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

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

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.

Exchanges in Oroville (and more photos!)

Hey mom!!! This week has been another great one. Its weird to think its already p-day again!!! Time flies.
We have met alot of the members. People really like us i think. We get dinner usually six nights of seven. Its sweet. and yeah with the exercise i am getting i will lose some serious weight. its crazy!! although i try to eat as much as i can. Elder osejo notices i think. he thinks i eat alot [aka snack alot]. Its fun though! We have a ton of fun!
So we went on exchanges with our zone leaders on saturday and i went to Oroville and we had like ten lessons ready. So i was pretty nervous cause we are still working on getting people to teach besides the members. It was pretty new so i was kinda nervous! But i prayed really hard and i felt better. So we were driving all around Oroville (the lake up there was awesome).

Elder Galovich and Elder Simons in front of lake near Oroville

We got to talk to a bunch of people and teach lessons. but a couple stood out to me above the rest:
This lady named Betty who was about sixty and had about a second grade education. We were teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. We had to get little visual aids. We taught the lesson and i know she felt the spirit while talking about the beautiful Plan of Salvation. In a way i learned so much from that lesson. Because zone leader Galovich has been out twenty months and he knew it so well and he taught it on such an easy level. I can't explain what i learned, but i truly felt the spirit so strong and it testified that the plan of salvation and all its complexites is very simple. I love it and i may or may not be getting a bit teary now.
Second i guy named Wiley [not Willey but Wiley]. We were teaching him the first lesson and i felt the spirit very strong and even after the first lesson he said the Book of Mormon was more important than TV which made me happy. but something way cool is i saw this kid out of the window throwing the football to himself and i felt like he was....well i felt he was important.. so we finish up with Wiley and we start walking back to our car and i look at the kid from across the street and i pretend to put my hands up to catch the ball and he smiles and then i look away for ten seconds then look back and he throws the ball to me. and i made a pretty sweet catch if i say so myself. but then we go over to talk to him (and mind you Oroville is twenty minutes away from Gridley) so we talk to him about what we are about and he was like "yeah come talk to me". and we were like where do you live? he said "Biggs". which is right by Gridley and its in our area!!! so we got a potential investigator!!! it was so nice. i know that Heavenly Father prepared all of that. He is such a genius. It just goes to show that the Lord is preparing people for you specifically to teach.

Man i am happy. i know this church is true and i know that everything that i teach is true. i love the gospel and i love teaching it to people who have no idea about what i have known my entire life. its a blessing.
Dad is amazing. he has taught me so much and i have learned so so so soso much from him. So many skills that i have picked up from him i am using daily here! i hope he had a great Fathers Day!

The Elder Simons we all know and LOVE!

And dang sometimes i smile too! {Note from editor: I had written to him that thinking of him on a mission just makes me smile all the time} Cause its like wait...i am on a mission?? i am just a kid! But i love being out here! Really! I am glad i have a way supportive family though! You guys are all so awesome!! I love you to death everyone!

Be happy! and always be living your life as Christ would. because there is always someone watching.
I love you people!
Love Elder Simons!

Also one last quick thing!
so we were at dollar store picking up some paper and i have made a goal to talk to more people more often. So i decided to talk to this worker lady. i was so nervous. and Elder Osejo will admit that he had no faith in the situation! but i went up to her and talked to her about the gospel and we totally have a lesson with her planned on Wednesday! i was so happy i was jumping around like a wild man. it was the best! see ya later!!