Monday June 16, 2014

MOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOM

SO yeah I'm super early today I know, so we are going to the mall today and we have to be out of there by like noon so we had to come early today. Should me fun, President authorized it so we'll see how it goes, but anyways this week was pretty good. HAd a date, that fell the day before but we are still trying with her. She just has a couple of difficulties but she is willing to try. She just is really scared, so we are working with the members a ton. The difficulty we have is that she works at home, and never leaves her home, basically ever. SO that is what we are trying to help her do, feel more comfortable with the members. Other than that the work is still going. Rained all day one day and it was the day we helped a sister move. Yeah it was really fun, I have no idea how they got the couch in her house, we maneged to get it out of her old but not to get it in her new house. The doors are really small here and the stairways to houses are really crooked and slippery, and the the house itself is really small. But it was a super fun experience, I had a white shirt, it's still mosty white now. But we at least picked up the address of the moving truck guy and he said he'll go to church one day. 

So this week was the world cup and it really wasn't that bad. We had to stay home all day but the streets, houses, cars, and people were all painted and decorated. You could hear the whole neighborhood explode when brazil had a goal. It was interesting. That day I slept after lunch until the game started and then after that there was no way to sleep anymore. BUt i'll send you some pictures. it is super pretty. We had a zone conference last week with 3 zones. Yeah I got 12 letters :0 I got brooks and kiaras and grandma Stakers and like a ton from grandma SImonsen. The secretaries are always saying that I get the most letters :) Thank you so much for them I really appreicate them. But yeah we didn't do anything that day. Spent the whole day there, playing basket ball with the Americans and the playing a game called signs. Took a picture with president. ALl that good stuff. Eating cake, getting fat. 

Speaking of which our ward here loves the missionaries so much, that yesterday we had 2 lunches......2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So yesterday we went to lunch at one sisters house and while we were their I had the relief society president call me saying that another sister made lunch for us why weren't we there and then we all realized that the other sister had just mixed up the days. SO they asked me to go there and like schedule dinner or something at here house....So I knew 1 we would not have time to come back for dinner and 2 I should play it safe and take the other missionaries with me. SO I did and we got there and the sister was so happy and started putting food on the table and yeah so we ended up eating there too. We ate from 12:30 to 5 yesterday........It was so hard, and hurt so much but we couldn't tell that elderly sister no so we buckled up and ate, and drank so that she wouldnt feel bad...I don't think I've ever aten that much in my life. I ate at least 5 full plates yesterday both sisters also had desert and they bought soda. Neither of them drink soda so we had to...therefore yesterday I died. BUt that was the fun experiences for this week. I love you all and just remember sometimes, even though you all love the missionaries remember that if they say they aren't hunger, chances are it's because they've eaten already :p

Love elder simonsen

a second letter 

fathers day sounds like it was super fun, I can't imagine seeing talon doing his dance. YEah the tv looks pretty sweet but idk what yall are going to do with it. Sounds tough about Mr. rule, only thing that I can think of would be that he needs to read the book of mormon and the sisters can't visit him only once a week. If they do the rest of the week he will forget and wont read or do the commitment. I don't know about quest but what I'll do is I'll write them letters. I'll mail them off  tomorrow and just give them to them when they get back from quest if they get there in time. SHould be fun going to utah. I need to write grandma Butcher a letter. I've been meaning to for a while. Take pictures! oh and if you could send me a picture of me ad talon at the zoo in front of the turtle I would be so happy. Just in email would be perfect. Take pictures when yall go to idaho. I don't know nothing about there. but should be lots of fun

also if you could look into fasfa for me that would be sweet. Like when we have to do fasfa for next year when I get back and when byu wants us to do the scholarships and stuff. I would appreciate it.

Sister gave a talk about going home and so Ive been thinking bout it on the days of the brazil games, what is it that I will do , am I following Gods pla for me. Is my will His? AM I following what He's told me. So that was just somethng that I've been thinking about nd what not. BUt just so you know I've bee trying for a while now to have a prayer guided by the spirit and finally this week had one. It's so hard because I've changed so much since I became a zone leader. and I'm workig a ton on my pride.and charity and stuff. Its not easy. But I'm progressing. I love you and have to go. 

Love elder Simonsen

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Monday June 9, 2014

So i'm still waiting for a letter but while I'm waiting. Alright got the letter :p wow 100 to send the box...........sorry, I didn't realize it would cost so much. So I would be perfectly fine if that was the last box you send me. That sounds like a ton of fun and the world cup shoud be pretty sweet saturday. So the brazilian game is thursday and we have to spend the entire day at home. We cannot leave. ALL the brazil games we have to stay home. SO should be fun, but I picked up a book that has all the games whose playing an where and a history of eveysingle world cup. Yeah it was free. i'll take pictures of the streets this week and send you all pictures. they are crazy, banners in the streets, painted streets. Its so pretty. Its kinda like christmas.

 Anyways we are all good here, add that member on my facebook and add a woman named tati. I keep forgetting to tell you to add her when I was in linhares. So por favor. JUst don't add the whole world.....THis week we had stake conference and Elder Ballard and Elder Scott spoke via de broadcast from salt lake to about almost all the stakes in brazil. It was a really cool experience and elder scott's portuguese, was really hard to understand in the beginning because he speaks with a spanish accent but his talk was about prayer. The ELder Ballard talked and he was very straight forward....basically be smart about how and when you use your smartphone and value your time with your family. Be where you are phyiscally. AND DONT use the phone during sacrament. It was a very good and plain talk. THe night before we had the opportunty to go to the adult session of conference and listened to a man President Castro talk (2nd counsler stake) who is leaving in a couple weeks to be a mission president in Manus.....WOW he talked about temples and the whole time you were just amazed. It was such an amazing talk. Super cool.

Anyways we had an investgator that 180ed this week. I went there with a member and our recent convert 10 year old Melissa) and tried to teach her...was one of the most difficult lessons I've had yet. Do you feel good? No. Do you feel good when we visit? No. bunch of questions to which she replied no and then do you believe God loves you. No. Yeah so We taught here that her heart is closed and that unless she opens it the spirit cant do anything she wont feel anything. She has to pray. And we left...the Next day 180!!!!! She was happy she prayed the Lord answered her prayer and she was feeling the SPirit. Miralces happen and we must always give thanks to God for them. ALways trust the Lord because He loves us and is our father.

Anyway this week I've  decided that i'm going to study magnifying your calling and the inlfuence of the spirit. I read a talk by PResident Eyrig tittled serving with the SPirit. SO that's were I'm starting. I'll write more next week but it also has to do with jacob 1:19 and ALma 17:3 teaching with the power and authority of our calling. There is a story that I like that was important for me. If you would like share it with the sisters. (the whole talk :p )

Bishops have that feeling come to them during the night and each time they sit on the stand looking at the members of their ward or thinking of those who are not there. It can happen to them when they find themselves near a hospital or a care center. More than once I have heard the words when I walked in the door of a hospital: “I knew you would come.”

We need not worry about knowing the right thing to say or do when we get there. The love of God and the Holy Spirit may be enough. When I was a young man I feared that I would not know what to do or to say to people in great need.

Once I was at the hospital bedside of my father as he seemed near death. I heard a commotion among the nurses in the hallway. Suddenly, President Spencer W. Kimball walked into the room and sat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from me. I thought to myself, “Now here is my chance to watch and listen to a master at going to those in pain and suffering.”

President Kimball said a few words of greeting, asked my father if he had received a priesthood blessing, and then, when Dad said that he had, the prophet sat back in his chair.

I waited for a demonstration of the comforting skills I felt I lacked and so much needed. After perhaps five minutes of watching the two of them simply smiling silently at each other, I saw President Kimball rise and say, “Henry, I think I’ll go before we tire you.”

I thought I had missed the lesson, but it came later. In a quiet moment with Dad after he recovered enough to go home, our conversation turned to the visit by President Kimball. Dad said quietly, “Of all the visits I had, that visit I had from him lifted my spirits the most.”

President Kimball didn’t speak many words of comfort, at least that I could hear, but he went with the Spirit of the Lord as his companion to give the comfort. I realize now that he was demonstrating the lesson President Monson taught: “How does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it.”

I've been thinking alot about the power and authority of the Priesthood and how the SPirit radiates based on our wothyness and our obedience. HOw important it is the have the Spirit with you to leave the impression on the person.

ANyways I love you and hope your week goes well! Love Elder Simonsen

Monday June 2, 2014

WOW sounds like a crazy week. Graduation, I can't even imagine....i really apprecaite the pictures though. Court's hat looks super sweet. THose píctures look really cool. ANd that's awesome about mr. Rule. The Sisters have to visit him everyday now. Read with him and help him recognize the spirit. 

So as for where i am know. I'm in vilha velha, basically the st. augustine of  Espirito Santo. Tons of old buildings and stuff like that. HIstorical sites and what not. But where I work is a bit of a newer area and a little bit longer from all the historic sites. I'm in a neighborhood called cobilândia. Its actually a super awesome ward. like they are amazing. They are working so well with the missionaries. They have a closet that has a ton of supplies the missionaries can use, videso, triple combinations, book of mormon, pamphlets, its amazing and is saving us because we don't have anything. The mission has a shortage of pamphlets and book of mormon so bascically we're just going for it. As for being zone leader, I'm district leader here and I'm training again. He's from Curitiba and he's name is Elder Barreto. First week was p´retty fun, new area, new missionary. Don't know where anything is, so the first 2-3 days we were completely lost. But I know where a maority of things are now and we are still learning some of the areas. I'm living with elder Park again. So of my 7 transfers in the mission I have lived or rather will live, 5 of them with him. IT will be an interesting transfer. We are like best friends but they have obedience difficulties.......so I'll learn alot this transfer.

The area is really good, I get fed a lot so that wieght I lost will be coming back really quick. I show everyone the picture of us on the beach and no one can find me. They think it's my brother or something, Haha only because I'm super skinny, and...well because I buzzed my hair. I was trying to cut it and yeah, 2 all the way around. But here they have a 2 high and a 2 low......it was a 2 low. But it's already grown back a ton ;) 

As for the ipod, all the music you ut on the pendrive, all the byu music I had. Conference in english or portuguese, talks you all like. It will probably be easier if you but sessions because i can sift through them to find certain talks but its up to you. CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like the motab cd you put on the pendrive (Christmas one).
_____________________________________________________________

That's awesome she talked during the seminary graduation!!! I wish I could have been there. It would have been so cool! Was brook making faces at her like she did during that missionary fireside with me? Tell talon he has to go to church because I'm at church in brazil and its what right and its what jesus wants him to do. Talking about your experience with that man, Yeah I love it when people tell me what I believe or what they think I want to say. THere are a lot of people that tell me what we believe and what are doctrine is....which doesn't make anysense to me, because they have never even been to church or talked with a memeber....Just what they've heard. Then they don't want to hear anything from us, representatives of not only Jesus Christ but of His Church. 

This week was really good. It gave me a lot of time to reflect, now that I'm not running around all the time. I have so much time to think and ponder and really work on who I am now. I can really study and ponder. I found a scripture that says "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" Isaiah 26:3 ANd I really liked that scripture because this week I've really been trying to have prayer guided by the spirit. But Ive been feeling so long from the SPirit and I was trying to figure out why. I had already recieved inpsiration that you need to be still to feel the spirit so what was I lacking? what I learned is that it isn't a stillness of mind (though it helps) but a stillness of heart. Everything we do goes back to our heart and our desires. That's why its so important to have a might change of heart. The atonement changes our character and our character is in essence who we are which has to do with the desire of our heart. For where your heart is there is your treasure also. I haven't been still in my heart, not completely at least and I was getting caught up in the vain things of the mission and was super prideful ( i still am) I've been trying so hard to be humble, so hard to put myself equal with others. But it's really hard when you watch them be disobedient and do things wrong. SO my focus is humilty and being humble and service the key.

Anyways I love you all and miss you all so much! love Elder Simonsen

 Baptism we had yesterday (members daughter)

Monday May 26th, 2014

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Wow so this is a super long letter but I'm super happy it was super detailed and lots of details. I really appreciate that. I'm super happy that the packae got there. Really fast. I hope nothin was broken. But I really like those glass animals. I hope I can get more. I'm kinda missing them already. I've actually had them since elder Peterson left. But yeah that's awesome you got to spend so much time in the temple. I thought about that a couple of days ago. How cool it's going to be to be able to go to the temple again and how sweet it's going to be to be able to sit somewhere and just stay there for as long as you want. I actually had a random memory come one day when i was walkin about the last time I went to the temple in the states. It was the one where we went to the burger place afterwards and it was expensive. But I really enjoyed that memory, it was really sweet for me. But afterwards I really wanted a hamburger.

(Haha just realized that you put today was memorial day, completely forgot)

So just to put the big thing on my mind out of the way. We have transfers tomorrow. Me and my companion were transfered. So...who knows what will happen next week. Where I'll be what I'll be doing and all that fun stuff. My suit cases are so full and so heavy. I keep getting more books and I feel like I can't leave them because they are important. my socks on the other hand.....I'm leaving a lot of those ;) I'm super excited for the package and I'm actually kind of glad you haven't sent it yet. I'm going to ask that you put an ipod in it. Perferably an old one that isn't super important. All the music you put on is awesome and I'm so grateful for the pendrive but....only the actual hymns of the church work. On everything that I try....yeah. so if you feel like It i would really appreciate it. Ipod, charger, and tons of music of the church and conference if you want. Portuguese, english doesnt matter. but it's up to you and dad. If you don't want to send it it's all good.

As for the girl that want's to be baptized. Keep doing what you told her. It will come with time. President Monson's talk about courage would be good too because it will help her feel comforted and the only other thing that she could do is just talk to her parents. If she doesnt tell them how she feels and what she knows to be true. They will never know or understand.

Crazy that courtney will graduate. that will be so much fun. Take tons of pictures!. I love getting pictures. (I know you do too)

As for scripture study I finished the doctrine and covenants this week. It was really good and I learned so much. There is so much in there that you just will not know until you read it. It's cool bcause it also takes you through the church history and you can feel the experiences they had. Yes I ponder and apply. You have no choice your life is the gospel every day. It's natural. I really like thinking about the temple though. Andbtw that's a really nice dryer and washer.

Alright, I love you all and miss you so much

Love Elder Simonsen

Here figured you'd want this :p

 (second email today, yay!!!! I love these type of letters!!!) 

We have transfers tomorrow, should be a ton of fun. I was transfered so who knows where I will go or what I will be doing next week. I finished the doctrine and covenants last week. Took a while but it was really cool to read. I learned so much about the church, and the doctrines and have such a better understanding of them. The principle thing I learned this transfer is that knoweldge is only a means. It is really our desire that gets us there and our faith. Basically the most important thing we have is our testimony and faith. Both of which are given to us by the Holy Ghost. Studying the doctrine and Covenants and the book of mormon in depth shows that all those who have great knowledge where shown or given or adquired it was in accordance to their faith. That was inaccordance to their desire. Faith and desire are super interrelated but it leads me to understand better the scripture. Aks and ye shall recieve. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. It is our testimony and faith that lead us to action, that give us our drive. And it is because of their faith that men become great. I like learning about the Apostles and their lives and those of the prophets in the scriptures. The Apostles has super faith and if you look at their lives they have done great things. Are great men and have studied amazing things. It is our desire to learn that comes from our faith that is amplified throuht the Holy Ghost, that only dwells with us based on our worthiness for his companionship. The Spirit really opens our minds and leads us to greater insights. One of the ways through which we recieve revelation is like a light that turns on , the other like the sun rise.(I learned that from a talk by Elder bendar about revelation) Its really cool because how we recieve revelation is how we recieve knowledge. Anyways thats one of the things I learned this transfer, I just wanted to share it because it actualy has to do with the book Jesus the Christ and can be seen in the life of the author Elder James E Talmage. Love you dad and miss you tons.
Elder Simonsen

Monday May 19, 2014

Yeah another fun week, Lots of things that are happening here. Lots of disobedience but it's all good. We had to be a little more firm and clear but we now that we will have a lot more success. Yeah my companion talked to his parents and the problem is that here not every one has a computer let alone a computer with a camera and then there is the whole internet connection and if it's fast or slow and yeah. But everyone talked to their family so its all good.

As for the sisters they could do a fireside or teach during that third hour during church and have everyone together. YES it has a ton to do with trust and it's very clear sometimes when their is none. Just try to be friendly to everyone. Because we know who does not like us. SOmetimes it's not even our fault. They didn't like other missionaries and because of that they don't trust the new ones. We have one lady, her husband loves me and loves the missionaries but its always always a little more difficult to talk with her. BUt it the responsibility or the member and the missionary to rebuild the bridge that was destroyed by the other missionaries. It really is all about that trust and who is the missionary and how the missionary acts. They have to learn for themselves the importance of members in the work. A lot of missionaries don't understand this and they don't use members and don't treat the members well. Thus their work is hindered. The best investigsators are refrences. Also some missionaries don't like to be told they are doing something wrong let alone by a member. And everyone always loves the sisters more. They have an easyness with the Spirit sometimes. The thing i think is important is that we as missionaries have the same responsibility to call out the members to work more with the missionaries to go give visits, refrences, and to help more. The members have this responsibility as well. The prophet has made the call and we now have to act.

yeah I'm writing in my journal about every 3 days because some days i don't have time at night, forget and end up writing the next day before personal study. And yes I remembered that it was about one year ago that I entered the temple and that I am so very grateful for that opportunity that I had and how much I have grown and learned since that day. Oh and by the way I found if you could hie to kolob in portuguese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Sister made a copy and gave it to me yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its really hard to sing in portuguese.....

That's crazy that court graduated and still hasnt written me a letter! But that will be so much fun for her to stay at home with the 2 little ones. Is she going to work during this time? Is she still working at the pre-school? Also I was pondering on how skinny I've gotten and I finally did the math...I've lost about 23-26 pounds.....yeah that's a lot. I gained maybe 1 back this transfer but yeah, so I'm eating a ton now. Haha lots of fun. But its all good. HAving lots of fun, reading the doctrine and covenants. ALmost finished. Finally working more in our area, and having tons of success there. The Spirit is truly guiding us in every part of the work. Oh yeah I sent you all a package, I will never ever do that again. I sent you all my pendrive, and some other little cool things I bought. The Bear is for talon, the dolphin for emmy, the armadillo is mine :p and the plate is yours. I didn't feel safe sending the pendrive with all my photos in only a letter so I sent the smallest package I could buy. It was 42 reals to send.....and had practically nothing in it.Also has 3 letters, one for dad, court and grandma simonsen. The rest of the letters will come later after I write them.

Alrighty I love you all and miss you all so  much!

Love Elder Simonsen

Elder Simonsen and other Elders- Elder Miller (on the couch was going home) 

 Elder  Simonsen's shoes - Old ones on the bottom, new ones on top

Elder Miller & Elder Simonsen 

Monday May 12th, 2014

Alrighty, I don't have much time again...long letter to president but it's all good just relating the fun events of the week. But first of all i haven't done anything with family history sooooooo idk who is using my account or if they just went in and changed something but the only time we really use the computer is on monday so.  idk what's happening there. Thats way cool about sharing the gospel with that lady at the soccer game, if you realy want to help the missionaries get her address or maybe just her phone number and pass it to them. Just be like i have some wonderful friends that can really explain better than me and they will be oer at my house (whatever day you want) for a family night. Woud you like to come too? Do some fun fhe or something and everybody wins. EVERBODY. Because missionaries get a reference from a member, get to go to fhe and if their lucky there is food there :D oh yeah and the family gets blessed and the other family gets the gospel...those last two are probably more important ;) 

That's cool about the waters of mormon, I'l have to think about that a little more.

Haha Elder Ellis! Why was he in orlando? So yep that's my email this week I love you a nd miss you and y'all are rich spoiled peoples with your smartphones so that's it. Love you

Elder Simonsen :)

Mother's Day Skype (that's why todays letter is so short)

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Monday May 5th, 2014

Alrighty so After reading mom's novel :p of which I am grateful for. I will now write a response...

So the lesson of this week: COURAGE

So I've been working really hard on courage because I realized that I was having trouble feeling the spirit not this week but last week because I was doing things in which I did not fully believe nor agreed. I did them because, I was trying to be obedient to my leaders and to President. Which is very very important and essential to having the Spirit. Being obedient to our leaders. Also you have to be obedient to the Spirit because when you are obedient to the Spirit you are never wrong! SO, yes putting those two together gets a little messy sometimes and is very difficult. But I have learned, that you have to do what  you believe is right, confirm it with the Spirit and speak up when you don't agree. Basically that talk that President Monson gave in conference. Hence this is why last week, I spent most of the time writing the president and not writing you all. President is truly and inspired man but he doesnt know what's happening if no one tells him.


Sometimes it doesn't always work out like you think it will but the important thing is the peace of mind that comes from the Spirit. If you follow the Holy Ghost, he will always lead you to where you need to go and to do what you need to do. That is why, it's so important to do what's right and always be worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Study the Scriptures and pray fervently and always seek the Lord in every thought, and every moment and never, ever doubt or fear. It is in sin that we fear, but it is in faith and righteousness that we have courage. We read about it all the time with the prophets in the book of Mormon. The courage they had to do what is right regardless of what would happen. To follow the Spirit with exactness and to stand for truth in every moment. SOmetimes you have to defend the truth from people who you never would think you would have to. For example, I was in the mtc and I had to defend what I believed, a doctrine principle that I know to be true from my companion. It was no easy fight and lasted 4-5 weeks but it was one that had to be done. When we follow the Spirit we are never confounded by the doctrines of Men. 

I had an experience this last week to teach during a party. We were invited by the member to teach but when we got there we knew there would be no way to teach. So we just started talking with the people there getting to know them. And about 40 minutes into the party one o the men sat down in front of me and started asking questions about the states. What are things like, how are the people, the money. The basic things but then it started to turn to gospel topics. What do you think about this and that. What about the Pope. And the entire time, I was praying that I could answer his questions in accordance with what the Lord wanted. Every one was listening and my companion was in the other room not knowing what was happening. I had one member there with me and every once in a while he would say something. The best way to explain what happened is that I felt the Spirit slowly in the begining and then the feeling grew stronger and stronger and the words filled my mouth. The Spirit was so strong that I was just smiling the entire time. I was just filled with such a joy. A peace impossible to describe. The man even commented on how firmly he felt my conviction  and  could see it in my eyes. What he was filling was the Spirit, what he saw was the power of God working through his servant. He wasn't the only one, there were 5-6 other people there. And no drink, nothing can block the force of the Spirit. The only thing left to do is to decide to follow or to reject what he felt. 

It's for moments like that that I live every day trying to keep the commandments with exactness, obeying all the mission rules. Doing everything, I can to be worty of that influence of the Spirit. Because it is really the Spirit that does the work, that converts, that heals. Me, I'm just a simple messanger. A boy of 19 years who still has trouble speaking the language. But of all the things I've learned so far on the mission is that it is the Spirit of God and the Atonement of Christ that make boys men and men of God. As in the example of Enoch and the power of the word that he had. This is my testimony, that I leave with you in the name of our Savior and redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Simonsen