I got changed

Well we had our change meeting yesterday and now I am in a ward called Lo Blanco (the White) and I am with an Elder Castro from Honduras. I got put into a whitewash. Thats when the two Elders weren´t in that sector before and both are new! Its pretty rare that president does that. So this should be fun! We don´t know anybody so we have to work out of the Area Book and the Members! 

I am so glad to be a part of this church and to know that these things are true! i look at the abundance of blessings that have come from knowing what I know and i cannot help but be grateful for all I have been given! i know this church is true and love my Savior with all my heart! 

Love Elder Groen! 

The bottom of a pig is not so good to eat!

Hello beloved people! 

      To explain the titel! The other day we were offered a "special soup" So of course we said Sure! They brought the soup out and at first look I thought it looked great! Then I realized that the meat that was in it seemed new to me and that I had never eaten that type of meat before! So I went for it! Turns out they didn´t even take all of the hair off of the skin so I was eating the skin of a pigs bottom with hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was not so good tasting!!!! I would not reccomend it to anyone! I just had to do everything I could do get it down! 

      So We were challenged by our zone leader to try and get a baptismal date every week! We were already trying to do it, but it seemed like it just wasn´t happening. I really think that our Faith was not where it needed to be. So We took his challenge to heart and prayed that we would be able to do it! We worked hard and invited All to be baptized this week! We also asked all of our investigators again to be baptized! And guess what! We have 3 baptismal dates right now and we have four more that said they would choose a date for the next visit! That means 7 prospective baptisms!!!! I started to look back and think "why when we were doing it before was it not working?" I think that now I understand! We were doing it for the fact of only doing it. There really was not a lot of faith... and it seemed that when they were uneasy we backed off trying not to startle them into leaving us. We had more fear of man than we did of God! I think this challenge helped us to put our faith first and strive to give ALL we had to the lord! And miracles have been coming from this faith just like they always did when Christ was on the earth! I love what he always said "Thy faith hath made thee whole" When Faith replaces Fear miracles will come to pass! THis I know is true! 

       I also want to share about something that I have seen here that has worried me! It is the LIE! So many people think that a little lie is ok. or that if they keep on lying they will be alright and find a way out one day. These lies will only catch up to you and make you feel even worse than before! Sadly I know this from experience! One lie has the power to make you feel like your heart is heavier than a car! If the Savior is just and always tells us the truth and Satan is the father of the lies and never tells us the truth. Who are we becoming when we lie... I hope that we can all stive to be a little more honest in all of our lives, work, and family! honesty is an important attribute of our Savior! 

       

    Love Elder Groen! 

P.S. Lincoln and William are living together right now! they aren´t in the same sector, but they are in the same house! How crazy is that! My only cousin that is my age and one of my very best friends are together in their missions! CRAZY!!!! 

I know my Savior lives!!!!

    I don´t know if I have had a chance to bear my testimony to each of you in a while! So I would like to share my testimony! 

     

      I lived a life for myself 100% before my mission! It is what almost every teenage child does and honestly isn´t a terrible thing. I was focused on what mad ME happy! I didn´t ever try to put myself into the shoes of others or to live for someone else. It honestly never even crossed my mind to do that! I was living for myself! 

     Coming out here on the mission we are asked to live for someone else for the first time for most of us! For the first time you dedicate studies, prayers, time, thoughts, energy, and more on other people! Wether or not your heart is in it, you are doing it! 

     At first it takes some time to adjust to the new life and to really grasp what you are doing. But then after some time it is like the change begins! It isn´t one moment that happens when you look and you are completely different. It is a process that happens over time! You can´t see it happening in the moment, but after a while you look and see that you are different! your desires are different and you don´t even want the same things anymore! It comes from giving yourself! 

     I have always heard the scripture, If you lose yourself you will find yourself! but now I am seeing it happen! I have strived to give myself to the Lord and in turn he has molded me and made me into a new person! The Love and patience that he has had for me has astonished me! I can not believe that he loves me SOOO much! I know that Jesus Christ LIVES!!! It wouldn´t make sense for him not to live! I know that he is the Savior of the World!!!! What a glorious message we carry! I know that Even though I am not perfect he is there to lift me up and give me hope! 

     I Testify as one of his called servents that He lives and loves each of us! I only have so much time to share this message as a called servent! So I will give ALL I can! 

     Love Elder Groen!!! 

So pink is nice!

So other than the fact that i feel like I have been completely stripped of ALL of my man cards... I am loving the pink house! The color really brightens things up! It makes the house feel really sunny all the time! And the best part is we have no shame singing the song "Duh duh dununa duh duh! I feel like a woman!" 

         We had interviews with president this week! It is always like he knows what your needs are or he knows what you are going to ask him before you ask him! I love interviews, because you always walk away feeling like you want to work harder and give a little more! He asked me why I was here in the mission and I told him why. It was a really powerful moment for me! I think it was almost like a light went off in my head and I understood why I am here in the mission! 

         We have a big ward activity with the Youth coming up this week on friday and tonight for mutual we are going to help them all get ready that is going to be super fun! I love working with the Youth and helping them all! It has been a huge blessing to me and I will never forget the young men of this ward they have truly impacted me in ways that they will never know! The sad news is that in my interview president told me that it is more than likely that I will be leaving the sector on Agosto 25 and Then My ZL told me that president also told him I was going. So I think my days here in this ward are very limited... I will miss these people, but I plan to go out with a bang and work as hard as I can for this last month witht them!!!! 

        I just want to leave you all with a spirtitual thought! I studied a lot about our vision this week! One of the interesting things about us as humans is that as hard as we try we can only focus our eyes on one thing at a time! We are incredible at changing that focus really fast, but that focus is on one thing at a time! It is like when you are walking! You walk where you are looking! So where is your spiritual vision? is it forward or backward? is it on things of the Lord or things of the World? Because it can´t be on the two at the same time! So try and think about where you are looking and where you are going! It is interesting to think if you kept on going in the direction you are headed where would you be in 5,10 or 20 years! It will tell a lot about your vision! 

          Love the just peachy Elder Groen! 

A GREAT week!

  So did you know that the word Great means above average, or exceeding the normal! Well it does according to my spanish dictionary! One might ask what makes it a Great week then? I will tell you! A great week is a week when you can see the hand of the Lord in your life! A great week is when you know that you have been successful in helping someone come unto Christ even if it is only a little bit more, When you can look back and say WOW I am truly happy doing what I am doing in the place I am in! A great week is when you have an overwhelming feeling that Someone is here at your side to give you a hug, but when you look you don´t see a person! A great week is simple, it is when you are given another confirmation of the love that the Savior has for you! so those are a few of the reasons why I had a GREAT week!! :)

      I had a really fun experience in my personal study two days ago! I was listening to a song from the old album of the Nashville tribute band that my comp has! I was listening, but I was writing and not focused on the words more studying that anything! Then I got this feeling that I should listen to the words so I did right as a new song started. It was a lady telling the story of her son who she had to barry when he died as a baby. She was a pioneer from a long time ago! I felt a strong warmth in my whole body when that happened! Then she said the name of the pioneer who experienced that! Her name is Elizabeth Partige Lyman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe that I don´t know if she is a direct ansestor or not, but judging by the two last names I am fairly certain that she is! It was such a neet testimony to me to here what she experienced so that I could be a part of this gospel and here in Chile in this very moment!!!! WOW!!!!

    So we also had a Zone Conference this monday! it was AWESOME just like Always! President Cook is such a great guy and always inspiring and inspired! He taught us a very powerful message on the Sacrament! The importance of it, but also spoke of the importance of Grace and Works and how that relates to the Sacrament! It was Powerful!

    This week it is likely that we will be moving houses! Due to how dangerous our mission is the area presidency has asked that in our mission we move all of the sister companionships to be living with 4 or more sisters! So the sisters will still be working in the same ward but will be moving outside of the sector and we are going to move into their house! the only problem is that their house is pink and has flowers EVERYWHERE!!! So we will send pictures when we move! We still don´t know when but it should be soon! the sisters move out tomorrow! should be fun!

    Well I just want you all to know that I love this work, church and most importantly my Savior!

Love the man from snowy Chile... wait there is no snow... only on the mountain tops.... Groen!

So here we go again!

The way they do changes here kill me! we have a 3 day warning and then we change! saying goodbye to members, converts, and investigators is a nightmare... Anyway by next wednesday I could have a new comp and be in a new sector, but the truth is no one knows! So wish me luck because If I have to say goodbye to this ward after being here for 8 months it is going to be a tough weekend! 

Anyways You are all at youth conference!!! how fun is that I hope it is all going well and that you will give me a great report with lots of pictures!!!! 

Well my spiritual thought comes from a scripture I love dearly! 2nd Nephi 31:20 "Wherefore ye must press forward!" that is the very first part of it, but a part that I love! think about where you are and the trials you have or maybe the trials of others you have and think about how sometimes it would just be easier to quit... Now think about what Nephi is saying! Press forward! Remember that better things are always to come if we but press onward with diligence and with patience!! 

Love the Ethan-ater!! 

Chillin' on the back porch

This is how the missionaries watched the COPA. 

Soccer fans!

Still strong and fit.   Kinda weird that his twin, who we don't think could have seen this picture, did the same thing just a week later to show his strength.   It's a twin thing - we won't understand (unless we're a twin). 

1 Año!!

Well I figured something good I could do is talk about 5 of the Lessons that I learned in this first year in the mission! 

First lesson! The power that every individual has in himself or herself! 

            Each of you is a daughter or son of God! That means that you come from a royal lineage! We also are given a privilage and responsibility of living under the keys of the priesthood! That is a number that is so small! in all the time of the world very few have had this opportunity! So remember the power that each of us have to do good! You can start doing good in so many ways but think of the way this world could change if everyone realized the good they could do! I believe that everytime that we do a little good we are helping change the world for the better!

Lesson Two! The power of service and giving! 

            There was a study that was done that those who give and are more focused on spending more money on others than themselves tend to be more happy! Get out and give! wether it be your time, love, things, or hugs just give! Everytime you give a little you are following the examle of Jesus Christ! 

Lesson 3! The importance of a visit! 

            Have you ever been siting at home and someone came to stop by and see how you were doing? If you haven´t its ok! But Trust me in will change your day, week, and maybe life! when we go out of our way to visit someone it will help change them and their relation with us! Please get out and visit! whoever it is forget yourself and visit someone who needs it! 

Lecion numero 4! 

          how to love! I did not know that I could love people I didn´t know and who lived lives so different than mine! sometimes inspite of the lack of love that I recieve I still feel a powerful love for the people here that seems to give me a sense of motivation and drive that pushes me through the tough moments! Love truly is the most powerful tool that we have as desiples of Christ! 

Lesson 5! The Atonement is farther reaching than i have ever before known! 

          I have seen the Atonement reach lives that many thought were Too far gone or that were without hope! but I have seen that there is NO soul that the Savior cannot save! 

These are some of the little lessons that I have learned in my time out here! I am still growing and striving to become a little better everyday! I am so happy to have had this year here in Chile it has truly changed my life! I could not be more grateful to my parents and family who gave me this opportunity! and to my Father in Heaven who so lovingly gave me all that I have! 

 With all the love i have Elder Groen!