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!!!

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!:)

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. :)

"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!

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

THE WORK OF SALVATION: MEMBER MISSIONARIES AND FULL TIME MISSIONARIES ALIKE!!!:) YES, PLEASE!!!

Mum, Pah Pea, family and friends!

Romans 1:16; "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Yesterday was the most incredible broadcast ever in the whole wide world!!! ah! If you didn't see it, I'm sure it's available somewhere. I'm just not sure where....you should watch it. and let it change you because my goodness it was INCREDIBLE!!!:) S Dyer and I as well as a handful of missionaries were grinning from ear to ear as we watched that broadcast! Missionary work, in ALL forms, is absolutely incredible! So go ahead. catch the wave. (!) :)  (For those interested in viewing the video Janelle refers to, here's the link:  http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/a-new-vision?cid=HPL1P01W01031&lang=eng )

I have LOTS to say today so let's jump in to.....QUESTION TIME!!!

1.  How was PollyAnna's first week as a member?

Well we taught her Tuesday night for a bit, and when she said "I'm a Mormon" we made her say it like 3 times, because she was grinning from ear to ear!:) Such a cutie, I just love her!!! Although, she is facing a lot of discrimination from her family members, so please keep her in your prayers. She has no doubt that the Restored Gospel is true, and she's an incredibly strong woman, but I'm sure she'd appreciate some prayers of comfort and love on her behalf. Thanks sunshines!!:)

2.  Is Charles still scheduled for July 7th?  (I love reading about his progression!  It sounds like he's really learning to turn things over to the Lord.  What an important thing to understand!!)

SURE IS!!! He's doing SOOOO well! He came to church yesterday and liked it a lot, he especially loved the baptism we invited him to. (quick side note to life....DON GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!!!:) Remember him from my being in the family ward with S Zerkle? Yeah, he got baptized yesterday and I don't think I've seen him ever be happier!!!:) SO great to be able to still be in London to see that happen!!:)) Charles noticed that some family members of both Don and the other young girl that was being baptized were there and he got so excited and said he was going to invite SO many people to his baptism so that they can feel this good, too!:) He really is doing absolutely INCREDIBLE! The branch president also gave him a blessing after church which Charles explained was the 'greatest he'd felt in a long time" :) I absolutely love watching this Gospel change people's lives, for it truly does to each person who allows it to. How beautiful and simple our loving Father is!!!:)

3.  Any success in meeting with Katie?

negative. we're trying, though! we're planning to invite her to an activity the branch is having next weekend so we'll see if some fun with the branch gets her excited to learn more!?:)

4.  Have you received any packages from me at your Wonderland address?  (LOVE the name of your street!  Also, did you know that your apartment number is the same as Grandma/Grandpa DeGroot's house number?  Numerical Trivia at it's finest!!)  

hahaha I have to admit...I had no idea that it was G'ma and G'pas address. But hey, that's cool! haha And yes I did receive a WONDERFUL package at my wonderland address (ha. see what I did there?! ah man, I'm so funny...!:)). S Dyer and I felt so at home with our individual package of American Oreos, plus some!:) oh, and LOVE the shirts!!! Thank you so much!!! Definitely needed here in this incredibly humid summer!:) LOVE YOU!!!!

5.  Transfers are next week already?  Any feelings as to whether or not you'll go or stay?  (And whether or not Sister Dyer will stay with you?)  (FYI - we received an email from the office that your P-day next week will be on Wednesday, July 3rd)

hmmm.....I'm pretty sure we're both staying here, since S Dyer is only 6 weeks into her 12 week training, but hey, you never know! haha yes, p-day is next wednesday so don't be too worried if nothing comes on monday. because nothing will. ha!:)

6.  BEST TEACHING moment of the week...

teaching Charles about the law of tithing. He said it just makes sense to give back a portion to God because He's already given us everything we have. He even asked if he could start paying his tithing now and not have to wait til his baptism in 2 weeks! :) We also talked about how far he's come in the past 4 weeks and he bore his testimony to us, saying that because he never came to church before was because he felt inadequate, and he didn't feel he had his answer about whether what we were telling him was the truth. but this past week, he said he got his answer that this is true, and this is what will truly bring him ultimate happiness now and forever! How awesome is he???:) He seriously is beginning to glow as he comes to feel for himself that he has a Father in Heaven who loves him dearly, and he thanks us all the time for showing him that we care. :) To everyone that has, is currently, or will ever share the Gospel either with or without a name-tag, LOVE IS THE KEY!!!:) every. time. :)

7.  FUNNIEST moment of the week....

well, we bought a box of 42 packets of fruit snacks last monday. The funniest was when we went to get one this morning...we discovered there are only 2 packets left.....eyup. we like our fruit snacks. :)

8.  MOST EMBARRASSING moment of the week....

surprisingly...nothing! Go Sister De Groot, eh???;)

9.  BEST COMPANION BONDING moment of the week....

S Dyer and I volunteered to help clean and organize a members apartment that hasn't been to church in a while, and as we did so, we just laughed and worked hard the whole time. It was just a really good experience both for the member and us to feel the Spirit so strong as we tried to make room in her apartment for the Spirit to reside! I love S Dyer so much!!!:)

10.  BIGGEST 'Ah-Ha' of the week....

Saturday morning personal study was just SOOO good!:) Let me just explain my thought process...I was reading in the book "Our Search For Happiness" by Elder Ballard, and in it he tells of his grandfather who, as he prayed fervently for guidance on his mission, was led into a room here the Savior sat. he tells of the inexplicable joy that overcame him, and the unquenchable love and beauty that emanated from the Savior. I began to think of that instance, and Joseph Smith who saw the Father and the Savior standing side by side, and other prophets who have literally seen and talked with the Savior and God face to face. I imagined all of us in a room where our Father and Christ stood at the head, beckoning to all of us to 'come'. The only problem is, we're all blindfolded. We can't literally see them. Some are chosen to be leaders and are granted the removal of their blindfold, while the rest of us continue to be aimless wanderers with no sight or direction. It is through those who do see that Truths are restored and organization is made so that we may experience direction and purpose for ourselves. the glorious formula, though, is that we don't have to and shouldn't simply accept what those, who claim to be seers, say for Truth, but that we can and should ask the Source Himself, and he will let us know, through the power of the Holy Ghost. We are all in His presence, we just don't see Him. In order to feel Him there, we must humble ourselves and ask, and then Listen. If we ask and then plug our ears and make noise, He's not going to answer, well, He might, we just won't be listening. I can testify that  He does answer. He did when I asked, because I listened, and will continue to do so. I'm still walking blindly, by faith, but He directs  me if I simply listen. Sometimes we, both members and nonmembers alike, over-complicate life. It's simple; ask. listen. and follow. You must submit that you don't know everything, that you just need help. Once you realize that, ask for the help, but from the right Source; Our Father in Heaven. He knows what's best for you, even when you don't agree. Submit to His will; ask. listen. and follow through.  I can testify with all of the fervency of my soul, that Jesus is the Christ! That our Father Lives, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, indeed, the Lord's Kingdom on the Earth again today, and found therein, are the necessary doctrines and principles that, if submitted to, will bring peace, joy, and happiness in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come. Thank heavens I have been blinded all this time that I may become humble and learn to see with my heart!

11.  STRONGEST testimony-strengthening experience of the week...

watching S Dyer bear her testimony to 4 young girls we met last night. My companion is such an incredible missionary, I cannot even express it to you! Unless she speaks by the Spirit, she will not say anything, which is such a profound lesson for me to learn, since I talk. a lot. But learning to quiet down the fluff and just speak from the heart with the Spirit, then will success come. Yesterday we contacted four 14-15 year olds in their neighborhood and S Dyer bore to them a simple yet so powerful testimony about the Book of Mormon and our Savior Jesus Christ, and how it is the Source of guidance and direction in our lives, and honestly the Truth. It was so inspiring to feel of the Spirit as she testified and invited them to take part of this glorious truth. ah. I just love her so much!!! Thank you to her parents for raising this incredible woman who is now my companion and one of my best friends!:)

Well, my lovelies, it's about that time. I want you all to know that I know without a doubt that this Restored Gospel is true!!! Yesterday, during the work of salvation broadcast, Elder Perry talked about little kids playing soccer, with no organization or much success because of lack of understanding, not lack of desire. Let us not be missionaries in such a way. Let us understand the basic doctrines and then continue to build up our knowledge and testimony from there, for the best place to start is where you are at right now. God lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. The Bible, as far as it is translated correctly, is true. the Book of Mormon is true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's one true church. Don't believe me? "Ye shall know them by their fruits..." The fruit, the evidence, is the Book of Mormon. So read it, ponder it, and ask your Father in prayer. and Remember to ask. listen. and then follow. I love you all! HOW GREAT IS OUR CALLING!!!

Love for now and forever,
Sister De Groot:)

Missionary Invitation: For those return missionaries, pick up your journals from your mission. Don't know where they are? Go find them, and then begin to read them. Once you do, and have that desire to help in the salvation of one of your brethren or sisters, go out and share the Gospel. also become familiar, all who read this, with the new lds.org section, Hastening the Work of Salvation. and see what you can do to help in the spreading of this Glorious Truth!!!:)

eye. el oh vee ee. tea aych eye es(!) (Translation: I LOVE THIS!)

Mum. Pah Pea, family, and friends!!

Hello there! we had such an incredible week, this letter won't even be able to come close to expressing how I feel from this week! But first and foremost, I need to do a couple of shoutouts because I didn't last week...

First, to the greatest Pops in the whole wide world....HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DADDY!!!:) I love you so much and hope you had a splendid day! I know you got a little email from me and a shoutout today, but a letter is coming for you! (and you too, mom, don't you worry. ;)) You are such an incredible example to me and hope you know that someone in London, Ontario loves you!!!!:) You're my hero, pahpea!:)

Secondly, I must welcome home all of my friends who have recently returned home from their missions!!! WELCOME HOME!!! I'm sure it's different than what you've been doing for the past 2 years, but just remember how you felt each transfer call-The Lord simply transferred you to this area at this time for the benefit of His children! Don't you forget that!:) Love you all and hope you have a wonderful adjustment. :) And if you want, you're more than welcome to right me. just saying....;) Welcome home, guys!

one last shoutout to anyone who's birthday I missed or special occasion that I probably should have remembered but didn't....I'm ooper sorry but please know that I still love you! I just have an awful memory...:) LOVE YOU, GOOBS!!!

alright. I think we're good. now on to....
QUESTION TIME!!!
1.  How did Polly Ana's baptism go?

oh my goodness gracious it went so well!!!!  Her day was just absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! She felt the spirit so strong as she was baptized! There were also 2 other Chinese YSA's that got baptized yesterday, it was so wonderful! PollyAnna said "I am really glad I'm getting baptized on Father's Day because I feel it's a wonderful present to my Heavenly Father." How sweet is she???? Seriously, she is such an incredible daughter of our Heavenly Father, and our sister! She's so grateful and powerful in being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Her picture makes her look really young, but she's not. she's 24. haha Love her so much!:) 

2.  How is Charles this week?

He's doing well. He's making lots of progression towards his baptism but was unable to make it to church yesterday so we have to push his baptism back a week toJuly 7, but he's still progressing towards it!!:) He's becoming so much more sincere in his prayers, it's astounding!!! The first time we met with him, he found it super awkward and didn't know what to say, but now, he pours out his heart and asks for strength, it's absolutely incredible! :)

3.  Katie?

She got super busy this week between school and work so she couldn't come to either women at the well or church so we're trying to work with our ward mission leader to try and set up a time to with her soon this week.

4.  How did the "Women at the Well" program go?

wasn't able to go because we didn't have an investigator coming but I heard it was incredible!!:)

5.  Have you been receiving mail at your new apartment?

Sure have! oh, which reminds me...Sister Zerkle said she got a package notice for me at the old apartment about 2 weeks ago and that I had to go pick it up, but when we went, they said they already sent it back to the sender...so I'm not really sure who it was from or what it was but whoever it is, you are more than welcome to send it to my new apartment, the address on wonderland (mom, you have that up, right?), if not, don't worry about it!:) Love you!

Sister Janelle De Groot

710 Wonderland Road #303

London, ON

N6H 4W1

CANADA

6.  What do you see when you look out your apartment window?

a giant tree and a bunch of squirrels that look like rats because they're huge. and black. ha! but from our patio, we see another huge tree and a bunch of high rises around us. We like our trees, it reminds me of washington and mom singing to me while the trees "danced" in the storm. :) precious moments...:)

7.  BEST teaching moment of the week

Last night. oh my goodness SOO cool! So we were out in this student housing area knocking on doors as it was POURING rain and in the middle of a storm. poor sister Dyer was a tad bit scared...I felt so bad...anyways so we distinctly felt to knock on one particular door, so we did. A nice girl from India opened the door and she immediately let us in because of the rain. Her two roommates were there, both from India as well, and we taught them the wondrous Plan of Salvation, and they were absolutely drawn to everything we were talking about and asked us for copies of the Book of Mormon. Good thing we had plenty, eh?!:) The Spirit was so strong as we testified of how this Truth has blessed us in our lives, and how it can bless theirs as well. They do have finals this week so we won't be able to go back until next wednesday, but they all committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, their names are Bunthada, Rimpi, and Vedita! They are SOOOOO awesome!!!:) ah. missionary work is just so great.(!)

8.  FUNNIEST moment of the week

We contacted someone who, once he saw our names, introduced himself saying "well, HI, sistas! Muh name's Brutha Wesley!" eyup. good times here in London. haha

9.  MOST EMBARRASSING moment of the week 

so...we had zone conference this past week and the assistants thought it would be a great idea to ask me and Sister Sorensen, a sister I came out with, talk about asking inspired questions to the entire zone and do a demonstration. needless to say, I was terrefied. seriously. Anyways, so we're discussing with everyone and then I introduce the role play, where I am going to be the person on the street and we called up a companionship to contact me and ask inspired questions. So in my head, I made up a certain person who they could contact and was thinking about how I would respond to their questions. But because I was so preoccupied with thinking about my personality and interests, I totally forgot to think of a name for myself. So they walk up to me and stop me by saying "Hi! we're missionaries in the area, what's your name?" To which my mind forgot my first name and went immediately from Sister De Groot to me shouting out..."uh...STEVE! wait...." the entire room of missionaries just erupted in laughter! What?...seriously Sister De Groot? steve? I couldn't help but laugh at myself, realizing what I just did, and had to quickly say Jess and move on with the role play. ah man. haha then later, the assistants asked me to role play with them, and at the beginning, elder sommerfeldt says "so what's your name...steve?" hahaha yeah no. :) something tells me this won't be let go for a while...good thing I'm used to being awkward, eh? ha!

10.  BEST COMPANION BONDING moment of the week

Well we went on exchanges this past week, where I went to Brantford with one of our sister training leaders, sister Tuia and it was absolutely incredible! I love sister Tuia so much! But being away from Sister Dyer felt so weird, I have to be honest. haha so when we got back together, it was, ah, it was just so good to see her! Definitely made our companionship even closer!:)

11.  What memory do you have of dad that has influenced you for the better?

There is no way I could limit it to just one time, because there are so many! From hearing stories, dad, about your mission, watching you treat your family with love and kindness, coming home from basketball on saturday mornings and without fail getting a really nasty sweaty hug from you, hearing you call me peaches every morning and night, taking me on my first date as a new 16 year old, Seeing your face at each one of my sisters weddings and noticing how much you truly do treasure what means most to you, and just being the pops you are!:) Everything you've done as long as I can remember, has taught me to be a better person, and for that, I thank you so much!!! I love you so much, pops!!!:)

well, my lovelies, I must be off, but please know that I love you all SOOO much! This Gospel is true, it truly does make us better people in this life and brings us, if we are obedient and faithful, eternal salvation in the life to come! I know the Book of Mormon and the Bible TOGETHER are the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know, without a doubt, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed, the Lord's kingdom once again established on the Earth! Thank heavens He will come again, and just like PollyAnna said yesterday "yes, eternal salvation is important, but every single day I want to be as close to my Heavenly Father as possible, and not put it off til the next day in hopes that I will be safe." God be thanked for the matchless Gift of His Divine Son! HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING!!!

Love for now and for ever,

Sister De Groot:)

Missionary Invitation: I attached a paper entitled the 21 Day Promise. Preparing for that is going to be my invitation. I would like to invite every single one of you to participate in this 21 day promise with me, to find someone you know that is ready to hear the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will begin it on July 1, if you would like to join me. :) I may be a missionary with a nametag, but I'm also a member missionary, and I have friends that need this Gospel in their lives in order to find true and everlasting happiness. Share it with others too! Invite them to join in with us, and let us open our mouths and share this great truth so that others may partake of the blessings that God has prepared for them! Let me know who decides to join with me, because I'd LOVE to hear how it blessed both yours and your friends lives!:)