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!

"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 

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!