Thanks!

Well I think I´m going to start by saying that this Thanksgiving day I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ! I think In all my life I have never felt the way I do right now in my life! I feel like every day is a great day from the moment I wake untill the moment my head hits the pillow! A year ago at this time in the mission it wasn´t like this. Actually I have always loved my mission and been happy here! But I feel like my Joy is still growing every day! And now My testimony is even stronger! So the first thing I am grateful for is my Savior! Because never in my life have I had the Love that I have for him or the testimony I have for him! 

Yesterday I went on divisions with a brand new Elder! He is from Chile and has only 1 week here in the field. His name is Elder Pizarro! He is full of Energy and a desire to work! At the end of the divisions we always have an inventory where the leader can talk about the good and the bad and see what the missionary can do better and put some goals for the next time! I did the interview and we talked a lot about him and how he felt here in the mission and his life. Then as we finished the inventory I asked him "what can I do better and how can I help you grow." He gave me two Ideas to do better and then he said something so simple that touched me! He said "Love me." I was so grateful in that moment for corrections. Because I felt so strongly from the spirit that I can do better! The spirit gave me a way that I could try to help him more and to be a little better! Not too long ago I was not able to take corrections without throwing back a correction for the other perosn. But I know that the Lord has helped humble me a little more and I am a little better than before!

This week We had 3 baptisms for a family that we have grown to love SOO dearly! The Rivas family! The three children were baptized Nayadeth, Joaquin, and Vicente. The mother is a less active and the father wants to get baptized! We told the family that the closer that they got to the baptismal date the harder it would be for them! The last week before the date Satan threw SO MANY temptations at them and they had a VERY hard week. But They knew that they had a purpose and that Batism was their goal and what the Savior wanted for them! So they did not give up or give in. They were baptized and now this family is all going to church and are growing in testimony! I am Grateful for Baptism, The Spirit that touches the hearts of many and the trials that we are given to overcome! 

Last of all I want to share to you all the Gratitude that I have for my family! (Grandma Groen got me again and I am in a public internet booth crying again) there are many nights when I stay up wondering why so many people are born into circumstances that are so hard! Or why they are born to only one parent or problems with addictions. Then I think about My family and the Blessing of a strong family in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! All of my Aunts and Uncles are strong members! My cousins have the same blessings as me and we pray that those who have strayed a little from the joy  of this gospel will come back, but it is very few that have strayed, but even then they do not have many problems and have not gone far! The Lord has truly given me a marvelous and I would say the second greatest blessing to me in my family! I am So grateful for Each of them! I love my family from My parents, brothers, and sister to every one of my cousins from the youngest to the oldest, to my aunts and uncles, to my grandparents! There are two of them that I never knew, but I love them too after praying to know them in my heart! I LOVE my family and I am so greatful for Each of them!!!! 

I love you all so much! Thank you for all you do for me! 

Love the Goofy Elder Groen! 

Changes!

Well the mission had changes this week, but don`t worry niether I nor my companion had changes this time around! So that means that officially I will be my companions last companion! This week was a good week! We have 3 baptisms coming up on sunday so we are in full swing preparation for those! 

I have spent some time thinking about the mission and all that happens here and why so many missionaries come home chaged. Everyone always says "Wow you are so different." or "that guy shure changed a lot!" So why is it that they change? I think that there are lots of factors to this change, but I want to share one that came to my mind as I thought about it this week! 

To start off I want to share a short experience! When I was on the plane from Utah to Georgia on my way to the mission. I sat next to a man from India. There I shared a message about families. It seemed SO easy to me. He was very receptive and I came into the mission thinking that this was going to be a breeze sharing this message. Then when I arrived in Chile I remember trying to communicate with the people at the desks and realizing that I was in a new world! It seemed so big compared to my little bountiful and So daunting what I was about to face. Then In the MTC it was just as hard trying to figure out this spanish thing! Then when I got to the field and saw the mission I could not believe how many dogs there were and how fast the people talked and how far we walked and how small our house was! I realized early on that this was not going to be easy! In certain ways it wasn`t as hard as I thought but in other ways It was much harder than I could have imagined! But Now I understand why missionaries go home different than before! Because they are asked to do something hard! But it isn`t just something hard! It is a time that the Lord has told us that we should give to him! We are doing something hard for our Savior! I believe that these missionaries come home different because they are brought to their knees and pray in a way that they have never done before, Because they feel a fraction of the same joy and sadness that Christ felt, And because they understand that with Sacrifice blessings will ALWAYS follow! 

I am so grateful for my time here! Where I have come to know and love my Father in Heaven and My savior Jesus Christ! I Truly LOVE this work and being a missionary! 

Love Elder Groen!!

I`m Grateful for...

I think that many times in this life we get full of expectations for things to happen. And when they don`t happen we tend to be frusterated that they didn`t happen! So this week I realized that maybe I wasn`t being grateful enough for the things that the Lord has been giving me and I was taking for granted the spirit that He has given me and the strength that he gives me! 

When a new missionary gets to the mission field they are blown away at the miracles and it seems like they are full of the spirit and teach with such power! I think one of the reasons for this is because it is all so new! The spirit that goes with them is new and it guides and leads them and they teach with this spirit frequently! Some missionaries have told me that they don`t feel like they did when they started their missions. I think it might not be that they don`t have the spirit, but more that they have forgotten to give thanks for that spirit! They do not recognize it like they did before. 

I think one of the keys to recognize the gifts that we have been given and have them present in mind is through a grateful heart! We need to be grateful for the things that the Lord has given us! He has given us many things! We only need to open our eyes and see them and give him thanks for them. Then I believe that our attitude will change towards life and all the things that we are doing! 

I have loved this week trying to ask myself in what ways the Lord has blessed me! And it seems that I really do have too many blessings to count! I can`t even comprehend ALL of the things that he has given me!!!! My Father in Heaven loves me enough to give me a loving family, good friends, the church in my life, and more than anything else He gave me a Savior who would love me and guide me in every way possible! I want to give you all this simple invitation to "count your blessings"! I bet that if you do it you won`t be able to count them all! and then you will feel the love of the Lord in your life!!! 

I testify that he loves us individually! He knows us and blesses us!! I love the Savior and have come to know him more than ever here in the mission!!! 

Love Elder Groen!

Miracles are Real!

We are feeling really good about the work in the sector right now! We are seeing so many miracles!! We have a few reactivations that are really close and a few really strong baptismal dates. It is such a blessing to see people change their lives and desires to try and come to know their Savior. I think that is one of my favorite parts of this work! When I can see a true change take place in the heart of someone! 

This week we had a really special moment. After the zone conference on tuesday we tried to think of a way to apply what we learned and put in practice what we shared with the missionaries. So with a family that we are teaching Elder Hermosilla said he felt we should go by them and give them a challenge for our appointment the next day about the Book of Mormon and have them study the chapter of Mosiah 18 and to teach us the next day. We had challenged the 3 kids to be baptized on the 22 and the Father to pray about baptism. Then we went back to teach them on Wednesday night. What happened was excatly what Clay Christensen said would happen. We had them teach us. The Father comes from a Jehovas Witness background which is usally very difficult, but after teaching us he looked at us and said "the more I read this book the more I know it is true. And now I know that I will be baptized. I don`t know when still, but I know I will." We were so Happy then the mom of the family who is a less active said that they had already been talking as a family and decided that they would go to church on that day and would never leave again. We were so happy for them and all that they were feeling. Then the oldest Child a daughter named Nayadeth who is 18 said, "Elders, I got my answer. I am going to be baptized on the 22 of November. I had a dream that I was with my family on the first day that they came to church, but I was dressed in all white! I know I will be ready by that date!" That was one of the most powerful and spirit filled lessons that I have ever been a part of, and it might have been the lesson that I spoke less than any other lesson! I am so greatful to know that the spirit is working in these people and that they are growing and learning every day! I love this gospel and my Savior too! 

So I just want you to all know that the Lord watches over us and is constantly trying to bless us! I learned another special lesson this week! and I think I might have some new favorite scriptures to add to my list! I just want to say that I love this work and I love to serve! It is something that I have learned gives me true happiness when I am serving and loving others! I love you all SOO much And I pray for you all often! 

Love the skinny kid from bountiful! Elder Groen! 

p.s. here are the awesome scriptures! Aren`t they so bright and full of hope!! 

 Revelation 21:3-4 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Also

1 Corinthians 2:9 2 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.