Busy Busy Busy

Mi Familia y Amigos,

This week was fabulous! We had a baptism, a multi-zone conference, a worldwide missionary conference, and we found a new family that is really positive!! I'm so happy!!!!!!! Every week I just feel so much more gratitude for my mission... the best time of my life! And oh hey, 10 months in the mission today! Over the hump... yeesh. 

This week I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be "worthy". At the end of the worldwide missionary conference, President Oaks told us that we are witnesses of Christ, and exhorted us to live up to that. It made me think about how I can "live up" to this calling as a missionary that I have been given. This calling to be a representative of Christ. The Lord works in mysterious ways, because all this week I had little mini experiences that provided the answers I was looking for. During Angel's baptism, we watched the Bible video of the baptism of Christ... It really stuck out to me John's reaction to the Savior's request. As it states in Matthew 3, John didn't want to baptize Christ and stated that he needed to be baptized of Christ, not the other way around. He didn't feel worthy. In my personal studies this morning, I also read in 2 Nephi 4 where Nephi laments over his sins and the natural man. He states, 

"17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

 18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

 20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

 21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

In both instances, these two  great men of God did not feel worthy of the call that they had been given. They felt weak, and uncapable. YET in both instances, the Lord showed them that they were worthy of his love. The Savior said to them, YES YOU ARE! As human beings, we have weaknesses. We stumble. We fall. But as Elder Bednar recently said, "Don't torment yourself". That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try, that we shouldn't be humble... it means Work hard, do your part, and trust in the Lord. Trust in his power. HE makes us more than we are. He makes us more than we are capable of becoming. You are worthy of his love, and you are worthy of his help. TRUST HIM. 

Well... I'm running out of time... but that was just something that I really loved this week... sorry if it doesn't make much sense haha. But I love you all and I hope you all have an absolutely fabulous week!!! 

Love,

Hermana Van Deusen

Fabulous Week

Mi Familia y Amigos,

This was an absolutely fabulous week!! I love my area so so SO much!! I love my companion so so SOO much!! And I just love being a missionary so so so SOOO much more!! This week was really good if you can't already tell! I just know that I'm supposed to be here, and that I need to be here with Hermana Coc, and I just feel so happy(: Part of that happiness has to do with one of our investigators... his name is Angel and yesterday he told us that he wants to be baptized!! We set a date with him for next week, so hopefully all goes as planned and he will get to take that step on Sunday!! La obra misional es super chevere!!

Well this week I wanted to share with you all something that caught my attention in my studies. As a mission we are reading the Book of Mormon together again, and we are right around 1 Nephi 17. There are two verses that I love from this chapter. The first is verse 13: 

 13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

And the second is in verse 3: 

3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

To me, these verses show just how much the Lord loves us. He loves us so much, that he has given us the treasure map that leads to the greatest of all blessings: eternal life. The commandments are there to protect us. To HELP us. They aren't limitations or restrictions. They are an act of LOVE! I am so grateful for the commandments. I'm so grateful for this gospel!! I know that the Lord loves you. So keep his commandments. Keep the faith. If you can do that, you will always find the strength to go on!

I love you all so much!! Have an absolutely fabulous week!!! 

Love,

Hermana Van Deusen

Cambios

Mi Familia y Amigos,

HEY so guess what, the totally unexpected happened and I got changes!! I'm now in the zone Tocumen! I'm a Sister Training Leader... so you know that just a big fun ball of stress.... and my companion is the AMAZING Hermana Coc! We were together in David, and so I was really excited to be her companion! She's from Guatamala! Which means that I've now had companions from Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatamala.... all I need now is Costa Rica and El Salvador and I've got  the whole set haha. I was sad to leave Caceres, but I know that Hermana Lara and her new companion will work lots of miracles there(:

Do to the fact that I had changes, I don't have much time. I just want to share with you all my firm testimony that this church is true. I am so grateful to know the truth. I KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I KNOW that the church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true. I KNOW that Jesus is the Christ. I'm so happy to be apart of the true gospel!! I am so grateful to be a missionary!!!! 

I hope that you can all think about your own testimonies. Ask yourself the same question that Elder Bednar posed in the last conference, "Do you really believe what you know?".  I love you all so much!! Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure haha

Hermana Van Deusen

Hola!

Hola Mi Familia y Amigos!!

This week was absolutely fantastic because I learned a lot and we saw lots of miracles and have I ever mentioned how much I love missionary work?!?!?!? It's fabulous!! This is our last week before the change ends so we are trying to work super hard and do our very best!! We have a baptism set for this Thursday, so if you would PLEASE pray that everything goes well!!

This week I was thinking/studying a lot about the principle of repentance. What it is, why it's important, how to apply it more, how it is even possible... all of these things were floating around in my mind. Well this week I was reading in Ether 3, and verse 14 really stuck out to me. It reads,

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."

There are so many wonderful things that I learned from this short verse, but what I wanted to share with you all is the fact that it says "In me shall all mankind have life". What does that mean to you?? Well to me, it means that I will be able to breathe. That is the promise of the Atonement, that is the purpose of Repentance... to bring us that relief. To be able to see the light! To have HOPE.

We have an investigator named Guido, he's the guy that is going to get baptized on Thursday(: He has lived a rough life and had lots of trials... We started teaching him because he came to church ALL BY HIMSELF and asked if we would like to teach him hahaha... Miracles people, miracles. As we taught him the principle of repentance and the importance of baptism, we asked him if he would like to be baptized unto repentance. He responded quickly in the affirmative. When we asked him why, he responded, "Because I never knew before that I could have a second chance". THAT is Repentance. It's putting everything behind and starting new. It's taking the hand of Christ.

I TESTIFY that this church is true. That God knows and loves us, and wants us the take that step. Don't hold yourself back... for as Elder Maxwell once said, we shouldn't hold hostage those that the Lord wishes to set free. I love you all so much!! Have an absolutely fabulous week!!!

Love,

Hermana Van Deusen