Monday, July 29, 2013

Alma 26:16

Mum, PahPea, Family and Friends!!!

Why hello again!! I hope you are all doing just fantastically!:) Another week has passed here in the service of our Heavenly Father and I have to admit, it was a tough week...but that's made us all the more dedicated and happy to do the Lord's work!!! (weird how that happens, eh?;)) I just love that even when trials come, the knowledge of this glorious Truth keeps me going and smiling! For that, I am ETERNALLY grateful!!!:) But oh my goodness gracious, we need to do a handful of shoutouts. Let's do it. :) first....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR HUNTER!!!!! I love you so much, kiddo! I cannot believe that you are going to be a whopping 6 years old soon!!! That's crazy! Just remember your aunt Janelle loves you lots and lots and hopes you have a great day! Have lots of fun and have mommy give you a big hug, ok? ok good!:) Happy birthday bud!

then...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIA!!!! you're going to be 5??? My heavens, child slow down!!! haha I love you so much, sweet girl! I am so happy for you and your big day! I hope you play with lots of princesses and laugh and eat lots of cake (ask mom first;)) and know that Aunt Janelle LOVES you!!!:) Have a fantastic birthday deary!!

wooh...THEN!...:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRISHA!!!! I can't believe you're going to be...another year old soon!!!;) haha I hope you have the greatest birthday in the whole wide world and know that I love you hoodles!:) You're the greatest, make sure you tell Josh to give you a hug for me!:) Love you lots, have a fantabulous day!:)

wow. that was a lot. haha so let's jump into the week, shall we? what does that mean? well...
QUESTION TIME!!!!:)
1.  With the beginning of August this week, there are a few b'days to address.  Any message for Hunter (6 years old on the 1st)?  Lia (5 years old on the 2nd)?  Trisha (24 on the 3rd)?
I would write them all again but that'd take too long. ha. see above please birthday people. :)
2.  Any packages/mail find their way to you this week?  (please be specific)
SURE DID!!!! I got both packages on the SAME day!!! *see picture. :) As for letters, I haven't gotten any but maybe I'll get one this week, eh?:) Thank you SOOOOOO much everything in those packages!!! They were PERFECT!!!:) I LOVE the shirts, mom! Great job! and the bag? good job!:) Thanks so much, I appreciate it SOO much, especially in this ooper hot weather! haha Thanks again!


3.  Are Charles and PollyAnna both in the YSA ward?
Sure are!
4.  Luke sounds amazing!  What's the latest with him?
Well he's still progressing but not getting baptized this weekend, but he will soon, that's for sure!:) Just keep him in your prayers is all I can ask! Thanks:)
5.  Any "ease of concern" with Agya this week?
YES actually!! He came to church yesterday and in sacrament meeting, we had a "conversion testimony meeting" because more than 75% of the branch was at a YSA conference in Guelph. But it was great! PollyAnna shared her story and we were just so happy to see her coming out of her 'scared to talk in front of people' bubble!:) Once she sat down, Agya got up!! To be honest, my heart thumped for a minute, I didn't really know what to expect when he got up there, but at the same time, I felt completely calm. He proceeded to talk about his life experiences with Christ and the influence his dad had on his life, and said to the congregation that he knows the Book of Mormon it's true!! It was the most beautiful testimony I've ever heard! Because we wanted to help him make the connection between the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of God's Church, we showed him the Restoration video and we actually played back parts of it on his request so he could understand. He explained that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, but he needs to pray about Joseph Smith and the Priesthood authority, and we were more than thrilled to hear that!:) He's doing really well and is noticing the importance of the priesthood authority every day! The branch is helping out a ton with him, as well! boy, am I so grateful to be in a branch that helps our investigators!!! SOO grateful!!!:)
6.  Joe also sounds golden.  What's the update with him, and how is Alex doing?
Unfortunately, Joe has dropped us for this time. He feels it's true but says he's not willing to change at this time. It was hard to hear that, because he says he knows it'll bring him the most happiness but right now, he just wants to live, but we have to respect his agency. He says he'll still try to keep coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon, but other than that, he's good where he's at. We are still teaching Alex and he is moving forward and is excited to do so! Whenever we visit Alex, we'll stop by Joe and see how he's doing and keep praying for him :)
7.  Is Kevin still on target to be baptized this next weekend?
Not this weekend, but we've committed him again to the 18th! :)
WHO WANTS TO PLAY "FINISH MY SENTENCE"?  (pick ME! pick ME!!!)  :0)
I do. (!) :)
8.  MY FAVORITE PART OF "FINDING" IS....
Being myself as I share the Truth!! I don't have a problem anymore waving to an oncoming biker to get them to stop and share this glorious message!:) You know how I talk loud? Well, I've finally put it to use!! haha I call to people across the street and then we run over to share the Truth because I mean, really, if it's Truth for everyone, why not share it with EVERYONE who passes you? You never know who God put in your path for the day, and I don't want to miss an incredible opportunity!:)
9.  I AM MOST GRATEFUL FOR.....
My Heavenly Father's Plan of Happiness and His Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, who provided the way for us to partake of that plan!! It all just makes sense! With this reassuring knowledge of Truth, answered and provided by our Father in Heaven, I am comforted that I can, indeed, see my dear Alexis again! :) She's not gone! She's just passed beyond the veil and is continuing to do God's work there, and helping me as I act as an instrument in His work here! How incredibly grateful I am for that beautiful, beautiful knowledge!!!
10.  SOMETHING NEW I DISCOVERED ABOUT MYSELF THIS WEEK IS.....
I am a very protective companion. like really. one of our male investigators went to hug s Dyer and my body triggered the sympathetic nervous system. oh my goodness gracious, men, stop wanting to hug my adorable little companion, ok?? I mean, I know she's cute and all, but you gotta stop. haha oh man...:)
11.  THE "MOST UNEXPECTED MOMENT" I HAD THIS WEEK WAS.....
when agya got up to share his conversion story. yeah. definitely wasn't expecting that. (!) :)
12.  I LAUGHED SO HARD WHEN.....
s Dyer does this really cute but creepy child voice and I was ooper hyper (yes. we all know what that means...) and I just had the giggles and couldn't stop!! There were other moments when this happened, but it just really wouldn't be funny if I tried to recreate them...:)
13.  IF THERE IS ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED ON MY MISSION, THAT I COULDN'T HAVE LEARNED OTHERWISE, IT'S.....
how to prepare yourself to truly feel the Savior's love to people you talk to. Before I always tried to look at people the best I could, but I could never truly feel depth of the Savior's love for others until I prepare myself adequately. The love i feel for these people is absolutely astounding! I truly am unable to explain, but it is beautiful! :)
14.  I FELT THE LORD GUIDING ME THE MOST THIS WEEK WHEN....
I serve him with absolutely EVERYTHING that I am! I've learned throughout my life and especially while I've been out here that if you want something to change, if you want to see the hand of God in your day more, then allow him to-be more sincere, keep his commandments, it's simple, just do the things He wants you to. I love this Gospel so much! so much. :)
Well, my lovelies, I must go, but guess what?? THE GOSPEL IS TRUE! Never forget that I know that with all of heart and urge you all to cultivate that faith that you have! Don't focus on what you lack, but focus on Jesus Christ and then act, and everything will fall into place! It's true! So let's share it! HOW GREAT IS OUR CALLING??
Love for now and for ever,
Sister De Groot:)
Missionary Invitation: Malachi 4:5-6 I know I said last week to go to the temple, but this week, find at least one name of your ancestors to take to the temple, and help them accept this Glorious Gospel!!!:) LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Monday, July 22, 2013

It is not almost August. seriously. someone is switching calendar months on me....

Mum, Pops, Family and Friends!!!

HELLO!!! ok, really...where did the last week go???? My goodness, time FLIES!! But hey, it really was an awesome week!! I never thought I'd be worried about our investigators at church, but yesterday we had 4 investigators there (Kevin, Joe, Luke, and Chris) and as you can see, they're all men and all in Elders Quorum, so the whole time, we didn't know what to do with our little nerves! haha silly sisters...:) haha We saw SO many miracles occur, which we're undoubtedly grateful for!:) I'll elaborate, but first, I need to send out some SHOUTOUTS!:)

First off...HAPPY BIRTHDAY KER-BER!!!! I can't believe you're one whole year older! I'm so proud of you. ;) I hope you know how much I love you and pray that you have a SPECTACULAR day!!! Tell Lia to give you a giant hug for me! + fetus to give you a kick...:) Happy birthday, big sis!!

Next goes to....BILL!! HAPPYBIRTHDAYBILL!!!! Goodness gracious, you're just so great! I love you lots and hope you have the greatest birthday ever, why? well, cause you deserve it, that's why!:) Tell Nina and Elin to dog pile their daddy for his birthday, alright?;) Love you, Bill! Happy Birthday!!! (ps. got your letter this week; your house is GORGEOUS!:) Congrats!!!)

Last...HAPPY PIONEER DAY!!!!:) My respect for the pioneers have increased DRAMATICALLY since I've been out here, and I cannot thank them enough for enduring such hardships and staying true to the faith they had in Jesus Christ! They are my heroes, and let's all remember to be grateful for their sacrifices so that God's work could continue forward!:)

Alright, well then, since we have no more shoutouts, let's jump into....
QUESTION TIME!!!:)

1.  Did you receive a package this week?
Not yet! But the Canadian Post deliverers and I are becoming friends, that's for sure!:)
2.  What the newest info on Charles and Polly Anna?  (How did PollyAnna enjoy the temple?)
Ah man, sadly something came up for both of them, and they couldn't make it but they're definitely going next month!!!:)
3.  How is Luke?
SOOOOOO good! We met with him a few days ago, and he had the nerve to wait a WHOLE 15 minutes before telling us he got his answer about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith!!! haha just kidding, but we were SOOO excited!! He said he went into a set of trees near his house like Joseph Smith did, and he prayed asking if it was all true, and he said he felt like he was dropped into the presence of his Heavenly Father, the Spirit was SOO strong! :) As he relived that moment, he was just BEAMING!!!:) We've been teaching him everything he needs to know for his baptism, and he just can't contain his excitement, and neither can we!!:) He's just so great!
4.  Agya?
Agya is doing well. He thinks the Book of Mormon is true, but is nervous about being baptized. we want to show him the Restoration video and feel that will help ease his concerns so he can ask God if he needs to be baptized again by His restored authority. He loves church though, that's for sure!:)

5.  Is Moses an investigator?  (wasn't sure what a "former" meant...former investigator???)
Yes he is, sorry! He was a former investigator who we began teaching, but he's super super busy and not very interested at this time, so we're not sure if we can continue meeting with him. I'll let you know. :)

6.  Alex and Joe update...
Joe is doing really well, and is helping Alex act upon his desire to find Divine Truth. Joe is so awesome and loved church yesterday. He said this past week that even though he knows he's not living up to his full potential right now, when he reads the Book of Mormon and prays, he feels that someone is listening and urging him to be better, and he says "and I recently discovered that I can do that through Jesus Christ." How awesome is he??:) He's making incredible progress, and so grateful for his desire to submit to God's will!:)

7.  Anyone else I'm missing???
KEVIN! so Kevin is from the Bahamas (I think...) and he wants to be baptized on august 4th!:) when we contacted him on the street, he immediately caught on to the idea of a prophet on the Earth right now, and said that if that's true, God has one church, and he wants to be apart of it!:) How awesome, eh???:) 
and Chris is doing well! He is one super awesome investigator!!! He is very Russian Orthodox and has a gotee (how in the snapsky do you spell that??) that he plays with as he stares deeply into space to signify that he's processing everything we're telling him. haha pretty awesome, eh?:) makes me giggle. :) But yeah, so he's doing well, came to church yesterday and says he just wants to find truth, so he's in the process of reading and praying, and we'll let you know more in the coming weeks!:)
Since we had SO MUCH FUN playing "FINISH MY SENTENCE" last week, let's play again, shall we?!?

8.  MY FAVORITE TEACHING MOMENT THIS PAST WEEK WAS...
teaching Luke as he expressed he knows this Gospel is God's Restored Church!!:) Priceless.

9.  THE THING THAT MADE ME LAUGH THE HARDEST WAS...
scaring S Dyer last night. I won't go into details. but I was basically "honking" like mom does when she laughs hard. :)

10.  MY FAVORITE COMPANION BONDING MOMENT WAS....
silly enough...companionship inventory. If only you knew the power of the Spirit when I talk about S Dyer and her incredible Spirit and work as a missionary!!! I LOVE HER!!!:)

11.  I WAS SO EMBARRASSED WHEN....
I tripped while contacting the other day. super super awkward. but hey, good thing I thrive in awkward situations as a missionary!:)

12.  I FELT THE LORD GUIDING ME THE MOST THIS WEEK WHEN...
ah man...I totally said that I'd plan this answer this past week and I totally forgot. how? I didn't write it down...my bad...doing so right now, ask me again next week and I'll have the answer!! but short answer: When I put in my full faith in him and then put one step in front of the other, working as hard and effectively, together with S Dyer, as we could!:)
Well, my lovelies, I must head out, but never forget that I know this Gospel is True! Always has been, always will be. I testify that God love us, every one of us! Christ Lives and provided the way for us to return to our Father again one day! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is simply that church Jesus Christ established on the Earth, restored in these days through a humble man, Joseph Smith, who wanted to know the truth! The Priesthood authority of God, the power to act on behalf of God in our day, has been restored through that humble man, and miracles continue to happen every single day because of that priesthood authority! I love my Savior, my Father in Heaven, and His restored Church! I love this Gospel, and I LOVE being a missionary!!!! I hope you love being a member missionary as much as I do! :) and oh, how GREAT is our calling!!!:)
Love for now and for ever,
Sister De Groot:)
Missionary Invitation: Take inventory of your testimony, find out where you need to strengthen it, and then devote 30 minutes a day studying only that from the scriptures, conference talks or whatever else it may be. and then in one week, take inventory again. I can promise you, as you do so, if you do it with a sincere desire to strengthen that lacking area, it will be tremendously strengthened by our Heavenly Father!:)
Luke 15, don't wander, don't neglect, don't willfully rebel. Stay true to the faith you do have! Fan the flame of your faith!:)

Monday, July 15, 2013

God did not send you here to succeed in an impossible work, no matter where, how, or what you're serving! :)

Mum, PahPea, family, and friends,

Why hello!!!:) First of all, JAMES GOT HIS MISSION CALL????!?!? WOOHOO!!!! I am so excited for you, James!!! that's so awesome, you'll do so great!!!!:) So happy for you buddy!!!:) Second I need to give a shoutout to the birthday girl!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NINA MAE!!!!! I'm sorry I'm a couple days late but sweetheart, but I hope you had the greatest birthday in the whole wide world!! Aunt Janelle loves you so so much!! :) Make sure to look out for the kiss I sent in the mail to your new address!:) Love you, hun!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!\
Alright, let's jump right into the wonderful week of which we had, eh?? Eyup. Let's do it. :)

QUESTION TIME!!!

1.  How is our friend Charles doing these days?
SOOOOOO good! He was confirmed yesterday, was ordained to the office of a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, got his temple recommend and is going to the temple on Saturday!!!!!:):):) Oh my goodness, he was beaming the ENTIRE day and couldn't stop thanking us!:) ah man, it's sooo good to see more of God's children be baptized into His church, but it's even greater to see them get to the temple!!! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!!!!:):):)
2.  How about his two friends that you taught a lesson to?
well the girl we passed onto the family ward because she has a cute 7 year old daughter, but Luke is doing absolutely FANTASTIC! He came to church again yesterday and in the past week has read the first book of Nephi and prayed every day and night, and feels this is right. When we asked him if he had prayed specifically asking if The Book of Mormon was true, he said "No actually. well...I'll do that tonight!" :) He accepted a baptismal date for August 4th, as he smiled from ear to ear! even in the middle of us inviting him, he was SOO excited! Remember when I described PollyAnna jumping up and down when we gave her a Book of Mormon? eyup. Luke did too, but about baptism. :) He would be baptized sooner, but he's trying to work out his work schedule first, so we'll still plan on the 4th. :) OH! which brings me onto the fact that PollyAnna has also received her temple recommend and is going to the temple on Saturday! WOOHOO!!! uh. I just love the temple. Someone please go for me. actually, all of you should go for me. eyup. I like that. Thank you in advance!;)
3.  Any more referrals from all of the other people that attended his baptism?
Not yet. But Charles has been sharing the Gospel with his mom who seems quite interested, we want to have the family ward missionaries have a dinner with her sometime and teach her more with Charles there. :)
4.  Agya?
He's also doing well. He's reading and praying everyday but keeps saying "I does not doubt its true, but I do not know...". He admitted he has not been praying specifically about it, so we testified to him of the importance of both reading and praying so we can get answers for ourselves directly from our Heavenly Father. Personal revelation is necessary for personal conversion!:)
5.  Nigel?
disappeared...:/ But we're working with Moses, a former we've met with a couple times, to get a hold of him. I'll let you know :)
6.  Any other investigators that I don't know about yet?
EYUP!:)
Alex and Joe: neighbors we contacting outside their homes. Joe was actually talking to all of his friends and was in and out of the conversation. Alex was very interested, though, and said he just wanted to find truth. So we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, set up an appointment and told him to invite his friends (who really didn't want to talk to us...:)) and then off we went. 5 minutes later, after we had walked up and around the hill by their homes, Joe comes running after us, asking if we had another copy of the Book of Mormon! why yes, yes we do!:) so we got his information as well and are teaching them both! They both are incredible and have this simple yet profound love for our Savior Jesus Christ. :) it's not every day you get someone running after you to know more, that's for sure!:)

It's time to play "FINISH MY SENTENCE!!":
oh....ok! this'll be fun, I can tell...;)

7.  I HAD THE MOST FUN THIS WEEK WHEN.....
we went to contact at victoria park and as we went to leave, we saw a group of young adults-ish about 16-22 years old playing the guitar and singing church songs. so what did we do? We joined!:) We sang 2 songs with them, one of which I actually sang in Chamber my senior year "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross"! CRAZY!! It was so great to be so familiar with a song that I could join in with others in a park!:) and they were quite relieved when I threw in that we, mormons, don't have 5 husbands or sister wives! haha They were the sweetest people!!! A couple people wanted copies of the Book of Mormon to read for themselves so of course, we were thrilled to hand them over!:) No appointments were made but I simply love how you can feel the Spirit anywhere if you allow it to be there, even in a park!:) LOVE it!!!:)
8.  S DYER & I BONDED OVER.....
cherry chocolate ice cream with magic shell. yes, I know it always seems we bond over food but hey. I'm a De Groot, so that sounds about right, eh?:)
9.  I FELT THE SPIRIT THE MOST....
when we taught Luke the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Charles. Luke was so tuned in to the Spirit and Charles bore the most beautiful testimony I've ever heard! I loved especially when he said "I love the Book of Mormon! it's taught me so much about my Savior Jesus Christ. You couldn't pry it away from me for anything!!" :) Needless to say, the Spirit was SOOO strong!:)
11.  I FEEL CLOSEST TO THE LORD WHEN....
I'm living the Gospel. simple as that. :)
12.  I KNOW MY HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME BECAUSE....
His hand is in everything that I do. I could talk about this for hours as this is something I have been focusing on a lot this past week, but alas, I don't have much time. Just know that I KNOW my Heavenly Father loves me. ask me this question again next week, because I have much more I'd like to say about this topic. :) That'll give me time to condense my answer to only 1 hour. ;)
Well, lovelies, I must be off but know that I KNOW this Gospel is true!!! It always has been, and always will be, so let's go out and share it with others, eh? HOW GREAT IS OUR CALLING?!?!?:)
Love for now and forever,
Sister De Groot:)

Missionary Invitation: No really, you should all go to the temple. and invite someone who hasn't been there in a while to go with you. If you or the friend is not able at this time, make a goal, and then work towards that goal together. :)

Monday, July 8, 2013

"Whosoever will, may."

Mum, PahPea, family and friends!
 
Hello! What another WONDERFUL week! and who's baptized?? CHARLES IS!!!!!! It was such a wonderful day, yesterday, I would tell more about it but I'm assuming it's one of the questions, let me check....EYUP! sure is! haha Let's just jump in then, shall we? ok let's do it! :)

ahem.

no wait. I forgot to mention something....the Brown's had dinner with my family??!?!?!?!?? that is so crazy!!! haha So on Sunday, Brother Sylvester in the 2nd ward comes up to me and says "Sister De Groot, I need to show you something!!!" and it came out of absolutely nowhere so it was rather startling, I'll be honest. :) anyways, so he pulls out his ipad and shows me a picture of the Browns with Mom and Dad and Lia! haha and that's the same picture I saw when I got onto email this morning, crazy how some pictures get around so quickly!! haha That is so awesome, ask S Dyer. I was ooper excited to see that! eyup. sure was! :)

Ken and Sue Brown (from London, Ontario) came to visit.
OH, HAPPY DAY!!!  :0)
Our daughter, Keri, and her family arrived just as the
Brown's were getting ready to leave.  Lia insisted
on having her picture taken with the group, too!  :0)

ok. now we can do question time. for reals. :)

QUESTION TIME!!!!
1. How did you celebrate the 4th of July?
well, we started off the day singing America the Beautiful, of course and the rest of the day, well let's just say we were the most american looking women in Ontario! haha Me with a red skirt, white shirt, and navy blazer, and s Dyer with a blue and white cardigan, blue skirt, and red shirt. oh yeah!:) and a classic american lunch: HOT DOGS!!!:) what' the 4th of July without some dogs, eh?:) It was a great day, that's for sure! :) 


2.  Tell me all about Charles' baptism...
SOOOO great! oh my goodness, I couldn't have been more excited for him!!:) He was glowing the entire day, and brought SO many of his friends and family to the baptism, and we even taught a lesson with 2 of his friends afterwards! He is already such an incredible missionary and will do great things in this branch! Ah, such a FANTASTIC day!!!:)


3.  Yesterday (July 7th) was Grandpa DeGroot's 83rd Birthday.  Any message for him?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GPA DEE-GEE!!! ;) I hope you had the greatest birthday in the whole wide world!!! If I was in Niagara  I'd wave to you across the border and a bit further...:) I'll still wave from London but I don't think you'll be able to see it...:) anyways, happy birthday grandpa!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
4.  How are Agya and Nigel?
Well, Agya came to church yesterday and liked it a lot! We met with him afterwards and taught him about how Christ commands people to be baptized in a certain way in 3 Nephi 11 and he said "wow! that's exactly how Charles was baptized today!" haha EYUP! He wants to read the Book of Mormon more thoroughly before planning his own baptism so we'll update you on that later:) 
Nigel, we actually haven't been able to meet with since last week, we planned to meet tomorrow, though, so I'll let you know:)
5.  BEST TEACHING moment...
Teaching Charles the day before his baptism to make sure he was comfortable. His testimony is so beautiful. :)
6. BEST COMPANIONSHIP moment...
well I got a hold of a guitar last week from the sisters on Preparation day last week, and so I made up a song on the spot for S Dyer. Amber knows how monumental those moments are since she was my roommate once upon a time...:)
7 FUNNIEST moment...
about 5 seconds ago when we're emailing in the library and the same ringer for our phone goes off super loud and we both freak out trying to turn it off. turns out. it wasn't ours. nope it was the person across from us. ha silly De Dyer Duo....:) and yes. we named ourselves. pretty cute, eh? stop laughing...;)
8.  MOST EMBARRASSING moment...
I got hugged again. and I got really awkward. I'm ridiculous.
9. Biggest Ah-Ha" MOMENT...
I had such an incredible personal study this morning! It started off with reading in Helaman chapter 3. I got to verse 28 and felt so grateful that the "gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God" and that it's not limited to a certain amount of people. And then in verse 29, I noticed something I've been thinking a lot about in the past couple weeks; "yea, we see that whosoever will may...." and it put a simple phrase to the concept of if we act, we will be able to go somewhere further than where we are now. I went on to Micah 2:7 and Jacob 2:8 that talk about how His words will do good to them that act upon them, and the word of God is the healing to the wounded soul. I thought of Elder Bednar's remarks in April Conference when he said "Guilt is to the spirit what pain is to the body", we need something to heal us, and unless we ask for help and then act upon the guidance that we receive, we cannot be healed, and we force ourselves to stay in the exact place of  puzzlement and heartache that we were previously in. All He asks of us is to simply act. Whether it's an investigator reluctant to read the Book of Mormon, a missionary hesitant to speak to that intimidating man on the bus, a member nervous to stand up for their own beliefs in front of a judging crowd, or a less active hitting the bottom of a bucket of questions, wondering 'where do I go from here?', all our Father asks of us is to act. Put one step in front of the other. Change something small. Make a little progress. But act. I once heard that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. It doesn't work that way. If we want something to change, then we need to change it. Then that poses the question 'in which direction should I change it?' The answer is simple, the direction which leads to eternal life with our Father in Heaven in bliss and happiness; the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify to Elder Holland when he testified that "one cannot come to full faith in these our times until he or she embraces the Divinity of the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ of whom it testifies". The Gospel is true, so we, as members of that Divine restored truth, have the responsibility to first let it change us, and then share it and let it change someone else. It works. every. time. The Bible and the Book of Mormon, together, are the fullness of the EVERLASTING Gospel, and oh, how grateful I am to have that knowledge in my life! If you have that knowledge, I invite you to share it. If you don't have that knowledge, I invite you to gain it for yourself. Stepping out of the norm of 'worldly happines' will not bring you embarrassment or shame, but I can testify to you that as you do so and step into the everlasting restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, you will become, over time, the person you're Heavenly Father meant for you to become! oh, how great is our calling to change and act!

I love you all for now and for EVER!
Sister De Groot:)
 


Missionary Invitation: end of question #9  :0) ...
and keep working on 21 day promise!:) Love you all!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Happy Birthday Canada and America!!!!:)

Mum, PahPea, Family, and Friends!

Ok, before I do anything, I must do some shoutouts....ahem...

First to the greatest mom in the whole wide world!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you SOO much and thank you for allowing me to have this Gospel in my life and being the greatest example to me that I've ever had!:) I hope you have the greatest birthday and know that someone in London, ON loves you!:) and remember; you'll never get old. ;)

Second to my lovely country of AMERICA!!! HAPPY FREEDOM BIRTHDAY!!!!! Although I'm in Canada and love it here with all my heart, I still love you!!!! With all of my heart plus more!:) Hey America, you're beautiful!:) Happy birthday!

and third to my new love, CANADA!!! happy Canada Day!!!!!! I just love you. eyup. a lot. I am drawn mainly to London, ON, but All of Canada is pretty great, too. :)

LOVE this place!!!  :)
Alright, now let's move onto the best part of the email....
QUESTION TIME!!!

1.  Any more updates on Polly Anna?
She's doing very well! She was able to talk with her mom a few days ago and clear up misconceptions about how "the church was going to take away all her money and marry her off to an old man with 5 wives". Good thing we got that cleared up!!!:) She's planning on going to the temple on the 20th with the YSA and she's SOOO excited! Oh. and Sister Dyer told a story about her meeting the Prophet (yes she has. multiple times actually. President Monson and her Grandma are pretty good friends, actually haha) and PollyAnna FREAKED out! haha she was so excited and jealous, it was adorable!:)
2.  Is Charles getting baptized on Sunday?
SURE IS!!!!:) He had his interview yesterday followed by a blessing of strength, and he has invited SOOO many people to his baptism!!!:) He actually apologized to us for inviting so many, but he said he just wants them to be as happy as he is now!!! Oh Charles. He's just so great!!!:)
3.  What is the scoop with Katie?
dropped for now. :/ She and Jacob still talk about it, but she's not overly interested in meeting with us at this time, which is alright. All is well while in the service of the Lord!:)
4.  Any new investigators?
eyup! We began teaching Agya from Ghana (that's for you, Bernick!:)), Nigel, and Tyler. They're pretty great, more updates coming next week, I'm sure!:)
5.  Today is Papa's 79th b'day.  Any message for him?
Happy birthday paps!! I love you oh so much and hope your day is filled with happiness and lots and lots of food. because food is delicious. :) Thank you for being such an incredible example to me and a loving papa, if only you knew how much I appreciate it... I LOVE YOU PAPA!!!!!!!:)
6.  TRANSFERS....what's up with that?!? 
I'M STAYING WITH S DYER!!!!! I've decided I'm going to stay in London for the whole 18 months. eyup. let's do it. cause I would that. :) London is just so great. (!)
The De-Dyer Duo!!!
7.  BEST teaching moment
teaching Agya about the feelings the power of the Holy Ghost can give you. SOO powerful, I cannot even describe. :)
8.  FUNNIEST moment
so King Edward is a really....interesting street here in London. We drove down it the other day and burst out laughing as we saw a guy walking down the street with a parrot on his shoulder and a woman blow torching her weeds outside her home. eyup. gotta love King Edward. :)
9. BEST COMPANIONSHIP moment
so we have this certain broken office chair that s dyer has mastered balancing as she sits on it. so one night, I decided to try it out. Problem was, I tried it when our district leaders called us. The conversation went a little like this..."Hello, it's Sister De Groot! uh...BAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" followed by ab painful laughter by s dyer and I. needless to say, I will never sit on that chair again. :) poor district leaders...they were a tad concerned...and confused...:)
10. MOST UNEXPECTED moment of the week...
Finding Tyler. We were driving back from our appointment that didn't work out and as we were driving, I saw a guy standing on the median begging for food and had a distinct prompting to talk to him. So we parked our car and crossed into the median and began talking to him. eyup, in the middle of the road. :) We got to know him and his tough life that he is experiencing and asked if he wanted to know God. Without blinking, he said yes and he wants to be free and happy. So we crossed the road and taught him briefly about the Atonement and who God is. We prayed with him and then he offered his first prayer ever in his life. He said he felt awkward but he wants to keep trying. We invited him to come to church on Sunday and said he wants to, he truly just wants to be happy. sound familiar? :) I love that our Father works in quiet moments to teach you to listen more closely for the benefit of His children! 

Well my lovelies, I must be off, but remember; I know this Gospel is true. Always has been. Always will be. Simple. but oh, so beautiful!:) I love you all, HOW GREAT IS OUR CALLING!!!

Love for now and forever,
Sister De Groot:)
Missionary Invitation: Start the 21 day promise!!!:) If you do so with 'real intent', I can promise you, the Lord will let you know which of your friends are ready for the Restored Gospel! *see last weeks picture

Pita Pit!  Just a little bit of Provo, UT  :)
Don's Baptism - with Sister Zerkle