Work!

The more and more I think about it the more and more I think it is true! The best thing you can do when you are a missionary is work! It is a lot of work and sometimes it feels like another day of the same is just too much! But never in my whole mission Have I gotten home at night and had a regret because I worked too hard! NEVER! Its the magic of the Missionary WORK. When we are doing all that we can the Lord will bless us and when we are in our extremities we are in a place where we are more receptive to the spirit! That is one of the reasons why work is so important! I am trying to work as hard as I can every day! 

I Love the Lord and give thanks for all he has given me! When in doubt just Work! 

Love Elder Ethan Groen! 

A week of work and Rain!!

Boys will be boys!

If I had a penny for everytime someone asked us this week "You guys work even when its raining?" I would be rich! It rained a TON and it flooded a bunch of places too! It was a lot of water! But it was fun working in the rain! I Loved it! Oh and this week we didn`t have water for 3 days but we had a ton in bottles and storage so we were fine! 

This is what my area looks like

Watching a movie at President Cook's house

This week I learned that the gospel is wonderful and can change lives if we let it! We teach that their are only 5 simple steps that are required to get to the Celestial Kingdom! How wonderfully simple is that! Can you name those 5 steps? If not read PMG in Chapter 3 lesson 3 and try to memorize them! 

I love my Savior and know that he watches out for me and each one of you too! I Love you all and pray for you! Have a great week this week! 

Love Ethan!

ohana and us! We have to teach outside when there is no man at home... But she is awesome! She is going to get baptized on may 7th!

No change...

I am on for the week! We had changes on monday but I nor my companion were changed! 

Love, Elder Groen 

Changes!

I am in a new place! I am in a comuna or little city type thing called La Pintana, I am in the ward Los Robles. My new companion is Elder Corbo from Argentina! He is a great guy! He has had a few hard changes, but he is a great guy and we had a great week together! 

I remembered a while back when I got to my sector and one of my old companions would always talk about miracles and pray for miracles and it was awesome because we saw so many miracles together! So I got here and I tried to do the same thing! I talked about them a ton! and I prayed for them too! Then something crazy happened! We started to see miracles!!!!! Last Saturday we were walking and I looked at my companion and said take us to a miracle! He looked at me funny, then looked at the ground giggled and kept on walking. Then he walked up to this house where we met a woman named Elvira. She lost her son a year ago. He was robbed and killed. Turns out she was baptized Years ago. But her son and mother are both active members of the church! We talked for a long while then she asked us if we could teach her how to take her son to be baptized in the temple! We assured her we could and would and began teaching her! Then we invited her to the church and she acepted and we are going back to teach her tomorrow! After words we left her with a prayer and went our way! Then my companion looked at me and said "How did you know?" I looked at him just as amazed and probably with a face of confusion and said "I had no Idea." He looked at the ground giggled again and said "God is good!" 

To be brutaly honest with you all I did not think we would see a miracle like that but God is just so good to those who put their foot into the darkness! And he gave us a real and very powerful miracle! 

I Love this work and I love seeing miracles they happen so often! I would invite you all to ask for a miracle! And after you ask for one go start looking for one! 

Love, Elder Groen 

Here we go!

Well I have changes tomorrow so I will let you all know where I am at next week! I hate saying goodbye but It is always a great experience to go to a new place and learn new lessons! This could potentially be my last sector and maybe last companion! That is wierd! I promise I will let you know all more next week! I love you all! 

Love Elder Groen! 

Things are just too good!

I sometimes think to myself. Why does God give me so much! Why have I been so blessed? I love what I am doing! For some people it might be hard for them to understand why any young person would leave home to go and be rejected day after day in the cold and the hot. Why they would go do something that is so hard. Why they would delay their lives to go to a foreign place to talk about a book, God, a prophet, and other similar subjects. Many have told me it is not worth it and that no one wants to hear what I have to say. But I will tell you why I do it! My reasons have changed and I am not here for the same reasons I came here! But I am still in Chile because I know that God loves me and he loves everyone of his Children and he wants them to be happy for this life and for the Eternities. He wants to live with them forever! I know exactly how this can be accomplished! And I want the people to find out what it means to be truly happy! I know I can help them! I have seen people change their lives for this and find true happiness! I want the whole world to know it! I just feel like I am on top of the world sometimes and that with my Savior at my side I can do anything! 

This week we saw more miracles! We were walking and we felt impressed to go to a family that is less active that has not been very receptive to us in the past. We went to them and they said we couldn`t come in right now. so we just started talking. We did not go inside but we taught a lesson right there in that place! It was so cool! She changed so much in that time and was truly listening to us. Then she said "Elders I want to go back! But when the missionaries come over they just tell me what I know and make me feel bad... I don`t like it when they come over." I felt impressed to tell her "Sister, do not worry you will not feel bad with our visits. The spirit is here and we will strengthen you with these visits. We will not point out your faults, but rather your strengths and you will feel that you can go back to church with us." Then she looked at us with teary eyes and said thank you. Then invited us to go back on thursday! 

Another family had a little boy named Alejandro. He was diagnosed with Epilepsy. The past few weeks they have been coming to church and listening to us! Now their son just recieved news that he might not have Epilepsy and that it has just dissapeared! On Friday we will know for sure! It is a living day miracle!!!!!! They are the Vargas family and they all live together witht he parents in one small house. They live 18 people in that small place. They were noticed that they would have to leave to a new place. and for three months have been looking and looking and they have 1 more month untill they have to leave, but yesterday a member called us and told us he found a place and now they have a place to go!!!! We are so happy for them! They have a portable house and only pay for light, water and rent for the land they are on. but the land they are on now was sold and the new owner doesn`t want them there... But now they have a place to go! 

I love being a missionary and I love all you! Have a great week! 

Love Elder Groen! 

Even when it's hot!

This week in the sector we what I think was a faith check. On sunday we went to try and find a less active. When we got there they weren`t there so we decided to start contacting. It was early on in the day and very hot! But we just kept on going. In the space of 2 hours only 2 people answered their doors and quiqly shut them again. Then we stopped under the shade of a tree to decide what to do next and escape from the sun for a second. I thought we should change locations and start contacting in a different place. But Elder Johnson said he felt it was that place that we needed to contact, so we decided to keep going after a quick water break. The first house no one answered, but the second house a man came out and we were able to begin a conversation with him and we then were invited into his house and shared with the family! We went back yesterday and have another appointment on friday. We are helping them with English and also teaching them the gospel! We are so excited and so happy that the Lord would guide us that day to find a prepared and very kind family. I do have a testimony of contacting, not because it is the most efficient way to find, but because it is a way that we show our faith to the Lord that we will use every moment to find those he has preapared. I know he truly has prepared people for us to teach. 

Even when its hot we can find, Even when its hot we can show faith! I know the heat isn`t that bad, but I think it represents all of the opposition that we have in this life to hold us back from doing what is right! 

I love you all have a great day! 

Love Elder Groen!