3 Nephi 5:13

Mum, PahPea, Family and Friends!!

Hey hey hey!! what a great week! we saw so many miracles this week while in the Lord's service! I would love to hear some of your experiences as you also served the Lord this week. you have my email (janelle.de.groot@myldsmail.net), feel free to use it. or a letter:

Sister Janelle De Groot

660 Kaiser Drive (basement)

Mississauga, ON

L5W 1T6

CANADA

I find that when teaching individuals, something that brings the Spirit is personal experiences. Sometimes, I don't have very many experiences to connect with them, but I can share one from someone else. If you'd like to help my experience bank, share one with me, and I'd be happy to share it if prompted to by the Spirit! Thanks a bunch!!! I love you all!! ok, so lots to tell so let's jump into some....OH WAIT!! first. a birthday shout out.

ahem.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARL ANDERSEN!!! hey so...I think you're pretty great. eyup. so therefore, you desire a TOP birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM CANADA! get it? because canada's "topping" the states because it's considered America's hat? haha ah man...I'm so funny...:) Happy birthday Karl!!

ok now we really can jump into.....

QUESTION TIME!

1.  Any message for the Birthday Boy (Karl)?

happy happy birthday Mr Karl!!! remember that one time when you were dating my sister and you were super duper sweet to her and now you're married to her and you have a child and you're still sweet to her? yeah. thank you. :) I love you lots Karl and hope you have the greatest birthday in the whole wide world! eat lots of cake and pudding and ice cream for your special day!!! I'm glad someone as nice as you chose to come to this Earth so that you could treat my sister like the queen she is! thanks for being awesome, and Happy birthday Karl!!!! :)

2.  Did you remember to take (and attach) a picture of you and Sister Hansen wearing your glasses?

um...nope...we'll take one today!!! I sowwy...

3.  What's the update with Bradley and his parents?

Well, lots happened with him this week actually. Let me start off by saying that he was supposed to get baptized yesterday. last week I mentioned we were going to push his baptism to the future a bit, but in our lesson tuesday, we invited bradley to pray and receive an answer from God if he should be baptized Sunday (the 30th) and He said the sweetest thing in his prayer. "Heavenly Father, help me to know if i should be baptized this Sunday. I hope the answer is yes, but i will do what you want me to, can I be baptized on Sunday?" .....and the spirit was SOO strong with the answer for everyone was YES! So... we started replanning for his march 30th baptism which was, then wasn't, and now was again. :) We were rather rushed but were so excited! Then, we went to his house for his last lesson and everything changed again. Bradley's parents have been very supportive this whole time and encourage him meeting with us and attending church but this time mentioned concerns of his grandmother who is of another faith. She mentioned that she would like him to learn more, read more, and go to church more, so that he knows what he is getting into so that he will be really committed. We understood where she was coming from but felt a bit disheartened, not for us, but alone for the look on Bradley's face. he was absolutely devastated. so sad. He  looked like he was gong to cry. It broke our hearts seeing him like that, but he will be baptized in the future, we're still going to work with him closely and help involve the family as much as we can and as much as they'd like to be. They're a tremendous family who wants what is best for each other, and we hope that we can adequately introduce the restored gospel to the rest of their family that they may see the blessings that come from families being a part of it. Bradley is such a sweetheart and we love him so much, and it's so evident that his family and our Father in Heavenly do as well!! :)

4.  Are you teaching anyone else?

oh my goodness, yes!! we're teaching an adorable family! The mother's name is Sharlene, her 10 year old daughter (who looks like she's 16), Sharaya, and 3 year old Sheldon. We met them in Bradley's building coming out of the elevator, and we invited her to church to which she said, "I've been wanting to go, but I don't have a way to get there..." well my dear sharlene, we do! MEMBERS!! :) and so, after teaching her twice this week about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith and the Plan of Salvation our Father has lovingly planned for us, they came to church and LOVED it! I'll be honest, I was actually pretty worried about their enjoying it towards the beginning. there were tons of distractions from the individuals seated around us including a younger girl running across the isle and throwing around her toy car...ah man, I was sweating bullets I was so nervous, but we prayed with faith, so it worked out. :) anyways, so they all separated, Sharlene with us, Sharaya to primary and little Sheldon to nursery. At the end of the block, a member who was baptized last February talked with Sharlene and asked her about her experience and she talked about how different it was compared to what she's used to. She's used to a pastor preaching the whole time about (quote) "things I really don't want to hear and that I couldn't apply to myself. But here, I actually feel like my opinion matters, that we're all learning together." and how true it is! I love how in our Father's kingdom, there are MANY different responsibilities, at least one for each of us, but our responsibility (our calling) doesn't mean we know everything there is to know about it, we're all learning, we're all growing, and that's a part of our Father's Plan! Love them so much and so happy to help them prepare for baptism in April!!!! :) The Gospel truly does bless families!

5.  I know Ryan is supposed to get snowy rain this week, in upstate New York.  Are you scheduled to get the same?

ah man, I dunno...we never really know the weather, we just wait for it to happen! haha definitely possible though! 

6.  What song are you and Sister Hansen preparing for Easter?

it's hard to explain...we're doing Precious Savior and Christ the Lord is Risen Today to the tune of Homeward Bound. maybe you'll hear it one day. it's gorgeous. :)

7.  Do you ever have the opportunity to play the piano?

um...not really. I play the 2 hymns I know, a lot! Redeemer of Israel and Now Let Us Rejoice. I'll learn the rest in the future. don't really have time here. :)

8.  Does Sister Hansen play any instruments?

the piano and her vocal chords! :)

9.  What was your biggest "aha" moment this week?

well...this aha moment took me back to the night I was set apart as a missionary, January 1, 2013. what a way to start off a new year, eh? :) anyways, President Gottfredson asked me what my worst fear was as I was about to leave. and I said that I wouldn't step up to my calling or wouldn't be the instrument the Lord needed me to be. and he simply threw down in a loving way about we De Groot's care way too much about being perfect, that it's just not possible in this life, so we need to get used to it. :) Up until this point, I have been trying to become that consecrated missionary that God commands us to be, dedicated, diligent, acquiring the attributes of Christ, I've been trying to truly become a disciple of Christ. and this morning I came across what it truly means to be a disciple. A disciple of Christ is one who is learning to be like Christ-learning to think, to feel, and to act as He does. it's about LEARNING. You think I'd have learned this a year ago, but I'm glad at I read it at this time, for if I had read it a year ago, I don't think I would have understood it. I love this journey that we're all on, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to become like our Heavenly Father and experience the same joy that He experiences.  To be a true disciple, to fulfill the learning task, is the most demanding regimen known to man. It is hard, and thank heavens! because were it not, we could not grow.

10.  Have you started marking up your first paperback Book of Mormon yet?

sure have! have you? :)

11.  How excited are you for General Conference?

(!). ! = jumping, screaming, clapping, smiling, laughing, omelet making, sheer joy. that excited. :)

FINISH MY SENTENCE:

12.  This weeks "bonding with my companion" moment brought to you by....

spray cheese in a can and ritz crackers. :)

13.  We watched Women's Conference at....

the Brampton Stake Center. SOOO good!!!

14.  A message from Women's Conference that really stood out to me was....

What I learned from the Spirit was simply the Law of Sacrifice was given so that we may all help each other get to the temple, therefore to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. I love this Gospel. it's so pure. how grateful I am to be apart of it.

15.  This week we found greatest success by....

talking with everyone and therefore finding Sharlene and her kids!! :) also. we tried out a new finding technique-using the singers in our district and singing at a mall street corner and having other missionaries talk with everyone as they passed by! :) new tools. so great. :)

16.  My favorite teaching moment was....

Sharlene;s family the Restoration of the Gospel. sharing the first vision? ah wow, the Spirit was so strong. How beautiful Joseph's experience was, all because he humbled himself and asked in faith. what was/will be your experience be like?

17.  Did you know that....?

tomorrow is April? yeah, what?

18.  I've been so excited to tell you...

general conference is on saturday and sunday. (!) I know you know. but I thought I'd tell you anyway :)

19.  This weeks exchanges were...

with Sister Caner in Don Mills East. Her trainer's (sister stoddard) trainer (sister zerkle) is my trainee! how precious. :) family connections.

20.  You know how I love to laugh, and this week was no exception!  I laughed so hard when....

Sister Hansen and I tried to reenact a song that Hermana Dudley and I sang on exchange. and we didn't do a very good job. hhaah!

21.  I am SO VERY GRATEFUL for....

the temple. ah the temple.

Discipleship

the scriptures

medical assistance for those I love (daddy :))

well, I'm off again! I know that this Gospel is indeed the work of our Father in Heaven. I was talking with someone I used to work with, through email, who's currently serving in the Phillippines and we were talking about the level of joy that we receive each and every day as we seem to the world to be doing the same thing each and every day. It's because the message we share isn't a cool idea, but that it truly is eternal truth, it is God's message, it IS true. I know it to be. I testify that you, too, are a part of this work, whether a member or not at this time. Come, join with us, Because I can testify that it is true! and How GREAT is our calling!

Love for now and forever,

Sister De Groot :)

Missionary Invitation: Prepare yourselves to be taught by the Spirit. when listening to General Conference this week, try not to merely write down good quotes that you hear or write down as much as they say that you can remember, but truly go into the sessions with a prayer and document that which the Spirit teaches you, for that is the way that we truly learn and then can grow when applied. I love you all, listen intently, and I will too! Don't forget to invite someone over!! :)

pictures...

us with Teresa, the girl who got her call last week, going to Manchester England! We take her teaching a lot. she skips from house to house when we knock on doors. so cute. :)

us and our zone leaders, Elder Binford was in the MTC with me! crazy eh? yeah. I thought so. :)

us and the beautiful Toronto Temple! :)