HAPPY (USA) THANKSGIVING FROM CANADA!! :)

Mum, PahPea, Family and Friends!

Oh my goodness, hi!! What a tremendous and actually shocking week!! haha I will explain...so we have been working with Kim to get baptized and had planned originally for yesterday for her to be baptized, but all last week, she expressed concerns and hesitation to be baptized so soon, but we continued to visit with her, pray and fast with her to receive her answer. Come sacrament meeting, she was not at church. We were a little sad, but realized that everything works out in God's timing. and sometimes that timing happens just 5 minutes later! Because as we just partook of the sacrament, we look behind us and the elders are waving to us from the foyer and telling us that Kim was here. um...WHAT?! So we go outside to find Kim all dolled up with her two little girls all dressed in white!! SOOO precious! So...SHE GOT BAPTIZED!:):):) It was such a wonderful testimony builder for me, of fasting and prayer and that God really will let things happen the way they should, the way that's best for us. Kim was SO happy yesterday and it was the sweetest thing to see!:) Hope you can see it in the picture as well!:) (the little one holding my hand is Kailee who's 3 and her sister, Keraih is 7. Such a cute family!:)

And it's thanksgiving this week!! woohoo!! I love food. and being thankful. :) I'll look out the window on thursday and see if the balloons in New York at the Macy's day parade are big enough for me to see from here!;) 
ok, let's jump in to...

QUESTION TIME!!!

1.  What packages (if any) have you received this week?

oh my goodness, I got a package of a tremendous amount of chewy candy that I shared with our distict, and it literally was all eaten! haha Elder Gibb and Elder Kearl officially love you, mom! haha They are in the Etobicoke ward with us and as we drove to kitchener with them and a few other elders for a specialty training last week, they were like little kids on Christmas morning! haha They say to say thank you!!!:) and me as well!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!:)

2.  Did you and Sister Williams sing "Did You Think to Pray?"  if so, how did it go?

yes we did but at Kim's baptism yesterday....well.....it was....good....haha yeah, no it wasn't very good but that's ok!! haha I vote mom, you need to come play piano for us next time!;) But thanks for getting it to me, we GREATLY appreciated it!

3.  Have you done your car fast yet?  if so, how did it go?  If not, when are you planning on doing it?

We weren't able to this past week because of exchanges and driving to Brampton and kitchener, but we are going to do it on Sunday:) I love doing it then, because then you can just go up to people and ask them what they're doing that morning and if they say nothing then you rope them into coming to church, cause they don't have an excuse!!! haha just kidding, but seriously...it works like a charm. ;)

4.  Will you be having an American Thanksgiving anywhere?

We don't have anything planned, but if not, we'll have one together, sister williams and I!:)

5.  Do you attend Gospel Doctrine, or does the Etobicoke Ward have a Gospel Principles class?  Who teaches it?

We have Gospel Principles, and it's normally Nermine but she just moved to another ward, so right now it switches between us and the elders :)

6.  How is the teaching pool looking these days?

Right now we have Paul who's getting baptized on Sunday and is SO excited! (like I said, miracles here in Etobicoke!), David who wants to get baptized on 15 December, and a few others who are on the fence at the moment, so I'll let you know a few more next week :) Have I ever mentioned that I love teaching?? well...I do. so much. :) I love seeing the Gospel change lives, for that is God's plan!:)

FINISH MY SENTENCE.....

7.  The strangest thing I ate this week was....

mooshy rice. mooshy rice is kinda weird...:)

8.  I laughed so hard when....

Sister Williams and I were too cold to be serious. I think we laughed merely to prevent freezing. ha!

9.  My face turned beet-red when...

I accidentally burped in front of the elders. I was laughing really hard and then out it came! woops...my bad....

10. I was bubbling over with excitement when....

KIM SHOWED UP TO CHURCH TO GET BAPTIZED!!! ah. so exciting. :)

11. The ward takes care of us missionaries by....

Praying for us. I think sometimes people overlook the power of prayer. I can literally feel the prayers of the members of the ward and from all you back home, so I deeply appreciate the fact that you take time to mention my name and sister williams. We both are so eternally grateful!:)

12. All I Want For Christmas Is.....

my two front teeth. :) ah. if I could only whistle. mmhmm.

13. The most uplifting moment of the week was....

Seeing Kim baptized and being flooded with the Spirit. such a beautiful ordinance, baptism, is. How cool it is that there really are men who hold a part of God's power to do His work! :) How I love His church!

14. I especially felt the Spirit guiding me as.....

I taught with Hermana DeLong on exchanges a woman named Tanya. She's being taught in the Young Single Adult ward but she has no belief in God and I felt the Spirit as we testified to her of the reality of His existence and His love. I love my Father so much!

15. The weather here in Etobicoke has been....

just a wee bit cold. :) There's a little bit of snow on the ground! WOOHOO!

16. I served in (insert areas here) with (insert sisters here).  My favorite exchange was....

(Etobicoke and Mississauga) (Hermana DeLong and Sister Duran) BOTH! they are both so cute and sister Duran is from the phillippines and she's TINY! I just love her so much!:)

17. In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to say that I am especially Thankful for.....

The restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

My Family

Letters and packages-Love from home :)

Prayers

my companion

everyone that I love

New berry apple cider from second cup that warms my belly

this guy in the library who is wearing swim goggles :)

Scriptures to study each day:)

everything about my life! I have been SOO blessed

I love this gospel so much! I am so thankful for so much, I could never finish my list of gratitude! This Gospel is true! Not because I say so or my parents or president Monson, but because my Heavenly Father has declared it! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ with all of my heart! Thank heavens for the beauty of His plan, His creations, His love! How wonderful it is to be apart of His great and marvelous latter-day work! How great is our calling!!

Love for now and forever,

Sister De Groot:)

Missionary Invitation: Just be grateful and share it this week! Whether on facebook, twitter or whatever else has evolved that I don't know about, share 5 things your grateful for this week with others! how I love being grateful!:)

so...this cop who was a member out in cambridge sees us all the time and one day when we were filling up our car with gas, he comes up and tells us we should get pictures in her car...yeah ok! haha he has a cool hat too. good times. :)

 this is what you see when you drive through downtown! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SERVING IN TORONTO!!!:)