you know you're a missionary when....:)

Mum, PahPea, family, and friends!

HELLO!!! so I am sure you are just DYING to know what I meant by todays subject line. If not, well...this is slightly anti-climatic. :) so.....you know you're a missionary when... you watch the Joseph Smith: Prophet of The Restoration movie, and you and all the other missionaries in the room feel ooper awkward when Joseph Smith and Emma kiss. eyup. I am officially ridiculous. :) 

I have lots to say, so let's jump in to...QUESTION TIME!!!!

1.  Tell me more about Alli and her family... :0)

ah, they are the sweetest family!! They keep telling us how much they talk about us and how excited they are to come to church. They were so excited to come yesterday but unfortunately, Jaime got VERY sick and they needed to stay home. Her voice was SOO sad when she called us yesterday morning to tell us they couldn't make it but they want us to come over very soon and teach them more! haha how sweet are they??:) The Lord has definitely prepared this sweet family! We have planned to invite them to be baptized in our next visit and ask Jaime if he wants to baptize his sweet wife and daughter. :) We're excited to see their faces, that's for sure!:)

2.  Conference talk of the week...

Fan The Flame of Your Faith! whatever came to mind to increase your Faith, then do it. that's between you and the Lord. :)

3.  Is Samantha still progressing toward a baptismal date of May 26th?

Please keep Samantha in your prayers, for sure. She's trying to overcome a huge hurdle right now, so at this point, I'll say yes but slowly. But please please just keep her in your prayers. Samantha definitely needs to feel loved by the Lord and her fellow siblings (you!) :) thank you!!!

4.  How are things going for Kim?

Poor girl is so prepared that Satan is attacking her like none other. But she's staying true to the things she knows she needs to do! She's an absolutely INCREDIBLE 14 year old!!! She's teaching me so much about being steadfast and showing your love for the Lord, not just saying it. She's definitely one of a kind!:)

5.  Anyone else in your teaching pool?

Allie and Alex are new investigators! They are a cute couple that we met while going to teach Johanna and Phil. Her name is actually Alex as well but she says people call her Allie. But for the sake of getting investigators in emails mixed up, I'll refer to them as Alex*2 :) They are both very open to reading the Book of Mormon, he's anglican and she's catholic, but she told us "I'm actually afraid of it being true, because that'd mean that I'd have to change religions". We testified to her that she has nothing to lose, but SOO much to gain, and if this Church is indeed true, she will be so much happier than she is now! She's willing to read so I'll keep you updated!:)

6.  FAVORITE moment of the week...

I wish I could adequately describe my favorite moments of the week, but I've surrendered to the fact that it's impossible to get my point across the way I feel it in my heart. This past week in district meeting, we talked about obtaining referrals from members and helping them feel comfortable inviting their friends to dinners with the missionaries or to meet with them or to share a gospel doctrine with them. As with all of our meetings, we always do a role play at the end, where we take turns teaching each other to feel more comfortable teaching a doctrine or inviting them to do something. This past week, however, was different. Instead of role play, we did a real play where we taught each other as ourselves, as Sister De Groot, Sister Zerkle, etc. S Zerkle and I, E Francom and E Yu taught each other about the Atonement and what it means to us, and the Spirit flooded every single one of us! We all had someone come into minds as we asked each other who we knew could benefit from having the Atonement in their lives, to help them feel that they, personally, are a child of God, who knows them so deeply and can comfort WHATEVER they are going through. So I want this to be the missionary invitation of the week, allow the Atonement of Jesus Christ to work within you, and once you feel it for yourself, you WILL have a desire to share it with someone. Pray to know who you know that can benefit from having the Atonement touch their hearts, and then have the courage and the faith to share it with them. We have this truth in our lives, and if it's touched your heart, how can you keep silent about it? I am not pointing fingers, I never shared it until I came out here, and I wish I had noticed earlier how quiet I was about it, because now, I really don't want to ever cease spreading His Gospel, for His Gospel, His Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, IS His Kingdom again on the Earth, the very Kingdom Christ established when He was on the Earth Himself. If you lack the knowledge or the faith of His restored Gospel on the Earth today, please seek the Truth, for I can promise you, as a simple servant of our Heavenly Father, that once you have received the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost, you will be happier than you ever thought could be possible. Continue to Fan the Flame of your Faith, and I promise you, you WILL overcome the obstacles that you are now facing and will face in the future. Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy. So why not spread the joy? Allow others the opportunity of feeling the incredible love that comes with accepting the Atonement in their lives, and share it with everyone! If one person has come to your mind while reading this, please remember that no spiritual prompting is an accident and share the Gospel with that person. I can promise you, God needs you to open your mouth. For He's already blessed you, so open your mouth so He can bless another one of His children. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son!

7.  FUNNIEST moment of the week...

so we talk to the bus drivers. all of the times. and we absolutely love it when they recognize us and enjoy talking with us. We talked to one specific driver this past week whose name was - and no, I'm not joking - Hickey. Poor guy...anyways, so he proceeded to tell us the true meaning behind the word, which means spot or blemish. we proceeded to talk about how incredible the Lord is, when he says "But sisters, I know for a fact that I won't be going to Heaven." a little taken back, sister Zerkle and I stood there a little confused, until he adds, "cause you know, God says no unclean thing, no spot or blemish can enter into His Kingdom!" hahaha! oh goodness, sister Zerkle and I BURST out laughing!!! he's probably our favorite bus driver as of yet!:)

8.  BEST COMPANION moment of the week...

companionship bonding over a container of tajun. OK, I don't know if you've ever tasted tajun, but it's like heaven in spice form. To get the full effect, you take half the bottle and empty it on ALL of the things! Especially popcorn...oh my goodness gracious. I can't believe I've lived almost 21 years without tasting it. Thanks to S Zerkle's mom, I got to discover it and it is DELICIOUS!!!! that and takis. uh. so good. (!) :)

9.  Will you ever get a chance to attend the temple in Toronto?

Maybe in the future! The only way we can go is if we're within an hour drive of the temple and it only happens every 6 months. The closest one is just around Mother's Day, so we won't be able to go, but maybe in the future, eh?:)

10.  Any message for Amber prior to her delivery?

Hey GooberNick: I love you kind of a lot! I hope and pray your delivery of the little one goes well! Give the little guy a kiss for me and a HUGE hug from Aunt J Bean!:) I love you so much, Goob! You're in my prayers, every day!:)

Well, my lovelies, I must be off, but please know that I KNOW this Gospel is True! I have experienced the Atonement for myself, which is why I am here, spreading it with all who come into our path! How great it is to know that He lives and guides us today! God is in control, you're simply an instrument, so please have faith in Him! How GREAT is our calling!:)

Love for now and for ever,

Sister De Groot :)

Missionary Invitation: see question #6 :)