Feliz Navidad!‏

Hola!

So I can't believe that Christmas came and gone.. and will be my only one here in the mission.  It went by super fast, wasn't too eventful, but what we did was

1-District meeting- and then had a little party after, some sisters made chicken, potatos, and spaghetti, and then for dessert my comp and i made hot chocolate with vanilla ice cream!  It was pretty good, and then we had a little gift exchange which was pretty funny, because we all had to make something, and let's just say that as missionaries we have learned to become pretty creative.. 

2- 'christmas dinner' with an investigator- we had red rice, and mole with chicken!  Always super delicious, and we didn't have room for pie.. because I was pretty nervous to talk with the fam..

3-SKYPE!!! Oh how great, i could skype with my family every day.  haha, but I am grateful for the hour that I got to talk with my family. :)

4- We were a little late, but the elders had a baptism, and here neither of the chapels had water, so we ended up going to a river for the baptism.  Even though we were late, we got to be there at the very end, and saw a few pics.  They said everything went well. 

So this week was a little different, but I wanted to share a few things that I learned from my personal study.. 

first off I am now in Mosiah, and loved a verse Mosiah 2:34

34 I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;

SO-  all that we have is a gift from our Father in Heaven.  The part I like most is where it says that we are eternally indebted to our Father, so we should give all that we HAVE and all that we ARE.  To the part- 'who we are' is really who we represent.  How we act.  'If the Savior stood beside me.. would I do the things I do?'  

Then, we sang 'Where Can I turn for Peace?'  but of course we sung it in spanish, and I like the spanish version better.. so I will write here the last verse in spanish, and then my own translation.. i hope it isn't 'apostasia'..

El siempre cerca esta; me da Su mano.

En mi Getsemani, es mi Salvador.

El sabe dar la paz que tanto quiero.

Con gran bondad y amor me da valor.

ok.. now my translation.

He is always near, and gives me His hand.

In my Gethsemani, He is my Savior.

He knows how to give me peace, that I most want.

With great kindness and love, he gives me strength.  

I know that in all of the trials, and hardships, the Savior is there.  In our own 'Gethsemani', He knows how we feel, and what we are going through, because HE is the only one who suffered what we are suffering.  

And I wanted to share DyC 58:2-4

 2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

 3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

 4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

Have a great week, Happy New Year!!!

Hermana Zimmerman

 Feliz Navidad with our district!!

 me carrying a water jug so that we can have clean water to drink.. 

 faith is like a little seed.. :) IT WILL GROW!

3-this is what i ate for christmas! red rice with mole and chicken :)  it was really good.

 just my comp walking in our area... 

 skyping with the fam!

Selfie of my comp and I wandering who knows where to find a neighborhood..

 My comp and I with our little missionary :) (the youngest daughter of a recently converted family of the elders)

this is what i ate for christmas! red rice with mole and chicken :)  it was really good.

 

 

Merry Christmas 2014!

Hi everyone,

So this week with my comp was all right.. I'm just saying that because I feel like I personally need to be doing a lot of things differently, so that will come this week.  The good thing is that my comp is great and when I told her I wanted to change some things she asked me, 'Great! What would you like to change?  Let's make some goals.'  So now I am going to try to improve a lot of things.. We will see how everything goes there.  :)  

Today I was reading in Luke, and wanted to share with you all the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down fromJerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped himof his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him halfdead.

 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: andwhen he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came andlooked on him, and passed by on the other side.

 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was:and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil andwine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn,and took care of him.

 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence,and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him;and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I willrepay thee.

 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour untohim that fell among the thieves?

 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesusunto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Here is talking about the the first great commandment. -Love God abod everything, and then love your neighbor... this is something very simple, but I want to invite you all to be kind and to serve everyone.  It doesn't matter who they are, if you don't like them, if you aren't friends, if they have offended you.  Please do your best to be a representative of our Savior Jesus Christ.  

Here are some funny things that have been happening...

1- After we washed our clothes last monday, we ran out of water.  So we left to go pay the water bill, but that wasn't the problem, and they said they weren't cutting anyone's water.  We were super confused because our neighbors had agua, everyone but us.  Well, it turns out that we are super lucky that the elders live very close to us so they were able to give us water, and then our neighbors in front of us told us that they could share their water with us.  So I was thinking 'oh how nice are our neighbors!  Well, it turns out that our neighbors that live right next to us have been stealing our water.  Because of that we haven't had any water.  So that was cool.... 

2- This is for any future missionaries or missionaries that don't like what the members feed them. Luke 10: 

 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eatsuch things as are set before you:

That's my little message I share with you, but I wish everyone a very happy Christmas, I hope that everyone has a great one, whether they are away from home, or with their families.  

Not only that, but enjoy the blessings of the Gospel.  Enjoy the blessings that we have- with thos knowledge that Jesus is our Savior. 

Love,

Hermana Zimmerman 

 me with Hermana Buttars from the MTC!! :)

 My comp and I on the bus...

Just doing a little service helping a sister in our ward make piñatas. :) Voy a venderlos cuando regreso a casa.

 Giant Christmas Tree!

I'm a piñata.

 I changed houses...

 It's been a while... so Feliz Navidad Miranda Style

Just a little frozen magic.. it's called 'mujerdocio'.  haha just kidding...

 

 

Mission Conference!

Querido todos,

This week was pretty good. :)  My first week with Hermana Hernandez, and I loved it!! She loves to work, has a strong testimony, and is all around a great missionary.  I hope that we can be comps for her last 2 transfers. 

This week we have been trying to find new people to teach, and in other weeks we've been able to find lots, but lately not so many.  So this week we were able to find one lady, Hermana A. who is interested.  In our first lesson we watched 'He is the Gift', and were able to feel a beautiful spirit when we watched it.  We taught her more about what plan her Heavenly Father has for her, what purpose Jesus Christ has in her life, and how she can have an eternal family.  :)

We then had a little surprise on Friday, when my comp. woke up and said she didn't feel too well, (but didn't act weird at all), and checked her temperature to find out that she had a temperature of 39 degrees C!  I'm not sure what that is in F, but it was really high, so we left immediately to the clinic and got her treated, and now everything is good.  We were there for a few hours, and then we went back to work!  Such a trooper is my companion.

Then that night when we got back to the house we had to get all ready to leave to Guadalajara for a mission conference of the two missions! (Mexico Guadalajara, and Mexico Guadalajara East).  So we left at 11 in the night, stopped by Uruapan to pick up other missionaries, and got to Guadalajara at about 8 in the morning.  The conference started at 10 and finished at about 1, then we left at about 1:30 and got home at about 11:15.  It was a pretty long day and a half in the bus... but worth it.  :)  

We had Elder Russell M. Neilsen of the 12 Apostles come to visit us, with a few other speakers.  It all turned out so well.  One of the parts I loved the most was that they all talked about how that they don't want this missionary work to only bless our investigators.  But the purpose of the mission is to convert all of us missionaries into strong, firm members in the church, that our generations with be active in the church, and that our generations can receive the blessings of the temple, but not only us as missionaries, but all of our converts as well.  

There was also a talk I've been reading that our Mission President gave us to read that is called 'Begin with the end in mind'.  And talks about how whenever we talk with the people in the street, have a first lesson, and are beginning to know people, our objective not is only to baptize them.  Our purpose to teach and baptize isn't complete if our converts don't receive the blessings of the temple and can live with their families forever, to recieve exaltation.  The Elder talked about how when he first met a family he thought- how good this family would look in white baptismal clothes.  and then thought- how good would this family look in all white in the temple.  This family was able to be baptized and sealed a few years later. :)  

I can just say that this conference was very spiritual, and I really learned a lot.  We also got to hear a few words from the mission presidents, and both of them were so sweet.  I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to be in this mission with my mission presidents.

With all that being said, I am very grateful to be here in the mission, I am looking forward to complete my goals, not only here in the mission, but when I return.  

Love,

Hermana Zimmerman

 My comp. and I at the conference!

 Bus ride to Guadalajara !

 Bus ride back to Lazaro!  (about 9 hours...) 

 My strong comp at the clinic. :)

my comp and i with our first '12 days of christmas' :)

 

8 months down!

ok, so this past week was a little hectic- and we had a few changes here in Mexico.. :)

So on monday in the morning my comp. and i decided that we were going to be a little ambitious.. and work really hard this past week- so we set some pretty high goals and were really excited to work hard!  When... we recieved a called on monday night that said that my comp. was invited to the leadership meeting in Guadalajara the next day.. so that kind of ruined our plans.  So she left early the next morning, and returned thursday morning, and I was sent to Guacamayas with Hermana Taylor and Hermana Moran for 2 days!  I got to sleep in a hammock each night, and it was all very fun.  Even though I wasn't in my own area, my comp and I decided that I would still try to work hard to acheive our goals, even if it wasn't in our area.  

Then the week continued to go by super fast... on friday we had our zone meeting, and in the break my leaders asked if I could put together a musical number.  It was the last zone meeting of my first STL, so I got to sing a little solo for her and we both started to cry towards the end with a few others.. of course that would happen.  But it was really sweet. 

We also had a few changes with our 'Normas de Excelencia' which make me feel a little better, that I can complete them, because they were super high, and I just hope that I can complete them. 

Then on Sunday we didn't have any investigators show up to church.. but a famliy that we have been working with and love a lot finally came to church so that was great! :)  The other thing is that we are in the same ward as the Zone Leaders, and they already knew the changes but they wouldn't tell us... so we my comp just left me to go to be a Sister Training Leader- and that makes 4 out of my 5 companions that were sent to be sister training leaders.  And one of them just went to to her house today.. so it's kind of funny. :)

My new comp. is called Hermana Hernandez, is from D.F. Mexico (mexico city) and will finish her mission in 2 transfers (so about 3 months).  She's already great, and is enjoying the heat a lot. ;)  

Everything else is going well, and I am excited for this change!  I just hope I know the area well enough and don't get lost... 

Love you all!

Hermana Zimmerman

p.s. if any of you haven't seen 'He is the Gift' i invite you all to look it up on youtube, and share it on facebook. :)  This video really touches my heart every time I watch it, and it makes me think a lot more about what impact has the birth of Jesus in our lives.  Really without Him we couldn't return to live with our Heavenly Father, we couldn't overcome the trials and sins that we have in our lives, and we couldn't be happy, this plan that our God created for us would NOT have a purpose.  I leave you with John 3:16.  'de tal manera Dios amo al mundo, que ha mandado a su hijo Unigenito.. PARA TI'.  :) (or something like that..)

 

 8 months in the mission

 someone decorated a tree in front of our church :D

Zone Meeting- pic with the whole zone! :) Best zone ever..

 New companion Hermana Hernandez

old companion Hermana Enriquez

 eating donuts with Hermana White, Hermana Valdez

(today while we were waiting for our comps to arrive)

 

 Hermana J. in our ward. :)

Lazaro Cardenas

 

Dia de Gracias!‏ (Thanksgiving)

Hola!

So this week we got to hear about a new iniciative that is going on in many parts of the world, INCLUDING MEXICO!!! Called 'He is the Gift', or to me it is 'El es la Dadiva'.  Yeah, i know everyone is already talking about it, but it is so cool, and I am super happy that Mexico gets to be a part of this event. :)  We've already been handing out flyers, and the first day when we heard about the initiative we got to go the the computurs and investigate the page a little more.  While we were looking at the page a man sat down next to me and asked what page i was on, so I showed him where to go and he was all 'hmm, I'm going to share this on facebook!' and right then already shared it on his facebook.  So that was pretty cool.   We had an appointment with him on saturday but it fell through.. so this next saturday. 

This week my comp and I have some pretty big goals... really big.  So I hope that we can complete them all!! This past week we feel we didn't work too well... so to make up for it we came up with some ideas to work with this week.

For Thanksgiving we didn't do much.. they don't really celebrate thanksgiving here.. but I did eat very well.   Mole, y Arroz Rojo con Coca. :)

Right now in my personal study I have been trying to read the bible.. because I really haven't read it before.  So right now I am almost done with Mark, and am loving it!  I really can't believe I haven't really read the Bible before.. oops.

Mexico continues to be hot, the food good, and the people great.

Love you all! Sorry for such a short letter.. haha next week. :)

Hermana Zimmerman

 

p.s. happy birthday shout-out to my lil sis Laura!!! :)

 My happy thanksgiving. :)  we ate Mole (its basically a rich sauce that is kind of spicy, and had chicken) and red rice (its rice that is cooked with tomatoes, and other spices i think...)

 

 cute little babies on sunday. :)

 Happy Birthday Laura!!

 I found out that I am turning into grandma (both grandmas) with sticky notes... 

Flu shots :(

Workin

Ok, so this week was a pretty good week.  We had more lessons than normal, found a lot of people who are married (woohoo!) and had inter-cambios (interchanges?)  with the STLs!   

I got to work in the area of our leaders with Hermana Valdez, and it was super great!  (side-note, she's going to live in Utah when she gets back from the mission, so I can see her!!)  We had some fun working together, and learned a lot.  One of the coolest parts is that in my area we have beeing teaching a couple (Hermano G. and Hermana N.) and the mom of Hno. G is sick, and lives in the area of the STLs, so since I was there I got to go visit her!!! We got to share a message with her daughter who was taking care of her.  

This week I was pretty excited, because we had about 7 people that said for sure that they were going to go to church, and then yesterday... no one.  :/  But that happens sometimes.  Also we have been planning that one of our investigators can be baptized this week Hermana T. but we have a problem with her family... so I am hoping that all will go well because she really is ready and has been listening to the missionaries for I think more than 2 years now.  

The work continues to move forward, as we keep receieving more missionaries and are all trying hard. :)

 

This week I was reading in Mark 8:34-38, and I would like to leave you all with this passage.. 

34 ¶And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me,let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoevershall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall saveit.

 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,and lose his own soul?

 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my wordsin this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Sonof man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Fatherwith the holy angels.

I know that if we put the Lord first, we will be blessed.  Maybe not in the moment exact, but in the end, in the world to come, in some time or other, we will receive our reward.

Love you all, ¡suerte! 

 

Hermana Zimmerman 

 Beautiful Lazaro!

 Otter pops Mexico style :D

 My humble abode

 Lazaro

 Ok, this pic i totally copied from one of my missionary friends... but it was a good idea. :)

 TODAY WE WENT TO MCDONALDS!!! It's not in my area... but I got to enjoy a fudge sundae and churros.. 

2 of the cute YW in my ward!  They were baptized about 6 months ago I think...