Hey mom!
Its funny cause i am really really sick today. Oh well. I have had some stomach issues but hopefully they will go away. But this letter will be short cause i want to go and lie down. So i am sorry about that.
I love everyone in the ward. I love this work. I love the lord. I love everything, except me being very sick. So i will tell you a quick story then probably head out so i am sorry about that.
So about two months ago a less active family lost their dad while he was traveling to work. And it hit them pretty hard. And everyone has been trying to be able to reach her and get a visit with her. So randomly i thought i would call her on Wednesday night and see if we could come over Thursday and she said sure! (Thursday night we go on exchanges with one guy from the Elders and one from the High Priest group) so it worked perfectly. So studying in the morning was very interesting. i was like super stressing on what to teach them and got the feeling to quit studying...i was like...wait...what?? nah i have to study, but i stopped studying for her. But anyway later on in the day we go over and we are talking about life with them and then the guy is like okay do you have a message for them? I was like uh yes (that is a new kind of scary, when you have to deal with a family who just lost a father)...and the spirit took over. I can't even remember everything that was said. But i talked a little about the Plan of Salvation and testified that they would see their dad and husband again and also one of the sons does not believe in God so i had that to deal with. I was pretty nervous. But it went great. Everyone was crying at the end. I hope i helped them remember what they are missing out on, by not going to church and doing the things they are supposed to. I hope i made a tiny difference on their lives. Anyway i better go lie down. I love you guys.
Elder Simons!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
All Slicked Up
Wow! What a blessing us four kids have to look at you guys and see basically a perfect marriage. (I know it’s not perfect, but I still haven’t seen you fight or anything). It’s funny cause when elders talk about marriage they are like "of course there will be lots of fighting in marriage cause we have seen our parents". I just sorta laugh, because i have never seen my father mis-treat my mom or any harsh words thrown around. I am so grateful for that and know that, that will and has left the standard of what i want my marriage to be like!
This week there was a lot of less active work. I think the key to this work is being yourself with them. They know what missionaries are and they know what we do. But the first few times you visit them you gotta let them know that you are there to get to know them and stuff. You want to have them know that you love them and care for them. We have been working with a lady and she is about 60 or 65 ish and she is pretty cool and has a really strong testimony. But we usually go to her house every Friday or so and we read the Book of Mormon with her and she usually shares some insight that she gets from it which is awesome. So i think i was blessed with being very bold. Not too bold but bold enough. So i straight up ask her every time why she isn’t coming to church and tell her how blessed she will be if she comes. i told her i wanted her to see me in my suit all slicked up and i wanted to see her in her nice Sunday dress. And she loved that. But anyway she was there Sunday and i seriously almost did a little dance during sacrament. It was the best. Man i have seriously grown to love the people. It is so amazing. I love being on a mission where i get to come in contact with people who are just a little lost or need a little push in the right direction. Ah i hope my mission never ends! Its so amazing.
Funny story. so one of our investigators is very very deaf. like insane deaf. but he sorta does not want to progress to baptism because that would mean he has to give up smoking and coffee. So i said to him if Jesus Christ was right here with us and asked you to give up drinking coffee would you? (hoping that he would say yes, then i would say well i am a missionary who represents Jesus Christ, what i say is what He would have me say. That brings a real strong bold spirit that is amazing) but he said "thats a stupid question, you are stupid for asking that" Well thank you! I love you too man. After that the lesson sorta got unraveled but that’s okay. It also didn’t help that i was on exchanges with an elder who doesn’t really care too much for his mission so he didn’t say really anything. But oh well! Next week i am going to commit this man to be baptized and he will not think i am stupid but he will consider me a representative of Jesus. That was funny though just cause this old man just called me stupid so i was like wait wait wait...what?
But i fell on my bike trying to get air of a curb. Didn’t work. I will try my hardest to remember to strap the good old helmet on.
I may have already talked a little bit about Ether 12:27 but it totally reminds me of Enoch in Moses 6, i believe (sorry i forgot my scriptures back at lil Macedo). But i love how the Lord comes to Enoch and says that he needs to prohecy to these people who are really evil, who have a hell prepared for them, and instead of running away or doing any of that he humbles himself and asks the Lord why he was chosen. And he says he is but a lad and all the people hate him and he is slow of speech. I can’t remember the verse perfectly but the Lord comes to him and says basically I got you covered man go out and do as I commanded and nothing will stand in your way. This always reminds me of Nephi when he says "i will go and do the things the Lord commands". We need to realize that what the Lord says and asks are commandments and we aren’t only supposed to do them, the Lord expects us to do them. So i see if i am not confident in myself as a missionary or i don’t understand this rule or that rule i can get on my knees and pray and i know Heavenly Father will let me know what i need to do. He has done it before with Enoch and countless others in the scriptures, and in this church we believe that God still talks to people and we believe that we can receive personal revelation so why don’t we get on our knees more and ask God? He promises us numerous times that if we simply ask He will answer. I love the Lord, He is my Savior. I love Our Literal Heavenly Father, who gave us His Son. How blessed are we. I say these things in Jesus Christ name.
I hope you all have a great day. I am constantly praying for each and every one of you.
Love Elder Simons
Sorry so many typos, but i have to rush mom sorry!
This week there was a lot of less active work. I think the key to this work is being yourself with them. They know what missionaries are and they know what we do. But the first few times you visit them you gotta let them know that you are there to get to know them and stuff. You want to have them know that you love them and care for them. We have been working with a lady and she is about 60 or 65 ish and she is pretty cool and has a really strong testimony. But we usually go to her house every Friday or so and we read the Book of Mormon with her and she usually shares some insight that she gets from it which is awesome. So i think i was blessed with being very bold. Not too bold but bold enough. So i straight up ask her every time why she isn’t coming to church and tell her how blessed she will be if she comes. i told her i wanted her to see me in my suit all slicked up and i wanted to see her in her nice Sunday dress. And she loved that. But anyway she was there Sunday and i seriously almost did a little dance during sacrament. It was the best. Man i have seriously grown to love the people. It is so amazing. I love being on a mission where i get to come in contact with people who are just a little lost or need a little push in the right direction. Ah i hope my mission never ends! Its so amazing.
Funny story. so one of our investigators is very very deaf. like insane deaf. but he sorta does not want to progress to baptism because that would mean he has to give up smoking and coffee. So i said to him if Jesus Christ was right here with us and asked you to give up drinking coffee would you? (hoping that he would say yes, then i would say well i am a missionary who represents Jesus Christ, what i say is what He would have me say. That brings a real strong bold spirit that is amazing) but he said "thats a stupid question, you are stupid for asking that" Well thank you! I love you too man. After that the lesson sorta got unraveled but that’s okay. It also didn’t help that i was on exchanges with an elder who doesn’t really care too much for his mission so he didn’t say really anything. But oh well! Next week i am going to commit this man to be baptized and he will not think i am stupid but he will consider me a representative of Jesus. That was funny though just cause this old man just called me stupid so i was like wait wait wait...what?
But i fell on my bike trying to get air of a curb. Didn’t work. I will try my hardest to remember to strap the good old helmet on.
I may have already talked a little bit about Ether 12:27 but it totally reminds me of Enoch in Moses 6, i believe (sorry i forgot my scriptures back at lil Macedo). But i love how the Lord comes to Enoch and says that he needs to prohecy to these people who are really evil, who have a hell prepared for them, and instead of running away or doing any of that he humbles himself and asks the Lord why he was chosen. And he says he is but a lad and all the people hate him and he is slow of speech. I can’t remember the verse perfectly but the Lord comes to him and says basically I got you covered man go out and do as I commanded and nothing will stand in your way. This always reminds me of Nephi when he says "i will go and do the things the Lord commands". We need to realize that what the Lord says and asks are commandments and we aren’t only supposed to do them, the Lord expects us to do them. So i see if i am not confident in myself as a missionary or i don’t understand this rule or that rule i can get on my knees and pray and i know Heavenly Father will let me know what i need to do. He has done it before with Enoch and countless others in the scriptures, and in this church we believe that God still talks to people and we believe that we can receive personal revelation so why don’t we get on our knees more and ask God? He promises us numerous times that if we simply ask He will answer. I love the Lord, He is my Savior. I love Our Literal Heavenly Father, who gave us His Son. How blessed are we. I say these things in Jesus Christ name.
I hope you all have a great day. I am constantly praying for each and every one of you.
Love Elder Simons
Sorry so many typos, but i have to rush mom sorry!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
"Sweet" Bike Crash
Hey mom, First of all i got the package...all i can say is do i deserve all of that? Thank YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
So half misson conf was so good! We had Elder and Sister Kearon there from the seventy. They were such great people. It was good to see them there and have them teach us. We need to remember how important it is to Learn by the Spirt. General Conference is coming up and we need to write down the feelings we get while we listen. That is the spirit just lightly putting thoughts and words in our mind. So take heed and write some notes.
Well we went back to [our investigator] and he wasn't there. Sorta stinky but its way okay because even if i am not the one that gets to help him come to the waters of baptism i am still the one who found him and i still find joy in that. But i have a feeling he was just a little busy with four kids and walnut season coming in. Its so funny cause i know like every crop harvest and plant time now. I am such a little Gridlite. Its super fun being here. I hope i don't get transferred. Alot of missionaries go crazy in Gridley and get really apostate but i like it here. Maybe cause i am orginally very crazy and...well i am not apostate that's for sure. I am doing my best to be exactly obedient. It really isn't hard. Unless you want to make it hard for yourself. I feel so much happier following every rule i can. I feel blessed as well.
So they grow Asian pears here too, so eating those have been like...a piece of home. They aren't as sweet but that's okay. People here all have gardens so its great when people come to church and just hand us missionaries three bags full of every kind of veggie you can think of. It is really funny. But i don't mind it.
But yes mom i do like working hard. It is relaxing in a way. No one here can understand that exactly but i can. I love work.
This letter will be short cause i have to hurry but yeah
I had a nice little crash on my bike this week. That was really interesting. I was wearing my helmet but it wasn't strapped (way too cool for that). I landed on my head and elbow but my helmet was still on for impact. It was sweet. My elbow got scraped up semi-bad. It was fun though. I still made some visits bleeding and half dazed. But bikes aren't too bad. I have only biked 25 miles since Saturday i think. Not bad. We will see what happens.
I will write a better letter next week but i hope you are all having a wonderful day.
Remember no miracle will happen without faith, so get some faith!
Love Elder Simons
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
New companion!
Hey mom whats up?
Crazy week, So first on Tuesday, waiting for my companion I got a call from the Spanish elders and they said they get our car. So they came later in the day and took that from us, which will be weird cause from one end of our area to the other in a car is about 40 minutes. So biking in 105 degree weather is how it will go for us. I have not the best attuitude about it but i am really trying my hardest.
So last week i promised a investigator and i am sad to say we didn't pick one up...just kidding! We totally did get a investigator! His name is Matt and we found him from tracting. He told us to come back on Saturday so we did and taught a really powerful first lesson and went over what the Book of Mormon is. It was so cool! The spirit was there so strongly. It was so cool!!! He wants us to come back this next Saturday! I want to baptize this guy!
But only if it be Heavenly Father's will!
So i am sorry to say this but i love being senior comp. It is really nice. We can now work as hard as we can. We got 17 lessons, which is great for a normal week but like awesome for a transfer week. We were super blessed with people to see and teach. I was introducing Elder Peterson to the ward members and i felt like i needed to bear my testimony about how much i loved the ward, and told them how i am huge dork and love to look over the dinner calender and see who's house i get to go in. They all laughed at that but its true, i love this ward. I heard of an elder right now who has been in his greenie area for a year. I would love to be here for a year!
But Elder Peterson is a great guy. He is six feet seven inches and has been on his mission for 19 months. He is from Idaho Falls and in a family of ten. He is the oldest kid. I did not think there could be any two more different people in the world then Osejo and me until i met Peterson. We are so so different but its okay. We can actually get along while being different! I have fun though.
I really appreciate the support you are giving me, its really nice to be able to know that first the Lord will never change on me and also my parents won't change on me. They will always be awesome and supportive. So thanks!
For my spiritual thought i want to talk a little bit about forgiveness and love. (something that i am extremely not good at but i am trying my hardest) I want to talk about our Savior, our brother, our wonderful who carried our sins on his back. In Luke 23 around verses 20 and up Jesus is on his way to be crucified and while walking there, there were women who were crying for him but Jesus being so loving, so faithful says to them "weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" Holy cow...wait wait wait wait wait what? Jesus Christ our Savior, while willingly walking to be wrongly crucified (and i have no doubt in my mind that Jesus knew the pains involved with that) He told the women to not worry about Him, but worry about them. He is so loving! Ah i can't comprehend! If it were me walking to be crucified i would try to run away and tell the people to rescue me. Just another reason why Christ is who he is and why i am Little Elder Simons. He is so amazing. He is so loving, let us all try to have that love. When we are in our worst situations or our worst pains lets not look at ourselves and how bad of a place we are in but lets look out for the other people and then our problems will go away. We need to forget ourselves in this world. The closer we are to doing that the more Christlike we become. In verse 34 Jesus says one of the most humble, loving, caring prayers ever recorded in the history of the world. He simply says "Father, forgive them, for they know now what they do." Holy cow. I don't need to say anything about that except wow. Jesus is Our Savior. There is a reason it is Him and not us. He is perfect, He is the only one that could do it. I know He lives, and i bear this testimony in the name of our Lord our Savior our Brother, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Crazy week, So first on Tuesday, waiting for my companion I got a call from the Spanish elders and they said they get our car. So they came later in the day and took that from us, which will be weird cause from one end of our area to the other in a car is about 40 minutes. So biking in 105 degree weather is how it will go for us. I have not the best attuitude about it but i am really trying my hardest.
So last week i promised a investigator and i am sad to say we didn't pick one up...just kidding! We totally did get a investigator! His name is Matt and we found him from tracting. He told us to come back on Saturday so we did and taught a really powerful first lesson and went over what the Book of Mormon is. It was so cool! The spirit was there so strongly. It was so cool!!! He wants us to come back this next Saturday! I want to baptize this guy!
But only if it be Heavenly Father's will!
So i am sorry to say this but i love being senior comp. It is really nice. We can now work as hard as we can. We got 17 lessons, which is great for a normal week but like awesome for a transfer week. We were super blessed with people to see and teach. I was introducing Elder Peterson to the ward members and i felt like i needed to bear my testimony about how much i loved the ward, and told them how i am huge dork and love to look over the dinner calender and see who's house i get to go in. They all laughed at that but its true, i love this ward. I heard of an elder right now who has been in his greenie area for a year. I would love to be here for a year!
But Elder Peterson is a great guy. He is six feet seven inches and has been on his mission for 19 months. He is from Idaho Falls and in a family of ten. He is the oldest kid. I did not think there could be any two more different people in the world then Osejo and me until i met Peterson. We are so so different but its okay. We can actually get along while being different! I have fun though.
I really appreciate the support you are giving me, its really nice to be able to know that first the Lord will never change on me and also my parents won't change on me. They will always be awesome and supportive. So thanks!
For my spiritual thought i want to talk a little bit about forgiveness and love. (something that i am extremely not good at but i am trying my hardest) I want to talk about our Savior, our brother, our wonderful who carried our sins on his back. In Luke 23 around verses 20 and up Jesus is on his way to be crucified and while walking there, there were women who were crying for him but Jesus being so loving, so faithful says to them "weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" Holy cow...wait wait wait wait wait what? Jesus Christ our Savior, while willingly walking to be wrongly crucified (and i have no doubt in my mind that Jesus knew the pains involved with that) He told the women to not worry about Him, but worry about them. He is so loving! Ah i can't comprehend! If it were me walking to be crucified i would try to run away and tell the people to rescue me. Just another reason why Christ is who he is and why i am Little Elder Simons. He is so amazing. He is so loving, let us all try to have that love. When we are in our worst situations or our worst pains lets not look at ourselves and how bad of a place we are in but lets look out for the other people and then our problems will go away. We need to forget ourselves in this world. The closer we are to doing that the more Christlike we become. In verse 34 Jesus says one of the most humble, loving, caring prayers ever recorded in the history of the world. He simply says "Father, forgive them, for they know now what they do." Holy cow. I don't need to say anything about that except wow. Jesus is Our Savior. There is a reason it is Him and not us. He is perfect, He is the only one that could do it. I know He lives, and i bear this testimony in the name of our Lord our Savior our Brother, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
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