Mirrors

Hey everybody! I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend last week and had lots of fun.  This week was pretty good to us here in San Martin and we are seeing lots of progress with our 10 year old investigator, Kiara.  Yesterday she had a great day at church and then in the afternoon we got to teach her and her friend, Florencia!  The lesson went super well but what impressed us most was when Kiara basically taught the entire first lesson to her friend!  It was super cool because all this time we had thought that Kiara didn't understand too much. or that the things we taught her just didn't "stick."  But Kiara totally surprised us as she sat there for 10 minutes explaining the first vision and Christ's baptism, with the pamphlets we had given to her last week!!  It was one of the sweetest thing I have ever seen and the spirit was so strong as Kiara closed the lesson with a beautiful prayer.  I just know with all my heart that this little girl is ready to be baptized, now the only obstacle is going to be getting permission from her father.  But we know that with lots of prayers and faith it will happen!! I sure love the work of the Lord.

Alrighty friends and family, this week I want to share this wonderful poem written by John Bytheway that I heard while listening to one of his talks.  I really loved it and it helps me realize how truly special each and every one of us are.

Did you ever go up to the fun house to play, and look in the mirrors there?

They bend up your face and widen your waist and alter the shape of your hair.  

And in one place you're as huge as a hot air ballon, in another as thin as a stick.  

At first you're as slim as a telephone pole and everywhere else you are thick.

Some people are mirrors reflecting to us an image we really are not.  

If we think that those mirrors are telling the truth, we've been blinded to all that we've got.

Some might say that we're awnry or stupid or weird, some might say that we're stuck up or fat.

But in others you'll view a reflection of you that doesn't have any of that.  

Who are the best mirrors that you and I have? Who gives us a reflection that's true? 

Who sees us for all that is hidden inside?  Your Father in Heaven, that's who.  

You've also got teachers and parents and friends, whose reflections are true and correct.  

When peers say you're homely or haughty or dumb, God says "You're my child, you're elect." 

So get out some paper and pick up a pen and write down what others may say.

Then turn the page over and fill it with things the Lord and the prophets convey.  

On one side you'll have all that others have said, some true, some are hard to conceive.  

Then turn to God's side and ask yourself--"Which side am I going to believe?"

by John Bytheway :)

Which side are YOU going to believe?? I know that God loves us and has given each of us divine, special qualities.  We have to remember that we are all His children, elect individuals with a great individual worth.

I love you all!!!

xoxo

Hermana Anika Van Boerum 

A Family we met at the Art Market

Pics with cute little Kiara on Sunday

A birthday party for Melina Fortino (a member)
Who turned five years old

We LOVED playing with all the little kids
 and they LOVED playing with us.

A Plan to Bring Us Closer to Him

Hello folks! Hope you've all had a wonderful week.  Here in San Martin things are still going pretty well.  We were able to find a few new investigators but they have already dropped us, so we continue on with the search for more investigators!!  But things are good and I am very very happy, as always!  :)

Saturday night as missionaries we got to go to a transmission from the South, South America Area Presidency that was broadcasted all around Argentina.  It was a transmission of what they called, " A plan to bring us closer to Him."  The focus on this plan are three things:

• The Sabbath Day- Finding the delight of keeping the Sabbath Day holy.
• Spiritual and Temporal Autosufficiency- Becoming to be spiritually and temporally autosufficient
• The Temple- Enjoying the blessings of the temple

So the idea of this plan is to increase the faith in our Heavenly Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in Christ's Atonement; through these three things above.  To bring us closer to Christ.  The Area Presidency also did a focus on saving the rising generation and getting members involved in the work of the Lord which was great.  How we need to strengthen the church now so that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel in 30 years.  And how the greatest way to hasten the work of the Lord still continues to be through help from the members.  Two things that I strongly agree with!  But one of my favorite pats of the broadcast was when a quote was given in on of the training videos that they showed us.  The quote said, "The gospel of Jesus Christ is quite simply about helping people.  Helping people progress and live with their loving Heavenly Father again."  I loved that!  The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just about us and our salvation, it is truly about helping othes come unto Him and find the fulness of happiness that God has prepared for us.  It is our duty to make a difference in the lives of othe.  We just need to have faith that the words of the Lord will tell us what to do, and the Spirit will show us what to do -- and as Paul the Apostle taught, "not one effort in this work is in vain."

I love you all SOOOOOOOOOOO much!!! Have a beautiful week!!! :)

Quote of the week:

By helping others come unto Him, you will find that you have come unto Him yourself."

-Henry B. Eyring

xoxo

Hermana Anika Van Boerum

18 Months, Sacred time

This first week of the transfer went pretty well!  We actually were able to have a few good lessons and make a few appointments for this coming week so that is just great.  We don't have lots of investigators, but we are working with this 25 year old kid named Luis.  Luis still lives at home with his family and is super super sweet.  The only problem is that he has super low self-esteem and often times finds himself very unhappy and depressed.  We have been working with him since I got here 7 weeks ago and he has progressed little by little, but yesterday I was able to invite him to be baptized the 13th of February and he finally said yes!!  It isn't set in stone, but with faith and lots of prayers, I think that he will be ready by the 13th to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized!

One of my favorite experiences this week would be when we ate with a recently returned missionary here in San Martin named Vicki Lang.  It was her 3rd day home and we got to eat with her and her family last Friday!  As we opened our scriptures to share a message with them at the end of lunch, tears started to roll down Vicki's face and the Spirit filled the room.  Instead of giving the message, she was now receiving it.  This moment made me realize how short our time is as missionaries, and how my mission will soon be coming to an end in about 2 1/2 months.  At the end of our message, Vicki shared her testimony with us and she said, "Now being on the other side of things, I now recognize that missionaries truly are representatives of Jesus Christ.  You both are glowing representatives of our Savior Jesus Christ, and thank you for choosing to serve the Lord."  I know I still have a little under 3 months left of my mission, but his sacred time has been everything to me and has gone by so so fast.  I am so grateful to be apart of the greatest work there is upon this earth.  I know I am a representative of our brother Jesus Christ and just as I desire the salvation of God's children, so does He.  Just as I am rejected daily, so was he as he walked the streets of Palestine.  But just as he changed thousands of lives, I know I can too.  And though I haven't had hundreds of baptisms, I have done my very best and planted seeds that I pray will one day be harvested.  And I too will be able to send an email like this one I received a few weeks ago:

"Hermana Boerum, 

Sorry for the email from a stranger...

I was a missionary in Bolsón in 1980!  The city had been closed for about a year when we got there.........

......I was looking up photos of my old mission cities for a misson-prep class I am teaching and I found your blog, so I decided to send a letter.....

.....Thanks for your service.  You will treasure these memories for your entire life.  I hope you are having success harvesting all the seeds I planted for you 35 years ago.

Cháu Ché"

I know I will treasure these memories from my mission for my entire life :) I love being a representative of our Lord and Savior.

Love you all so very much and thank you for the constant prayers and love!

Quote of the week:

"You'll have eternity to think about what you did in this life."

-Elder Gary E. Stevenson

xoxo

Hermana Anika Van Boerum

pics:

sorry, not lots of pics this week!! Just a few with my comp on Sunday and then one of our desks and my pension decorations :)