I will cherish this challenge

Hey mom,

It's good to hear from you. It was amazing seeing the whole family on Skype. I feel so blessed the Lord gives us amazing tools to interact and share memories together through this amazing technology. We truly are blessed people. 

I finished my Book of Mormon last week. Man that book is more than amazing. It has changed my life once again. Before I took President's challenge I felt the spirit so strong when I testified to [people I was teaching] that it was and is the word of God. But now I can feel it in my fingers and toes when I testify. The spirit illuminates my body and I feel the spirit literally pushing my words into their soul. It has been an amazing experience to watch. I have been humbled to dust and I will cherish this challenge as something so spiritual I can barely describe it. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. People ask "Is the Book of Mormon needed to be saved?". And I'm here to tell everyone who asks that it is. It gives us the knowledge of our Savior that we can't find anywhere else. There are people out there who are in a famine of the word of God. They are missing the piece of the puzzle. The Book of Mormon is convincing evidence that God loves us so much that He sends prophets on the earth to teach us how to be "saved". I'm grateful for this divine book. And I will read it everyday for the rest of my life. I need the pure flow of spirit that comes from it. I need that so I can withstand the adversary.

We are so blessed to have a baptism this week on Saturday. [Our investigator] is going into the waters of baptism to receive an essential remission of her sins. She has come to find out that without the Savior and His priesthood authority she cannot be saved in the Kingdom of God. A bit of useful information wouldn't you say? I also have a testimony of that. We cannot come unto the Father or enter into Celestial glory except we fall on our knees and proclaim and confess that Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. There is no other way to receive eternal life with God. I can testify to that and will till the day I die. I love this perfect and only true Church. I will pledge my allegiance to it forever. The church and gospel work hand and hand. I love them both. We should thank our God every single day that we belong to this true church. That we are somehow and in some way blessed by it. Member or non-member, I'm sure we all have been touched by how this church runs and how it is perfect. I can testify it does because God himself is at the head of it. No one else. I love that fact. I'm sorry for babbling on and on. The spirit constrained me to do so. I love you all and I appreciate the prayers that you send my way but more then that I appreciate the prayers you send to the wonderful Children of God that I am humbled to teach. Send more prayers their way will ya? Thank you so much.

Elder Simons

Quick Christmas Eve message

Hey mom it is good to hear from you. I'm so excited to talk to you all. It will be at ten or eleven tomorrow morning. So be ready. 

I'm going to make this email fairly short but I finished the Book of Mormon. It was so amazing. It really has changed me. I have such a different view and testimony on the Book. I'm so thankful for President Weston and the revelation he received to implement this in our mission. I love the Book of Mormon and I'm so grateful that I get the chance everyday to spread it and teach others of it. And to help others come to true knowledge of their and my Savior. I feel that this will be my favorite calling throughout my life. 

I'm thankful we have this sacred time to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him we would all be lost because of the Fall. I know that we cannot return to God's presence except by and through the redeeming blood of the Son. I'm eternally grateful that I have the blessing of being able to share this wonderful saving news. 

Well I better get running. 

I love you!

Plugging up a hole in my heart

Well we now have 4 baptisms scheduled. One this weekend, which will be one of the best moments on my mission. This is a woman who is truly amazing, and she is so willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ no matter what the cost is. She has taught me so much. I have loved teaching her. 

I have never had this much work on my mission before. It seems like everything is just falling into place. It truly is such an amazing and humbling thing to be a part of. Because when I back up and look at it, i feel like i have nothing to do with it, I'm just kind of there watching God's hand influence a person's life to do good. Its awesome. I love this work with all my heart. 

So the lady that will gladly get married still wants to, but her [less-active] boyfriend is holding back a bit. She is so willing to follow Christ. God and Jesus Christ come first for her in her life, and I think that is starting to bug him. It is amazing to watch her growth though. When we first came over i had to like force her to say hi to me while we were teaching him. Now she is growing and she wants this gospel and is willing to give her life for it. What dedication! When we first starting actually teaching her she always said "there is a God-shaped hole in my heart" and on Saturday as we were teaching her she almost randomly said "i feel like the things you elders are teaching are plugging up that hole in my heart" That was one of the best things anyone has ever said to me. 

I love having this privilege to be able to preach this everlasting gospel. I can't tell you how many times i have broken down and cried because of how humbling of an experience this for me. I am so grateful for the blessing of being able to meet these wonderful people that i find, that i have an immediate love for. 

Another story for you is about another lady with a baptismal date who is really smart and knowledgeable about the New Testament. We had a lesson with her on the Plan of Salvation and she had so many deep doctrine questions about Adam and Eve and was really troubled by some of the stuff we were teaching aka God giving Adam and Eve a commandment he knew they would have to break. She just could not get over that. So we left feeling very discouraged. But the next time we went over (we expected her to still have trouble with all of it) she was amazing and had no questions or concerns about the Plan of Salvation. All of her concerns were met because i feel like she got her witness from God that the Book of Mormon was true. Such a neat experience. Another one where we did nothing, but God did everything. Like I have said before, I'm just here watching God's hand. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

I love you all.

Elder Simons

Moving on to Antelope...

Elder Simons with other elders
in front of the Sacramento Temple

That's sweet that you met the Buschs!! They are such a great family. So, do you think you could put my other pictures on that hard drive? I would appreciate it very much. Thanks!!


So, I did find out if I was getting transferred! I'm going to the Antelope YSA ward as a zone leader. I can't really believe it, and don't really understand why. But I will go where the Lord wants me to. I feel really humbled. In a lot of ways I feel like I shouldn't be a zone leader. I feel like I still have so much to improve on. So many Christlike attributes that I can and will work on. I know the Lord will bless me for my effort. I'm excited to get in this zone and watch miracles happen.


So, we will live in a house. Like a big house (or so I hear), because the greenies and the departing missionaries stay the night there. So that will be so cool to say goodbye to the departing missionaries and say hi to the new greenies!!! My new comp (Elder Ellsworth) and I have already talked and we are both pretty pumped and are going to set some lofty goals for ourselves and the zone. I have always worked harder when I know my leaders are working hard as well, so I hope to work the hardest I can. I feel like I have so much to improve on when it comes to leadership! But lickily I know the best leader and where I can learn more about how He led. And that is Jesus Christ. There are also many other amazing leaders in the scriptures. I love Nephi for one. He was always strong. Always. Even when everyone around him faltered. Even his dad!!! (Luckily I don't have that problem) How hard would it be to keep the faith and the trust in the Lord when even your dad is doubting. I always have been impressed by him. I love his last words in the Book of Mormon, too. "I must obey". Talk about powerful last words. He was at a point in his life where he knew the Lord so perfectly and knew the doctrine because he has lived it, that he could not disobey. What an amazing person. I can't wait to meet him and shake his huge hands.

This week was a great one. We had a sweet meeting on Friday. We talked about the doctrine of Christ. And some other things. I loved seeing President and some of my other buddies. It was nice. 

Saturday was an interesting day. I was on exchanges with Elder Frank (I will miss him so much) and they had a baptism that we had to prepare for. We had to do so much stuff and had to run around Roseville like six times. It was crazy. We went to Costa Vida and a member paid for us. Man it was good. I will miss Roseville so much. It has been so good to me. I almost love this place as much as Gridley. I bet if i would have stayed 1 more transfer i would have grown to love it just as much. I have met some amazing people here that have changed my life. Literally, their testimonies have changed me. I loved serving here with Elder Rasmussen and Elder Shock. Two missionaries that have taught me a lot. that have changed me a lot too. I will be grateful for both of them. I think that i will be able to come back for Bro Zerilli's baptism. I can't wait for that. That will be one of the best moments on my mission. And in a year when I come back for the sealing, that will be unbelievable. I love this work!!! I love my life. I love you all.

Thats great to hear about the wedding and i want to see some pictures!!! I love you!

An added portion of the spirit

This week was really good. So fast. Again. Time is really weird. But that's life. 

We picked up a husband in a part-member family this past week. He is a good guy. With a few interesting concerns that we will work on. They are concerns I haven't ever heard of before but I have had some crazy ones before. I know that as we teach him the importance of having a testimony on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon he will forget those concerns and come unto Christ and know His church has been restored in these the latter days. I'm excited about the progress that can be made. 

You guys are getting really busy. Keep up the good work. What else happened...oh so like two weeks ago I got spit on by a man we were trying to street contact. It was sort of a neat feeling to be able to be spit on for the sake of Jesus Christ. I was proud to be a Mormon. I was proud to wear my name tag. He said a couple words i hadn't heard in a while which were interesting. Which reminds me I have really been trying to clean up my language. Of course i don't swear or get anywhere near it but still I could use some work. The words which I say can have a powerful impact on how much the spirit is present in my life and especially as I teach. I have been cutting out words and I have felt an added portion of the spirit and I love it! 

The mutual thing with the kids went alright. The deacons got crazy. But other than that i think it went well. The video is really sweet though. You will have to see it. It will be on Youtube i think. Maybe it is on now i don't know. (Sister Busch's son is putting it up so i will have her email you when its up)

Life is good on a mission. I feel so blessed to be able to be out here. Its so much fun. We are doing good. Transfers are coming up on the 19th. I wonder if I will be transferred. That will be nuts. Ah! 

Anyway I love you all! 

Elder Simons

Obedience will bring results

Thanks for the email mom! Its been a great week! It has gone by sooo fast!

The meeting with President and the other Leaders in the southern parts of the mission was incredible. President is really trying to push the principle of obedience. I love it. Obedience will bring results. It will bring blessings. The Lord is bound when we do what He asks.

I forgot to talk about meeting with Elder Perry.  It was crazy! I loved it. He talked a lot about what he was going to talk to the bishops about with missionary work and so forth. It was quite a bit shorter then i thought it would be. But thats okay. He taught about the priesthood and how it is necessary for Christ's true church to be on the earth today. He said quite a bit of things i wish i had my notes for you guys to look at.

But anyway this week was great. Didn't set the baptismal dates we wanted to, but we are hoping to do that this week. Maybe we will even get one tonight. I hope so. The seventeen year old (that we are teaching) her parents' hearts are truly being softened. I think we will be able to soon go over and read with her at her house. She just has to finish the Book of Mormon and then she can be baptized!!! We are trying to power through it.

I love the Book of Mormon. It is true. I love that i get a time set a part each day to read from its true pages. I hope i will continue studying from it daily and encourage everyone to do the same.

All of the other investigators are still just plugging along. I love teaching them and sometimes i go away thinking they have taught me more then i have taught them!

Its cold here! Especially on a bike. But when times get tough i think of the Savior laying down His life for me in the Garden of Gethsemane. What an amazing example we have. We are very blessed!

I love you guys so much. I hope you are all doing so well. Not much has happened.  Is there anything i can do for you guys? Let me know.

The Book of Mormon changes lives

Hey mom and dad!

Well this week has been an alright one. We get transfer calls on Saturday that will be really interesting. Will Shock go? Will I go?  Who knows. But either way i will take what the Lord gives me and i will run with it or i will run as hard as i can with it.

We had a couple good lessons this week. Our lady who is getting baptized on the 18th is still ready to go. She bore her sweet testimony in sacrament meeting. Which takes some courage, i can barely even do that. And not as well as she did. The spirit was there. And she is ready for baptism that is for sure. I have been thinking a lot of this woman and the Book of Mormon promise or more specifically Moroni's promise where he says that you need to read and pray with a sincere heart and real intent, then the Holy Ghost will truly make himself manifest unto you. More than just a sincere heart and real intent you have to be willing to act on that answer you get. If you want an answer to a prayer or anything you have to be willing to follow whatever answer you get and go out and act. This woman is ready to go and act. She received her answer and she acted. She is a great example to me and she is really awesome to be around. I love her dearly.

I thank the Lord daily for letting me come on a mission and meet all these great people. Im so blessed. Im so lucky.

We read the intro and the first three chapters to the Book Of Mormon with another one of our investigators and she really loved it. She is ready to change too but her parents are very skeptical. Her dad is an atheist. SO we will be working on that.

The Book of Mormon can change lives. But we need to be willing to change our lives first, then the Book of Mormon will do the rest. It has changed my life and it has changed people's lives around me. That book is true. The teachings are true. That book teaches simply and clearly that Jesus is the Christ and that God does love us. Why would someone not want to read that?? Oh yeah satan can blind people. I have met with investigators that dont progress and its because they aren't reading the Book of Mormon. It breaks my heart. But agency is a God-given gift. I can't take that away from anyone. I can control myself. I can help other people but that old saying is totally true you can only bring a horse to the water or something like that. I can tell someone that the Book of Mormon changes lives until I'm blue in the face but until they pick it up and do something and desire an answer it wont change their life.

But i do love this gospel. I do love everything about Moroni's promise. We need to continually be praying about the truthfulness of the Book Of Mormon. Just one spiritual manifestation isn't enough. Pray about it everytime you read it. It will bless your life.

I better go but have a great day!
Love Elder Simons