Short 'N Sweet

Well I just want to tell you all that the Lord knows us and Loves us more than we can understand! I find out more and more every day that He loves me! I know that he will help us through any trial and any struggle if we but give our will to him and let him take over! 

This week we were able to teach a few really special people! We have two less active members that are now going to church and almost a complete reactivation, and we have 4 baptismal dates for the 22 of November and we are Very excited for them also!! The work is definitely working here in Chile! I love you all and hope that you all have a great week! 

Con Amor Elder Groen!

Oh just playing my weed whacker, er, uh, cutting the grass. 

A mighty change has taken place in my Heart!

Dearest Family and Friends

      I want to share with you all a special experience that I had during a personal study this week! I was studying in the Book of Mormon, and while i was reading i started to think about who I am and who i was before and who i want to become. I was thinking about htis and I started to think about how I got here to where I am today and to be who I am today! I was thinking when I realized that all that I have is from my loving Heavenly Father! For example My parents taught be many valuable lessons as a child and gave me a home to live! I will be forever grateful to them for that service and for ALL they have done but the one who gave me them was my Father in Heaven! I was also given incredible friends! People who showed me by action what real happiness is! But again My Father in Heaven was the one who put me here and gave me them! And All of you who read this letter have also impacted me and my life in ways that you do not know! And I am so grateful for you and your dedication, but I must recognize again that my Father in Heaven gave me each of you!!! I had never thought of it like that before! But it is literally all from him! Everything that we have or are is from our Father in Heaven! He loves us and watches out for us! 

      We have 4 new baptismal dates for the 22 of november! It is a miracle that we have found all of these people! The Lord is guiding us and helping us in ALL of our efforts! 

Love Elder Groen!  

A week of miracles!

      When I got to the sector and we had a few days of work together I began to talk with my new companion about the work and about what he has seen in his 21 months here in the mission. We started talking about miracles. Then after talking about the miracles that we had seen we talked about how they happen and how we could have them happen to us! Then we decided that we needed some miracles to help us find some new investigators. So we stopped right there in the street and prayed that the Lord would lead us to someone who needed this message! We then walked for a little while and then we both started walking towards a house that we saw. We went to it and contacted it. Then a young guy came out and started listening to us his name is Maxi. He asked us to come back another day to teach him more and so today in the night we are going to go back and teach him. 

      By this point I was amazed that the Lord answered our prayer and we found someone so quickly! The next day we were walking and all of our appointments had fallen and we were walking to go contact some houses! Then my companion turned to me and said "If you and I have the faith the Lord is going to give us another miracle!" So I said a prayer in my heart asking to know how this miracle would come then kept on walking. we then saw a young man cleaning his yard so we went to talk to him and we had a lesson with him and we are going back on Friday! 

      I have always believed that the Lord gives answers, but I don´t think that I was a strong believer in miracles like this! But this week I learned that the Lord will give us what we ask for, as long as it is a righteous desire and if we have sufficient faith! So I will keep on asking for miracles! Because I know the Lord will bless this work and help these people progress! 

I know this church is true and that Christ lives! I love you all and pray for you often! 

Love Elder Groen! 

Changes!

   This week I had changes and now i am in a ward that is in the same zone and stake as my last ward. I am with my companion Elder Hermosilla from Santiago Chile! The ward here has about 180 members! 

       It came as a big surprise to me to hear that I had changes! I had only been with Elder Johnson for about 3 weeks and I only had one change in that old sector! In this misison the missionaries tend to stay in one area for about 6 months is normal. So I was expecting that, but I only stayed for 6 weeks. It caught us all off guard. It was hard. I don´t like saying goodbye and not to mention that I am a cry baby too... 

     Anyways I know that everyone is talking about it, but how can you not? CONFERENCE!!! It was so incredible to go into conference with real and sincere questions in my heart! I watched as one by one the Lord answered my prayers! Including the 3 new apostles were direct answers to my prayers! It was just like Bishop Hanks always says! If you go with a question they will talk to you! It was like that for me! The world seemed to drown out and I was alone with them for those short talks! I really think that they were talking to me and what I needed! 

    This week I spent time thinking about the profets since Adam. Every one of them passed for a trial that made them better people and more devoted servants of the Lord! I believe that trials are the Lord´s way of saying I love you! Sometimes we feel or say why are you punishing me like this, but he is saying I only want you to be able to grow and become better! In this past month I felt for a moment like I was alone. But because I had that trial I was able to grow more than I could have imagined! 

    I testify that the Lord knows us individually and is at our side in all moments!!! He spent time completely alone so that we would never have to!!! He loves You and he loves me! I know that this is the truth! I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Love Elder Groen  

Elder Groen & Elder Hermosilla (Mom editorial: Ethan was quick to reassure me that the picture was not taken in his room.)

Elder Peterson, former Zone leader and Elder Groen, new Zone leader 

The Zone