Tuesday, December 16, 2014

12/10/14

Okay so a little more info about my area. Like I said we are in a branch. There are a TON of members here, enough to have a ward.But only 25ish of them show up. They've had a lot of struggles, but we are trying to build them back up. Right now they are dependent on the missionaries, but we are trying to make them independent. Right now I'm focusing a lot on learning the language,the names of the people, who is less active, an investigator, ect. But, so far so good. The area is nice, it's a tiny town in the countryside. Hermana Bowen and I are literally the only white people in our district and town. Which means we get a lot of cat calls and marriage proposals. Some guys said they wanted us for Christmas. Which is a joke they have here in our zone because you'll sometimes here the men say to the white Hermanas "Bye bye my visa", because they want to go to the states.
For the most part though the people here are very sweet. Because I don't know the language very well I don't speak a whole lot. When we go in to appointments my compaion will ask them who they would want to say the prayer or explain something to them and they always choose me and say, "I want here (and they point to me) to say it because she doesn't talk very much". Or the other day some girls stopped by on the street and said that our eyes are pretty and then said to my companion, "Why doesn't she talk a lot". haha it's kinda funny, but I'm learning a little bit more everyday. Sometimes it feels like drinking out of a fire hydrant, but it's coming. I'm learning a lot more here than at the MTC. So just make sure to keep me in your prayers that I'll continue progressing with the language please, because your prayers are super important. 
Okay, last story for you before I head out. So here are some pictures for ya'll. Most of these are from the MTC. I'll take some more of the area soon, but there is one picture of me with this dog. So a little background info. there are a LOT of stray gatos and perros here. It's really sad to see because a lot of them will have broken legs or mange,ect. But, here's a picture with my little friend Joe. Joe is this grey chiuaua that is a stray. He will literally follow us to EACH appointment and wait outside the door for us until we are finished and pick back up walking to the next appointment. When we lock the gate to our appartment at night he'll just stay outside and whine and wait for us the next day. He actually slipped through the gates and waited by our door one night. So we have to swap him with our books sometimes so he doesn't do it again. But, I like to think of him as our little pal. Super cute. So if anyone needs a dog in the states I reccomend him ;). Anyway times up ,but I love ya'll and pray for you all the time!
Hermana Van Woerkom
 
 
On Splits by the beach.
 
 

 
Thanksgiving at the MTC

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Dec. 3, 2014

Hola!
First off, congrats Corey and Kristie on Little Charlotte! She´s a cutie! Give her lots of hugs and kisses for me! So I´m officially in my first área Bonao! My companions name is Hermana Bowen from Utah.We are right underneath the mountains. THEY ARE SO PRETTY! Definitely notApalachian or the Rockies, but they are SO GEORGEOUS! It reminds me of the mountains from the TV show LOST. So I´ll be serving in a branch. My companion and I are the only hermanas in our District. They have very VERY colorful houses here which is super fun. Um, yeah I just got here today so I don´t know very much about it, but I´ll give you more details next email. Last week we had an AMAZING Thanksgiving. It was super special. They prepared an amazing meal and I got pumpkin pie which was the best! I´m glad to hear ya´ll had an amazing Thanksgiving as well! We had our dinner as a District and have gotten so close that it felt like having Thanksgiving with family. I won´t be able to send pictures this email, but next week I´ll be able to hopefully. Today´s just been kinda busy. We got our assignments last night at 1130PM and got up this morning at 5. Then we left around 6 to the área where we were all getting ready, organized, and transferred. So our District all left slowly one by one which was kinda sad, but we get to meet up again in two weeks. I was the second to last to head out and we left around 3. So we were sitting at the stop for a while. Santiago is about 3 hours away from the CCM and we drove an hour back towards the CCM where Bonao is. You´ll have to look it up on a map. But, yeah it´s definitely weird starting over again, but it´ll be great! I´m excited to see what´s in store here!
con amor
Hermana VW 
Feliz Día del Gracias! I can't believe it's Thanksgiving! It definitely doesn't feel like it here! Obviously it's not a holiday they celebrate, but it's super sunny outside, humid, flowers in bloom, we are eating summer grub. It just feels like summer. You know #justanotherdayinparadise ;). With that being said today is the day of many lasts before I start many first experiences all over again! So today is my last P-day which means last temple trip at the CCM, last Pday together with my companions, as a district, and last letter you'll get from me ever (okay just the CCM).  I know I say this a lot, and I'm sure that I'll be saying this throughout my whole mission, but seriously where has the time GONE?! I remember like it was yesterday that I got off the plane, told by these people at the airport to hop a ride in their van with all of our stuff to the CCM, assigned companions, teaching our very first investigator in Spanish, and being assigned to bear my testimony the first Sunday there.  It's been an amazing experience so far and I can't wait to make more memories here!
Okay, lets start with last week. So last Friday we got to go out on splits with the Hermana's out in the Santo Domingo Oeste Mission. District Alma and Benjamin squished into this van and went to the church building a couple miles from here. From there we met up with the missionaries, divided up and then my companion and I (I can't remember her name at the moment, but I'll get back to you on that) left for the metro. She's from DR Este, speaks some English, and is a super amazing missionary. We were around the temple area, University, and Park which I was kinda disappointed haha but it was a good start. She told us we would be in the wealthy areas where a lot of business people worked. For the most part we were in what would probably be equivalent to gated communities but it was just separate gated apartment buildings. A couple appointments fell through with investigators which she said is common in these areas due to the fact that we were in the wealthier part of the city a lot of people (not all) have the mentality that they are exempt from religion (to put it nicely). So with the time we went to the Park (literally right across the street from the CCM (I know I was way deep in the city) inviting people to church on Sunday. For most of our time we visited less active. Which I have to say was probably my favorite part of the whole experience. Less actives are just as important as those who haven't heard the gospel. One lady we visited who was less active had a pretty bad accident where she fell down the stairs and hurt her ankle really bad. So we sat with her, sang a hymn, shared a scripture, and just listened. Which I think is what she really needed, just a friend and someone to listen to her. My companion was amazing though she really taught me through her example how important it is to just be a friend. She was very good at listening to the things she was struggling with, asked her about her foot, helped her put her sock back on (which for me that truly is friendship status because you know I'm not a feet person), and was just there to help in any way possible. If I could be half the missionary she was I'd be happy. Then after that we walked back to the metro, bought peanuts from a Haitian vendor, and made it back to the church building where I met up with my District again. We each had very different stories and experiences, so that was fun to hear. Like I said the area I was in was considered by my companion a wealthy area, which to me seemed like Alexander Apartment status up at BYUI. Hermana Bradford was in the wealthier part as well. For everyone else they were in much more humble circumstances. But all in all it was amazing. I'm glad it was good because that's what I'm going to be doing for the next 17 months haha! 
Okay so back to today, we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Bednar at a live Devotional. And it was amazing! It was a question and answer so we were able to email him our questions and then he would respond. But, it was all the MTC's around the world. There's so much that we talked about in the devo, but I'll highlight the points that I liked. I asked him how we could get members excited about missionary work and have them play an active role. There was a similar question that was asked and a quote that stuck out to me is that we have 18 months to work, serve, and bring others to Christ and will have the rest of our lives to think about it. Um, no pressure haha. But, I will eventually get set apart and when that day comes I'm going to be a member missionary again. And when that happens I hope I'm that member that actively participates in whatever calling I'm given, and whatever else the Lord asks of me. Second point, there was a Senior couple that asked for comfort and advice on what to do when your away from loved ones on Holidays. He said that it's good to be away for a season, and then he said again just a season. We are only going to be gone for a little bit. Then he said that our absence for that little bit will impact and bless those who are in our lives more than they would if we were there. And it will also bless the generations hereafter. 
It's almost time for me to go, but since it's Thanksgiving I want to share why I'm sooo grateful for all of you. Mom and dad: I love you SO much. Like you said before when I was a stubborn teenager that I'm going to look back and say "you're right". I haven't said it yet, but I will now you're right about some things (no everything) :). Kellie: You're the oldest, but that doesn't make you the wisest haha jk. No we are two peas in a pod and I'm grateful for the example that you've been to all of us. You've kept us in line. And you're super good at inhaling food so you've taught us survival of the fittest really well ;) haha jk. I love you so much too. Lonnie: You're the favorite because your paranoid ;). Okay there are many ones in the family and you are just that one. I'm grateful for your example. You set the bar for me and I'm so glad you served a mission. You've helped me so much by your example. Lindsey: You're paranoid too, but not as bad. haha Maybe that's why you and Lonnie are twins. Although you are my older sister you let me tease you like a little sister, and you let me do you hair haha. I'm so grateful you in the family because your my go to when I have a problem or question (not that I don't ask everyone else cause I do), we are a lot a like and I'm so grateful you were there to "bail me out of jail" when I got my wisdom teeth out. I'm grateful all of the memories we've had and I can't wait to make more :). CASEY: You are the most annoying, nasty, pain in the butt kid I have EVER MET. But we torment each other so I guess we are even. I love you a little as well :) (Okay a lot) I'm so grateful for the memories we have to and can't wait to make more crazy ones. I love to laugh and both you and Lindsey (and the rest of you too) help me do that every day. I'm so glad we have just fun little memories of us taking a couple classes together at BYUI. I mean how many people can say they took a class with their brother? COREY: You seriously are the best even if you don't think so! You get more credit than you think. We get along in so many ways that you have NO IDEA. All of the siblings point it out ALL THE TIME. We know what we want in life and I know that when you set your mind to it you always get it. We both LOVE laughing sometimes over the dumbest things. We both love country music (oh no wait that's Kristie and I haha) but you'll get there soon. I can't wait to get back and make many more memories. I don't say it a lot to any of you, and especially you, but I really do love you. I can't wait to see my little niece and I need you to take lots and lots of pictures of her when she gets here. And maybe some of Oakly and Dessy too. I mean you could throw a selfie or two in of you and Kristie ;) haha. 
Okay I'm so grateful for all of you, thanks for being who you are always
con amor
Hermana Van Woerkom 





Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Hermana Van Woerkom's 11-20-14 letter

Hey! Guys! I'm doing great! Thanks for the letters, okay love ya, bye!

No just kidding, okay where to begin...hmmm... Language study is good, still learning haha. So funny story of the week: We were teaching Ramon our investigator (another one of our teachers) and the lesson was on "The gospel of Jesus Christ". So in the lesson I told him that "because of Christs atonement we can be clean from our pescados". Not peCados. So pretty much I told him we could be cleaned from our fishes not sins haha I died laughing. Well the Haitians went home this week :( Super sad, but they are going to be amazing in Haiti. We just got a new group in as well! They are all Latinos so I'll hopefully get to practice my Spanish for realsies! We also got 2 Jamaicans in and 1 kid from Belgium going to the West Indies mission Dutch Speaking. He's from like Argentina or something so he isn't originally from Europe. He was suppose to go to the Provo MTC, but he had a visa mishap apparently so now he's here. He speaks fluent Dutch, Spanish, English, and French I think. Anyway lets just say if he can learn that many, there's hope for me just learning one. So we got to go to the University last week! It was amazing. Our "real" investigator fell through because she had class and wanted to meet with us the next day, but that was the only day we were going to be at the University. It's okay though. I DO have a interesting story though! So we were handing out pamphlets and Book of Mormons and my companions and I were making our way back up the hill and decided to give a pamphlet to this random like late 50's early 60 year old man. So we gave him the pamphlet and shared with him a short message when he then asked if we were all married. So we told him no because we were on a mission and then quickly left. So we left and were walking a couple blocks in the opposite direction, went to use the bathroom, quickly decided after going into the bathroom that it probably wasn't the best idea. So we had about 15 minutes left and 1 Book of Mormon so we stopped by this guy who was sitting down and started talking to him. Then another guy and girl came up to Hermana Bradford talking about our message  and THEN this guy taps me on the shoulder and the same 50 year old man came up and was talking to me in spanish saying "Novia Novia" and so I said "I don't know what your saying" and then in English he says "I want to be your boyfriend, here's my number" and I told him I don't have a phone and if you have a question about the church there are phone numbers on the back of the pamphlet we gave him and pulled out another pamphlet to show him. I then turned around and right across the street was one of the teachers that works at the CCM watching from the distance. I thought I had a handle on the situation so I said in Spanish again "No, I don't have a phone, no thanks" and moved closer to one of my companions who we were origionally talking to. Pretty much at this point we were split up a little bit in three different conversations. So my companions had no idea what was going on. So he kept bugging me, finally I turned around and looked at the teacher across the street and mouthed "help" so he came over and hopped in the conversation talking about the church and what not.My teacher then looked at me because I had a pamphlet in my hand and looked at me like I was crazy because I wasn't talking to him. Anyway my teacher found out really quick that he wasn't interested in the pamphlet. #stalkerstatus. I'm so glad he was there though to help us out. Our companionship definitely learned something from that experience.
 It's as amazing here as usual!  We got to visit with President Douglas the President of the area I'll be in! He told us a little about our mission area and answered questions we had. He said that there are programs there that some of the missionaries do to help people learn english! I SOO hope I get to do that! So in two days I'll officially have been here for a month! isn't that insane!? I don't want time to slip through my fingers and am using all of my time and energy to be a better friend, sister, person, and missionary. The people here are amazing and in 1 week I'll get to go out, meet, and serve them! I'm soo nervous and excited at the same time! Tomorrow I'll get to go out with "the real" missionaries and go proselyte! Can't wait!
 Well I think that's about it! Thanks you so much for the pictures and letters. ESPECIALLY THE PICTURES! I love seeing my cute little nieces and nephew's. Okay love ya'll SOO much!
BIG HUGS!
Hermana Van Woerkom



Sunday, November 16, 2014

11-13-14 letter

Hey hey hey! How's it going?! How's life? Casey has kept me up to date on life. Super jealous they got tickets to The Hunger Games, it'll be way fun! I seriously can't believe I've been out here for almost a month. Next month will mark the big 1 month :) haha crazy. AND next week is Thanksgiving! That's so weird! It doesn't even feel like the "holiday season" here! It's been good hearing from ya'll about the "crisp morning air", the "temperature dropping", the snow your getting, and even mom canning apples! Yum!! Things are still the same here temperature wise. You walk outside and it's super wet and humid, the flowers are still in bloom around the temple, the palm trees are as green as ever. And they have the wild parrots you'd see at the zoo just flying around. You can see the ocean from our bedroom on the 4th floor. It's rained a little bit. Ya know, just another day in paradise :) Okay so nothing too crazy has happened this past week. The weeks are all starting to blur together. We did go to the University this last Friday though! It's about 10 minutes away right next to the store. Um, it's definitely not like the colleges in the U.S., but I wasn't expecting it to be similar. As we were walking to the University we past by street vendors, stray animals, and what not. And one of the dogs even followed us to the University and layed right in front of me wanting me to pet her. Knowing me, it was a struggle not to! We had orientation with the Doctor about the "Do's and Don'ts" of things in the DR. Let's just say that if Lonnie, Lindsey, Carlie, and even Kellie were there they'd be packing there bags and leaving. I even got a little paranoid after hearing the lecture. Anyway back to the University. So we went and talked to some people. The first group was by I'm assuming the Art/Literature building and it was a small group of older adults. 1 woman was Catholic and 1 was just Chrisitan, and the other was actually an inactive LDS member. They were very open to us talking to them which was super nice and we shared a brief message. Then a student came up towards the end of the message we were sharing and thought that my companion and I were Russian. Probably because the literature that was scattered every where was Russian stuff, I don't know. So then we headed towards the History building I'm assuming and ran across this Dominican Asian, yeah that was nice and interesting. And then we back tracked towards the English building and met up with this other guy who we thought was interested in our message. Until he asked if we had Facebook haha. So we quickly just left a pamphlet and Book of Mormon, and made it to the English building. That's where we met a girl named Sindy. She is actually studying English, she's just starting so her English is super rough. But, we are going back tomorrow to meet up with her at the University and we will be "teaching" her for the first time. So it's a real investigator. You know, we are just a little bit cool. Super intimidating, but cool. Okay so we have 46 people in the MTC right now. I told you we got a new group of Americans and we have Haitians. I've been talking to the Haitians and they are SUPER quiet! I've tried to make it a goal to get to know them better and they are actually studying a little bit of English so I LOVE helping them with that. In return they've also been trying to teach me French, so I try to learn a little bit, but it doesn't really stick haha. All I can really remember that's French is the song the cook sings from The Little Mermaid. haha which won't get me very far, sadly. They are leaving this upcoming Tuesday and the word on the block is we are getting Jamaicans and Dominicans! I'm SOO hoping we are getting Dominicans I would love the practice of Speaking outside the classroom. The teachers are helpful, but I just prefer talking with them, they are less intimidating haha. And they'll make a funny face if they don't know what the crap we are saying. Speaking of the language, it's coming slowly. It's mostly Spanglish at this point which I'll take. We went to the temple today and we usually do everything in English, but since a lot of Spanish speakers showed up today we were given head sets and did it all in Spanish. Which was cool. I turned my headset off for most of it so I could listen. Random funny fact: we were doing initiatories and one of the ladies gets this package out of her pocket and was giving me what looked like "candy". So I just took one to be nice and lo and behold it was a cough drop. Apperently they eat cough drops like candy here. Which I'm definitely not use to haha. They also don't have a personal bubble here which is another thing I'm getting use to. They do that thing where they hug and kiss your cheek. So that caught me off guard the first time I was here. But they are super sweet, and very open about everything. Definitely NOT like the U.S. Anyway it's super nice hearing from ya'll! I love hearing about my cute nieces and nephews! Layton will do great in surgery! He is such a funny kid! Just another thing to add I would LOVE for ya'll to send more pictures of the family and what not so I can keep my photo's updated! Maybe that would be a good thing to add to my Christmas package hint hint :) okay LOVE YOU TONS! HUGS AND KISSES!
Hermana Van Woerkom 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Nov9th 2014




FAMILY! 
How is everything going?! I wrote ya'll individually so you better be happy ;) Okay this letter should be a LOT better than the last one. There's about 17 of us here emailing so we have PLENTY of time to email without being rushed! The last batch of missionaries has left including the Latinos :( super sad about that. There were a total of 58 missionaries and when they left we were down to 17 people ( 2 districts). Then yesterday we got a batch of Haitian missionaries, and they definitely don't speak Spanish and maybe 1 or two words in English. So hand gestures work great. All I can think of to say in French are the things that the cook from The Little Mermaid says when he sings haha. Okay so funny stuff first. So we are all still in the process of learning spanish. We pray every day for the gift of tongues as we study and learn. With that said we still make mistakes. But, I love it because sometimes it's hilarious and I love to laugh! Okay so are you ready? I'll start with MY mistake. So I told you I made a deal with one of the Latina's and one of the Dominican girls that I'd help them with their english if they'd help me with my Spanish. So during gym time after I ran, she would say a question n English and I'd respond to her in Spanish. One of the question she asked me is how many siblings I had. So, in Spanish I said I had 5 and I was trying to be specific so I said "dos hermanos y tres...." And I couldn't think of what "sister" was in Spanish so I turned to my companion and said "Hermana Stevens" how do you say sister in Spanish? UM HELLO it says it on my name tag. THE DUMBEST QUESTION EVER haha. Okay next, so we are in class and we need to sing a hymn, Hermana Stevens didn't know the page so in Spanish she asks what page. HOWEVER she said the accent wrong in Spanish and if you say it the wrong way it means a totally different thing. I'm not going to go into detail, but it refers to a womans body part haha. Needless to say, we are all VERY self conscious when we say that word now because we don't want to mess it up. And lastly, we went to the store two days ago and to improve his Spanish one of the Elders wanted to talk to the cashier. So he says in Spanish "It must be boring working here huh?" and the lady looks at him and says "Sorry, no habla English" hahha even though he was talking to her in Spanish. And lastly, the last night when the Latinas left we all said goodnight and as they were leaving I said to the Dominican Hermana "WE LOVE YOU" and she says "Me too!" haha. I'm sure she meant "me too", but it makes me feel better to know we are all learning and progressing. So yeah, Spanish is coming along. Since the other Hermanas have left my companions (Hermana Bradford: from Henderson Nevada, and Stevens from Layton Utah) and I were asked to be the sister trainers. So we are super excited to tackle this assignment, and we love it! We definitely feel like the strongest companionship in the CCM. A lot of people say that a 3 some is hard. And at first it was, but once we were open with each other and made adjustments I can't imagine not being in a 3 some. I'm determined to come home with the attitude that a 3 some is WAY better than a regular companion ship. Okay some interesting stuff, Hermana Blanch that came in the same time we did is the girl that Shadow Sherwood knows so that's kinda funny. And one of the Elders in the new batch of missionaries that came in is from Greenville and knows James Powell and his family. Apparently Brother Powell is the bishop in his ward. This place just keeps getting SMALLER and SMALLER! So like I said we did go to the store and at first being here I definitely didn't feel like I was in a different country. Then we stepped outside for a 10 minute was to the store and it was a COMPLETELY different story. If you can picture the streets of India where there's a bunch of crazy drivers with mopeds and stuff, that's what it looks like. Trash piled in the gutter and and on the sidewalk. I say a stray kitten eating stuff in there and a huge stray dog walked by us. We make it to the store and I definitely felt like a fish in a fish bowl. Definitely felt like a minority, kinda intimidating. I didn't speak any Spanish haha because I was just nervous. I went by the pastry place and the guy said "Buenas" and I just stared like "ahhh what did he just say to me". I didn't even know what that meant haha but now I do. It's "good day". So like "Buenas dias", but they literally cut all their words down here. So it's like the South, words are missing and slang is thick. At first when we were getting ready to go I was like "Let me out let me out", but by the time we were done it was more like "let me back in!" haha I love it here though, I know this is where I'm suppose to be and it's definitely home. ALTHOUGH they don't have pickles OR salt and vinegar chips. Heaven help me haha. Last funny story so we are teaching our 4th investigator, we got our first one day 2 out here. Yeah all in Spanish talk about WAY intimidating. Now you know why a lot of the Hermana's and Elders were in tears haha. And no I didn't cry, I know that's what your wondering! Okay so our 4th investigator's background: he thinks we are part of the CIA, as some people down here do, he drinks, has a son, is a lawyer, ect. (just to let you know it's the teachers just acting as investiagtors). So we show up and he says he only has 5 minutes to hear what we have to say. So we get in just asking casual questions. So I ask "Oh hey, where's your son how is he doing" and he stops short and says in Spanish REALLY fast "How do you know about my son?" I literally didn't hear anything he was saying so I just stared at him, eyes bulging out of my face, and jaw dropped. So on of my companions (whose had like 10 years of Spanish) picked up where I left off and was like "Oh your friend told us" haha. So if he was questioning before if we were spies or not he definitely thinks so now because apparently I know about his son haha. So embarrasing. One of my teachers also loves to speak spanish like all the gringos and what's funny is I can understand everything he says when he has an american accent and is speaking spanish. So I love to lay my American accent on thick when speaking. It just sounds so funny. Hermano Ramierez teases us all the time about our accents, but let's be honest their accents when they speak English is super funny too. I told you they struggle with my name so one day Hermana Stevens and I made a little sticky note badges to go under our name tag. Mine says "Hermana Van-Algo" which means Hermana "Van-Something". Which is literally what they say when trying to read my name all the time haha. And Hermana Stevens says "Hermana es mental" which means crazy or it's mental just to give Hermano Ramierez a hard time. Well that's all for now, we go to the University to do street contacting, so PRAY for me! I'm super nervous about that. It'll be one interesting test run especially after my experience at the store haha. Oh and in one of the pictures Hermana Bradford and I are holding up Avacados. THEY ARE SO HUGE HERE! Es mental ;) And we got matching moo moo's so if your wondering what the heck we are wearing that's what it is. Temple is amazing, super pretty, love it. Okay love you all, and I pray for you every day! Hope all is well and keep me updated!
BIG HUGS
Hermana Van Woerkom 


Monday, November 3, 2014




Okay so this letter is pretty much going to be addressed to everyone! I've realized that email time is a SUPER SACRED TIME haha so I'm trying to type as fast as I can. Okay, well I'm in a tri-companionship. Something I wasn't really expecting, but definitely a learning experience that I'm ready to tackle. We get along pretty well, I think our biggest focus is learning the language and trying to communicate with each other. So how's the language going you may ask? haha next question. haha no it's definitely a learning experience and I'm definitely learning patience. One of the girls in my companionship has taken Spanish for 10 years so when Hermana Stevens and I are struggling she fills in for us. BUT I've made a deal with one of the Latina girls that I would help her with her English if she'd help me with my Spanish. I DO know how bear my testimony, pray, and say Our Purpose in Spanish. I also know how to say "Hola Mormones" and a bunch of other stuff that's very salvation ;) haha not, but it's fun I love it. Let's see...what's happening in my District...um....oh! One of the Elders was playing Ultimate frisbee and got a concussion and is in the hospital, so he get's to miss his first P-day, but I'm guessing he got to call home. I should have played to so I could have called home, buuut ain't nobody got time for that :). GUESS WHO I SAY DAY 5 at the CCM??? ELDER AND HERMANA HART! I recognized them as my companions and I were running so I stopped to talk to them. I don't think they recognized me at first because it's been SOOO long since we've lived in CO, but they said HI to ya'll and took a picture that you should get eventually. Ah!! I can't really think of anything else to say, um the people here are super nice and funny. The food is definitely different. They do have brownies for breakfast and didn't eat one until today, because I saw that they were the Gharadelli chocolate brownies haha so that's fun. Um....DEFINITELY eat butt loads of rice. Something I haven't experienced, but what others have told me is a banana a day keeps your poop like clay and a banana a meal makes it hard to steal. Probably something you didn't want to hear, but I got a good kick out of that. Bah! I almost forgot you know how Casey and Carlie will say all the time "Sweet mother". I did learn that on day one. It's a popular phrase here so every time I say "AH mi madre" I always think of you Case and Carlie. My duffel bag DID make it the next day in the evening and thank heavens it did because it had all my makeup in it. So the pictures you got from Hermana and President Freestone, yeah I was lookin' like a crusty mess haha. My favorite part of the week would probably be sitting in for Elder Bednars devo. He taught us that we to go and not to wait for a prompting from the Holy Ghost. Look up the talk 20 Marks...I think it was a devo given at BYUI. Anyway he just said "Be a good girl (boy), keep the commandments, and act when prompted." He also said the language will come. I think that's getting to a lot of people here. Day 3 of being here we taught our first lesson and a lot of the Hermana's and even the Elders were crying because they were frustrated. Haven't cried yet haha, but when it comes to the language I'm taking it one day at a time and definitely learning patience. Not my favorite word, but it will be when I get out of here. Sorry this letter is everywhere! My brain is just going 100mph! Okay love ya'll, be safe, remember who you are, and most importantly KEEP ME IN THE SIBLING GOSSIP :) haha  Don't forget you're always in my prayers! 
Love,
Hermana Van Woerkom 

First week in the MTC


Okay so this letter is pretty much going to be addressed to everyone! I've realized that email time is a SUPER SACRED TIME haha so I'm trying to type as fast as I can. Okay, well I'm in a tri-companionship. Something I wasn't really expecting, but definitely a learning experience that I'm ready to tackle. We get along pretty well, I think our biggest focus is learning the language and trying to communicate with each other. So how's the language going you may ask? haha next question. haha no it's definitely a learning experience and I'm definitely learning patience. One of the girls in my companionship has taken Spanish for 10 years so when Hermana Stevens and I are struggling she fills in for us. BUT I've made a deal with one of the Latina girls that I would help her with her English if she'd help me with my Spanish. I DO know how bear my testimony, pray, and say Our Purpose in Spanish. I also know how to say "Hola Mormones" and a bunch of other stuff that's very salvation ;) haha not, but it's fun I love it. Let's see...what's happening in my District...um....oh! One of the Elders was playing Ultimate frisbee and got a concussion and is in the hospital, so he get's to miss his first P-day, but I'm guessing he got to call home. I should have played to so I could have called home, buuut ain't nobody got time for that :). GUESS WHO I SAY DAY 5 at the CCM??? ELDER AND HERMANA HART! I recognized them as my companions and I were running so I stopped to talk to them. I don't think they recognized me at first because it's been SOOO long since we've lived in CO, but they said HI to ya'll and took a picture that you should get eventually. Ah!! I can't really think of anything else to say, um the people here are super nice and funny. The food is definitely different. They do have brownies for breakfast and didn't eat one until today, because I saw that they were the Gharadelli chocolate brownies haha so that's fun. Um....DEFINITELY eat butt loads of rice. Something I haven't experienced, but what others have told me is a banana a day keeps your poop like clay and a banana a meal makes it hard to steal. Probably something you didn't want to hear, but I got a good kick out of that. Bah! I almost forgot you know how Casey and Carlie will say all the time "Sweet mother". I did learn that on day one. It's a popular phrase here so every time I say "AH mi madre" I always think of you Case and Carlie. My duffel bag DID make it the next day in the evening and thank heavens it did because it had all my makeup in it. So the pictures you got from Hermana and President Freestone, yeah I was lookin' like a crusty mess haha. My favorite part of the week would probably be sitting in for Elder Bednars devo. He taught us that we to go and not to wait for a prompting from the Holy Ghost. Look up the talk 20 Marks...I think it was a devo given at BYUI. Anyway he just said "Be a good girl (boy), keep the commandments, and act when prompted." He also said the language will come. I think that's getting to a lot of people here. Day 3 of being here we taught our first lesson and a lot of the Hermana's and even the Elders were crying because they were frustrated. Haven't cried yet haha, but when it comes to the language I'm taking it one day at a time and definitely learning patience. Not my favorite word, but it will be when I get out of here. Sorry this letter is everywhere! My brain is just going 100mph! Okay love ya'll, be safe, remember who you are, and most importantly KEEP ME IN THE SIBLING GOSSIP :) haha  Don't forget you're always in my prayers! 
Love,
Hermana Van Woerkom 


Tuesday, October 28, 2014


Hermana Van Woerkom's first morning at the MTC in the Dominican Republic with her District, Mission President, and his wife. After a long trip, SHE MADE IT!




Tuesday, October 21, 2014

"Ye have done it unto me"-Matthew 25:40





This will be my last post before I head out to serve the people of the Dominican Republic for 18 months! The next posts on here will be my letters AND pictures that I will be sending to my family! Instead of copying and pasting my farewell talk on this page I’ll just share bits and pieces of my talk. My topic that I was given was the ninth article of faith which states: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”.  Revelation is the communication between God to us as His children here on earth. From the scriptures we know that God has revealed many things to his children in ancient times. As we read the scriptures we also understand that Revelation comes in many ways such as dreams, visions, and visitations from angles. Through these channels, the Lord has restored His gospel in the latter-days and revealed many truths. We are blessed today to have a prophet on the earth that leads and guides the Lords church and gives us direction.
Although we can’t receive revelation for the church as a prophet can, we can receive personal revelation for our own lives. As we pray to our Father in Heaven and according to our own faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our unique and specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions we may have. ”. It is important to remember that we must communicate with God before we will receive an answer, but it is vital that we keep in mind that answers to our prayers come on the Lord’s timetable and in ways we might not expect. In a world where the natural man in us wants that instant gratification, not receiving that answer can be frustrating and sometimes even disappointing. So I’ve stated some ways we receive answers from our Father in Heaven, but I’d like to talk about a way I usually receive those answers, and I’m sure you’ve experienced as well.
Just to give you a background: Going to school up in Rexburg I worked on campus at the ticket office. My boss had a quote that she read to us frequently. It’s a quote from Spencer W. Kimball which states, “God does notice us, and watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other”. I love this quote because it has come to help me recognize that when I pray for answers or specific blessings and don’t get an answer write away God isn’t ignoring me. I have come to learn that he gives us an opportunity as His children to be the answer to someone’s prayer.
I shared two examples from my talk, one on the serving end and one on the receiving end of service. Instead of writing out both of my experiences, I found this video that fits SO WELL with President Kimballs quote. PLEASE watch it! It’s SO GOOD!


I love it when she says, “A lot of times, I pray to my Father in Heaven to have my burdens made light or to receive help. And it always comes in the form of HIS SERVANTS, of them being instruments in His hands. Sometimes it comes in large ways. More often than not it comes in small and simple ways. And yet each time, I feel my Saviors embrace”.
It’s amazing what happens when we stop for a minute and instead of focusing on ourselves and waiting for our answers to our problems or questions, we can focus on and serve those who are visibly or internally struggling as well.  . Elder Holland states, “Are we not all beggars? Don’t we all cry out for help and hope and answers to prayers?” Although we may not be our brother’s keeper we are our brother’s brother. In Matthew 25:40 it states, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”


-          “As we give we find that SACRIFICE brings forth the BLESSINGS of heaven and in the end we learn it was no SACRIFICE at all.” Spencer W. Kimball 



Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Come and See: Capturing General Conference

If someone asked a member of our church what they did this past weekend, most of us would say we watched General Conference. During this past weekend especially, you’ll see members of the church flooding the internet with posts about General Conference. It’s because we LOVE listening and hearing from the prophet and other church leaders speak to us! You may have seen posts from members “prepping” for Conference. 
                                  Here are a couple examples from my family
 
Here's a post from my brother of him with my adorable niece prepping for General conference by making no-bake cookies at their house  :)


 And here's a post I shared on my Facebook page capturing the exact same feeling I get when it's General Conference weekend! 
                                                  (And even my dogs are catching a snooze inbetween sessions)  
Some may have seen posts on the internet being invited by their LDS friends to watch General Conference. For those who don't know what this meeting is let me explain. General Conference is an event that members of the church worldwide gather to watch twice a year (April and October) that consist of 5, two hour meetings that are held over two days. Members of the church from all around the world watch Conference take place in Utah from their homes via satellite, internet, or from local church buildings. During Conference, church leaders are asked to speak on a variety of topics. They are not assigned a topic and the length of each talk varies. Most talks usually focus on principles of the gospel and ways to help us become better examples and followers of Christ. I would encourage you to watch this years General Conference if you are interested in hearing these beautiful messages. But, if you don't have the time to listen to all of them, I would encourage you to watch this video. This is just one of the talks that was given this year by one of the apostles of the Lord, Elder Bednar. In his talk, he specifically speaks to people not of our faith concerning questions that you may have about us!    

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

My Forever Family


              ( We Can Live with God Again- Mormon Message) 


With any righteous decision a person makes there will always be opposition. Good things always come with some type of price involving faith, humility, and hard work.Satan does not want us to be happy and will do anything in his power to make you miserable. Misery loves company! With my mission drawing closer I have been able to experience a little of what this means. After my semester ended, I was able to go back home to finish my mission paperwork and wait for my mission call to arrive. During that time my grandpa was able to fly in and stay with us for a couple months. While he was here he was very dependent on my parents and I to help him with basic necessities. Because my parents were gone during the mornings and afternoon I would need to help out more then I did in the evenings. I'm embarrassed that I didn't have the best attitude at first. Of course there were other things I would rather do, but I didn't realize how important it was to serve, help, and love my grandpa. Although it was hard, working on my attitude became a constant every day job. As I slowly changed my attitude I realized how important it was that I was there because he really needed me. Over time, his health began to decline to the point where my parents decided he needed the 24 hour medical care of a nursing home. I was able to help him one last time and fly him back to his home where he could get the medical assistance from his healthcare specialists he needed. That was in July and a couple weeks ago my Grandpa Mel passed away. There are so many emotions that someone can experience with a passing and so many ways Satan will try to make you feel hopeless and helpless. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to serve my grandpa and love him when a lot of his other family wouldn't. I'm grateful that he was there to share in my special moment when I opened my call and thankful for his support on my decision. This experience has only drawn me closer to my Heavenly Father and immediate family. I know I'll see him again. We all will see our loved ones again. This earth life is so short and I can't wait to spend part of my earth life serving a full time mission. I'm anxious for the opportunity to tell others of the love  our Heavenly Father and Savior has for them. I look forward to sacrificing my time with my eternal family so that those I teach can have forever families too!

                      (all of my siblings minus one of my brothers, parents, niece, nephew, and I)

I've learned that we all are going to experience hardships and struggles in life during our time on earth. I hope that we can all focus on others during those times instead of ourselves and reach out to those in need.



                    Supposing today were your last day on earth, the last mile of the journey you've trod; after all of your struggles, how much are you worth, how much can you take home to God? Don't count as possessions your silver and gold, tomorrow you leave these behind, and all that is yours to have and to hold is the service you've given mankind. - Anonymous 


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Trailblazer: The Path Called Life

Here it is! My blog that I’ll have for the next 18 months! I can’t believe this is where life has taken me. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord. When I say I never thought this is where I’d be, it’s the honest truth! I am currently going to school at Brigham Young University-Idaho. My plan was to plow through school, get my degree, do humanitarian work abroad, come home, get my masters, get my dream job, and so on. So that’s what was happening, but something felt off. I was just starting my second year of college and my dream plan was missing something. I couldn’t figure out what it was. Without getting into details, the end of the semester was coming and I was faced with two decisions. A big old fork in the road of my life. To go on a mission or continue on the path that I was already on. So I prayed about which decision was best, and nothing happened. No answer. No promptings. No light bulb. SO frustrating! Then I realized that God isn’t there to tell us word for word what we should do with our life. He doesn’t give us a map and say here you go, this is the college you need to go to, what degree you need to get, what guy you need to marry, and look here’s an opening for your dream job! I wish that was how it worked! One HUGE reason why we are here on earth is so that we could have the opportunity to make decisions and choices. Life is full of em’ and Heavenly Father wants to leave it up to us. Of course he wants us to make righteous choices that will lead us back to Him, but he can’t force us.
           (Hiking a trail called "Little Gnarly", one that was full of many forks in the road. Kinda sounds familiar doesn't it?)
Here I am again, on my knees. This time instead of asking which option is best, I just settled with the attitude, “Well since you aren’t going to tell me I’ll just keep going on with school”. I continued with my semester, everything felt “okay” until I started organizing my schedule and looking into classes for the next semester. Once more it didn’t feel right, I was missing the mark. After evaluating everything that I’ve done and studied the thought of going on a mission in my mind, I approached my Father in Heaven with a much more humble attitude. Then I got my answer. In conclusion, there are multiple things I learned from this experience:
1        1. Heavenly Father loves us, that’s a fact.
2        2.   He is there to HELP you with your decision, but he isn't going to choose for you. Sometimes we have to learn that the hard way. No matter what choices you have in life there are always consequences that will lead towards Him or away from Him. Occasionally we slip up and that’s okay because our Savior has paid the ultimate price and has given us the gift of repentance. And remember if you don’t like your consequences change your actions!
3       3.  Last and most important is that His plan for our life is WAY better than our plan will ever be. He can see the beginning from the end, where we can only see what is in front of us.
 It’s our CHOICE to put trust in Him. And it’s the best choice you will ever make. Make sure you have a plan for your life, but just remember, life is full of choices and plans change. Be open to those changes and talk to your Father in Heaven. He’ll help you out! 
(Here is a video that I found that relates to my situation SO MUCH, but a video we can all relate to in whatever part of life we are in right now)
 As I said before, my prayers were answered and I made that decision. I’m going to the Dominican Republic, Santiago mission. I’ll report October, 22 2014 to the Dominican Republic MTC. This is the blog that my family will be posting my letters on. You are welcome to read them, and I would LOVE to hear from ya’ll!