Thursday, March 17, 2016

Rockford Diaries Week 18: Stay Classy Rockford - January 5th, 2015

Hello,

Well as you might have assumed, I am being transferred, and my
posterity is growing. I am going to keeping training. Woo! :) I am
moving to Beloit which is in the same stake I am already serving in,
and the same zone. It's the area right above us. So I'm not going very
far. It like so close, yet so far. I will finish up the last six weeks
of training for a new missionary named Hermana Neff. They apparently
have a nice apartment, but no wifi.....so we'll have to see what we
can do about that. It's an English ward. So that'll we fun, oh and
it's in Wisconsin. Yep, I am serving in two states.

It has been pretty hard to say goodbye to everyone and I still have
some really hard ones tonight. I didn't know how much I loved
everyone. I really do love Rockford. It has been a struggle at times,
and I wouldn't say I want to be here much longer, but I do love this
place.

Well for a little update on Johanna. She's amazing. This week we had a
lesson with her where we asked her if she had received any answers to
her prayers to know if the church is true and she said, she prayed and
she got this feeling she couldn't explain, and she just knew that this
church is true, and she said, "I want to be a member my whole life".
It was basically the best. Her and her two sons who are getting
baptized came to church yesterday! :) we are going to try and help
them be baptized January 24th. I am super bummed I won't be here to
see the rest of her progress, but I will be close enough to come back
when she gets baptized! :) when she found I was leaving she was really
sad. She cried, and she said, "I've just grown so close to you, you're
the one.....you're the one that has been my guide, and never given up
on me". It was a pretty tender mercy. I love her so much. I am going
to miss them a lot. That's what I mean about so close, yet so far.
Please pray for Johanna and her family, they have a lot to overcome
still, but they're amazing.

This week we also had new missionary training and Hermana Hunsaker and
I sang in it. Just her and I. A Capella. We sang 'Joseph Smiths First
Vision' to the tune of Come thou fount. It was pretty nerve wracking.
But it was awesome. People cried, we almost cried. Then President Fenn
stood up and said we sung outstanding, and that it was his favorite
rendition of the song 'come thou fount'. He told us he was even more
impressed because we sang a Capella. Then he told us it was
outstanding again. And then later when he was shaking our hands at the
end he told us our voices were really beautiful. It was basically the
best moment of my mission. Haha I love President Fenn.

I love being a missionary. I can't believe I am starting my 3rd to
last transfer tomorrow. It doesn't seem real. I can't believe next
week I will only have 4 months left in this wonderful, yet terrible
cold place. When I say cold, I mean the bitter cold has finally come.
I'll send some pictures so you can see.  I am going to miss Hermana
Hunsaker a lot. I love her. But she will be right down the hall from
me every Wednesday at district meeting. Since I'm just changing
districts.

Sometimes I don't understand why thing happen the way they do.
Sometimes it hits me over the head to. But I know that Heavenly Father
is in charge and I trust Him. I know He is patient with me when I need
to take a minute to express my natural man feelings, before I align my
will with His. But I have always been blessed exceedingly when I
follow the will of God, when I strive to serve Him and do what He
wants done. I don't know what Beloit has in store, this is one of
those times I have had to align my will with His, but it will be good.
I am excited to keep training, there isn't that many opportunities to
do that much lately with less and less Hermanas coming in.

Well I love you all. I have a mountain of things to pack. Fight the
good fight, and fighter harder this new year. Be well! :)

Love,
Hermana Simmons

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