Disciples Forever

When we were able to Skype with Wilson yesterday, I broached the subject of receiving no email last week, and he quickly checked and apparently on his end, it went out, and ended up floating in cyberspace somewhere. But, he re-sent it, and I'm so glad he did. Its a wonderful letter. Keep in mind it was written a week ago, on May 6th.

Hey mom, first of all I will most likely send a short email next week, because I will have some extra time at the mission office. And about Mothers Day...I don't know. I know you have church at 9 right? What will be the best time for you? I could probably do it at like 4 or 5 or at night. I'm going to call though. If that is okay?

But what a week, my emotions have been all over the place and I have no doubt they will be just the same this next week. I really don't want to go home. Everyone always says "your last week you will just go all trunky and want to be home". And as much as I love home and my family and everything that goes with coming back I don't know if I want to come home yet. I feel like my work isn't done. If I was able to extend I would do it in a heartbeat. I feel like I have been out for like 10 months. I wouldn't be surprised if someone said, "you still have over a year". I would be like "okay that makes sense". Because right now, going home in 8 days isn't right. I am going to miss all of these missionaries that I have come to love and grow under their influence. So many missionaries have made life changing differences in my life. I can't thank them enough and I don't how I would get started to even telling them how much they mean. Their love has helped me endure trials and everything else I have gone through. 

I have had the best companions anyone could ask for. I have taught the most wonderful people in the world. I have witnessed miracles that have confirmed my faith that our Savior lives and loves us with a  perfect love. I have learned how to love and show charity. In no way am I saying I am perfect at this... far from it. But I have grown since two years ago when I was just a punk kid who only cared about himself. My mission has changed my life. It has brought me to the depths of humility. I have cried for joy and I have cried because I have been in the depths of sorrow and sadness. But every experience I've been through has strengthened my faith that God lives and that we can do hard things and we can endure if we trust our Heavenly Father. I thank all of you that have ever prayed for me. EVER. Or the missionary force as a whole. We and especially myself have felt that influence. I love you all. I thank you for your support. 

My mission has taught me God needs us, His children, to be disciples forever. Not just missionaries for two years or stake presidents for 9 years or missionary presidents for 3 years or a nursery leader for a couple years but He needs us forever. To constantly striving to be better and doing the things God would do if He were there. I hope and pray we can all be worthy to be called Disciples of Christ until the very end. 

This week has been interesting. We met with a Seventh-Day Adventist. He was a great guy, with amazing faith but his views have been skewed by the wisdom of men. Which is sad. I'm just thankful we have modern revelation with modern prophets and apostles. What a blessing we have! Let us all take advantage of them and that revelation! 

But I have to go! I love you all!

Elder Simons

The Road to Damascus

The week has been good, not too much to report. Haven't been able to meet with our investigator for about two weeks. I want to teach him again so bad. He is close to baptism, I know it. They went out of town for a bit.

We are still having great success in the less-active lesson area. I enjoy teaching them so much. In my first area I felt bad because I didn't think I was truly fulfilling my purpose by just teaching so many less-actives but something that our president said really hit me hard: "I don't think the Lord sees someone getting baptized and someone returning into full activity really any different". It is the work of the Lord. We are building up His Kingdom. I'm amazed I have been called to this mighty work. In such an amazing time as well. The Lord truly is hastening His work. I have never seen so much focus on missionary work ever. Seems like a lot of the general conference stuff and Ensign things are discussing missionary work. Must be important I guess!

This week has been a humbling week for sure. I have been pondering some more things that I would like to put on here so again hopefully you are okay with another random tangent. I have been reading in Acts for the past couple weeks. Really trying to picture all of these events that happened in my head. And I came to Saul. He was a part of the killing of Stephen. He was a bad dude, he received permission to put Christians in prison for believing in Christ. Then of course on the road to Damascus he was visited by the Savior himself. An evil vessel was visited by the Lord and his life was changed forever. He was a completely changed person. That was because of Jesus Christ. He had a completely different view on the world and then, from then on preached the word of God. I also think of Alma the younger and his conversion and other people as well that have had a change of heart. I know that this gospel has the power to change everyone in the world's life. It is through the Atonement that we receive this change. We must accept it and apply it in our life. God will never force us to use His Son's sacrifice because He respects our agency so much. But when we follow the words of the Savior we come unto Him and accept His life and Atonement. This gospel and changed my heart and my desires to wanting more of what God wants for me. I'm not perfect yet and I still need to do some major work in changing my complete will to His. 

We are teaching this less-active lady and it has been one of the most inspiring experiences on my missions. When we first were teaching her she was pretty so-so about things but after she started to exercise faith everything started working for her. She slowly had that change of heart. She now is repenting and doing things to build her testimony everyday. Just by talking to her you can tell that she gave her heart to the Savior so He could change it. And He did as He always will. This lady's change of heart wasn't like Saul/Pauls, she never went blind but I still consider it a miracle. Because it is nothing short of one. I just love talking to her and listening to her talk about her road to the Savior. She is now doing her own missionary work and doing great things. It is just so exciting. 

Well I better go! I love you all

Scatter Sunshine

We went up to Mount Shasta, caving! Don't worry, Mom it wasn't like crawling around and stuff. It was a huge cave like 20 feet tall the whole way to the end, but you need flash lights because it is pitch black. I for sure want to do that in the summer when we come back! It was really fun. 

But anyway our week hasn't been the best, but things will always look up. There has been a hymn on my mind lately and a few things that I want to share today. Hopefully that is okay. So the song Scatter Sunshine in the hymn book is like never played. I haven't heard it really ever until I got here in Redding. It is one of those hymns that is like "oh that is a weird one", but I was reading the lyrics and it is amazing. It says that we need to cheer, bless and brighten to every one we meet. It talks about how our care can help eliminate the world's sorrow. What an amazing message. It is such a blessing to us and to others to be able to scatter sunshine and help someone out by offering them help or even a simple smile. I imagine Christ walking around with a great big smile on, not a frown. He was looking for people to help and uplift. I have been thinking a lot lately that this world we live in is really sad and down. Especially in Redding, this town is just down. Everyone is always mad or just sad because life just isn't great. One of my favorite feelings is to bring joy to someone by just talking to them and asking them about their life. And I pray each time I do that, that they can feel even a tenth of the love God has for them. I have such a testimony of scattering sunshine. it may sound dorky or kind of weird but I'm dorky and weird so that is okay. But really we can help God's children by just being happy and offering service. If we have a true love of God we will have love for His children. I'm thankful for this song that isn't played too often that I got to hear it and have the spirit touch me and teach me that scattering sunshine is what we can do to do missionary work. We are to lift people up. 

Sorry that was my little rant for the week. I don't know why I always do those. But anyway the baptismal date we had dropped but that is okay. We will reset another date with him hopefully soon. He is a great guy but is struggling with some things right now. We are working with some great less actives that I love to death! I will tell you more about them soon hopefully! But I love you all and I'm thankful for your faithfulness and diligence in following Christ our Savior! Have a great day!

Am I still fishing?

Hey mom,
 

Zone conference was amazing. President Weston is such a man, he is so good about inspiring us and helping us find the desire in our own hearts and working for that. He is very smart. So he gave all of us a challenge. By the time we have zone conference again, sometime is Feb, that we finish the Book of Mormon and we highlight like four different things. And every time we study we have to have a prayer before and after and ask our Heavenly Father if the book is true. He said doing this will change our lives. I love being invited to change my life! 

Life is wonderful. We are being so blessed here its almost unbelievable. I love it. We are teaching these two YSA girls and they both now have dates for Dec 1 and Dec 8th.  They are both doing great things in their lives. I want to talk about one of them in particular. She understands the gospel so much. We taught her the Plan of Salvation (with the wood things Dad gave me) and then I picked up all the pieces and gave it to her and said now you do it and also explain it to us. She gave probably the most beautiful testimony on the Plan of Salvation that I ever had heard. She did all of that while correctly placing the wooden shapes in order and she told us what each of them meant to her. And after she was like "I understand why you guys focus so much on missionary work. This needs to be spread." She has expressed a desire to serve a mission. Man that would be....amazing to say the least. 

I have been pondering a lot on a couple things. First testimony and conversion and also the talk which Elder Holland gave which talked about Peter and why he was still fishing. I have come to realize that when someone has been converted they change. They have a complete 180 on what they say, think, and do. They have no more desire to do evil, yes they still fall but they have a drive to follow and keep the commandments. They are focused on Christ and His Atonement. I have been looking a lot for things like that in myself and others around me and it is really interesting. 

Now to my other subject which goes hand and hand... I have been thinking a lot about my own conversion and what I used to do before my mission. There were a lot of interesting things that I did but I will just say fishing because that works well. But I was thinking more deeply about my conversion and a couple questions came to my mind. First of all where am I and where am I going? Am I ever still fishing? Am I making decisions and choices that lead me to the Savior or to satan? Whenever I think about fishing I say to myself and sometimes out loud "Stop fishing Elder Simons". (I have got my companion into the habit too) It really helps us focus on where we are on missions and to focus on our conversions. A true conversion would be where someone has no desire to re-do the evils and maybe not just the evils but also the things I was doing well enough. A true conversion is when someone has turned their back on that promising and striving to never go back. So are we  converted? I hope so. 

This is such a wonderful time of the year. I hope we all can focus on Christ and what He has so willingly done for us. It is easier for me because I teach of Christ and I testify of Christ all day long so He is always in my head. I'm lucky I do not have to deal with all of the many distractions we as humans have put in our own lives. I love my Savior and I'm grateful for the many things He personally has blessed me with. I love my family. I would do anything for any one of them and I hope they know that. I love how much they support me and bless me. I love anyone who is reading this email. I'm thankful for the support you give me in any way. I love you all!

Christlike love

I have had a really good week. We worked hard and we also had our half mission [conference], with Elder Cardon. Man that guy knows how to pack in a powerful punch with the spirit. 

This week has been really life changing for me. I have learned what true love really is. Now before I start, I'm not talking about like...girl to boy love, I'm talking about love for each other as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Our investigator Dorothy is amazing. I have truly been thinking about her and her situation this week. I have taught her since week 1 in Antelope. She is an older lady in her 70's. When I first came to this ward all I wanted for her is baptism. Which is a worthy and righteous desire, no doubt. But over time and many spiritual lessons with her, the same desire for her baptism is still there but with so much added to it. I have really just been imagining her with her Heavenly Father. I can't really describe the feelings I have for her. But true love is wanting what is best for someone else (for Dorothy I want her to receive Salvation) It has hit me really hard this week that I knew nothing about true Christlike love before my mission and for a part of my mission. Christlike love is wanting the very best for someone else and doing everything in our powerful to acheive and sacrifice for that person so they can get it. I'm not explaining myself as I wish but the love that I had for the people I have served in California and for my family when I started my mission has changed, it has grown. It has grown because I can love them deeper and with more sincerity now. And what makes my mind marvel even more is to realize the love our Father in Heaven and His Son have for us. I can't comprehend. I won't ever  be able to. It is amazing. So..hopefully that made sense. But I love you all. That basically what I'm trying to say.

Elder Cardon taught me so much about personal revelation. It's crazy. It is really just want I needed. I love that guy. It was good to see a lot of my buddies at the conference as well. I'm so strengthened by their testimonies and experiences. They are great. I love you all!!

Elder Simons