Monday December 30th, 2013

Okay, so this letter definitely won't be long and honestly wont have much in it today. But this week has been good. Christmas was AWESOME. Talked to my family, cried like crazy. Miss them so much and love them all. After we went to a member's house and I got a present. She gave me a tie, cuff links and a hankerchief. Sweet stuff. If I can I'll get a picture eventually. I really wish we could wear cuff links they would be so sweet. I'd wear those awesome super man ones I have now but It's nice because I can save them and they won't get ruined.

Other then that we have been working a ton. Trying to teach the restoration to every one, we had a zone conference that was really good. The assistant's were there and taught all the district leaders and it was super spirit filled. I didn't get any letters at the conference, so I will get a ton in january when we have transfers in 4 weeks. Maybe if I'm lucky before then. But thank you so much for all the letters and emails. I really appreciate them. I realy appreciate the long email with tons of detail. It really lifts me up. Alright don't have any more time. got to go.Love you all.

Elder Simonsen.

Don't worry I'm fine :)

Brexton sent me several pictures, I'll be posting them this weekend. Thank you for all your letters you have sent him. He needs lots of letters, please and mailing them is the best for him. Here is his address 
Elder Brexton Robert Simonsen Brazil Vitoria Mission Avenida Joao Baptista Parra, 633 Salas 1501/1502 Edf. Enseada Office, Praia do Sua 29052-123 Vitoria - ES BRAZIL
Thanks for all your love and support
Becki

Monday December 16, 2013

Okay so today we are a bit later because today is the last p-day for my companion and we have been running around trying to do a bunch of different things but we finally made it to a computer! 

Yes that is exactly what I tell the people that ask why we are here and we say it so much. But it's always a good reminder. I was thinking about that the other day and it is something super important and you can tell apart the missionaries because of that.

 SO transfers are tomorrow! I'll find out tomorrow who my new comapnion is. Elder Petersen left today (I'll still get to see him tomorrow before I leave) but today I'm with the zone leaders again. Good news is I will stay in our area :) The other news is that pretty much everyone else in our zone is leaving. The other american in our house is staying :) and the brazilian of serra sede is staying as well. BUt everyone else is leaving. So things are going to be so different. Oh and as for the christmas talk. We are going to skype and the only thing I need from you is my old skype password and username. I think I know what it is but I don't remember...worst comes to worst make a new one for me and have me added on your skype account. 

fasting is super cool and super powerful, it's just sometimes difficult but is super powerful. And always get blessings! Don't have fear of them. They are so important and powerful. It's still really cool to give blessings in portuguese. We gave another blessing this week and it's still just cool. Portuguese is going good. My accent is still hard sometimes for other people but I'm improving. Understanding is improving too but when I say improving I can understand places I normally couldnt. Like on the bus and on the phones we use and things similar. It's nice.

The 87 year old man. It's not in my hands. Mission president ruled but. If this man shows a desire to change he can but he has problems other then just killing people and he is kinda of crazy. Like literally. 

So this week because it was my companions last week we visited a lot of members...we still worked but it's at a lot slower pace. Saturday I had the opportunity to go with him to a place in Vitória to buy things for his family. Originally I wasn't supposed to go but because the other missionary didn't show up he called our Mission President and he gave me authorization. Soooo I bought some stuff for you all. In reality I bought a thing for dad, for you, and for talon. Only because they took credit card. (I had no cash on me, it was a last minute thing so I wasn't prepared) BUT you will love what I bought. You just have to wait to get it. Only 20 more months! :p speaking of which when you send me more pictures (packages) can you send me a good picture that stands long ways and not fat. Any picture that you want of family but I would like a more recent one ( one from around the time I left is still recent too) I would be sincerely grateful. 

Thats cool about Brook scoring goals. How does she celebrate them? She does something right? But seriously thats cool she is doing well in soccer. I want to play so bad here but missionaries aren't allowed to. Too many injuries. I miss talon too but I'm doing what's right here in brazil. I miss everyone but yeah, I miss talon a ton. Oh talking about the week again we had the chance to visit our baptisms in the old area yesterday (president authorized) and it was really cool. One has completely changed. His name is jefferson and he is amazing. He is 20 or 21 years old, and he is amazing. We knew when we found him he was different. He wants to serve a mission and he is so strong in the church. The whole ward there loves him and he is just an amazin young man. His mom was the reason we found him and she is finally getting married!!!!!! In february but now she can be baptized too! That has to be the biggest obstacle for some people here. A majority of people here don't marry legally on paper with the government and so they can't be baptized.

Anyways, everything is going good and all is well. I love you all and miss you all so much and can't wait to talk to you on christmas!!!!

Elder Simonsen

Monday December 9, 2013

So this week has been a pretty good week. But one of the things that stuck out most this week is just how many things i'm grateful for. So many huge blessings in my life and I am only just beginning. It's truly incredible when you count your blessings. So the first thing is I love my family they are awesome and I miss them so much. It's nice being here but you difinitely feel that they aren't here.So I'll work backwards this week.

Last night we had an FHE (Family Home Evening)  with that family we always visit. All the kids are members but the parents aren't married so they can't be baptized. The mom wants to and has a huge testimony but the dad isn't there yet. Anyways this family is awesome and they are like our little family here. But so me and my companion walk in super late in the pretty much end of FHE and right there we are asked to bear testimony. We don't even know what about...so they tell us it's about families and I'm just thinking in my head from what we just came from they want us to bear testmony...okay I'll do it. So I bear testimony about eternal families then my companion. Then the dad bears testimony about how important familias are (no one expected that) and then we had HOT DOGS! It was really good but it was also a super cool experience.

So before that me and my companion had gone to church with an investigator and it was a christian congregation of brazil...So different and it was nice but I like our church so much better and we sing so much better. I thought i was going to go deaf in this little church. There were ladies that literally screamed the hymns. I'm not joking. Screamed the hymns. It was a completely different experience from our church. All the ladies wear viels. Completely diffrent and i had a huge headache when we left, my companion did as well. The book of mormon makes all the difference. the restoration is what seperates us from all other religions and churches. Those key factors sacerdócio, profetas, O Livro de Mórmon, revelação. So important. (portuguese for brook :p )

Okay so the zone leaders and my companion got me really good this week. I found out monday night as we were leaving the house that I was going to do a split with the zone leaders and I was going to spend the night. So of course I wasn't happy because I had already spent 3 days last week there and was just getting used to the area so I said one phrase "I like to stay in my area, I don't particularly enjoy leaving our area." So they decided to pull a joke. I thought I was coming home in like one day, so I literally brought pretty much nothing. So tuesday morning they tell me that I'm going to stay until friday. Then halfway it changes to saturday because my companion was going to baptize someone from our old area. So I'm thinking I have one pair of garments that I'm wearing and literally the pants and shirt I'm wearing and pants and shorts to sleep in....I at that point was like okay what ever i'll stay but I wasnt super pleased with every one because no one told me any thing at all. I didn't do anything but I just wasnt super thilled. Still taught amazing with the Leader of the zone. But tuesday night he's feeling bad because I don't have anything at there house so he tells me it's all a joke. I thought it was pretty good but the funny thing is the other zone leader then got the impression that he needed to stay in my area for one more day. So I spent monday to thursday mid-day in the same clothes. Fun experience but we had such a great time teaching. We found this one kid who is amazing and it all happened because of a simple whisper from the spirit. Talking to one lady and she cleary didn't want anything to do with us. the church of the acts of the apostles. So I ask do you know anyone that would benifit from our message. BAM because of this we find this one diamond in the dust. Super cool.

Anyways that was super long. As for letters, generally we get them every six weeks we have just been super lucky this transfer. I got char's letter and grandma stakers and all of grandma simonsens. valentines day. Just candy.

Okay Love you all!

Elder Simonsen

Dec 2, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Soooooooo......got your package this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I love how long your letter is.It's killing me that I can't print them. I want to so bad but It's so expensive and actually I have literally zero money right now....I'll go get some today but I used all of my mission money this last week on food...I've been eating like crazy this last week. Like ginormous meals. (Don't know how to spell that.) Okay so first of all. We had a zone conference last tuesday. Was great, learned a ton and finally got recognized that I actually know whats going on ;) We had a new elder there from the states that served for a couple months and President moved him to the front right in the middle of the conference so he could hear more and probably understand. Then he went around asking all the new missionaries that arrived the last 2 transfers, haha I didn't have to move :) Anyways, I recieved a ton of stuff that transfer. I got your package , grandma stakers letter, all of grandma simonsens letters. So happy :) Especially for the pictures in your package. And for the hymn book. BROOKLYN!!!!!!!!!! That was amazing!! I love the sticky notes. That made my day. Thank you so much for it :) Okay so after the conference we had divisions with the zone leaders, so I spent 2 days in another area.

We finally had the opportunity to do service! So after lunch the second day (wednesday ) We (all six missionaries there) moved these bricks they use to build houses from the first floor to the second...took forever and they were heavy and really dirty. So after we finished we were covered in this orange dust and stuff. I brushed all of mine off after while but a bunch of peoples clothes got stained but mine all turned out good. I think my pants mght have a little orange...but they look way better then everyone elses. SO after that we went (Elder Conde and I) to one of their investigators houses and this lady was trying to remove these giant wooden poles out of the concrete with what looked like a chain link fence pole that the tip is like an oar paddle...and trying to use it as a shovel as well. So elder conde runs over there and takes over (it's raining) and after about 5 minutes, I start helping because he cant seem to do it either. So we were literally breaking the concrete with this pole (metal) trying to get these giant wooden poles out of the ground. We got the first one out in like 20mins and she had one left so we though well we'll get it out quick and then teach her.....one hour after we finally get it out. We are covered in dirt because we were using our hands to dig parts of the dirt out and the concrete and it was raining. But we finally did it and it was a huge help for this lady but it was an amazing experience. She made us food afterwards and we taught her a lesson. She is supposed toget baptized this week I think but she has to stop smoking.

So that's just one ofthe super cool experiences I had there with Elder Conde. But I Spent so much time trying to describe that...took forever to write. But the rest of the week has been really good too. Our area is doing good and we are teaching tons of really good people. Our ward is amazing!! I love our ward so much. I'm actually scared of transfers in 2 weeks because I don't want to get transfered. I'd rather stay here. I've learned so much this last week. Alot of it has been personal growth. Conviction and other things. Reading conference is so great and so insightful. I'm in helaman 6 now in the book of mormon and my goal was to finish alma this transfer...so I'm doing pretty good. One of the big focuses in our work this last week or that i noticed was the Book Of Mormon. How important and crucial it is. Alot of our lessons this last week were about it. Everything that our church is, the work, and honestly who I am rests on that.The Book of Mormon. 

All the things are based of it. It's either true or its not. Black or white. But if it is true, then Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, he restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ and reestablished the church of Christ on the earth, and then that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It truly is amazing and really amazing that I could say all that in english...actually was kinda hard. But of it I testify in the sacred and Holy name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.

Elder Simonsen