Dearest loved ones,
First off, it's not my area anymore, but guess whose getting
baptized... KARLA!!! I love her sooooooooooooo much :)
Anyway,
I hope you all had as good a week as I did! I really just love being a
missionary. This is The Lord's work. I am so grateful he has made me
apart of it. There is no joy like being an instrument in the hands of
The Lord as he works to bring about our 'immortality and eternal
life'. So I have had a week where so many things have happened that
have me reflect on how incredibly grateful to be a missionary. I love
these people so much. But really more than anything else I love my
Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. It's why I do all I do.
When we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the
service of our God and he blesses us immensely in return. I think if
nothing else, if I know nothing else for certain, I know that I love
my Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, and I will do all that they
require of me. I think that is the strongest part of my testimony. I
just really love them, and I know the love me, "For God so loved [me]
that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16).
I feel like the longer I am companions with Hermana Santos the more I
learn and grow. We have so many goals, and we have been breaking them
down by weeks to be more obedient, to be more consecrated, to have a
heart full of charity that motivates us to do all things, sacrifice
all things, in order to baptize God's children. We are working hard, I
love it. We laugh and enjoy it. We feel ourselves growing, and see our
prayers of faith being answered everywhere we turn. Right now we have
some amazing investigators. First is Maria and Leo. Maria has been
being taught for a really long time and is so ready she has such a
strong testimony. But she is living with Leo and they cant be married
until Leo gets an identification from Mexico which has taken a very
long time, because he is from Michoacán, Mexico-which is the most
dangerous part of Mexico right now because the drug lords are fighting
and have taken control of the government building. No big deal. But he
has just recently started to learn and take the lessons with Hermana
Santos and I. And he loves it. So last week we had a lesson with Maria
and we both felt really strongly to promise her that if they would
come to church this week (they haven't came for months) the moment
they walked in the door, The Lord would open the door for them to get
his papers so they can be married and baptized on October 26th. In
this lesson we taught about fasting (going without food for 2
consecutive meals) and invited her to exercise her faith and join with
us in fasting and prayer on Sunday for the blessings of The Lord. So
Hermana Santos and I fasted and it was the best experience I have ever
had fasting. I was just so happy the whole time. And most of you
should know, I like food.....I get grumpy when I don't eat. But I was
so happy. I felt such a desire to do everything I could for Leo and
Maria because I love so much. Seriously sooo much. So anyway, Sunday
morning we went over to their house and they were right in the middle
of something with her brother and they said they would come when he
left.....we just walked away both of us praying fervently in our
hearts basically for the next hour until church started and then after
church started too. I was just praying that they would come before we
partook of the sacrament. Anyway, I lead the music in our branch, so
we are singing the sacrament hymn and they still aren't there, and I
am up in front, when on the last verse they walk in. I was so filled
with joy and love, and knowledge that Heavenly Father loves me and
hears my prayers, and loves them, that I think I just stopped leading.
It was amazing! I can't describe the joy in my heart. Then on Sunday
night we taught them about eternal marriage and it was a really good
lessons. Not many of the members in our branch are sealed in the
temple but we really wanted a member at our lesson especially because
we needed one more member present to complete our goal, but the
members we asked cancelled. So half hour before the lessons when they
cancelled we called our ward mission leader who is married in the
temple and he said he would come! Miracles. And it was such a good
lesson. We felt so strongly that them demonstrating their faith and
coming to church was make or break, and they came! We know The Lord
will provide the rest, in his timing. It was wonderful.
We also had this sweet old man we are teaching named Erelio come to
church, which was also a miracle because the church he was going to
was giving him a lot of grief about listening to our message or coming
to our church, but he came! He is about 70 years old, and his wife
passed away about a year ago, so he is still just grieving so much.
But he was able to get a blessing at church and we weren't there for
it, but he came our crying (he does that a lot) and was so happy. He
wants to come every week! I love Erelio so much. He is from Cuba and
always tells us we are his adopted granddaughters. We visit him
everyday(even Monday during p day) and he always gives us this fruit
called Liche(I have no idea what it's called in English) but it's
super good. He also make us these smoothies made out of mamé
(pronounced maaameeeh, I have no idea how you spell it or what it is)
but it's really good.
Basically what I'm saying is that I know the church is true. I know
that when we are soul searching, when we need something more in our
life and we don't know what, when we are feeling alone, sad, without
purpose or direction, or we are just going through a struggle that we
all go through, this is where we find the answers, the peace, this is
where our hearts, and souls are filled. I know the we are children on
an infinite and loving and perfect God. I know that he knows each of
us individually and cares about our small this as well as our big
things. I know that when we pray he hears and he answers. I know he
answers my prayers, I see it all around me as I go throughout my day.
He wants us to be happy truly and deeply happy, thane so he provided
the way, and it is in this church. Through making covenants with Him
throb His authority. I know that we are beings of infinite worth. That
we have more potential then we know, and as we strive diligently to
keep the commandments, hold to our covenants, and be obedient, we grow
more and become more like Jesus Christ, and it sets us free. If you
are searching for something, search here, this is where you will find
it.
I can't put into words how I feel, but I love being a missionary so
much. It is truly a privilege. I hope my brothers who are reading this
know that there is nothing more important, nothing better, than
serving a mission during the time your should serve a mission. It is
the hardest thing I have ever done, but I have never loved doing
anything more. It pushes me, stretches me, and makes me do things I
really don't want to do, but it really isn't about me. This isn't for
me, I just benefit from it. It makes me so happy. It has taught me how
to love people unconditionally, and regardless of their weaknesses. It
has taught me how to be disciplined. It has strengthened my testimony
and relationship with Jesus Christ in more was than I could ever say.
It has deepened my gratitude and love for my family. It has helped me
see what is most important and have the right priorities. It has
showed me where I am weak, as well as where I am strong. It has taught
me to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, something I am trying to
improve everyday. I just love work. I'm not sure how I will be able to
come home in 9 months. Louis wrote me something the other day that
kind of explains how I feel, "I was driving past the MTC tonight and I
was looking at it and remembering. I thought about what it feels like
to walk in there and have them hand you a name tag with your name on
it. Then all of a sudden you put it on and you start one of the
craziest journeys of your life. Months pass as you slip into the
routine of being a on a mission. Then, one day you realize that
somewhere along the way you became a representative of Jesus Christ,
full of power and authority, willing to teach the truth to all who
will listen, and full of love for all of God's children. It's a really
happy moment and you silently offer a prayer of gratitude that He
loved you enough to take you there. I have been home from my mission
for just over 7 years I missed it today." Somewhere along the way I
became a representative of Jesus Christ, and all of the time I have to
offer a silent prayer that He loved me enough to bring me here. I
don't like to think about going home because I don't want to miss
being a missionary forever. But it is so good. I can't put it into
words, but I hope this email makes sense, and maybe you can understand
how I feel a little bit. Or can imagine it. I just really love being a
missionary. It's part of my blood, it become who I am. I think I will
be a missionary forever, even when the tragic day comes that I have to
take off this precious name tag.
Fight the good fight.
Con mucho Amor,
Hermana Simmons
P.S. Does anyone want to count how many times I used the word love in
this email 😉 haha
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