove us to the airport just after noon and we had fun meeting the 28 other Kapp relatives who were making the trip with us. Some, I knew, others I was meeting for the first time. The flight was about nine hours so we got there about midnight our time. Steve and I had two seats on the side so it was easy for me to get up and walk often. I watched a good movie, “Gifted” and they served good food. I was sitting by the window seat as we were coming into Holland and the lush green fields and orderly look of the country just overwhelmed me and tears came quite unexpectedly. For almost a lifetime I wanted to see Holland and here I am! It was 8:30 a.m. and bright and sunny in Amsterdam!
July 11, 2017 (Tues)
Because we arrived so early, we were told our hotel rooms would not be ready for several hours, which wasn’t good news because almost no one had slept all night and we were hoping for a nap. We had to just stow our bags in a big room and take off on a walking tour of the surrounding area. Our guide, Jedd Parkinson, knew his way around, fortunately, and led us on a tour of Fondel Park and Rijk Museum, and a few other places for a few hours. It was a trial for those who had skipped a night of sleep! When we finally did get into our hotel rooms it was time to leave for a scheduled tour of the Corrie Ten Boom House Museum about 45 minutes from here.
Her story was so compelling and we had a wonderful guide but we also had to climb steep circular stairways three different times before the tour ended and coming down was a challenge for many of us! Steve went down ahead of me so I could hold onto his shoulder as well as the railing and carefully make my way down. Some of the rooms were rather claustrophobic too with so many people packed into them. This was a hard day, no doubt about it!
We drove back to our hotel just in time to go to dinner in the hotel restaurant. The food was good, though I’m not sure what it was.
We were so happy to finally be in our rooms. I had only one thought—get to
bed! Which I did, at 7:30, and I didn’t wake up until 5:30! Steve read out in
the lobby and went to bed at 9:00.
July 12, 2017 (Wed)
We felt great this morning (even though it was raining) and had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then left on an autobus for a 90 minute drive to Kinderdijk—one of our most anticipated destinations. I’ve seen pictures of the many large windmills in that area and it has always fascinated me. We didn’t let the rain and wind dampen our spirits, we just put on our rain gear and made the best of it. It was awesome to be right there (by boat) and see the beauty of this place and go inside some of the biggest windmills and take some nice pictures, and see a movie about it afterward! I had hoped to find a couple of small water color prints of the windmills and found just what I wanted there. I enjoyed the drive there and back as much as anything—green, green fields, water ditches, cows, sheep, horses, goats—it was an idyllic day!
We got home about 5 p.m. and some took off for an open market to shop but I was a bit too tired. Steve went, and afterwards he was going to a concert in an opera hall that he often mentions on his classical music show on BYU-FM. It was very near our hotel. I opted to stay at the hotel and rest and write in my journal, half for my sake and half for his. He has been so helpful to me every minute but a break might be nice for him too. And a little R & R will suit me.
July 13, 2017 (Thurs)
We had a nice breakfast at the hotel with our Boekweg side of the family. Geesien Boekweg married my great grandfather Jacob Kap. Then we walked to our next adventure which was a two-hour cruise on the waterways of Amsterdam. We had a nice skipper teaching us about the history of the area and pointing out things all along the way, and it was a beautiful, relaxing two hours. Everything here is so distinctively different from anywhere else I have been. So much water everywhere and it has to be managed very carefully. I was surprised to learn that 45% of Amsterdam is below sea level! The skipper mostly pointed out things on the shores as we went by and told interesting stories.
When the cruise ended people mostly went their own way for a few hours and Steve and I began what turned out to be a four-hour walk, with a break for lunch—Dutch Pancakes and hot chocolate. We were in the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam and it was noisy and we had to be careful watching for buses, trains, cars and bicycles who seem to coexist in the same space in a way that we are not used to yet. We walked a looooong way to see a chapel that was built inside a normal building at a time (1600’s?) when one could practice religion as long it was not in public or visible to anyone else. It was amazing and I loved seeing it although it had more circular stairways we had to climb. We each bought a small typical blue and white vase there to take home as a souvenir. On our way walking back to the hotel we bought gouda cheese for John and for Emily and Skyler. I had to rest a bit on the way home as my legs were giving out. When we got to our hotel room we both lay down on our beds instantly and rested for an hour. Then it was time to leave for the next tour to the Anne Frank Museum, but I just couldn’t do any more stairs so I rested more, called Doug and John and took a shower.
July 14, 2017 (Fri)
After a nice breakfast we checked out of our hotel in Amsterdam and enjoyed a very comfortable three hour bus ride to Groningen through lush green countryside crossing over the dyke which had salt water on one side and fresh water on the other. How did they ever build it in the first place? Some got out of the bus in the rain and one from our party dropped her phone over the barrier to the dyke and she panicked. I wasn’t there but heard that Steve went over the barrier and descended a ways to rescue it for her and others pulled him back up. On the bus she said, “Steve is my hero!” (He is mine too for the ways he has helped me this week, and all the questions he has answered about my iPhone and his laptop.
We loved the look of Groningen—quaint Dutch-looking homes with manicured yards and tons of flowers. I like it much better out here in the countryside. There is a man named, Jan Weening, who is our main contact here and he met us out in a beautiful green field where the church erected a monument to the first three people to be baptized into the church in Holland. It is right by the canal where they were baptized. Brother Weening got on the bus and told us all about it, and we got to know him. He has arranged a few special events for us that will happen tomorrow and Sunday. He made a beautiful booklet of the history of the church in Holland for each of us.
We checked into a beautiful hotel and then went on a walking tour. At one point the more hearty members of our troop hiked a high church tower (311 steps). Too high and claustrophobic, for me. Steve did it and I had fun shopping for a few souvenirs. Then the whole troupe walked downtown to a huge boat-made-into-a-restaurant where we had a pancake supper. All of the Kapp contingent ended up sitting at one table and everyone else at another. It was fun to have time alone with them. Then we walked back to the hotel and enjoyed resting in our rather luxurious quarters. Nice day!
July 15, 2017 (Sat)
This day got off to a rocky start as I could not find my small leather wallet anywhere. Both Steve and I looked for it in every nook and cranny of our hotel room until I was about to panic. I told him to go eat breakfast so I could pray better! By the time he returned I had offered my most heartfelt prayers and then we both started searching again. I just sat quiet for a minute because I had asked the Lord to tell me where to look. My answer was to empty my large suitcase again (for the third time). This time I moved my plastic shower cap that was stuck in a corner, and there it was. I was so relieved and said some earnest thank you prayers and went to eat breakfast, and all was well.
We soon left and traveled to a beautiful spot where tables and chairs had been nicely set up for us in a beautiful green yard in front of a castle. The vice-mayor or Groningen soon came out and spoke from a podium welcoming us to the city. He had done his research about Mormons and was quite impressive with his 15 minute speech, during which he said he especially wanted to welcome two notable musicians among us, Janice Kapp Perry and Steven Kapp Perry. We both cringed to be singled out in front of our family members, but Jedd told us later he had to tell them that we had two well-known composers in our group so he would be willing to speak to our group! After his speech we were served pear cheese cake and apple streudel. It was all very formal and impressive. A reporter and photographer were there to record the event and it will be published in next Wednesday’s newspaper.
Then we entered the castle and heard a lot about the history of Groningen and had a nice tour of the castle, including art galleries. These people were very welcoming and interesting. Then we headed to the cemetery to find a couple of graves of family members who didn’t migrate to Utah, and a couple of relatives who knew them told stories about them. The cemetery was very interesting to me and I saw so many names on headstones that were familiar from seeing them on temple cards.
Then we toured up and down the streets of Helem and Siddeburen where some of our ancestors attended church. The homes are so distinctively Dutch and are kept so clean and decorative. We saw the place where my great grandparents Jacob and Geesien Kap were baptized, although the canal is no longer there. Our ancestors were farmers and there were about 36 members at church. As soon as we got to Groningen and Siddeburen I felt such a change in our trip, like the Spirit entered into us in a palpable way. I could hardly believe I was in the very spot where they lived and were first taught the gospel and suffered 18 years of persecution before they could start migrating to Zion. My Grandpa Jacob Kapp was two when they joined the church and was 18 when he left for Ogden all alone to start working and bring the family of 14 to Utah. I hoped they were aware of our pilgrimage to their homeland. Their very home was no longer there but we saw the spot where it had stood.
Then we travelled on briefly to a spot where we could see Germany across the water! After that it was time to drive to church in Groningen where the members had prepared a grand welcome for us! They were out in the parking lot grilling every kind of meat you could name, and it was a joyous time greeting them and feeling their great spirit. Best part of the trip! We were invited into the cultural hall where they had decorated it beautifully with flowers and streamers and beautifully decorated tables displaying all kinds of missionary journals and family history things. And other tables so nicely decorated where they would serve food and drinks. Tables were set up all through the hall because they had put ads in local papers inviting any Dutch relatives to also attend. Some came from as far away as Amsterdam!
We enjoyed the meal together (and what a spread it was!) and then groups were all over the hall visiting animatedly trying to make connections with relatives. It was one happy beehive of excited people, and we just marveled at all that was going on. Then the ward members started passing around treats and desserts. There was no end to their hospitality. We were there for several hours.
Steve and I sneaked into the chapel at one point to practice our song for tomorrow in church. I heard someone say that the Young Women and the Relief Society sisters were going to sing in church tomorrow. Should be great fun! One of the best parts of the trip for me has been hearing Steve speak Dutch with everyone! He seems to remember it just fine and is naturally so sociable that everyone has enjoyed him.
I sat in the chapel for a few minutes and said a heartfelt prayer of thanks for being here and just felt overwhelmed with a feeling of “coming home.” It seems like a dream.
July 16, 2017 (Sunday)
This was the day I looked forward to most, attending church with the saints in Groningen Ward. Once again we were given such a warm welcome. The Bishop was right there to greet us and accommodate us in any way he could. Most of us sat in the breezeway so we wouldn’t take their usual benches, and it was a good thing because the chapel was full. We were offered headphones but I just wanted to hear Dutch spoken. I knew my grandparents for the first 8 years of my life and can clearly remember the sound of their accents, so this was music to my ears. They spoke English but with a Dutch accent. Steve translated for me now and then.
I enjoyed singing the hymns in Dutch. I just listened to Steve and tried to imitate him. I actually learned a few things about Dutch pronunciation and was doing better on the later verses. I loved hearing the prayers, the sacrament prayers and the speakers in Dutch.
After the first speaker, Steve and I went up to perform our new hymn for them, “We Honor Those Who Came Before,” (“Ons voorgeslacht, wij eren hen”) Before he sang, he told them the hymn had been written especially for them and for our ancestors who first joined the church here. He did a very nice job and I did a passable job on the piano.
Later in the meeting every woman and young woman went to the front to sing for us (over 50 of them). We weren’t sure what they were going to sing, but it was the EFY Medley—“As Sisters in Zion/We’ll Bring the World His Truth,” (in Dutch). They were all smiles and so happy to be performing it for us. Afterward they came back to meet us and some had tears in their eyes as we hugged (me, for instance)! I asked when they had been able to learn it, because it is a bit challenging, and they said “We have been learning it at church every Sunday for two months, we wanted you to be happy!” I assured them it had made me very happy! Most of them speak English so this really helped us communicate. Well, this was a moment I have dreamed of, and it turned out to be everything I hoped for and more. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and boarded our bus for the return to Amsterdam.
Steve and others from our party are out walking to see what more they can see of Amsterdam. As for me I am “walked-out” and am content to write in my journal and ponder this unforgettable week. I’ve definitely been pushed to my limit physically and have come to a greater realization that I am indeed an old woman now. I will need a little recovery time when I get home.
Random observations from this trip: Steve is a most congenial and helpful traveling companion, keeping us on schedule, helping with my luggage, keeping me entertained, translating for me, leading me on a walk one day that was four or five times longer than any I’ve taken in the last few years (but I made it) and being so sociable and fun with those in our group and anyone else. I will always be grateful to him for helping me do this. And thankful to Johanne for sharing him with me. He has mentioned her so many times I couldn’t count them all, telling me about things she would like here, and the flowers she wants in her yard, and things she does for their family.
It has been fun to meet cousins and second cousins, etc. who I didn’t grow up with because we moved from Ogden when I was eight. Both Kapp cousins and Harbertson cousins, because some intermarried. They’re all such nice friends to share a trip with.
Amsterdam was extremely interesting and quite challenging trying to avoid being hit by bicycles, cars or buses going fast in very narrow lanes and paths. One could spend a long time here seeing the sights. I think we chose well and saw the right things.
There is such a peaceful beauty out in the countryside where our ancestors lived. It must have been a shock to leave such a gorgeous land and take up residence on the west side of Ogden by the railroad tracks! But they had only one thought and that was to gather to Zion, their new home. I feel so grateful for the missionary who converted our ancestors, Elder Anthony Van Dam. He was native here but migrated to Ogden after joining the church. Then he married and four years later he felt a great responsibility to return to Holland and bring more of the Dutch into the church. Bless him for that!
Thanks to John for being at home so I knew everything would be all right there. Thanks for always urging me to make this pilgrimage. I will never forget it.
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