yaaaaaaaaaaaaa christmassssssssssssss

Well the Christmas has come and gone with another great week of my mission. This week was really interesting because well we had to go back to the apartments early because of all the partying that goes on during the night.  We gathered up a bunch of fruit from the trees in the streets, limes and mangoes and we made smoothies until late into the night (or at least until we had to go to bed..... And I also bought a bunch of ice cream :) than other than that on Christmas we Skyped home which is always a good time and an emotional roller coaster... 

And then we also walked.............. a lot.

Christmas morning we walked my skype camera to the church for all the missionaries to use through the day and then headed out to a tiny neighborhood outside of our area, like a hour away from all civilization, to visit a less active and wow I have never been soooooo sweaty in my life.... Merry Christmas. No but really the feeling I had on Christmas was like none other. Serving the Lord felt soooo good and I wouldn’t have replaced it for anything. As for the work we are on a quest to find new investigators. They are out there... just like Martians.... but we just got to look hard and find them, and pray  a lot. This week is transfers and I have a funny feeling I’m going to leave this area.   We will see and that means that the trio is breaking up.... hahaha I learned lots from the trio.  Mostly how to share and patience.  I’m only a little way into my mission and the amount of things I have learned is more than I ever thought. 

 Love you. Read your scriptures. Count your blessings......

Elder Simmons

Christmas

Well here we are the week before Christmas. I don’t feel like it’s Christmas at all...... But hey I get to talk to my family this week sooooo woot woot. Anyways this week has been really interesting. I’m in a trio of missionaries. One missionary finished his mission a little early so Elder Vergara needed a companion for 2 weeks so here we are rocking the trio like candy. My other companion is Elder Vergara he is super chill and he has been helping me tons with my Spanish..... Because well he speaks it perfectly.  He’s from Spain so that’s cool. 

And a side note I was thinking that maybe some of you think that imp super super fat and it’s not true I’m just....... well filled in the empty spaces with cookies and stuff :) Anyways this week was really interesting because we have 2 areas.   We work 2 days in one Area and then switch. I am loving it!  It’s like a party all the time, never a dull moment. 

The work is good. We have been looking lots lately and trying to find new people to teach. And I have got to know a lot of new people from the other area too. Its interesting to see all of them in their quest for the salvation. We also had a Christmas choir yesterday and ya I sang. You have a problem with that??? and a drunk guy showed up and would yell after every song 'Amen' and ' How beautiful your voice' it was sad but also kind of funny. It really kept things lively. Other than that it’s been the usual. And I absolutely love it. Transfers are next week and that will really be interesting because I have quite a bit of time here in Clorinda sooooo we will see what happens.

Well it’s Christmas and that means lots of things. But if I could give a suggestion it would be hug someone you love. And also be thankful for Jesus Christ. With these two things will go a long way.  I’m going to hug my companions and Pray hard this Christmas.  Merry Christmas!!

ELDER SIMMONS

P.S.  This is a picture of a paper temple my old district leader gave to me

Dreaming of a White Christmas—

Wow this week was a dream. Also very very very hot but wow a dream :)

It was also the fastest week of my life. We had a baptism of the two

coolest kids in the world.

 Except for my brothers and sister they might be a little cooler. Elian and Luciana. I had the opportunity to baptize them.

Luciana bought a lil skirt for here baptism and Elian found a white shirt and tie to wear :´)

Everything went perfect. And the Branch was very helpful so what more can you ask for.  Yesterday they received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and became official members of the church... And wow I think I have been smiling for the last two days straight. The two kids are more converted to the church than me. They both want to be missionaries too.

On top of the baptism this week was also really good.

We worked our bum bums off. Actually that’s a lie, I’m gaining weight...... Well I’m gaining an extra layer of Spiritual protection I like to say :) Satan can’t get through my Testimony and a nice layer of cushion ;) I’m also getting a little more chest hair. Anyways that’s way of tract sorry.

I just love to work every single day gets better. This next week we are going to search like no ones else’s business to find more people that are ready to hear the gospel because I know they are out there.

This Christmas season we have to great opportunity to think about what Jesus did for us. And we can also reflect one what we did for Jesus this year.

And then the great thing is after Christmas we have New

Years and we have the great opportunity to set new goals and do better :) I’m pumped for this Christmas I think it will be the best on yet ............ read your scriptures because it’s good for you!

Love you all

Elder Simmons

The weekend of my mission

That might be bad to say that this last week was the like a weekend
off, but it kind of was. I went to a city named Cordoba. It’s huge. It’s like 6 times bigger than Salt Lake. It really was a blessing to get to go and see a little more of Argentina. Cordoba was sooooooooo pretty.  It looked like the United States. I couldn’t believe I was in Argentina except for the fact everyone spoke

Spanish. It was 15 hours in a bus overnight,  the next night we stayed in a hotel in downtown. Then 15 hours back the next day :) 

The reason I went is because well I’m an American and I’m in the middle of Argentina and I don’t have legal documents. So I went to jail in Cordoba..... no I’m kidding I went to do some legal documents. 

BUUTTTT what happened is that I went
and got my finger prints when I first got here in the mission and then I went to Cordoba to do a little more paper work..... But my finger prints expired.... sooo I kind of went for no reason.... But hey I got to see the Cordoba temple :) super pretty. 

It’s not quite finished but I heard that they are going to dedicate it in May. I say that this week was like a weekend because well all I did is napped..... in the bus.... in the hotel... because we weren't allowed to leave. But it was super fun.

I am a full time missionary soo I did do a little something ;)
this week actually was really good for the amount of time we had in
the area. We found some super prepared people and we are working really hard with a few people that are super close to getting baptized. Oh and its suuuuuuuuuuuupppppppppppeeeeeeeerrrrrr hot.....
:)

 (Christmas decorations from the family)

I’m loving my mission more and more every day. You know the trip to Cordoba was fun and all.... but there is nothing like going to bed after a looong day in the sun knowing that you did everything you could today to help people recognize the importance of Jesus Christ in their lives. And the nice thing is the more I help people realize that.... the more I realize it too. I’m just doing everything I can. Sometimes we don’t always see the success but God does. It’s
really weird I feel like I saw you guys like last week. Sure we are
thousands of miles away but I really do feel like you guys are just right next to me always :) Thank you for being the best.
 There is no way that this church isn’t true. Thanks for everything and love you guys. 

<3 Elder Simmons

12-1-2014

Hello friend’s family and people that care about me. First off thanks for the prayers they really do help... a lot. This week was bomb. We probably clapped more houses this week than ever before in my entire life. And boy o boy did we find a lot of people. One thing I learned this week is that the Lord will always lead us to prepared people... Some more prepared than others.  It’s our job to prepare them even more. We then invite them to act on their agency. This week we found some crazy evangelicos, the people are wack from that church. Yesterday a girl started yelling scriptures at us and then told us she has power to raise the dead........ No,  and then after she was like thanks for the spiritual experience.... It’s funny what some churches think is the spirit, because they don’t preach doctrine they dont have the spirit and because they don’t have the spirit they use scare tactics and yelling to substitute it... LOL NO. But then we also found a few super prepared people this week too.

Here are a few things interesting from this week. Thursday I forgot my name tag in the apartment and didn't realize until we were literally in a pueblito outside of Clorinda aka like an hour and a half away. I got a piece of cloth and wrote my name on it and well it seemed legit. No one asked me about it haha. O and Elder Skouson and I are having a great time out here in the mission field because we both have the same amount of time in the mission so understanding people perfectly is like a puzzle only in black and white. We are learning in suuuupppper fast.

Its sooo weird to see Christmas trees here because it feels nothing like Christmas. hahah and Thanksgiving looked like a bowl of gumbo.... a little bit of everything.  I ate one of the stuffing that you sent me the night of Thanksgiving and called it good. Then I thanked Heavenly Father for you guys in my prayer :) I’m not gonna lie it doesn’t feel like the holidays. It feels like it is still summer. I don’t know if that’s because the mission is soooo fast or because its sùupppperr hot... but one of the two. 

The baptism fell through because the kids couldn't come to church :( soooo next week. Yesterday was the first Sunday in like a month we didn't have people in church. But it’s their salvation and agency.

 Looky here peeps. I really do know this church is true and I’m so thankful for it. I really don’t know where I would be without it. First off I wouldn't be in Clorinda.  I’m grateful for my family and for everyone really. I’m just a big ball of gratefulness right now :)  Love and Peace and food.

<3 E Simmons

p.s. I get to go to Cordaba a city outside my mission that i heard is super pretty to do legal paper this week so I’m pretty pumped....

Multi Zone Conference

This group picture was posted on President Franco's Instagram