Hermana Zimmerman: Mexico Here I Come!!!

Wow I can't believe I leave on Monday!!! How crazy!! The time has completely flown by in the CCM. Also, I leave at 2:30 in the morning... so that will be super fun.

I don't have much to say, but the spanish is really hard some days but other days it comes fluent. It's really exciting to be speaking another language though, spanish is beautiful! I just have a lot to memorize, but that'll all come in Mexico.

But I am SO lucky. During my stay in the CCM I believe that we have had 5 or 6 apostles come to visit us... Elder Christofferson, Elder Oaks, Elder Anderson, President Uchtdorf, and..... for our last Tuesday Night devotional.... ELDER HOLLAND!!!!! Oh man, I feel so completely blessed to be at the CCM to hear such amazing apostles. I had wanted to leave on the mission earlier, but I am SO grateful that my call wasn't until April 2.

Here are some of my favorite parts from Elder Holland's talk!

He spent the first 10 minutes thanking us for being on missions, and telling us how important his mission was to him. Something he kept saying over and over was

"This has to mean EVERYTHING to you."

As in the mission. Ahhh it hit me so hard. Those of us on missions need to give it our ALL while we are on our missions!

He also talked about how PMG was made. He said it wasn't written so that investigators could be converted. It was written so the missionaries would be converted. That is a very powerful statement. It just reminds me that this church isn't a missionary church. Yes we want all people to join, but we don't recite memorized lessons. We have to be fully converted in order to help convert others.

Also, a lot of people always say that when they get back from their missions that they need to get back to "real life". His response was: "the mission is the closest to real life we will ever get."

Then he started talking about how missions are so important for the missionaries not to fall away after they get back home. WE WILL NOT WALK AWAY, from the mission. If we are teaching people that this church is the way to live, we need to live it forever. Not just on the mission, but especially when we leave.

Also, think about the Holy Ghost, and how LUCKY we are to have it with us! We know that while on earth we can't be physically with God, or Jesus Christ. But who is the 3rd member of the Godhead? The Holy Ghost! We get to "know what it means to walk with a member of the Godhead." Every day, for those of us who are baptized. We have the 3rd member of the Godhead with us ALWAYS. As long as we are keeping the commandments and striving to do our best.

One last part is about how HARD missionary work is. "missionary work is never easy because it was never easy for our Lord, our Savior, and the Atonement." It wasn't easy for our Savior to suffer the pains of the world, so why should we always think our lives should be perfect, even our missions? It's not going to be easy, and it wasn't meant to be easy. "you are going to have to suffer a little.

That was what I really liked from his talk. Man, hearing Elder Holland on TV is sSOOO much different from hearing him in person. He is such an amazing man.

Also, today we got to go see the "Sacred Gifts" art exhibit at the BYU museum! If anyone has time I highly recommend going to see it.

Love you all!! I'm very excited for Mexico, and I know this church is true. :)

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Zimmerman