Hi everyone!

Thank you for your support as I serve the Lord. It means so much! I can’t wait to share what I know to be true with the people of Chile. My letters will be posted here throughout my mission and I would love to hear from you too! See you in 18 months!

July 21, 2014

Hey now hey now
This is what dreams are made of!

aye. I keep spending like hours to try to figure out how to send pictures. Well this week... there was a wedding of the elders investigadores. That was fun. We all went to the little court house to get them married and they got baptized Saturday. Pretty cool.
 Hey I got the pics going so I’m just going to send a bunch now!

July 14, 2014

Tu me has dado muchas bendiciones Dios
Por eso quiero dar tambien segun tu voz

GREAT WEEK!!!
Okay well. The week was just like any other. Saturday was a bunch of walking to the point where I actually just got tired of knocking doors. I just wanted to talk to someone but no one would answer. Well we just kept knocking. Then Sunday I slipped my last $ into the fast offerings envelop even though we still have 3 more weeks to go this month. and then we walked to our sector to knock doors of those that said they'd come to church with us but just as every other Sunday we walked back empty handed just as they are about to sing the opening hymn. We got to the sacramental hymn and all of a sudden mi compañera said ¨look¨ I looked over to the shut door of the chapel and in the window I saw jaquelene y oscar fonseca! I was so thrilled! We have been working with them since I first got to Cañete and this was their first time to church. I felt like I tripped over my companion and fell to the door to welcome them inside. We sat down again and my eyes just filled with water (gracias to praying for the gift of tears .lol). Gosh you would think they already got baptized with how happy I was! But every next step is one step closer. I feel so so so thankful that our padre celestial can change hearts and that he can work miracles all in his time.

You want to know how we did it? Well they obviously already knew that we wanted them to come to church. So I tried to take it the way that Dad has taught me and sit back. We didn't really mention it for the last few visits and this week we just left an invitation to church on their door Saturday morning. God is incredible.

Our president of the branch was reading the churches statements about abortions and gay marriage. After saying that men and women should be legally married. Someone’s phone went off of the beginning of celebrate good times " do do do do do do do do WaHOO!!"

This week we were able to have another conference with our president. He is super great! And he is from Arizona. The best part is that suddenly we get American food at our conferences. Like alfredo and cinnamon rolls. I about just died.

We also had an intercambio with the sister capicitatores. She made a comment about my family and I realized how many comments I have received about my family since I’ve been here. Other then you all being tall blonde and beautiful... these are a few I remember.

"la familia de hermana van es loca" Hermana Moscoso after mother’s day 2013
"Have you always been so obedient? Your parents must have had a lot of trust in you... *confuzed* they must love you!" my personal favorite. january 2014
I can tell what your family must be like. Just like you... but a whole bunch of them". After looking at the calendar of my family! lol

I love you all and wish you the best week ever!

Hermana VandeMerwe

July 7, 2014

tengo gozo en mi alma ho
que brilla mucho mas...
We sang that song to a family and the little boy looked at us with such disgust and then started screaming. He hated it. ¨did you like the song?¨ ¨NO!¨
We found this amazing family. We were able to teach them all as a family all together which I feel like I haven't done for so long. We are teaching lots of families but they are always there at different times. This family all gathered around the table and listened and they are just so great. There is NOTHING BETTER than teaching the entire family.
We also had a fhe with a family ma that finally came to church so we made brownies with them.
And another miracle. We went to the church to teach a young woman English with her friend that isn't a member and so we go and while we are there some guy just walks into the church (our hands) and says he wants to learn more... well okay.
So we gave the nonmembers a tour of the church and then start teaching English. But he doesn't want to learn English, he wants to learn about the church. So we split and my comp starts teaching him while I teach English. And I’m just so proud of her. She taught the whole restoration while I was pretending to help with English but really listening to her inviting him to baptism and then putting a date.... God really does just work miracles.
So question if Tate and Brock get my emails? Wouldn’t that be sad if I came home and found out you hadn't received any of them. They’re just the only ones that don't answer... teenagers these days.
Also. I think the only thing I need is more Dramamine mom. I hope you haven't sent that envelope yet. But that is something that's very necessary. I might be giving you all hugs in clothes with throw up all over them.
Oh and our new presidente is GREAT! VERY GRINGO! But I like it. lol. I’m very excited to learn from him, I know I’ll grow a lot from his teachings!
Love you all! Sorry so short!
Hermana VandeMewe

June 30, 2014

Open thou my eyes...
And I shall see

Oh my. I have like no time because I accidently turned off my computer and then it took like my whole hour and it's almost 6 so we'll be heading out to work right after in like 10 min. but hey as long as I’m here...
We had a good week. Our new president came and we get to meet him tomorrow! Ah! So exciting. It’s going to be a little weird. Also we got permission from him to watch the game... sigh. I must admit it was a very good game.
Mormon 6:1.
We watched it at a members house over lunch.. And then went over to a baptism at the church. And then that night.... miracle!
A few weeks ago we found this inactive knocking doors and he said his family weren't members.. Bingo. so we went back and his wife said to come back Saturday so we come back Saturday and a girl answers and says her parents aren't there so I was like "okay, we'll pass by another time then" and she was like "but I’m here" all tentatively. Sweet! She is adorable. And her mom came back just a little bit after. We taught her all about the resercution and she was so excited to come to church the next day. And did she come. YES. You better believe it!

Tonight I’m going to finish my goal of reading the book of Mormon by the end of June so that I can read it one more time by the end of my mission. And I LOVE IT! So can I just recommend reading it out loud... wow? It’s like watching an action movie.
And I totally got your package and I love EVERYTHING IN IT! For real. Everything works and looks great! I took some pics but I can't send pictures from canñete. Hence why you haven't received any for a few months. Wow how the time flies.

I love you all!
Have a great great week!
Hermana VandeMerwe

June 23, 2014

And I could live like this forever. It's fine by me.
And my Dutch blood with conquer the Chileans. And so I was sent here. We got to watch the game today! wahoo! Honestly the people here don't really freak out that much about the games here. It’s kind of sad. but as I was watching the game I noticed that even those that had paid a thousand dollars to go to the game were just like, "clap.... clap." so I don't know what people want. That was a pretty important game though. Did you guys all see it!?
I finally realized why I can handle the rain... apparently it's what our family has been doing forever. As mom explained lagoon to me. I just thought of all the times we did the same thing in Disneyland. Pretty sure it rained in Holland... England... pretty much everywhere it goes it rains. I guess we go in the off seasons... haha. But who would have thought that all of that would be preparation for the mission? That's right. We don't let the rain get us down! Bring on the rain!
As far as the light goes... i don't really have any ideas.
When I think of light, I think of truth. When I think of truth I think of studying because well... we can't be saved in ignorance.
I also think of the hymn "la luz de la verdad" and how at the very beginning of my mission my trainer did some example of how with a little flashlight there's little light and therefore not that much truth, but with a big flashlight there is more truth. ... I didn't get it at all. And therefore I’ve hated the song ever since. I’m not sure if it's because I just didn't get it or if it's because it was in Spanish...
I also think about the stars which is dumb. I should thing about the sun. Guess I still have lots to learn....
This week we had no one at church.. Again. There was also "rain" (really just a light mist). I use that as an excuse because everyone else does. Usually on Saturday as we're outside fighting the billowing water tempest we say a prayer asking God to send it even harder enough for Sunday as well so that it doesn't have to rain the next day and then we promise that it won't slow us down and that we will work with all diligence just so that there is no rain on Sunday morning.
Brock and Tate and Richard.. and dad I guess to really just all of you but it reminds me of brocks story. ...
So this week. I’m just there cooking away... we like to eat eggs. They are fast and easy. Anyway. All of a sudden a fire erupts in our kitchen. And I start yelling "there's a fire. There’s a fire!" lol. It really wasn't big at all it was just kind of hilarious. There were like two nights before when we were cooking at our eyes kind of started to hurt.. but no big deal just quickly finish and turn off the gas. Well I guess this night the gas leak decided to erupt right on top of our pile of matches. Just a foot away from our tank of gas. Luckily we've got some pretty fast missionary ninja skills. We didn't even loose a match...
I love you all!
Vamos Chilenos!
Hermana VandeMewe

June 16, 2014

Anything you can do...
He can do better.

No wicked man could ever write such a book and not good man would ever write it unless it was true and inspired of god.
.. bisabuelo de Elder Holland.
This week we had our last conference with Presidente Martinez. And Cambios today! I’m staying here with hermana Davidson from Northern California. That means only two more cambios left/ one more change. I received my Trunky letter as well... I will be leaving the 23 de Septiembre.
I received the package. It’s right here by my side. But I haven't opened it yet. I'll have to go home and get a knife. Plus you know what happens when you open packages in front of everyone.. You have to share so, I’ll just wait a little bit. (You win more with patience).
Actually I’m really working on my patience. Well actually it's just the beginning of working on it... I just decided I need to be more patient because gosh Satan is bugging me SO BAD!!!! But. I’m calm. Everyone stay calm. God is stronger. We almost had Victor, the 17 year old in church again along with his whole family. the family concha who we've been working with and are SO COOL but we called to remind them about church in the morning and they said they didn't want us to pass by any more cause they had made their decision to go to the iglesia evangelica. Obviously we passed by anyway... they'll be coming to church on Sunday :)
We also found Cecilia who has all these crazy stories about this crazy world and at the beginning she was like I just don't feel anything... I just don't have the faith.. blah blah blah" I was a little concerned because we weren't really fulfilling our proposito but by the end of the lesson she said that she liked being with us and that she just felt really good and she didn't know why and that she wants to start a new life... hhmm,
also we found this one lady in the street like 2 weeks ago who lives far away but said she wants to come visit our chuch sometime so on Saturday afternoon we called her to remind her about church and she said if it wasn't raining she'd come (goodbye church attendance for the next 4 months) but anyways. So we called her and then a few knocks later we found her in the house of her daughter... crazy!
Also, there is this lady Carmen who came to church all by herself after an invitation from a member. RIGHT ON MEMBERS. She wants us to teach her now. :)
So everything is going pretty swell here.
saw a man taking a dump in the middle of the intersection, hosted a grand sleepover with all of the hermanas in our zone in our cozy abode, heard about some weird religion in brazil where they possess their brooms to do their cleaning, also that the catholic church and the evangelica churches are going to unite (HA! the last thing we need), I came to the conclusion that there are no nice men with mustaches and we also got a little wet. But you know what they say....
without water we can't fill the baptism fonts.
I love you all! Have a great week!
Hermana VandeMerwe