In the eternities...

Hey Mom and Dad!

It was a wonderful week. I went on exchanges with Elder Mansell and Elder Christensen. Both are really great elders. Elder Mansell is a hard worker and his investigators and the other people he is teaching just love him. He truly is a great example of how to be a great missionary and have people love you. Elder Christensen is just as amazing. He is so knowledgable in the gospel. It impresses me with some of the stuff that he says. He is a very capable servant of the Lord. He is going home though. Which has been hard for me! He gave his departing testimony at zone conference (all the missionaries bear their testimonies the last zone conference before they leave) yesterday and I just was crying the whole time through. I feel like I haven't learned more from any another missionary than him while I have been out here. Well maybe Elder Buhler. But Elder Christensen is such a man. I keep telling him I'm not going to let him go home. He wishes he doesn't have to go home either but its his time and his family needs him before they leave to South Korea. We had a long conversation at the end of our exchange about our friendship and we have seen each other grow so much in the past year. And how we hope to hang out after our missions. Man i love that kid. I will miss him so much.

On a happier note, we had zone conference yesterday and i got to see some missionary buddies that i haven't seen in a while, namely Elder Leone and Elder Amataga. Man i love this mission thing and the friends that i have made. I love that i get to serve the Lord and have fun while I'm doing it. I think for my whole youth i figured a mission is just going to be boring and that i wouldn't enjoy it. But I could not have been more wrong. I love it! And I never have a boring moment! My president said something yesterday that has really impressed me, and the Spirit and this thought have been working on me since..it goes along the lines of this..."I'm confident that we know in many instances why we were called to the Roseville Mission, either by the people we meet and teach or the companions you have and learn from, you will know just from seeing that God has reasoning behind this call, but I can promise you there are many other unseen reasons why you are here right now, but they will be revealed to you in the eternities"...How awesome is that? That gives me the desire to want to be out and doing things like tracting where I don't know what the outcome is, and to my natural eye it seems like i just got another slammed door in my face, but in all reality the quick little response we say to a person when they open the door could prick their hearts and affect them in a time down the road. We just need to have faith that one day things will work out for the good of all people. Right now for instance if i didn't understand a certain rule or commandment but if i obey, i know with surety that i will be blessed for it, and that in the future when i die everything will be made known unto me. That promise is wonderful to me.

Elder Rasmussen and I are gelling nicely. Since we have been together so long we are pretty good teachers together. Its sweet. We get along great. We have SOSOSOSO much fun. We always have something to laugh about each day. The ward seems to love us as well. We get the line "you are our favorite missionaries" like once a week. Its crazy but I love it so much, its just a confidence booster. We are doing the mutual thing tonight. And I'm stressing a little bit. Because we are on exchanges right now with the ZL's, and me and Ras aren't 100% prepared. But we will have some time tonight to get prepared. I hope the kids like it. I'm sure they will. We are hoping to to help them realize that yes we are missionaries but we went to high school and we went through stuff as well. We hope to help them out alot.

There is a scripture that i can't find right now that I love! But hopefully i will find it soon, but its a prophet and he testifies that he will be in the rest of his Lord with his converts. I wish i could find it. But that excites me! I want to be in the presence of Savior with my family and my converts. All the people i have taught on my mission. And also the less-actives i have helped come back into the fold of God. I want to rest with them in heaven. I can't imagine my happiness level if and when that happens. I cant wait!

We had a lesson with a less-active single mom last night. And the spirit was so present during the lesson! She felt it, we felt it. She will be in the temple in five months. I can promise you that. I want to be there when she goes to get her endownment out. That would be such a great moment. She has so much potential and she has a huge desire to come back to church. I love that. When people have a desire to learn and get blessings, its easier for us to work with them and easier for the Spirit to testify of the truthfulness of the message. I love this work. This is the Lord's work.

I better go! I'm praying for everyone at home a lot!

Elder Simons