August 21,2017 Email :D

Hi y'all!

Oh the mission life! So good! :) I absolutely love P-days because they give me a time to sit down and reflect on what has happened this past week. :) I'm going to keep it short and simple this week!

As I have been studying the life of Jesus Christ, I have been reading Jesus the Christ. SUCH a great book! Highly recommended! I have been avoiding it for most of my mission thus far because it's really big and I ZERO time to read these days...but really...just like I have learned over and over again, you can always make more time for the Lord!! :D Reading this book has filled me with so much wonder and love for my Savior! Though I am still pretty much at the beginning, I am learning so much just about how we truly are nothing without Him! I love my Savior so much and am so grateful every moment of every day for all that He does for me!

Miracle moment!! 

When we were rushing out of the house the other day, I grabbed my water bottle and realized it was only filled about a quarter of the way. We were just on our way to a lunch appointment and then would be back after for our companionship study, etc...so I was like "eh, I can make it on this much water for now." Also, my water bottle is one of those nice metal ones that keeps my water cold quite long...and weighs a lot. So any less weight is beneficial! As we were heading out the door, I felt prompted to fill it up and wash it. So, not really thinking about it, I dumped out the water, washed it, filled it, and we left! As we walked to the bus stop people were just getting off the bus and on the bus, so we ended up being the only ones there. I looked around and saw a lady sitting on a bench and hunched over. I walked over and sat down next to her, asked her how she was doing. She immediately just opened up! She was in severe pain, slowly making her way to the doctor. She had broken her leg the day before and had never broken a bone. She went on for a time and I listened, she just needed to vent...bless her heart her whole face was purple around her eyes because she had fallen out of bed from the pain and landed on her face! I asked her if there was anything at all I could do for her, and she thought for a minute and said "if I had my bank card, I would ask you to go buy me a water, but I don't have it with me." Wow. I pulled out my water bottle, and she drank almost the whole thing instantly! Then she hobbled away to the doctor, expressing her gratitude. I honestly don't remember much of what she said, I was just sitting there in awe. Heavenly Father really testified to me in this small experience that he is so aware of each of us! He led me to fill up my water bottle, make it clean for her, and be at that bus stop at the right time. I know that he is there for us in every aspect of our lives, and am so grateful I got to help this sweet lady in a hard time!

Quote that I love:

"Hope is trust in God's promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future." - James E Faust

That's about it this week! :) Short and simple. I hope you all have the best week ever!! 

hananimun, oo deh duh, sarahng hashin dah!! (Korean for "God loves you")

love,

Sister Van Valkenburg

​Modesty is important, Marilyn!! Jeez! Fun finds here in Van City. :) 

This week I passed 7 months...that's crazy...and so we celebrated by going to the Chinese bakery that is downstairs from our apartment and got cheesecake! Woot woot!

​There are wild berries down random sidewalks here in Vancouver! I always pick one or two and eat it..and Sister Kim is just appalled! She has a thing with germs...we go through hand sanitizer like....(Insert metaphor of something that goes through something quickly...can't think of anything that isn't completely ridiculous right now.) Anywho! I finally got her to try one! I have it on video...so funny! She made me wash them with my water and then she still almost didn't eat it! ...and it was a sour one..! SO funnY!