Make every minute count

Hey mom!

So first about transfers! Elder Vaitai is getting transferred to actually be with Elder Bowerman. So that is kinda sweet. I will be getting Elder Solomon from Idaho. I went street contacting with him on his first day on the mission when I was a ZL down in Antelope. Good stuff. I'm excited for it. We are going to work our tails off but I will miss my crazy Tongan companion. He will have a good time up north though. 

So I have 6 more weeks. That is just unreal to me, it is just scary but makes me realize the time I have left is so precious. I need to make every minute count. I do not want any regrets! None at all. Last week I was defining the word "regret" to Elder Vaitai because his English isn't perfect yet so he still doesn't know a couple words. It is always fun explaining stuff to him. Like last night I explained "red neck" to him. Good times. But anyway I was defining regret to him and while I was defining and thinking about it I was like "wow I do not want to have any regrets from my mission". If I do I will think about them for the rest of my life. I don't want that! 

Anyway another slow week but things are going to be changing around here, I can smell it in the wind. Can't you? It is just so hard to find the people to teach. We got a little more area to cover though, we are taking some of the Alta Sierra ward and half covering it with sisters which will be...weird. They are so many sisters that they double cover wards now. Luckily we get all of Lake Of the Pines to ourselves. 

Wasn't Easter nice? What a special time we have to reflect on the Savior and His life. It was amazing to partake of the Sacrament and realize that our Savior has done so much for us and through His resurrection we can be saved in the Kingdom of God. We are so blessed! 

This week is going to be crazy. It will probably fly by but oh well! Our new district has 12 missionaries in it. That is crazy. It will be good though. Thank you for everything you do! I have to go but remember the Church is true and don't forget to listen to conference. It can change your life, only if you let it though. I love you!

Elder Simons

I feel like I live on a farm

Hey Mom!

This week has been a good one again. I love my comp. He is amazing! He has so much charity and patience and he is so Christlike. He learned English in the MTC so we are still working on that and having language training each day to help him learn it better. Hey I may pick up some Tongan while I'm at it. Who knows? He is so funny too. I love just hearing him talk. It is the best. I hope I can bless his life as much as he already has blessed mine. 

So our area is Lake of the Pines. It is a huge gated community that surrounds a lake. It is pretty cool. We live with members. I have a queen-sized bed. I love living with them. I wake up in the morning and go and put wood in their fireplace and get the fire going. Then I go and feed the chickens and let them out. Ah I feel like I live on a farm. It has been nice. 

So I'm not a zone leader anymore. ZL's drop for their last couple transfers so they can finish just like normal missionaries. Which I have been looking forward to for a bit of time. I love just having to worry about my area and my comp. It makes things a lot less stressful. It is a great humbling experience to be able to sustain and support a district leader that actually has stewardship over me. Before (as a zl) I would pray for my district leaders that they could lead and guide their district and help all the members they are over. But it is a whole different thing praying for one to lead and guide and help me with everything that I go through. I love how perfect the organization of the church is. I love it! 

The work here is not so great though. We don't have anyone that we are teaching. Like no less actives or investigators. My comp doesn't really know the members too well or how to get around very well. This should be interesting. I'm loving life. It is great. Thank you for everything you do for me! I love you all

Elder Simons

Transfer to Auburn - Lake of the Pines

So we got transfers yesterday. I'm getting transferred!! I'm going to the Auburn Zone. My new ward is called Lake of the Pines. I'm so pumped. I only have 12 weeks left so I'm going to crank it and do some serious work. 

My new comp is Elder Vaitai. I was there when he came into the mission down in Antelope. He is from Tonga and is probably the most chill missionary here. He loves everyone! Ah i can't wait! I will miss Redding like crazy, but it is time to leave. It has been a great time up here doing the work of the Lord. I feel like the Lord has let me witness a lot of success up here. I will miss the people so much, they have grown so close to my heart. 

I wish I had more to say. This week has been pretty good. We had zone conference, and President Weston taught the importance of the Holy Ghost in Conversion. I loved it because he didn't just focus on us teaching our investigators but also in our personal conversions. 

So each time at zone conference all the departing missionaries (missionaries going home in the next few months) bear their testimonies. I thought I was too far out to do mine. I figured I would do it next time. But nope they called me up. I got up there and so many emotions and memories ran through my brain. The first one was [one of our older investigators]  getting baptized because I saw Elder Buhler down in the audience. Also because I was in the same building he was baptized in. I looked at Elder Rasmussen and remembered the fasting and praying we did in behalf of [the YSA] we were teaching from Roseville and then I glanced at Elder Coburn and thought of the miracles we witnessed down in Antelope getting [our investigator] to her baptism. I couldn't contain myself for a bit, but then bore my testimony. I was grateful I had the opportunity to do so. It was actually really sad. In my head I was like "This can't be possible. How is it almost over? NO!" It is just heartbreaking, most of all. I will miss all of this so much. But I still have a while to go. I want to make this the best two transfers of my mission. I'm determined to make it so. I will let you know how it goes, deal? 

But I love you! I have to go play some basketball then pack!

Elder Simons

A furious wind upon the face of the waters

Mom that email was amazing. It brought happiness to me so thank you so much. And yes you are right about Jr. He will come when he comes. That is really exciting. 

So we got transfers this week and Elder Leithead is going down to Roseville and I'm getting Elder McMurray from Canada. It will be good to get some new blood in the area. It will be good. Not much changed in the zone. Another missionary is training so that will be good for him and the whole zone. Add some greenie fire here. 

Life is amazing right now. We are still struggling to find new investigators but we know they (like Jr.) will come when they are supposed to. It is a trial of my faith. It reminds me of Gridley... well the work does. Kinda slow but with some good work, great things will come to pass. 

I have been pondering lately trials in my own life and why we have them, and I may have mentioned this before but let me take you back to Ether and the ships they make and in some of the verses it says that the Lord is going to send waves and winds and storms against them. And I just sat pondering. Why in the world would God do that? Why couldn't he make it 80 degrees for them and give them a nice breeze to the promised land. It would have been so easy! They would have been able to make it no doubt with no hiccups right? And I prayed about it and pondered some more for a couple days and I couldn't figure it out until a couple chapters later where it says "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a ^afurious wind blow upon the face of the waters, ^btowards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind." That is when the Spirit and the answer came flowing to me. The Lord sends forth these trials to push us closer to the promised land or in other words eventually heaven. It almost never seems like our trials can benefit us,  but they do. They send us and teach us what we need to know and do to return to live with God once again. If the Jaredites didn't go through these trials they would have done the same thing they did while on the beach. They would have forgotten to call upon their God for help. But while they were buried it gave them a chance to rely upon God. I love the Lord and I love how He works. He is there for us and He cares more than we know. Let us call upon our God daily for every thing that we and our loved ones stand in need of. I love you all so much!

Elder Simons

Transfer to Redding!

So I got the package from the Rossettis. But I couldn't answer their call or text because we really aren't allowed to answer area code 801 numbers. So they just met me at the church and that was awesome! Thank you so much for the package!! I truly am going to get a belly. Luckily its almost time for my six month slim down!

Soo big news! I'm getting transferred. All the stinking way up to Redding!! Up there we cover a family ward and YSA branch. I'm really excited and also pretty nervous as well. I don't do too well with transfers and leaving areas. I just fall in love with wherever I serve and don't want to leave. I will miss the wonderful people down here. This place is amazing!

So hopefully I get that other package before i leave tomorrow!

So Redding is on the complete opposite side of the mission. It will be a long drive to get up there but that is where the Lord wants me so i will go!

Our investigator's baptism didn't happen. She hasn't yet been converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will happen with time and through keeping God's commandments. I hope I get to come down and go to her baptism. I can't wait. It will happen though i know it.

This week has been a week where we have had a lot of time to do some finding. We only found 1 new investigator but she is amazing. I can for sure see her getting baptized in a couple months. She is someone who truly feels the Holy Ghost and someone who will truly act on that. She is great!

I love this work! The Gospel is hopefully still true in Redding!! I will tell you next week!

P.S. I'm sorry to hear I'm still causing terror in the house mom! :) [editor's note: that "P.S." is in response to me telling him about being all alone in the house one night, and going downstairs to the basement to put something away. I turned the light on in the guest room, and just about jumped out of my skin when I saw the  full-size cardboard stand-up of Wilson. My heart is still not back to its normal rate yet]

New area: Roseville 9th Ward!

[Editor's Note: We have been out of town, so this is last week's letter, posted a week late!]

Hey mom!
This week has been crazy. I really like Roseville. But it is very different from Gridley. I miss Gridley a ton but what do you do?

My companion is Elder Shock.  My new apartment is really nice.  Its a lot better than the one in Gridley, but it was really, really messy when i got here so i got it all cleaned up nice and good looking. So we are back on the road.

My comp is from Cushing Oklahoma.  So thats crazy. I have only had one comp from Utah. How weird is that?  I know. Very weird. He has been out for 17 months. We get a long great. He makes me laugh because he is really sarcastic to everything in the world. Its a really interesting sense of humor.


Elder Simons & new companion, Elder Shock

Bill's baptism went great. That was such a much needed blessing for their home and also for me. I wish i could be there to help teach the new member lessons to him, but oh well.
Elder Leone is really such a great friend. We got so close serving 4 transfers together. He is now a ZL in Rocklin. So that is cool. I'm excited for him. We had some great times.

The Lord has called me to something that i wasn't ready for. Being a district leader. I have five other elders in my districts that are amazing missionaries. The best in the mission if you will and i have been called to be their leader. I feel under qualified. But i know as i give my 100% and my best the Lord will help me out tremendously. He already has for district meeting this week.

I love the Lord and the many blessings He pours down upon me. When i am having a hard time with life i just recall all the blessings and i am filled with joy.

The ward i'm serving in is the Roseville Ninth ward. Its a great ward.  Very young ward. We picked up an investigator this week and set a baptismal date with him the first lesson for Feb fourth. He came to church this week and loved it. I can't wait to see more of his progression in the gospel. i feel he is a "golden investigator" so that is really exciting. He knows he needs to quit smoking to become a Mormon so he bought all these patches and stuff so hopefully they work :)

Well have a great week wherever the heck you are! (you didnt really tell me!) Pray always!

Love Elder Simons