Monday March 30th, 2015

wow sounds like a crazy fun week. Sounds like a super spiritual experience as well. Mission Presidents are usally super spiritual. But yeah i was wondering what that picture was, I couldnt figure it out. But I was even more puzzeled by the pizza box because I didnt recognize the brand. Until I zoomed in.....wow so much has changed. Time is flying and so much will change even more. So This week much didnt happen. We spent a lot of time working with less actives and the people who went to church last week. The only problem is that of the 9 who went last week....haha not a single one went yesterday. BUt it's all good the Lord has a plan and we have a couple FAMILIES that we are working with now :) but conference will be tough....the bus will be only sunday and we have to stay the whole day...........in Guarapari. So I'm praying that we can get investigators who will go or who at least are willing to go in their own car. But the Lord will provide a way.

So yeah this week was a super fun week, so after asking you to find out about the classes at byu I went to the site logged in and found out that I could already register.....on that day......and I still didnt know what I was going to major in....and that in reality I couldnt register even for electives because I didnt have an ecclisiatical endorsement......so.....talk about a panic attack. Like almost literally. It was a huge fear that came over me. So I went and did the endorsement online and tehy sent an email to president and I thought I had to wait, for a personal interview. but I had a huge tender mercy, the next day (tuesday) we had traveled to another city to eat lunch and we were sitting there waiting for the bus and these things were occupying my mind and guess who calls.....President. He recieved the email and interviewed me and it was all good. I just had to figure out what I was going to study and I talked to him a little about staying longer and about majors and stuff like that. It was a really good talk and, like I said if I stayed longer I would have to stay until the end of the transfer in august. But anyways I resolved all of the problems this week, with much prayer and fasting and today (hopefully) I will register for classes and in the next couple weeks maybe figure out where I'm going to live. Maybe, I hoping a lot.and Praying. But I also need to start saving a lot of money, as for the package dont send it. If you already did, oh well but if not just save it for when I get home. If i have to pay to get it, I dont have any brazilian money becuase I used all of my extra money this week...........but I should be getting it back shortly, hopefuly. But all is well and the Lord is helping in everything. We just have to be patient and wait for the right time and he will help. But I'm fine, all is well. I'm happy that you all are doing good and I think sister Regina put more pictures on facebook. I'm not sure....she took a lot yesterday.......actually just 2. I managed to save all of my pictures from my camera on a pendrive last week because my companion has a camera chord :) so maybe I wont loose them all. But I wont write a long letter this week but I'm fine. Working hard. Having fun and I'm becoming super tired. We are walking a lot.

Love You!

Elder Simonsen

ps I finished 1st Nephi today, I restarted the book of mormon and I'm still reading Jesus the Christ. everyonce in a while I pick it up and read a littel. I'm in chapter26 I think.

Monday March 23rd, 2015

Alrighty so I'll respond your email quickly and personally and then use the rest of the time on them. I used the other half hour writing president so i really don't have much time today. So The first thing on my mind is something you have already mentioned. Staying on the mission for more time. 

I'm not really leaving early, because of the transfers and the way they work I will serve the 17 transfers and be finished in july. It changed a little because we dont stay 9 weeks anymore in the mtc. So I've been thinking about it and it hit me really hard this morning because literally in this transfer or the beginning of the next i will have to register for classes and make some big decisions. So, one of my friends from my group is trying to extend his mission. Here are the details that I have gathered from him and a couple of other missionaries. The transfer that we all would go home is on the 14th of july. The next transfer isnt until the 25th of August. so I would get home on the 26th and school starts, the first day being the 31st.....the next monday. I would be home for maybe 2,3,4 days and then I would have to run to school and do everything there. if I choose to exit the Air Force, it has to be done on person before the first day of school the 31st of august. If I don't by that day and i try to leave they will charge me for my first year of school. If I leave before that day I leave free of any debt. But I have to appear in person (i believe) and you and dad cannot do anything for me. Not even call, they left it really clear that we are solely responsible for what we do and not our parents we are soldiers and have to respond for ourselves and not have our parents doing things for us......almost the exact words they said.........so there is that decision and then the decision of everything else, where I will live, how I will pay, what classes I will take, getting my stuff down there. I will miss dad's birthday and my birthday and i would be home for very little time. So these are the risks if I stay. IF i can even get permission to stay. because my visa only goes to the 14th of august.......right in the middle of the transfer........But I don't know yet and I won't know until april when we have interviews with President....so we'll see. But I'llhave to figure all of that out and completely forget it to work for the Lord while I'm here..............................................so we'll see. I'll do the Will of the Lord and whatever he says will be perfect. I know. So let's just wait and see for now I cant really do anything.

But It's all good and all is well. My companion is amaizing, he's from são paulo and his name is Elder Kauan. I love him a ton but he's had a super rough mission. Lots of tough companions, so we are going to have to have a lot of fun while we work. as for the pictures. I cant do anything. I would send more but I literally cant. the pictures don't even open on the computer anymore. I feel lucky that I can still see them on the camera. So I'll see if i can get a chord.

Also did you send me a package?  if you can respond that question quickly so that I can plan. but I'm glad that you had a good week. I love you ton and all is well.

love elder Simonsen

Brooklyn ~ March 16th, 2015

Brooklyn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND I HOPE MY LETTER GETS THERE SOON>LOVE YOU TONS AND MISS YOU MORE AND WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT....your old :P

BE CAREFUL AT PROM!!!!!!!!!!!! 

But seriously love you and miss you and i hope you had a great birthday.

Love your brother,

Elder Simonsen

Monday March 16th, 2015

Alrighty so this week was the last week of the transfer....so we had to work a ton....or walk a ton. We are super spread out in our area...........so we walk a ton.......so yeah we're going to try and fix that this week. so first thing... I cant send pictures and I don't have a camera....but dont worry I'll get it back tomorrow. I was at another baptism saturday night, an older lady who the sisters had been working with a ton and who I had talked a ton with every time I got a chance. We took pictures and I handed a member my camera because I was taking pictures with the sisters camera and then the baptism started and then, we left right after the baptism and yeah I forget to get it back. But if you could send the pictures of the baptism that you receive I would be so grateful. 

Alrighty so today is one of those days when the computer and the internet at the lan house dont work so we'll see if i can manage to send a letter to you today.....

So yes we completeed a family yesterday. We baptized a mom and two of her daughters. The father is already a member who was inactive and the other daughter is 7. They are a super special family and the Lord truely guided us to find them. They live a little far away from us and a good distance from the church. if you want to look on google maps they live in iriri closer to a city call Ipuima. the church is in Guarapari... But the baptism was super special. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have helped them become united. Now we have to help them get to the temple. 

Anyways this week was super fun and a tons of hard work. The district meeting was good. We learned about the questions of the soul and how the book of mormon responds these questions. We also learned about atributes of Christ and how we can develop them. I'm really focusing on reading the book of mormon. I havent started the 40 day challenge yest because I'm trying to finish the book of mormon still. I'm almost done with ether. I've been trying to finish it for a while now, so hopefully today i can finish it. 

I'm really trying again to become more like christ, to see in myself him. To become as close to him as I can. It's not easy and you have to have a ton of patience. But I'm working on it and on being more humble. But the book of mormon helps a ton. We can really learn the atributes of Christ reading and really pondering the character of the prophets and the other characters in the book of Mormon.  I'm super grateful to be in this area one more transfer and I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe....this might be my last area........or not who knows. I have two more transfers. technically 3 because it starts today. but time is flying by and the end is getting closer. I'm studying the christ-like attributes so that I can be a man like Christ. So that I can be a good husband and father, so that I can become the man that the Lord wants me to be. Like we have to prepare beforehand to be missionaries, we must prepare before hand for the next step. The things we learn here on the mission will take us through the rest of our lives. Habits are created and attitudes formed here on the mission. The important thing is to not lose focus. To remember that there is life after the mission and that this time here is only a little time of our life but is super important. there is so much symbolism in the mission and how it relates to the Plan of Salvation. Study conference, Study the scriptures, study the words of the Living Prophets and follow the counsel of local leaders. Study your patriarichal blessing, this week I studied mine. What the Lord asks me to do, what He says I should be, and the cautions He gave me. made things a little bit more clearer. I love you all and miss you all tons. Lose yourself in the work and you'll find yourself. 

Love,

Elder Simonsen

Baptism Pictures March 15, 2015

Monday March 9th, 2015 (Take 2)

Haha just teasing

SO yesterday we had lunch with a family that lives here in Guarapari. His dad is american and served a mission here in brazil and married a brazilian, studied at byu and then somewhere in NewYork and them Moved to São Paulo and a couple of other places here in Brazil. So we had dinner with them. He (the son) is completely brazilian and his wife is as well but because his dad was american and super well off they have a strong taste for american products and have visited florida a couple of times as well as a ton of places in Europe. So yes they had in their house 2 cans of rootbeer. And i got to drink one. We had what is called churrasco or brazilian barbque but for desert we had cake and brownies and pancakes, with.....yes real maple syrup :) I could just close my eyes and it was all american. Yesterday was super tough ;) And they gave a some maple syrup :) so i can throw away that syrup I made last week by hand that made me a little sick............I didnt have maple so I improvised with vanilla. But It was super amazing meal yesterday and so much fun. I really enjoy their family, they are tons of fun.

ANyways other than that we worked a ton, and then some more, and then worked even more. We get home every night and are super tired. After We make the calls at night I just went to bed. I'm just super tired. It might be because of doing this work for so long and the fact that we are walking and teaching so much and working so hard but its a tired that I havent felt ever. I'm also getting anxious but I know that i still have a ton of time. One of my friends in the mission called me on thursday because they had the leadership meeting so he was with our zone leaders and they let him use the phone. Anyways he WAS part of my group and would be leaving with me on the same day but he called to let me know that he extended his mission, or that he is trying to. So he wont be going home until the last week of august, and literally he will have one day at home before he has to run to byu and do all the stuff there......so i was a little sad that he wont be leaving with me butI know that he will do a ton of good work for one more transfer here in the mission.

We didnt have any baptisms this week, the one we had fell. Maybe this week. However we were introduced to a member who hadn't been to church since he was a teenager and met his wife and kids, who aren't members AND they went to church yesterday :) so yes we are going to work a ton with them. They are a super cool family and we have a really big love for them already. The only problem is that they live a bit far from us so we have been using a member to visit them. Without the member it takes forever to wait for th charter bus, go there, and then wait for the bus to come back. But we are really excited about them. We are trying to work even harder and be even better. But all is well here and we are having a ton of hard work to do and pushing through it all. 

I cant believe that brook will be 17! She is getting so old. I'm sendin her card today so maybe it will get there by sunday.........maybe. I sent emmy's card about 2 weeks back. And I'll try and send courtney's next week but I need her address.....Thanks for the pictures and sorry I cant send any. If I had never forgotten the camera chord when I left this would have been so much easier and cheaper. But oh well. 

Love you all and miss you tons,

Love

Elder Simonsen

ps. i got grandma simonsen's cards and a card from Grandma Staker

Monday March 9th, 2015 (Take 1 )

Dearest darlingliest family....I had rootbeer yesterday


that was my week. Love you!

Elder simonsen

Monday March 2nd, 2015

THANKS FOR THE PICTURES!!!!

Sorry I cant send any, both memory cards have viruses now and so they dont open on computers to send pictures...but they still work so....I'll just keep using them. If i had brought the camera chord i wouldnt have had any problems.........I'll just have to wait now. Only a little bit longer. Speaking of which don't send anymore packages after today because they probably will get here after I leave.....or the last couple weeks. So yeah its better to not even try. But We'll see how it goes. I'm glad the birthday letter I sent you like 6 months ago got there...............................

Anyways sounds like you all are having a ton of fun and the eagle projects sounded super fun. Courtney's pictures were a little scary but its all good and as for everyone using my clothes...its all good go for it. But i'm super happy you all are doing things and visiting super cool places and having a ton of fun. Enjoy the nature because its super beautiful and tons of fun.

Anyways this week we finally had a baptism. Since the first week we have been here we have been working with her so that she could be baptized and she was! Yesterday after church! But I didnt have my camera......so the bishops wife took pictures. But we had a ton of people at the baptism and it was super spiritual. She will be confirmed next week but she felt so good after her baptism. She said she was the happiest she had ever been. You could really see that when she was sitting there after her baptism while the 1st counselor was giving the welcome talk. She is 19 and the missionaries have been trying to teach her for a good while now. She is lais's friend and because of Lais she was baptized. So just imagine what you could do for your friends. What you have is a joy without measure and you can share it with your friends. All it takes it to listen to the spirit and invite them to hear the missionaries. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission and see the changes in the lives of Heavenly Fathers children. He has a plan for every single one of us and loves us so much. 

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Other than that the weeks been pretty good. I've been working a lot on being humble and just accepting when people treat me wrong or try to prove me wrong or anything else. If i need to I'll defend but if not I wont argue, it just turns away the spirit. Its not easy, especially when they are talking about your country, your points of view, or are saying your wrong. But its worth it to have the spirit with you. To be meek and humble of heart. The reward you recieve isnt of men but of God and as such is an eternal reward. This week I've studied john 17 a lot and how wer are in the world and not of the world and how we much become perfect in Christ and one with Him and the Father. How we literally have to walk watching ourselves in every aspect and how when we become one with them we have a power greater that we have ever felt and a love bigger than we can imagine. Study the scriptures, turn to the Lord completely and put Him in the first place in your heart. Seek to do His work and forget everything else. Do what He asks you to do.

I'm going to try and finish the book of mormon this week. I'm in 3rd nephi 14.......so I'll have to read a ton and then I'll try and read it in 40 days again..It should be fun. There really isnt too much to say about the week. We are working hard, the area is beautiful and super huge. But the Lord will help us. The sisters in our district are really great sisters and workling really hard and the members are amazing. I love you all and hope you all are well. Sorry that the letter isnt super long.

Love Elder Simonsen

Sister Regina Marques (the bishop's wife) sent me pictures today from yesterday's baptism.